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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what role he envisages community and voluntary organisations such as community gardens playing in the food system going forwards; and whether funding is available for existing community and voluntary organisations for this purpose.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government will be considering the role of place-based initiatives, including the role of community and voluntary organisations, as we develop our plans for a food strategy that will create a healthier, fairer and more resilient food system.

The development of a food system strategy, in partnership with the food sector itself, sets out to map the system-change that is needed. It is too early to list confirmed actions or activities, and therefore funding decisions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the use of NHS Shared Business Services by non-NHS services for (a) payroll, (b) pension, (c) procurement, (d) tax accounting and (e) other financial services.

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

The NHS Shared Business Services provides corporate and back-office services, including payroll, pensions, procurement, and accounting services, to National Health Service organisations and health-related social enterprises only.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of regulating the price of liquefied petroleum gas for (a) park homes and (b) other properties that depend on that energy source.

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

The liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supply market does not use a fixed network so there is no natural monopoly as seen for gas and electricity.

The supply of domestic LPG is subject to competition law and consumer protection through a regulatory scheme under the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). More details, including a consumer guide to the operation of that regime, can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/liquefied-petroleum-gas-lpg-market-orders-and-calculator.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to review allergen labelling requirements for non-prepacked foods and beverages; and whether he plans to take steps to implement the Food Standards Agency's recommendations for improving allergen information at the point of sale.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for food safety, including food allergen labelling, in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and is working to improve the availability and accuracy of allergen information for non-prepacked foods, which includes foods made to order in restaurants.

In December 2023, the FSA Board agreed that businesses selling non-prepacked foods, such as cafes and restaurants, should provide allergen information to consumers in writing, and that this should be supported by a conversation. Following the Board’s decision, FSA officials are working to assess the impact of different legislative options for improving the provision of allergen information for non-prepacked foods.

Officials in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department of Health and Social Care are being kept closely informed on the progress of this work.

In parallel, taking a steer from the Board, the FSA has created best practice guidance for businesses to provide written allergen information and support this with a conversation, which has recently been through a public consultation. This guidance, along with tools to assist businesses in following it, will be published shortly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what NHS guidance and training is available to ensure Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is understood by medical professionals across England; and whether his Department plans to issue further guidance.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration Service (NCARDRS) is part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) and NHS England. The NCARDRS aims to collect, curate, quality-assure, and analyse data from patients in England diagnosed and/or treated with rare conditions. Further information about the NCARDRS and the NDRS is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/about/ncardrs

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs

Over the last five financial years, the National Institute for Health and Care Research has allocated £189,109 for research on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Research has focused on establishing evidence–based management of CRPS to improve clinical outcomes throughout the care pathway.

There is a National Health Service conditions page dedicated to CRPS, detailing the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment pathway, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/complex-regional-pain-syndrome/

NHS England’s Genomics Education Programme and GeNotes resource provides concise information to help healthcare professionals make the right decisions at each stage of a clinical pathway. GeNotes also includes resources on non-genetic rare diseases, and work continues to expand the programme's coverage.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data is collected on the prevalence of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome in England; and how this data is being used to understand the condition.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration Service (NCARDRS) is part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) and NHS England. The NCARDRS aims to collect, curate, quality-assure, and analyse data from patients in England diagnosed and/or treated with rare conditions. Further information about the NCARDRS and the NDRS is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/about/ncardrs

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs

Over the last five financial years, the National Institute for Health and Care Research has allocated £189,109 for research on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Research has focused on establishing evidence–based management of CRPS to improve clinical outcomes throughout the care pathway.

There is a National Health Service conditions page dedicated to CRPS, detailing the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment pathway, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/complex-regional-pain-syndrome/

NHS England’s Genomics Education Programme and GeNotes resource provides concise information to help healthcare professionals make the right decisions at each stage of a clinical pathway. GeNotes also includes resources on non-genetic rare diseases, and work continues to expand the programme's coverage.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research is being conducted on the (a) causes, (b) symptoms and (c) suitable treatments for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration Service (NCARDRS) is part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) and NHS England. The NCARDRS aims to collect, curate, quality-assure, and analyse data from patients in England diagnosed and/or treated with rare conditions. Further information about the NCARDRS and the NDRS is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/about/ncardrs

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs

Over the last five financial years, the National Institute for Health and Care Research has allocated £189,109 for research on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Research has focused on establishing evidence–based management of CRPS to improve clinical outcomes throughout the care pathway.

There is a National Health Service conditions page dedicated to CRPS, detailing the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment pathway, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/complex-regional-pain-syndrome/

NHS England’s Genomics Education Programme and GeNotes resource provides concise information to help healthcare professionals make the right decisions at each stage of a clinical pathway. GeNotes also includes resources on non-genetic rare diseases, and work continues to expand the programme's coverage.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of consolidating dental and veterinary practices into corporate chains on (a) pricing and (b) consumer access; and whether he plans to instruct the Competition and Markets Authority to review these trends.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Under competition law, responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues, including consolidation, falls to the Competition and Markets Authority ("CMA"), the UK's competition authority. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers and expertise to investigate and take action against businesses that abuse dominant positions in markets by excluding competitors or exploiting consumers.

The CMA has discretion to intervene in markets that are not working well for consumers and it is currently conducting a market investigation into veterinary services for household pets.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the report by Midlands Engine entitled Energy Security White Paper, published in December 2024.

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

The Government welcomes this paper as a strong example of regional leadership in the energy space and the commitment of the Midlands Engine Partnership to look to align its actions with Great British energy’s priorities and functions. The Midlands is a crucial region to the UK’s clean energy transition and the paper identifies many important issues that need to be addressed, including grid connections and reform of the planning system, where we set out our approach in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available for dental practices to (a) relocate to and (b) open new practices in underserved areas.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Dental practices are private businesses and therefore able to decide how they operate. It is their own responsibility to secure dental premises. The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For Rushcliffe constituency, this is Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

Integrated Care Boards have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years. As of 10 February 2025, in England, 35 dentists were recruited and in post, a further 33 dentists were recruited but yet to start in post, and a further 249 posts are currently advertised.

Found: Ferguson Kirsteen Sullivan Apsana Begum Barry Gardiner Andy McDonald Valerie Vaz Gill Furniss James Naish

Found: Ferguson Kirsteen Sullivan Apsana Begum Barry Gardiner Andy McDonald Valerie Vaz Gill Furniss James Naish

Found: Trickett Brian Leishman Mary Kelly Foy Kim Johnson Bell Ribeiro-Addy Apsana Begum Clive Lewis James Naish

Found: Trickett Brian Leishman Mary Kelly Foy Kim Johnson Bell Ribeiro-Addy Apsana Begum Clive Lewis James Naish

Found: Wera Hobhouse Alison Hume Kirith Entwistle Samantha Niblett Claire Hanna Mary Kelly Foy James Naish

Found: Witherden Jon Trickett Mary Kelly Foy Kim Johnson Bell Ribeiro-Addy Apsana Begum Clive Lewis James Naish

Found: Wera Hobhouse Alison Hume Kirith Entwistle Samantha Niblett Claire Hanna Mary Kelly Foy James Naish

Submit Evidence (by 22 Apr 2025)

The International Development Committee is launching a new inquiry into how the UK Government is involving the needs and voices of women in its development efforts.