Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of NHS England’s recent guidance on physician associates on patient services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In response to the Independent Review of Physician Associates and Anaesthesia Associates (the Leng Review), NHS England wrote a letter and published Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to provide guidance and support to the system on the implementation of the recommendations. The FAQs are available at the following link:
Whilst individual primary and secondary care providers are responsible for making decisions regarding their workforce, NHS England is actively engaging employers to understand the impact of the Leng Review recommendations. This will inform how we steward and guide the system to further support employers as implementation continues.
As further information to support implementation of the recommendations is available, it will be published at the following link:
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many job vacancies there were for (a) Foundation Year 1 doctors, (b) Foundation Year 2 doctors and (c) specialty training posts in (i) England and (ii) Suffolk NHS region at the most recent date for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold information on the number of vacancies for Foundation Year 1, Foundation Year 2, or specialty training posts in England or in the Suffolk National Health Service region.
NHS England collects and publishes data relating to the fill rates for training places in medical specialties. These are for the entry point of the initial recruitment processes for the specific training programme, rather than a measure of total vacancies at a given point in time. This information is available at the following link:
https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/fill-rates
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many job vacancies there were for (a) Foundation Year 1 doctors, (b) Foundation Year 2 doctors and (c) specialty training posts in (i) England and (ii) Suffolk NHS region at the most recent date for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold information on the number of vacancies for Foundation Year 1, Foundation Year 2, and specialty training posts in England or in the Suffolk National Health Service region.
NHS England collects and publishes data relating to the fill rates for training places in medical specialties. These are for the entry point of the initial recruitment processes for the specific training programme, rather than a measure of total vacancies at a given point in time. Further information is available at the following link:
https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/fill-rates
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the government plans to publish the National Cancer Plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan is due to be published in the new year. We have received more than 11,000 responses to our Call for Evidence and have had significant ongoing engagement with patients, clinicians, and charities. This decision has been taken in consultation with patient groups and key stakeholders. It is right to take time to ensure the National Cancer Plan is ambitious, strategic, and sustainable, setting the direction for the next 10 years. This is essential in achieving the Prime Minister's Health Mission goal to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer and build a National Health Service that is fit for the future.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (a) what the total amount spent by the Government on cancer research was in the financial year 2024/25; and (b) if he will provide a breakdown of this expenditure by cancer type where available.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In the financial year 2024/25, the NIHR’s reported spend on cancer research was over £141.6 million through its research programmes and infrastructure, reflecting cancer’s high priority.
A breakdown of total reported spend on cancer research by cancer type is not available. This is because much of the NIHR’s investments are for cross-cutting cancer research delivery within the National Health Service and wider health and care system, including research facilities and workforce, known as NIHR infrastructure. In addition, the NIHR cancer research portfolio contains non-specific cancer research projects, such as research which explores the use of artificial intelligence to support cancer early diagnosis in general practice.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available to physician associate students approaching qualification (a) in general and (b) who have self-funded training to help them enter employment in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In response to the Independent Review of Physician Associates and Anaesthesia Associates (the Leng Review), NHS England wrote to the individuals most affected by the recommendations, setting out where they can find support if required. Further information on NHS England’s response to the Leng Review is available at the following link:
NHS England is working closely with partners and listening to stakeholders to design the implementation plan by the end of the year, to deliver the recommendations of the Leng Review, starting with those focused on patient safety, as requested by the Government.
Whilst this work takes place, we recognise the challenges for the current cohort of physician associate students, and NHS England is actively consulting employers regionally and at the national level to understand the employment issues. This will inform how we steward and guide the system to support employers to resolve barriers to employment. In the meantime, we expect universities to provide support to physician associate students as part of their pastoral care policies.
As a starting point, NHS England has published frequently asked questions document (FAQs), a copy of which is attached, reflecting queries received to date, to provide further information and guidance. The FAQs document will be updated as the work of implementation progresses across the relevant organisations.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to respond to the consultation entitled Pavement parking: options for change, published on 31 August 2020.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support people affected by matricide.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Matricide is a terrible crime, which we are committed to tackling.Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of raising statutory maternity and paternity pay to match the National Living Wage.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government has committed to review the parental leave and pay system. All current and upcoming parental leave and pay entitlements are in scope of the Parental Leave and Pay Review.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to take steps to ensure that (a) kinship and (b) foster carers have the same employment leave rights as (i) adoptive, (ii) maternity and (iii) paternity carers.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has committed to conducting a review of the whole parental leave system. This review was launched on 1 July and represents a much-needed opportunity to consider our approach to the system of parental leave and pay.
The department will also consider whether the support available meets the needs of other working families who do not qualify for existing leave and pay entitlements, such as kinship carers.
Foster carers who combine fostering with paid employment have a range of existing workplace rights and legal entitlements to help manage their dual responsibilities, including the right to request flexible working from day one, introduced through the Employment Rights Bill, and adoption leave where applicable. The department also supports The Fostering Network’s ‘Fostering Friendly Employers’ campaign.