Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
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 merits of increasing levels of access to hormone replacement therapy treatment on the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While menopause is a natural part of a woman’s life course, we recognise that menopause symptoms can be wide-ranging and debilitating, affecting a woman’s physical and mental health.
Women should not have to suffer in silence and any woman concerned about menopause symptoms should seek advice from their general practitioner or other healthcare professional. It is important that women are provided with accurate information and are able to make informed choices about their care, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
HRT is the main treatment for menopause symptoms, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that for most women it is safe and effective. In November 2024, NICE published their updated guideline which recommends more treatment choices for menopause symptoms. NICE guidelines are not mandatory, but healthcare professionals are expected to take NICE guidance fully into account in their prescribing decisions.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to expand access to smear tests.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England launched its first ever cervical cancer elimination creative campaign and communications toolkit for Cervical Screening Awareness Week, from 16 June 2025 to 24 June 2025. The campaign included digital resources that create a strong sense of shared responsibility and aim to increase awareness of the elimination goal, educate the public, and build confidence in cervical screening.
In March 2025, NHS England published its Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England, setting out how the National Health Service will improve equitable uptake and coverage across cervical screening to meet the goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. Further information on the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cervical-cancer-elimination-by-2040-plan-for-england/
NHS England will build on what is already working well to drive vaccination and screening uptake and coverage, focussing on five cross-cutting themes: increasing access; raising awareness; reducing inequalities; improving digital capabilities; and strengthening workforce capacity.
From January 2026, screening providers in the NHS Cervical Screening Programme in England will be able to offer human papillomavirus self-sampling kits to women if they have not attended their appointment for six months or more, following routine invitation.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to ensure that London weighted salaries for civil servants only apply to employees that live in London.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Decisions on pay, including London weighting, are delegated to individual departments for grades below the Senior Civil Service (SCS). The SCS pay framework is managed centrally and only operates a national pay range.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent dangerous car racing.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for the Government and a key part of the Safer Streets Mission.
On 25 February 2025, the Crime and Policing Bill was introduced to Parliament. The Bill includes proposals to give the police greater powers to clamp down on vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour, including dangerous street racing, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles.
This will strengthen the law and send a clear message that antisocial street racing will not be tolerated.
Excess speed is a major cause of death and serious injury on our roads and anyone who breaks the speed limit should expect to face sanctions.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the safety of British nationals located on the India-Pakistan border.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The safety of British nationals will always be our priority. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) continues to monitor developments closely and is ready to support British nationals 24/7. Any British nationals in the region should follow the FCDO's travel advice for the country they are in, along with the advice of the local authorities. That travel advice is currently against travel to areas close to the Line of Control and international border.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility packaging taxation will ensure that the cost of recycling is passed to manufacturers.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) implements the polluter-pays principle by obligating brands and packaging producers to pay the costs of managing household packaging waste.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to introduce measures to help tackle (a) profit shifting and (b) other corporation tax avoidance methods used by multinational corporations.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK is tackling profit shifting and multinational tax avoidance through measures including Corporate Interest Restriction, Country by Country Reporting, and the Global Minimum Tax. The most recent Finance Bill, introduced by this Government, put legislation in place to ensure the Global Minimum Tax operates effectively.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to (a) continue to fund the Music and Dance Scheme and (b) ensure that all Centres for Advanced Training continue to operate.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department will inform Music and Dance Scheme providers about funding for the 2025/26 academic year following the conclusion of the spending review in the spring.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will have discussions with the Nursing and Midwifery Council on the potential merits of reducing or removing the annual registration fee for nurses.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom, and nursing associates in England. The UK's model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government. All registered health and social care professions in the UK pay an annual registration fee to their regulatory body. Being funded by registrant fees enables the NMC to maintain its independence, allowing it to take action if it identifies risks to patient safety or the public’s confidence in the profession.
The Government expects the NMC to run its operations efficiently and keep registration fees as low as possible in order to limit the financial impact on registrants. The Government has no current plans to discuss with the NMC the potential merits of reducing or removing the annual registration fee for nurses.
Asked by: Mark Sewards (Labour - Leeds South West and Morley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing Council Housing tenants to sell their property to buyers other than their Local Authority if they are still within the 10 year purchase period.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Former council tenants who have purchased their home under the Right to Buy scheme but wish to resell or dispose of it within a 10 year period, must first offer the property for sale at the full market value to either the former landlord or to another social landlord in the area. This is known as the right of first refusal. The market value must be agreed between the parties or, if they are unable to agree, will be determined by the District Valuer. If an offer has not been accepted within 8 weeks, the tenant is free to sell the property to anyone on the open market. The government has no plans to change existing policy on the right of first refusal.