Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
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 implications for his policies of the pathways used by other Common Travel Area countries to enable qualified medical professionals from outside the EEA to practise medicine; and what steps he is taking to reduce barriers to registration for qualified international medical graduates.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made by the Department of the potential policy implications of the pathways used by other Common Travel Area countries to enable qualified medical professionals from outside the European Economic Area to practise medicine in the United Kingdom.
The General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator of medical practitioners, or doctors, in the UK. It is responsible for setting standards that must be met by both domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to their registers to ensure registrants are safe to practise.
As the independent regulator, it is for the GMC to determine routes to registration and the qualifications that it will accept for registration.
In 2023, the Department amended the GMC’s legislation to provide greater flexibility to streamline the process for registering overseas-qualified medical professionals. Following these changes, the GMC introduced new specialist registration routes, including the Recognised Specialist Qualification pathway, which was launched on 15 May 2024. This enables the GMC to formally recognise suitable specialist qualifications from overseas for the purposes of UK Specialist and General Practitioner registration.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to address regional disparities in NHS mental health support for bereaved parents following pregnancy or baby loss; and if she will issue national standards for Integrated Care Boards to ensure all bereaved parents, including fathers and partners, can access specialist psychological support.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that the experience of losing a baby or pregnancy loss can be very difficult for parents and families.
Mental health services are available in all areas of England for women who experience mental health difficulties during, or due to, their pregnancy, labour, or birth, including Maternal Mental Health Services that specialise in supporting women who have experienced loss.
Additionally, all NHS England trusts have signed up to the National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP), which acts as a set of standard and guidance aimed at ensuring all families, including fathers and partners, receive consistent, individualised, and sensitive care. NHS England is working closely with the baby loss charity Sands to agree what steps are necessary to support a faster and more consistent implementation so that all women and families, no matter where they are, receive the support they need at such a difficult time.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of additional fully qualified full-time equivalent GPs required in England to restore the GP-to-patient ratio to 2015 levels.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The number of patients per full time equivalent (FTE) fully qualified general practitioner (GP) was 1,938 in September 2015 compared to 2,133 in January 2026, including GPs employed by primary care networks. To reach the same number of patients per fully qualified GP today, we would need an additional 3,012 FTE GPs. However, the GP workforce has changed significantly since 2015 with a wider range of professionals working in GPs. There’s currently an additional 38,265 FTE direct patient care staff working in primary care, including nurses, physiotherapists, and pharmacists.
Thanks to actions taken by the Government, we currently have the highest number of fully qualified GPs since 2015, and steps are being taken to grow the GP workforce further.
As part of the 2026/27 GP Contract, we are increasing the flexibility of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) by removing the restriction that ARRS funding can only be used for recently qualified GPs, increasing the maximum reimbursement amount for GP roles to reflect experience, and enabling primary care networks to recruit a broader range of ARRS roles, where agreed with the commissioner.
Following feedback from the 2026/27 GP Contract consultation, we are introducing a practice-level GP reimbursement scheme which ring-fences and repurposes £292 million of funding from the current Capacity and Access Payment. This funding will be available to practices to hire additional GPs or fund additional sessions with existing GPs to improve access in GPs. This aims to strengthen capacity, access, and improve patient satisfaction, whilst also addressing GP unemployment and underemployment.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of consumer redress options for customers with unresolved complaints against energy suppliers that have entered administration.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
There are two routes through which energy suppliers enter administration.
Where a supplier enters a special administration, they continue to hold a licence and to be regulated by Ofgem, including ensuring that consumers have access to redress.
Where a supplier enters a supplier of last resort process, their licence will be revoked, their customers will move to a new supplier and an insolvency practitioner will be appointed to manage the failed supplier. While their new supplier is not required to take on complaints relating to the failed supplier and the Energy Ombudsman will not consider disputes against the supplier which has ceased trading, insolvency practitioners have duties as Officers of the Court and are bound by the Insolvency Practitioner Code of Ethics.
Additionally, Ofgem has previously written to insolvency practitioners to remind them that they expect insolvency practitioners to abide by the same regulatory requirements as energy suppliers when dealing with energy consumers.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support teachers to deliver effective financial education in the new national curriculum.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to strengthening pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship following the publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review's final report in November 2025. From budgeting to understanding credit, all children will learn about the fundamentals of money and develop the skills needed to succeed in the modern world.
My department will engage with sector experts and young people in how best to reflect this in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on updated curriculum Programmes of Study in 2026, seeking views on the content before they are finalised. We intend that the new financial education will be taught for the first time from September 2028.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what evaluation criteria he is using to assess the impact of the Domestic Abuse Protection Order pilot on people against whom orders are sought.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Domestic Abuse Protection Order Notices and Orders (DAPNs and DAPOs) have been piloted in selected areas since November 2024, and are being fully evaluated, which will help to inform implementation as the orders are rolled out across England and Wales.
Reoffending and revictimisation are the key criteria for the impact evaluation, which will aim to quantitatively assess whether, and how, the new orders reduce these outcomes. A complementary process evaluation will aim to examine the implementation of DAPNs and DAPOs and explore perceptions of their effectiveness across different stakeholder groups.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many drivers are reliant on Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to continue driving while awaiting a medical licensing decision from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) new casework system for driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated will deliver significant improvements, including improved turnaround times, increased capacity, increased automation, higher levels of digital functionality and increased digital communication.
The DVLA will also be launching a new digital medical services portal in April. These enhancements alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with medical applications and answer telephone calls, will deliver real improvements in services and turnaround times for customers.
No information is available on the number of drivers utilising Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which may allow drivers to continue driving while their driving licence application is being processed if they can meet specific criteria. While the DVLA advises applicants of this provision, it is for individual drivers to determine if they meet the required criteria. If drivers are uncertain, they should seek advice from their doctor(s).
More information is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to process medical driving licence applications since the introduction of its new casework system on drivers with medical conditions.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) new casework system for driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated will deliver significant improvements, including improved turnaround times, increased capacity, increased automation, higher levels of digital functionality and increased digital communication.
The DVLA will also be launching a new digital medical services portal in April. These enhancements alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with medical applications and answer telephone calls, will deliver real improvements in services and turnaround times for customers.
No information is available on the number of drivers utilising Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which may allow drivers to continue driving while their driving licence application is being processed if they can meet specific criteria. While the DVLA advises applicants of this provision, it is for individual drivers to determine if they meet the required criteria. If drivers are uncertain, they should seek advice from their doctor(s).
More information is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that residents are not left liable for the costs of remediating fire safety defects caused by developer failures and regulatory weaknesses; and whether he plans to take legislative steps to support Resident Management Companies in meeting building safety compliance requirements.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Government has introduced caps for most leaseholders to limit their exposure to building safety costs and worked with industry such that fifty-three developers have, as of 31 October 2025, agreed to fix or pay to fix 2,497 buildings in England with life-critical fire safety defects, at an estimated cost of £4.2bn. When a developer cannot be identified or has not yet agreed to pay for its own buildings, funding has been made directly available to pay for life-threatening fire risks associated with cladding on residential buildings over 11m in height.
To support resident management companies, the Building Safety Act introduced remediation contribution orders (RCOs), allowing interested persons (including RMCs) to compel responsible entities to meet remediation costs. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 allowed RMCs to recover the legal costs of raising an RCO from residents where they may otherwise struggle to raise funds.
The Government remains committed to strengthening protections for leaseholders from current and future building safety issues and is exploring options to support RMCs in meeting their building safety compliance requirements.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
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 adequacy of progress towards ensuring that all areas have a commissioned 24/7 community mental health crisis service; and what steps he is taking to support areas that have not yet been able to implement such provision.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
While no such specific assessment has been made, integrated care boards, supported by regions, should maintain full 24/7 community mental health crisis coverage.
To strengthen access to urgent mental health support, anyone in England experiencing a mental health crisis can now to speak to a trained National Health Service professional at any time of the day through a mental health option on NHS 111. This integrated service can give patients of all ages, including children, the chance to be listened to by a trained member of staff who can help direct them to the right place.
There are currently six funded sites piloting the 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centre model, as well as 16 'associate sites' that are already proactively testing the model. These centres bring together a range of community mental health services under one roof, including crisis services and short-stay beds. The Government will make available capital funding of £473 million over four years to invest in new models, including 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres, building on findings from the six pilots, and other capital projects such as Mental Health Emergency Departments and eliminating out-of-area placements.