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Division Vote (Commons)
27 Apr 2026 - English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill - View Vote Context
Kit Malthouse (Con) voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 93 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 273 Noes - 167
Written Question
Antibiotics: Research
Wednesday 22nd April 2026

Asked by: Kit Malthouse (Conservative - North West Hampshire)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role animal blood-enriched agar plays in (a) bacterial culture, (b) antimicrobial susceptibility testing, (c) AMR surveillance and (d) the recent meningitis outbreak.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department supports the use of validated laboratory methods to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and robust surveillance, while encouraging the development and adoption of suitable alternatives where these can be used safely and effectively. These methods and alternatives include:

- bacterial culture, in which animal blood‑enriched agar is commonly used in clinical laboratories to help bacteria grow so that infections can be identified accurately. Some bacteria require enriched growth conditions, and the appearance of the growth on these media can help distinguish between different types of bacteria;

- antimicrobial susceptibility testing, where, in certain cases, blood‑enriched agar is required to test whether specific bacteria remain sensitive to particular antibiotics. This ensures that test results are reliable and supports clinicians in choosing the most effective treatment for patients;

- antimicrobial resistance surveillance, where laboratory results are generated using established culture and susceptibility testing methods, including blood‑enriched agar where clinically appropriate, contribute to national antimicrobial resistance surveillance. This information helps monitor resistance trends and informs public health policy and clinical guidance; and

- the recent meningitis outbreak, during which blood‑enriched agar was used, as a standard laboratory medium, in the identification of bacteria that can cause meningitis. It forms part of routine diagnostic and public health laboratory practice and supports the timely confirmation and investigation of cases during outbreaks. During the recent outbreak, such media formed part of the standard range of laboratory methods available to support diagnosis where clinically appropriate.

Division Vote (Commons)
21 Apr 2026 - English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill - View Vote Context
Kit Malthouse (Con) voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 81 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 287 Noes - 150
Division Vote (Commons)
21 Apr 2026 - English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill - View Vote Context
Kit Malthouse (Con) voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 80 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 284 Noes - 149
Division Vote (Commons)
21 Apr 2026 - English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill - View Vote Context
Kit Malthouse (Con) voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 78 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 291 Noes - 144
Division Vote (Commons)
21 Apr 2026 - English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill - View Vote Context
Kit Malthouse (Con) voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 77 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 288 Noes - 147
Division Vote (Commons)
21 Apr 2026 - English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill - View Vote Context
Kit Malthouse (Con) voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 82 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 298 Noes - 152
Division Vote (Commons)
21 Apr 2026 - English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill - View Vote Context
Kit Malthouse (Con) voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 78 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 297 Noes - 147
Division Vote (Commons)
21 Apr 2026 - English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill - View Vote Context
Kit Malthouse (Con) voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 77 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 287 Noes - 149
Division Vote (Commons)
21 Apr 2026 - English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill - View Vote Context
Kit Malthouse (Con) voted No - in line with the party majority and against the House
One of 84 Conservative No votes vs 0 Conservative Aye votes
Vote Tally: Ayes - 293 Noes - 155