Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
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 the current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidelines on generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines are developed by experts based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and through extensive engagement with a wide range of stakeholders. They represent best practice, and healthcare professionals are expected to take them fully into account in the care and treatment of their patients. NICE keeps its guidance under active surveillance and decisions on whether published guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence are taken by the NICE prioritisation board, chaired by the NICE Chief Medical Officer, in line with its published prioritisation framework. There are currently no plans to update the guideline on generalised anxiety and panic disorder.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
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 impact of mandating Advice and Guidance requests on the legal and accountability frameworks for clinicians.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Changes introduced as part of the 2025/26 GP Contract consultation included the introduction of the Enhanced Service for Advice and Guidance (A&G). This built upon existing use of A&G pathways by general practice over previous years, which helped to ensure patients received care at the right place and the right time. The Department and NHS England are embedding A&G into the core GP Contract for 2026/27. This removes the need for annual sign‑up and treats A&G as routine clinical practice with predictable, recurrent funding.
The use of A&G does not alter existing legal or professional accountability frameworks, and supportive guidance is available to help signpost these responsibilities. Clinical decisions remain with appropriately qualified professionals under established regulatory and local governance arrangements, and NHS England continues to ensure these frameworks remain clear and robust as the use of A&G expands, including through job planning guidance that supports clinicians to manage this activity safely and appropriately.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for informing children’s hospices of their individual allocations from recent funding announcements.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Children and young people’s hospices have been informed of their allocations for 2026/27 by NHS England. Communications regarding future allocations, for 2027/28 and 2028/29, will be sent once the 2026/27 process is complete.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the evidential basis for her view that graduates will pay back £8 more a month on average due to the freezing of the repayment threshold for student loans.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Monthly repayments for a borrower earning above the repayment threshold in a scenario with no threshold freeze was calculated as £8 lower in the 2027/28 financial year compared to the repayments of the same borrower in a scenario with a freeze. This is calculated as 9% (the repayment rate) of the difference between the frozen threshold and the non-frozen threshold. This figure was based on Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) inflation forecasts from the 2025 Spring Statement.
Following updated OBR economic forecasts released on 3 March 2026 as part of the Spring Statement, this figure has been recalculated and remains £8.
For borrowers earning less than the threshold calculated without a freeze, the increased repayments compared to the freeze scenario will be less than £8, and borrowers earning below the frozen threshold will continue to repay nothing.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to WPQ109604 answered on 24 February 2026 about Private Education: VAT, whether she has received representations from the independent school sector on introducing a targeted subsidy for small charitable independent schools with fewer than 500 pupils.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
HM Treasury published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) on applying VAT to private school fees. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees.
The department continues to engage with private school providers, including smaller schools, and representative organisations to ensure they are aware of the requirements outlined in the TIIN.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to WPQ109601 answered on 23 February 2026, when she last met with the independent school sector to discuss the financial sustainability of small independent schools.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
HM Treasury published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) on applying VAT to private school fees. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees.
The department continues to engage with private school providers, including smaller schools, and representative organisations to ensure they are aware of the requirements outlined in the TIIN.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for responding to the Kingdon Review.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The timetable for responding to the Kingdon Review has not yet been determined. We are continuing to examine the findings of the review.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 5 February 2026 to Questions 108785, 108786 and 108787 on Physiotherapy: Employment, if he will initiate conversations with NHS England about the extent of (a) current job vacancies, (b) job competition and (c) longevity of NHS Employment for physiotherapists in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England continue work closely together on National Health Service workforce planning.
The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. Work is ongoing between the Department and NHS England on the development of the 10 Year Workforce Plan, which will have implications on workforce planning for both physiotherapists, and other allied health professions.
Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual NHS employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 5 February 2026 to Questions 108785, 108786 and 108787 on Physiotherapy: Employment, what steps he is taking to understand workforce planning and service need for physiotherapists in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England’s regional teams are in constant dialogue with integrated care boards, National Health Service trusts, other bodies providing NHS services, and education and training providers to assess workforce challenges and support appropriate training across a range of services, including those involving physiotherapists.
The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. We have engaged with partners throughout the development of the 10 Year Workforce Plan, including through the call for evidence, which received over 900 responses, and a national partner event which included representatives from over 90 organisations shaping early thinking across key themes.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 5 February 2026 to Questions 108785, 108786 and 108787 on Physiotherapy: Employment, if he will undertake a review of data gathering about (a) job vacancies, (b) job competition and (c) longevity of NHS Employment for physiotherapists in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has no plans for a review of the data gathered in relation to physiotherapy job vacancies, job competition, and the longevity of National Health Service employment in the NHS.