Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of applying preferential (a) interest rates and (b) tax treatment for NS&I Green Savings bonds.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
National Savings and Investments’ (NS&I) core remit is to raise cost-effective finance for the Government. In setting the interest rate on its products, NS&I must adhere to its operating framework. Specifically, this is to balance the interests of savers by offering a fair rate; the taxpayer by delivering cost-effective financing; and the financial services sector by acting transparently and supporting a fair and competitive market.
Green Savings Bonds (GSB) are a fixed-term savings product where deposits contribute to green initiatives as selected by the Government. GSBs sit alongside Green Gilts issued by the Debt Management Office, funds from which count towards meeting the Green Financing remit. The interest rate on GSBs is kept under regular review and changes are recommended by NS&I to HM Treasury as appropriate. In setting the interest rate, NS&I – as outlined above – seeks to balance the interest of savers, taxpayers, and financial services sector.
Interest earned on savings accounts, with the exception of ISAs, are subject to tax. Along with some other competitor accounts, GSBs are designed to be held for the full term and savers can only access their money, including compounded interest, at the end of the fixed-term, which is when any tax is due. HMRC outlines that any tax is paid on maturity when the saver benefits from the interest earned on the fixed-term product.
Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the purchase price limit of (a) lifetime ISAs and (b) help-to-buy ISAs.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
This Government is committed to helping first time buyers own their own home and our plan to build1.5 million more homes is key to delivering this commitment.Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of introducing free bus passes for people aged 60 and over on (a) social inclusion, (b) the economy and (c) the environment.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. No assessment has been made of the potential impact of lowering the age on social inclusion, the economy or the environment.
Local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations such as lowering the age of eligibility. Additional local concessions are provided and funded by local authorities from local resources.
The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available in local areas to support the local economy and environment.
Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
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 help support primary care staff providing mental health services in Penrith and Solway constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
General practice is funded to deploy mental health practitioners, bridging the gap between primary care and specialist mental health services, with over 1,200 employed in England as of December 2024.Our 10-year health plan will deliver more care locally, supporting people to stay healthier including with their mental health.
We will recruit 8,500 mental health workers across children’s and adult mental health services to bring waiting times down.
Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time taken to diagnose ankylosing spondylitis was in each of the last five years.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We do not hold data in the format requested. To support health and care professionals in the early diagnosis of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, such as ankylosing spondylitis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published expert guidance on the diagnosis and management of spondyloarthritis in over 16 year olds, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng65
The NICE guidance aims to raise awareness of the features of spondyloarthritis and provide clear advice on what action to take when people with signs and symptoms first present in healthcare settings.
As announced in the Get Britain Working white paper, we are delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England Getting It Right First-Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. With a £3.5 million funding boost, GIRFT teams will deploy their proven Further Faster model to work with integrated care board leaders to further reduce MSK community waiting times, including for those with ankylosing spondylitis, and improve data, metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services.
Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time taken to diagnose multiple sclerosis was in each of the last five years.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We do not hold data in the format requested. The latest data for referral to treatment waiting times in England, from January 2025, shows there were under 233,000 pathways waiting for a neurology appointment, 53.8% of which had been waiting less that 18 weeks.
On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, which sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week referral to treatment target by the end of this Parliament. We have delivered an additional two million appointments between July and November 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, seven months ahead of schedule, as a first step in our commitment to ensuring that patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks. These additional appointments have taken place across a number of specialities, including neurology.
Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure accurate recording of a presumed diagnosis of endometriosis in primary care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
General practices are expected to follow National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidance for the treatment and management of clinical conditions, as part of meeting the reasonable needs of patients. The NICE guidance on endometriosis is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng73?UID=83951178202532511728
Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to repeat the Reproductive Health Survey for England 2023; and whether he plans to take steps to record (a) the experiences of those with endometriosis and (b) diagnosis time for those with endometriosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the importance of understanding the experiences of women living with endometriosis. In 2023, the Department commissioned the Women's Reproductive Health Survey to gather views on women’s experiences in all aspects of their reproductive health, including menstrual problems and endometriosis. A report on the initial findings has been published, and is available at the following link:
https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/reproductive-health-survey-england#research
The Department will update plans to conduct the survey again in due course. The Department also commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR has recently funded a qualitative study into patient and healthcare professionals' experiences of the management, diagnosis, and treatment of endometriosis. Further information is available at the following link:
https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR156216.
An ongoing Office for National Statistics study is investigating the impact of endometriosis on women's labour market outcomes. One component of this study is linking primary and secondary care data to better understand diagnosis times for endometriosis.
Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of patients waiting for gynaecological surgery are waiting for surgery for thoracic endometriosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This data is not held in the format requested. As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015.
Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time taken to diagnose endometriosis was in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This data is not held centrally. The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health and improving the care for gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published an update to the guideline on endometriosis diagnosis and management in November 2024. This makes firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referrals and investigations for women with suspected endometriosis, which will help women receive a diagnosis and treatment more quickly.
For many women with symptoms of endometriosis, the initial pharmacological treatment takes place in primary care and can be in parallel with a referral for further investigations. As a result, looking at diagnosis times alone is unlikely to be the only measure of whether women are receiving care for endometriosis in a timely matter. NHS England is looking into metrics that best reflect the timely access to care and outcomes for women, including for endometriosis. This work will explore whether time to diagnosis is the optimum measure.
An ongoing Office for National Statistics investigation is looking into the impact of endometriosis on women's labour market outcomes. One component of this study is linking primary and secondary care data to better understand diagnosis times for endometriosis.