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.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to provide (a) guidance and (b) support to farmers on water efficiency measures to help protect future food supply.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra works closely with the Environment Agency on water resourcing and smart farming.
The Environment Agency’s recently published National Framework for Water Resources sets out how water efficiency is being promoted in collaboration with farmers and growers. Smart farming makes use of technology to help to make better use of water when it is available and better protect the environment when it is not. By using technology to understand where and when water is needed, to ensure every drop can be made to count.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has had with farming representatives on the potential impact of water security on domestic food supply.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency’s recently published National Framework for Water Resources sets out the pressures on each of the water using sectors, including the food industry. It sets out how we are engaging with the sector and promotes actions to support the sector as it adapts to growing pressure on water resources. This includes establishing collaborative Water Abstractor Groups, helping to identify options to improve water supply resilience and the promotion of smart farming.
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 steps his Department is taking to ensure the accurate communication of the responsibilities of physician associates to (a) patients, (b) healthcare professionals and (c) the general public.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Individual employers and professionals are responsible for ensuring that patients and other healthcare professionals understand their role.
Professor Leng published her review into the safety of the physician assistants and physician assistants in anaesthesia (still legally known as physician associate and anaesthesia associate roles) and their contributions to multidisciplinary healthcare teams in July. Recommendation 7 sets out the importance of being able to identify roles and as part of taking this recommendation forward, NHS England is working with stakeholders, including NHS Employers, to review existing guidance for employers.
The Department and NHS England will work closely and collaboratively with partners from across the National Health Service, the clinical professions, and their representative bodies to implement the Leng Review recommendations whilst ensuring that patients receive safe, effective, and compassionate care in line with the relevant legal and clinical processes.
Following the publication of the review, NHS England published a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ document, setting out what the Leng Review recommendations mean for employees and employers, both in the immediate and longer term. This is available at the following link:
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking through the Building Digital UK programme to improve broadband access in rural areas; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of progress towards achieving universal gigabit-capable coverage in communities most at risk of digital exclusion.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Project Gigabit is the government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans.
According to the independent website, Thinkbroadband.com, 89% of premises in the UK already have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection. To extend this further and achieve our goal of 99% coverage by 2032, more than £2.4 billion of Project Gigabit contracts have already been signed to connect over one million more premises with gigabit-capable broadband.
These are premises that fall predominantly in rural areas, many of which may otherwise be at risk of digital exclusion due to lack of access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection via commercial delivery.
Building Digital UK (BDUK) reports on delivery progress through its annual report and quarterly official statistics. The latest annual report was published on 23 October 2025.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to reduce the price disparity between electricity and gas.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I refer my hon Friend to the answer given to my hon Friend the Member for Stroud (Dr Simon Opher) on 20th October to question UIN (14374).