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, whether (a) he, (b) his Ministers and (c) official in his Department have held discussions with their counterparts in (i) Wales, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Northern Ireland on pre-visit notifications.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service funded domiciliary, or mobile, sight tests are available for patients eligible for free NHS sight tests and who are unable to leave home unaccompanied because of physical or mental illness or disability, and this includes individuals in residential care homes and nursing homes.
Domiciliary eye care providers are required to give advanced notification to integrated care boards of their intention to provide an NHS domiciliary sight test to a patient. This is referred to as a pre-visit notification and includes the details of the contractor, where the visit will take place, and the names and dates of birth of the patients booked to have a sight test. Pre-visit notifications play an important role in safeguarding vulnerable groups.
No discussions have taken place with the Welsh, Scottish, or Northern Irish administrations on removing the requirement for pre-visit notifications for domiciliary eye care services in England. NHS England and the Department are happy to engage with the primary eye care sector around the requirement for pre visit notifications to understand any concerns about pre-visit notifications.
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, whether he plans to remove the requirement for optometrists to complete Pre-Visit Notifications.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service funded domiciliary, or mobile, sight tests are available for patients eligible for free NHS sight tests and who are unable to leave home unaccompanied because of physical or mental illness or disability, and this includes individuals in residential care homes and nursing homes.
Domiciliary eye care providers are required to give advanced notification to integrated care boards of their intention to provide an NHS domiciliary sight test to a patient. This is referred to as a pre-visit notification and includes the details of the contractor, where the visit will take place, and the names and dates of birth of the patients booked to have a sight test. Pre-visit notifications play an important role in safeguarding vulnerable groups.
No discussions have taken place with the Welsh, Scottish, or Northern Irish administrations on removing the requirement for pre-visit notifications for domiciliary eye care services in England. NHS England and the Department are happy to engage with the primary eye care sector around the requirement for pre visit notifications to understand any concerns about pre-visit notifications.
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, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of Pre-Visit Notifications on (a) vulnerable patients and (b) patients in care homes.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service funded domiciliary, or mobile, sight tests are available for patients eligible for free NHS sight tests and who are unable to leave home unaccompanied because of physical or mental illness or disability, and this includes individuals in residential care homes and nursing homes.
Domiciliary eye care providers are required to give advanced notification to integrated care boards of their intention to provide an NHS domiciliary sight test to a patient. This is referred to as a pre-visit notification and includes the details of the contractor, where the visit will take place, and the names and dates of birth of the patients booked to have a sight test. Pre-visit notifications play an important role in safeguarding vulnerable groups.
No discussions have taken place with the Welsh, Scottish, or Northern Irish administrations on removing the requirement for pre-visit notifications for domiciliary eye care services in England. NHS England and the Department are happy to engage with the primary eye care sector around the requirement for pre visit notifications to understand any concerns about pre-visit notifications.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 September 2025 to Question 74384 on Rugby, what assessment her Department has made of the long-term financial sustainability of professional rugby union; and whether she plans to discuss the financial challenges facing professional rugby union with Premiership Rugby.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The governance of rugby union is a matter for the Rugby Football Union (the national governing body for rugby union), which is independent of government.
DCMS continues to work with the RFU, representatives of Prem and Champ clubs as well as the Tier Two Board, and the wider sport sector to support the ongoing sustainability of elite and community level rugby union.
I have met with Prem Rugby previously to discuss the long-term financial sustainability of professional rugby union, and my officials regularly engage with Prem Rugby on this issue.
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 his Department has made of the effectiveness of pre-visit notifications, in the context of mandatory electronic submissions of general opthalmic services claims.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Domiciliary eye care providers are required to give advance notification to integrated care boards (ICB) of their intention to provide a National Health Service domiciliary sight test to an eligible patient. This is referred to as a pre-visit notification (PVN) and includes the details of the contractor, where the visit will take place, and the names and dates of birth of the patients booked to have a sight test. Pre-visit notifications play an important role in safeguarding vulnerable groups.
As part of the PVN process, contractors are required to seek a PVN number from their local ICB and to submit that information on the associated electronic claim form. Information about the number of PVNs submitted by optometrists is not held centrally but is held at an individual ICB level.
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, whether his Department holds data on the number of pre-visit notifications completed by optometrists in the last 12 months.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Domiciliary eye care providers are required to give advance notification to integrated care boards (ICB) of their intention to provide a National Health Service domiciliary sight test to an eligible patient. This is referred to as a pre-visit notification (PVN) and includes the details of the contractor, where the visit will take place, and the names and dates of birth of the patients booked to have a sight test. Pre-visit notifications play an important role in safeguarding vulnerable groups.
As part of the PVN process, contractors are required to seek a PVN number from their local ICB and to submit that information on the associated electronic claim form. Information about the number of PVNs submitted by optometrists is not held centrally but is held at an individual ICB level.
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 Answer of 8 August 2025 to Question 67474 on NHS England: Redundancy, when his Department will provide an update on the cost impact of integrating NHS England with the DHSC.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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 discussions his Department has had with Integrated Care Boards on the source of funding for redundancy packages resulting from the abolition of NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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 representations his Department has received from Integrated Care Boards on (a) the abolition of NHS England and (b) subsequent planned redundancies.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 October 2024 to Question 73744 on Private Education, whether the matter of the financial impact of VAT on private school fees was discussed at the meeting on 22 July 2025.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The impact of VAT changes on private schools with Independent Schools Council membership was discussed at the meeting on 22 July.