Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the planned inclusion of menopause in women’s health checks from 2026, what preparations his Department is making for that change.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We will be working with experts, including general practitioners, over the coming months to design the menopause content for the NHS Health Check.

The NHS Health Check Best Practice Guidance will be updated to reflect the addition of menopause, and it will be for local authority commissioners to implement this through their NHS Health Check providers and to ensure that staff have adequate training. This will support eligible women to access high quality information on the menopause including advice on managing symptoms and where to seek support plus treatment options.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve support for women’s menopausal health, including (a) training for GPs and (b) training for prescribing nurses.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, including menopause, as we reform the National Health Service, and women’s equality will be at the heart of our health missions.

That is why menopause will be added to the NHS Health Checks from 2026 for eligible women aged 40 to 55 years old who attend. This will support up to five million eligible women across England to access high quality information on menopause, including advice on managing symptoms and where to seek support.

For new doctors starting their careers in the United Kingdom, the General Medical Council has introduced the Medical Licensing Assessment to encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems. The content for this assessment includes several topics relating to women’s health, including menopause, and will encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems.

Additionally, for general practitioners and other primary healthcare professionals, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has published a Women’s Health Library which brings together educational resources and guidelines on women’s health, including menopause, from the RCGP, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has also developed a women’s and reproductive health topic suite, and updated guidelines on menopause in November 2024. The guideline recommends more treatment choices for menopause symptoms, and prescribers are encouraged to use these guidelines as best practice when making decisions relating to menopause.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the findings of the British Council’s Global Perceptions 2025 report on the role of soft power; and how the Government plans to ensure that cultural relations organisations such as the British Council remain adequately resourced.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We welcome the latest edition of the British Council's Global Perceptions report, and we will take into account its insights across a range of different areas when shaping the substance and communication of the UK's foreign policies over the year ahead.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the findings of the British Council’s Global Perceptions 2025 report on the likelihood of young people who have participated in British Council programmes to express an intention to do business and trade with the UK; and whether this has implications for future funding for cultural and educational exchange.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We welcome the latest edition of the British Council's Global Perceptions report, and we will take into account its insights across a range of different areas when shaping the substance and communication of the UK's foreign policies over the year ahead.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her strategies on trade, inward investment and international partnerships of the finding in the British Council’s Global Perceptions 2025 report on trust in the UK.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We welcome the latest edition of the British Council's Global Perceptions report, and we will take into account its insights across a range of different areas when shaping the substance and communication of the UK's foreign policies over the year ahead.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies UK’s trust ratings in France, Germany and Italy as reported in the British Council’s Global Perceptions 2025 study; and what diplomatic steps the Government is taking to help improve the UK's reputation within Europe.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We welcome the latest edition of the British Council's Global Perceptions report, and we will take into account its insights across a range of different areas when shaping the substance and communication of the UK's foreign policies over the year ahead.

Winter NHS corridor care

Right to trial by jury

Farmers, growers and the supermarket supply chain

Scientific hearing on animal experiments

Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week 2025

Found: Johnson (Conservative; Sleaford and North Hykeham) Darren Paffey (Labour; Southampton Itchen) Manuela Perteghella

Found: Jonathan Davies; Carla Denyer; Barry Gardiner; Sarah Gibson; Alison Griffiths; Chris Hinchliff; Manuela Perteghella