Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish in full the legal basis of the decision to allow the United States to use British military bases to attack Iranian missile sites.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 March in response to Question 117440.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the United States executive order of 29 January 2026 on new sanctions against any country supplying oil to Cuba.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK continues to follow developments in Cuba closely, including the impact of the 29 January US executive order. The UK has maintained a consistent and long-standing position on the US embargo, voting for the annual UN resolution calling for its end every year since 1996.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Israeli counterpart on the bulldozing of parts of The Gaza War Cemetery in al-Tuffah.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 13 February in response to Question 111058.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect Palestinian (a) children and (b) services which support them.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided by my colleague, Minister Chris Elmore MP, in Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office oral questions on 3 March, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:

Tens of thousands of children have been killed, injured, orphaned, or separated from their family during this conflict. The UK has medically evacuated 50 children for treatment in the UK, but help on the required scale can only be delivered on the ground in Gaza. We are providing £81 million in humanitarian and early recovery support this year, including social protection services, which have so far supported over 335,000 Palestinian children.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Saudi counterpart on child defendant executions.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 December in response to Question 97116.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will consider the potential merits of increasing access to council tax exemptions for foster carers to enable them to continue their care responsibilities.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities are responsible for the administration of council tax and have discretionary powers to apply exemptions or council tax discounts. This could include offering discounts to foster carers where they consider this appropriate.

The government has recently consulted on modernising and improving the administration of council tax. This included seeking views on the current range of council tax disregards provided in the system. The government will publish its response to the consultation in due course.

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 support the provision of endometriosis services in Edmonton and Winchmore Hill constituency.

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

We are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions including endometriosis, and we have already taken action to address this.

Residents in Edmonton and Winchmore Hill have access to a well-established Enfield-wide community gynaecology and women’s health hub. The North Central London Integrated Care Board invests approximately £1 million per year in delivering this type of care in community settings across Enfield, including provision at the Winchmore Hill Practice itself. The service provides support across a range of gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis, and sees approximately 470 women each month. Care delivered through the community hub is increasingly integrated with both primary care and local acute services, helping women receive earlier assessment and support, with an average wait time of approximately four weeks, significantly shorter than typical hospital waiting times.

Where women require more specialist investigation or treatment via a hospital, the North Middlesex University Hospital is currently the best performing acute site in North Central London for gynaecology services against the 18-week referral-to-treatment standard, with around 64% of women waiting less than 18 weeks. However, we recognise there is more to do and continue to work with providers to reduce waits as part of our wider elective recovery programme.

Primary care is the key point of access for many women in Edmonton and Winchmore Hill, and we are supporting general practitioners (GPs) to access rapid specialist advice where endometriosis may be suspected. Local GPs can use Advice and Guidance services provided by experienced gynaecologists from local trusts and through a national network via a platform called Consultant Connect. This allows GPs to seek expert advice quickly, with 99% of responses received within five days, helping women receive appropriate support sooner and, where possible, closer to home.

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 improve education and training on endometriosis among healthcare professionals.

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

The Government acknowledges the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce.

The Government also acknowledges the importance of ensuring healthcare professionals are adequately trained and educated on women’s health conditions, including endometriosis, and we have taken action to address this.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has introduced the Medical Licensing Assessment to encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the United Kingdom. The content for this assessment includes several topics relating to women’s health, including endometriosis.

Women's health is included the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) curriculum for trainee general practitioners (GPs), including gynaecology, sexual health, and breast health. The curriculum also covers the healthcare needs of women across all diseases seen in primary care as it is important women are treated holistically. This ensures that all future GPs receive education on women’s health.

The RCGP has also published a Women’s Health Library which brings together educational resources and guidelines on women’s health from the RCGP, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare. This resource is continually updated to ensure GPs and other primary healthcare professionals have the most up-to-date advice to provide the best care for their patients.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has developed a women’s and reproductive health topic suite, and updated guidelines on endometriosis in 2024 to make firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referral and investigations for women with suspected diagnosis. These clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to provide care for women with endometriosis.

Generally, employers in the health system are responsible for ensuring that their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver appropriate treatment for patients.