Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Mr Alan Milburn has consulted his Department on taking on any new work that involves, or may potentially involve, health and social care through his business A.M. Strategy Ltd.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The usual process of declarations of interest and agreement of appropriate mitigations for non-executive board member (NEBM) appointments was carried out, overseen by the Permanent Secretary, when Mr Milburn was initially appointed. NEBMs’ contract terms state that they must alert the Department to any new interests. Mr Milburn will consult with the Department before taking on any new work which involves, or may potentially involve, health and social care through his business A.M. Strategy Ltd.
NEBM declarations of interest are published each year in the Register of Interests in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, and are also be published on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to transfer any NHS England functions to other arm's-length bodies.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Work is progressing at pace to map functions, appraise options, and inform decision making on where NHS England’s functions will best sit. There are important choices to be made here, and ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to consolidate estates following the closure of NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation.
Whilst this transformation takes place, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Leader of the House on the timetable for bringing forward legislative proposals to abolish NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to determine the structure and requirements needed to support the creation of a new centre for health and care.
Primary legislation will be required, and we intend to bring this forward when Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when guidance will be issued to ICBs on where the expected 50% cuts in running costs should come from.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the necessary changes to support the National Health Service to recover, NHS England has indicated that integrated care boards (ICBs) should reduce in size. NHS England and the Department are working in close collaboration with ICBs to ensure implementation is carried out effectively and at a pace, to support the work to get the NHS back on its feet. Further detail on the future of ICBs was provided in a letter issued to all ICBs and NHS trusts and foundation trusts on 1 April 2025.
This letter is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/working-together-in-2025-26-to-lay-the-foundations-for-reform/
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has conducted an equality impact assessment on the decision to abolish NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation.
As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds, including equality impacts.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has ring-fenced a sum for the cost of redundancy payments associated with the abolition of NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds. At this stage it is too early to say what the upfront costs of integration are, including any redundancy payments, while we are scoping the programme.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the findings by the National Prostate Cancer Audit in their publication entitled the State of the Nation Report published in January 2025, what steps he plans to take to tackle age-related disparities in (a) prostate cancer diagnosis and (b) care for older populations in Havering.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS England Cancer Programme has commissioned clinical cancer audits, including for prostate cancer, which provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary. These audits will help NHS England understand where to increase the consistency of access to treatments and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients. The audits are ongoing and will act on their findings in due course.
The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including for those living with prostate cancer. The plan will highlight how we aim to improve diagnosis rates for people across England, including in Havering.
The NHS Long Term Plan states that, where appropriate, every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including needs assessment, a care plan, and health and wellbeing information and support. This includes provision of information, empowering people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer. We are committed to ensuring that all cancer patients get access to these interventions, ensuring care is focused on what matters most to each person, including for older people in Havering.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Human Embryology and Fertilisation Authority on the regulation of surrogacy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy met with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority senior team, where this issue was discussed as part of a broader introductory discussion.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to reinstate funding for the National Institute for Health and Care Research Bioresource project providing infrastructure for the development of novel non-CFTR treatments for cystic fibrosis.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) BioResource worked with the Cystic Fibrosis Trust to establish the Cystic Fibrosis BioResource project, which began recruiting participants in 2021. In October 2024, the NIHR BioResource altered its participant recruitment strategy to focus on two cohorts, and to put greater resources towards its recall strategy.
1,358 participants have been recruited to the Cystic Fibrosis BioResource to date, all of whom will continue to be approached, via recall, to research studies. The NIHR BioResource plans to re-open recruitment to other cohorts, including the cystic fibrosis project, if additional funding can be sourced, for example from industry or charity partners.
The Department does not fund specific disease cohorts within the NIHR BioResource. The Department will be working closely with the NIHR BioResource as they develop their future strategies for participant engagement, recruitment, and retention, to ensure this is appropriate for each cohort and supports the best science.