Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) transitional protections and (b) alternative arrangements for long-serving NHS employees who retired, accessed their NHS pension and subsequently returned to NHS employment in circumstances where they were not made aware that doing so could substantially reduce their contractual redundancy entitlement.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing transitional protections or alternative arrangements for staff who have previously claimed pension benefits.

Redundancy terms for National Health Service staff on the Agenda for Change contract in England are set out under Section 16 of the NHS Staff Terms and Conditions of Service handbook, a set of terms collectively agreed by national collective bargaining structures including the NHS Staff Council. This also applies to other NHS staff whose redundancy terms refer to Section 16 of the Agenda for Change contract in England.

Claiming pension benefits, such as via retire and return, does not mean that NHS staff are ineligible for redundancy payments. However, taking pension benefits may change the way in which contractual redundancy payments are calculated.

The handbook states that service used for the purposes of calculating previous pension benefits will not count for the calculation of a contractual redundancy payment. Statutory redundancy entitlements are unaffected.

The Department commissions NHS Employers to provide guidance for employers on a range of topics, including NHS redundancy arrangements and retirement options, which they can then use to communicate with their staff.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department provides to (a) NHS employees considering retire-and-return arrangements regarding the potential effect of accessing their NHS pension on their future contractual redundancy entitlement and (b) to NHS employers on ensuring that staff are informed of any significant reduction in redundancy protection before making a decision to retire and return.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing transitional protections or alternative arrangements for staff who have previously claimed pension benefits.

Redundancy terms for National Health Service staff on the Agenda for Change contract in England are set out under Section 16 of the NHS Staff Terms and Conditions of Service handbook, a set of terms collectively agreed by national collective bargaining structures including the NHS Staff Council. This also applies to other NHS staff whose redundancy terms refer to Section 16 of the Agenda for Change contract in England.

Claiming pension benefits, such as via retire and return, does not mean that NHS staff are ineligible for redundancy payments. However, taking pension benefits may change the way in which contractual redundancy payments are calculated.

The handbook states that service used for the purposes of calculating previous pension benefits will not count for the calculation of a contractual redundancy payment. Statutory redundancy entitlements are unaffected.

The Department commissions NHS Employers to provide guidance for employers on a range of topics, including NHS redundancy arrangements and retirement options, which they can then use to communicate with their staff.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in registration fees charged by the General Pharmaceutical Council on the pharmacy workforce; and if she will hold discussions with the Council on the potential merits of introducing more flexible monthly payment options for registrants.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is independent of Government and is funded by fees charged to its registrants. The council is responsible for setting its own fees and determining flexible payment methods.

The GPhC currently offers the option for registrants to pay their fees in quarterly instalments and provides information regarding how pharmacists may be able to claim tax relief.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of curent levels of access to omaveloxolone for patients with Friedreich's ataxia on NHS costs.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

No specific assessment has been made. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) was unable to complete its appraisal of omaveloxolone after the company withdrew its evidence submission and it is not therefore routinely funded for National Health Service patients. NICE will reopen the appraisal if the company makes a new evidence submission.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department provides to people who have been advised to avoid folic acid, including people with coronary stents, on how to identify and avoid foods containing folic-acid-fortified flour when eating food prepared by restaurants, cafés, bakeries and other food businesses.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

For food sold in restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and other out-of-home settings, consumers who have specific dietary requirements or medical concerns can ask the food business for information about ingredients used in the preparation of food.

On the wider issues raised, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 17 July in response to Question 18201.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has had discussions with Nuvation Bio about bringing clinical trials of Safusidenib to the UK for patients with IDH1-mutant Astrocytomas who have previously received radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is supporting engagement with commercial sponsors of clinical trials through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Life Sciences Industry Hub. The NIHR Industry Hub provides a single, nationally coordinated pathway for research sponsors like Nuvation Bio to engage with, to set up and deliver commercial clinical trials.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that NHS hospital trusts are able to maintain minimum safe staffing levels in maternity services.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have a record number of midwives working in the National Health Service this year, with over 600 more than a year ago. We are also investing £10.6 million in an additional 1,000 temporary roles to help newly qualified midwives join the NHS. The Government has invested over £16 million in additional funding for obstetricians in England since 2023/24. As of June 2026, there were 100 more obstetrics and gynaecology consultants than a year earlier. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how the NHS will have the right people, in the right places and with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.

We will publish a single national action plan by the end of the year to drive systemic and sustained improvement across maternity and neonatal care. Ensuring that services have the right workforce to deliver safe care for all women and babies is central to this work.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to standardise guidance on safe staffing levels in maternity care between NHS hospital trusts.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have a record number of midwives working in the National Health Service this year, with over 600 more than a year ago. We are also investing £10.6 million in an additional 1,000 temporary roles to help newly qualified midwives join the NHS. The Government has invested over £16 million in additional funding for obstetricians in England since 2023/24. As of June 2026, there were 100 more obstetrics and gynaecology consultants than a year earlier. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how the NHS will have the right people, in the right places and with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.

We will publish a single national action plan by the end of the year to drive systemic and sustained improvement across maternity and neonatal care. Ensuring that services have the right workforce to deliver safe care for all women and babies is central to this work.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the shortage of gynaecologists and obstetricians in the NHS.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have a record number of midwives working in the National Health Service this year, with over 600 more than a year ago. We are also investing £10.6 million in an additional 1,000 temporary roles to help newly qualified midwives join the NHS. The Government has invested over £16 million in additional funding for obstetricians in England since 2023/24. As of June 2026, there were 100 more obstetrics and gynaecology consultants than a year earlier. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how the NHS will have the right people, in the right places and with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.

We will publish a single national action plan by the end of the year to drive systemic and sustained improvement across maternity and neonatal care. Ensuring that services have the right workforce to deliver safe care for all women and babies is central to this work.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent profiteering on the sale of road fuel and off-grid fuel prices.

Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government will not tolerate profiteering or unfair practices in fuel markets.

For road fuel, we are supporting greater competition and transparency through Fuel Finder, which requires retailers to share live prices. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also continues to monitor retailer behaviour, including passive pricing strategies that may contribute to sustained high margins.

For heating oil, the CMA has proposed stronger consumer protections, including supplier registration and minimum standards, improved price transparency, independent dispute resolution and better support for vulnerable households. It has also secured compensation for customers affected by cancelled orders. The Government welcomes this work, is carefully considering the CMA’s recommendations and intends to respond formally in due course.

Vulnerable households facing immediate financial difficulties because of rising heating oil prices are encouraged to contact their local authority to find out what support may be available to them through the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) which has over £50million to help low-income families tackle surging prices.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what his Department is doing to ensure manufacturing businesses have access to high strength alloys in the context of a change to steel import tariffs.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government recognises the importance of high strength alloys and other specialist steel products to UK manufacturing. The steel trade measure is designed to protect the long-term viability of UK steelmaking and supply chain resilience, while ensuring continued access to essential imports.

The measure applies only to steel categories that can be made in the UK. In some instances, technical constraints mean that some product codes cover both UK-produced and non-UK-produced grades and sizes. In these cases, quotas have been sized accordingly. We continue to engage closely with businesses and will review the measure after 12 months.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of steel goods manufacture being offshored on the cost of goods manufactured in the UK.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government recognises that a strong domestic steel sector and a competitive manufacturing base depend on one another and our approach seeks to support both.

We are closely monitoring impacts across the supply chain, including on downstream manufacturers and trade flows, and we will continue to hear from businesses on the impact of the measure. We will review it after 12 months to ensure it remains effective and the balance is right for both producers and downstream users. Additionally, Explanatory Memoranda to the legislation that implemented the measure were published setting out the expected impacts on different sectors and businesses across the supply chain.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the level of availability of steel grades subject to import tariffs but not manufactured by UK steel mills.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The steel trade measure applies only to product categories that can be made in the UK. In some instances, technical constraints mean that some product codes cover both UK-produced and non-UK-produced grades and sizes. In these cases, quotas have been sized accordingly.

We have engaged extensively with UK industry, including through a Call for Evidence in 2025 and extensive official and ministerial engagement across the steel supply chain. We are closely monitoring the implementation of the trade measure, continuing to engage with businesses and will review the full measure after 12 months.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on the next steps laid out in the Animal Welfare Strategy for England, published on December 2025.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Animal Welfare Strategy sets out the priority issues that this Government will address, focusing on the changes and improvements that Defra aim to achieve by 2030 to improve the lives of millions of animals across the UK. The Government is determined to deliver these reforms and has already undertaken a number of consultations on phasing out cages for laying hens, improving lamb welfare and trail hunting. Defra are now analysing the responses to these consultations.

This Government has published Animal Welfare Committee Opinions on breeding in commercial livestock and responsible sourcing of fur. We have also held the first meeting of the fur working group to explore concerns and the different ways in which they could be addressed.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency has been commissioned to conduct a review of the evidence relating to mole traps; corvid traps; and the spring traps listed on the Spring Trap Approval Order as it applies in England. This review is underway and is expected to conclude by April 2027.

As set out in the strategy we are working with industry, keepers and farmers to improve resilience to a changing climate. This summer, the department met with the pig sector on this and also with the meat chicken industry to discuss the impact of the heatwaves and to hear from them about the effectiveness of the mitigations they have put in place since the 2022 heatwave.

Defra is continuing to progress implementation of the strategy in a phased way.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the treatment of Palestinian healthcare workers in detention.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK government regularly engages with Israeli counterparts to express concern about the detention of Palestinian doctors and other detainees. We have been consistently clear that all detainees, including doctors, must be treated with dignity and in full accordance with international law, and that any allegations of torture or mistreatment must be thoroughly investigated. The UK continues to urge the Government of Israel to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) immediate and unfettered access to all detention facilities and detainees.

Barbering and hairdressing

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (No. 2)

Battle of Britain Day 2026

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) rescue operations

Contribution of women to the Bayeux Tapestry

World Suicide Prevention Day 2026

Support for hospices

Publication of Legal Advice on Local Government Reorganisation

Submit Evidence (by 4 Nov 2026)

This inquiry will consider the role of UK Defence in the Gulf region. It will examine the UK’s defence interests and objectives, force posture, and defence partnerships. It will cover the implications of recent crises, including the 2026 conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States, for the UK’s future defence presence.