Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the provision of gender dysphoria clinics in the North East of England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is committed to supporting people who need these specialist gender services and commissions three adult gender dysphoria clinics in Newcastle, Sheffield, and Leeds. While they are regionally commissioned to meet the demand of the local population, these services are accessed by patients from across the country and this has an impact on waiting times.
In some areas, general practices (GPs) are also supporting stabilised patients by prescribing their treatment locally with specialist support, ensuring the care and treatment needs of these individuals are met locally when appropriate.
NHS England has now completed its review of adult gender services, which looked at how to overcome the challenges that some individuals continue to face in accessing services in a timely manner. The review includes 20 recommendations and NHS England, in full partnership with regions and the Department, will now lead the next stage of the system-wide response.
A National Portfolio Board is being established to build and develop a full implementation plan, which will address each of the recommendations in turn and be aligned with the ambitions of the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan for England, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/10-year-health-plan-for-england
Immediate priorities include working with professional bodies to establish a new professional role of GP with an Extended Role in Gender Medicine, to provide support to those who have completed their care within the adult gender service clinics and to provide leadership and knowledge sharing with primary care in every neighbourhood.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are currently on the waiting list for gender dysphoria clinics in i) the North East of England and ii) nationally.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The number of adult patients who are registered with a general practice in the North East and Yorkshire region and who are on a waiting list for an adult gender dysphoria clinic is 5,966 at the date of 31 January 2026.
The total number of adult patients on a waiting list for an adult gender dysphoria clinic is 44,579 at the date of 31 January 2026.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to assess the number of people who are not able to access a social home due to pre-tenancy affordability checks.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 98397 on 17 December 2025.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies on UK air and missile defence of Ukraine’s approach to air defence, including the role of trained personnel and real-time coordination.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK Armed Forces are drawing key lessons from Ukraine, particularly the need for a much faster ‘learn and adapt’ cycle to accelerate developments in our capabilities, doctrine, and tactics.
Lessons from both Ukraine and the Middle East are already being applied to deliver cost-effective air defence solutions for the UK and its partners. The Strategic Defence Review announced up to £1 billion for UK air and missile defence. Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Reviews recommendations, including on Integrated Air and Missile Defence, will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on improving the lethality of the armed forces since the publication of the Strategic Defence Review.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Whether it is drones, counter-drone systems, ASGARD or Atlantic Bastion. We have made significant improvements to lethality of the Armed Forces since the Strategic Defence Review’s publication.
We are delivering the capabilities and skills needed for the new operating environment. We have increased the number of uncrewed systems used by our Armed Forces, with delivery of over 8000 since July 2024, alongside developing the digital tools to support our warfighters, and establishing the Centre for Uncrewed Systems to cohere the skills and development of this crucial technology. We are fostering the UK's next generation autonomous technology base and working with European partners on our new generations of munitions and deep precision strike as we continue to drive our Armed forces' lethality. For example, we have also signed a multi-million contract with UK start-up Cambridge Aerospace to supply new interceptor missiles and launchers to the UK Armed Forces and Gulf partners. These are designed to counter Shahed-style attack drones, with the first deliveries to the MOD expected in May.
Our work to strengthen our armed forces is never done. We will set out how we are implementing the Strategic Defence Review's recommendations and improve the lethality and effectiveness of our Armed Forces through our forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to incorporate lessons from Ukraine into the development of UK air and missile defence capabilities, including counter-drone systems and electronic warfare.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK’s Armed Forces are learning much from the war in Ukraine, particularly the need for a much faster ‘learn and adapt’ cycle to accelerate developments in our capabilities, doctrine, and tactics. More broadly, the Strategic Defence Review considered all aspects of Defence, including the capabilities required by the UK to meet the challenges, threats, and opportunities of the twenty-first century.
Integrated Air and Missile Defence investments will be prioritised appropriately against the assessed threat picture as part of the future Integrated Force. Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Review recommendations, including on Integrated Air and Missile Defence, drones and electromagnetic warfare will be set out in the forthcoming Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to help ensure increased investment in defence innovation and supply chains arising from lessons learned in Ukraine for regional areas including North Durham.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has established UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) which represents a fundamental transformation of how the Ministry of Defence (MOD) approaches innovation.
Learning lessons from Ukraine as well as other international partners UKDI will act and operate differently, ruthlessly prioritising to focus on the areas with most potential, with significant freedoms to contract with speed, simplicity, and flexibility, harnessing and bolstering the competitiveness of the UK’s tech sector.
UKDI has established Regional and Devolved Authorities Engagement Teams across the UK to systematically identify and nurture dual-use innovation from SMEs, mid-tier companies, and academic spin-outs.
The core mission of the Regional and Devolved Authorities Engagement Teams is to deliver targeted outreach, support business development, foster supply chain collaboration, and accelerate the commercialisation of emerging technologies aligned with Defence and National Security priorities.
These teams will facilitate regional access to defence-focused loans, investors, and venture builder services, while gathering critical market intelligence for MOD and National Security stakeholders.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Department is considering Project GRAYBURN as the anchor for a longer-term strategic supplier relationship covering wider dismounted close combat weapons and associated support.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Project GRAYBURN seeks to establish a strategic relationship with industry to deliver, manage, spirally develop and support the weapons portfolio. In time, this could be extended to the wider dismounted close combat weapons portfolio.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment the Department has made of the operational risks of replacing the SA80 service weapon without including modern optics within the scope of Project GRAYBURN.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Project GRAYBURN is in the Concept Phase during which the requirements for modern optics will be defined.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for (a) his Department’s policies and (b) the Strategic Defence Review of Ukraine’s use of rapidly developed battlefield technologies, particularly in relation to accelerating UK capability development.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 31 March 2026 to Question 123249 to the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Holden).