Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the latest financial rules for NHS trusts on staff cuts in the South West.

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

All National Health Service trusts are required to manage their spending within the funding provided for their services by local commissioners, and in line with the plans agreed with NHS England. Trusts are expected to make local decisions about how best to deploy their workforce, balancing financial sustainability with the need to maintain safe, effective services for patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of pricing a 24-hour and a 14-day recording identically under HRG code EY51Z on the level of adoption of extended ambulatory electrocardiogram monitoring.

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

No such assessment has been made, but the NHS Payment Scheme and associated HRG classifications are kept under regular review to ensure that they support the delivery of effective and efficient patient care.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Environment Agency made of the adequacy of Capita Pension Solutions' performance on other public-sector pension administration contracts before exercising the option to extend its contract for administration of the Environment Agency Pension Fund.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency Pension Funds (EAPF) contract was awarded in accordance with procurement regulations applicable at the time. As part of the decision to exercise the option to extend its administration contract with Capita Pension Solutions (CPS), the EAPF undertook an assessment and due diligence on the performance of other public sector pension contracts.

The EA is a separate contracting authority, and the EAPF contract is separate from other CPS public-sector pension administration contracts. The EAPF has in place an 8-year contract with CPS. During the initial four-year term of the contract, CPS met its contractual service standards with the EAPF in full. Conscious of the experience of other public sector pension contracts, the EAPF considered potential performance risks and put in place mitigations to provide assurance that CPS would continue to meet its contractual service levels throughout the extension period.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to align UK oil and gas production with climate targets.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The government is taking a pragmatic approach to the North Sea, in line with our climate and legal obligations. The North Sea remains a vital national asset and oil and gas will continue to play an important role in our energy system for decades to come, alongside transitioning to clean power to protect jobs and tackle the climate crisis.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Revenue and Customs holds sufficient data on participants in Share Incentive Plans to estimate the fiscal effect of reducing the scheme's holding period from five years to two years.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

I refer the Honourable Member to UIN 28908.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Department has undertaken modelling of the potential impact on Exchequer revenues of reducing the Share Incentive Plan holding period from five years to two years.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events, and does not routinely comment on proposals.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Share Incentive Plan five-year holding period on participation rates among employees aged under 35.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

I refer the Honourable Member to UIN 28908.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to increase water security for Farmers in Devon during heatwaves.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is taking forward a range of measures to strengthen agricultural water resilience to droughts and heatwaves.

Defra has recently announced that it is opening a round of Water Management Grants, with up to £15m available to help farmers build on-farm reservoirs to improve water security. In addition, Defra is making it easier to build reservoirs, by updating planning guidance.

Defra also reminded farmers that they can apply to the Environment Agency for temporary abstraction flexibility, known as Local Enforcement Positions, where environmental impacts can be appropriately managed.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for Cabinet Office, what assessment has the department made of the potential impact of Anthropic's decision not to provide the UK AI Security Institute with pre-release access to its latest frontier AI model on UK AI safety and national security.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)

The UK's AI Security Institute (AISI) has built trusted, voluntary relationships with the world's leading AI labs. This collaborative approach lets us keep pace with a fast-moving technology and adapt as it evolves and has allowed AISI to secure privileged access that has identified dozens of vulnerabilities that developers fixed before public release. AISI is in daily conversation with industry partners, including Anthropic, and works closely with allies and partners around the world on the risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems. Further detail is provided in Written Statement UIN HCWS314 'Artificial intelligence update'.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration has been given to patient confidentiality and data protection in the development of the Health Bill.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Health Bill has been subject to extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including patient groups and representatives of general practitioners (GPs). Impact assessments were also published alongside the bill, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-bill-impact-assessments-summary/health-bill-impact-assessments-summary

In addition, the Department is currently undertaking a programme of deliberative engagement with GPs and practice managers to help shape the implementation of the single patient record.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the current NHS pay structure on recruitment and retention of lower-paid (a) administrative, (b) clerical, (c) estates, (d) portering and (e) support staff.

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

On 12 February, we accepted the NHS Pay Review Body’s recommendation on headline pay for Agenda for Change (AfC) staff in England, which resulted in a 3.3% consolidated pay uplift to all pay points. When making its recommendations to the Government on headline pay, the NHS Pay Review Body should give due consideration to recruitment and retention in line with its Terms of Reference.

The NHS Staff Council has been provided with a mandate to negotiate changes to the AfC’s pay structures in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, including in relation to Bands 2 to 4 and to pay for the lowest paid National Health Service staff. The NHS Staff Council is the national partnership body that brings together NHS employers and recognised trade unions to negotiate and agree the national terms and conditions for AfC staff.

These negotiations are ongoing, and any changes will be backdated to 1 April 2026. Funding arrangements will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress she has made on implementing reforms to Agenda for Change, particularly in relation to the compression of Bands 2–4 and pay for the lowest-paid NHS staff.

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

On 12 February, we accepted the NHS Pay Review Body’s recommendation on headline pay for Agenda for Change (AfC) staff in England, which resulted in a 3.3% consolidated pay uplift to all pay points. When making its recommendations to the Government on headline pay, the NHS Pay Review Body should give due consideration to recruitment and retention in line with its Terms of Reference.

The NHS Staff Council has been provided with a mandate to negotiate changes to the AfC’s pay structures in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, including in relation to Bands 2 to 4 and to pay for the lowest paid National Health Service staff. The NHS Staff Council is the national partnership body that brings together NHS employers and recognised trade unions to negotiate and agree the national terms and conditions for AfC staff.

These negotiations are ongoing, and any changes will be backdated to 1 April 2026. Funding arrangements will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding has been allocated to support the 2026-27 Agenda for Change structural pay reforms; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of this funding on the ability of NHS organisations to not reduce staffing while implementing those reforms.

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

On 12 February, we accepted the NHS Pay Review Body’s recommendation on headline pay for Agenda for Change (AfC) staff in England, which resulted in a 3.3% consolidated pay uplift to all pay points. When making its recommendations to the Government on headline pay, the NHS Pay Review Body should give due consideration to recruitment and retention in line with its Terms of Reference.

The NHS Staff Council has been provided with a mandate to negotiate changes to the AfC’s pay structures in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, including in relation to Bands 2 to 4 and to pay for the lowest paid National Health Service staff. The NHS Staff Council is the national partnership body that brings together NHS employers and recognised trade unions to negotiate and agree the national terms and conditions for AfC staff.

These negotiations are ongoing, and any changes will be backdated to 1 April 2026. Funding arrangements will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the administrative burden on general practitioners arising from the implementation of a single patient record under the NHS Modernisation Bill, and what estimate has been made of its impact on GP workload.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Health Bill has been subject to extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including patient groups and representatives of general practitioners (GPs). Impact assessments were also published alongside the bill, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-bill-impact-assessments-summary/health-bill-impact-assessments-summary

In addition, the Department is currently undertaking a programme of deliberative engagement with GPs and practice managers to help shape the implementation of the single patient record.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she has taken to protect and improve trust between patients and doctors in the context of the Health Bill.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Health Bill has been subject to extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including patient groups and representatives of general practitioners (GPs). Impact assessments were also published alongside the bill, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-bill-impact-assessments-summary/health-bill-impact-assessments-summary

In addition, the Department is currently undertaking a programme of deliberative engagement with GPs and practice managers to help shape the implementation of the single patient record.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has undertaken an impact assessment of potential legal liabilities created by the Single Patient Record system under the Health Bill.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Health Bill has been subject to extensive consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including patient groups and representatives of general practitioners (GPs). Impact assessments were also published alongside the bill, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-bill-impact-assessments-summary/health-bill-impact-assessments-summary

In addition, the Department is currently undertaking a programme of deliberative engagement with GPs and practice managers to help shape the implementation of the single patient record.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) NHS workforce reductions and (b) reductions in administrative and support staff on the capacity of NHS organisations to deliver safe and effective patient care.

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

The Government takes patient safety extremely seriously. The upcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. At a local level, individual NHS organisations should be making regular assessments of the operational staff required to run their organisation and make staffing decisions accordingly to deliver safe and effective care.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment criteria are being used to evaluate applications to Phase A of the ProQure programme.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

ProQure is our flagship programme to identify, grow and deploy world leading quantum computing capabilities to drive economic growth and social impact in the UK. Following the Contracts for Innovation framework, Innovate UK have designed and conducted the application process for phase 1 of the ProQure programme. The competition criteria were outlined in the competition brief, inviting applicants to submit proposals to deploy operational testbeds for quantum computers. The assessment process followed a standard IUK process, ensuring applications were assessed consistently, objectively and transparently.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK-developed quantum technology companies remain headquartered in the UK as they scale.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We want to ensure the most promising quantum companies are motivated to start, grow and scale here in the UK. We have committed over £1bn to deliver an integrated support offer for scale ups that brings together R&D, skills and procurement to anchor manufacturing and R&D activity right here in the UK. We are also joining up with Public Finance institutions to promote UK quantum companies, with the BBB investing £40m in Quantum Motion and £100m in Oxford Quantum Circuits in Series C rounds earlier this year.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for Cabinet Office, pursuant to the question from the member for Kingston and Surbiton at PMQs on 9 September 2026, what steps is the Department taking to ensure that Britain’s AI Security Institute retains access to future advanced AI models developed by overseas companies for independent safety testing.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)

The AI Security Institute is in daily conversations with AI developers and works closely with our allies and partners around the world on the risks posed by increasingly capable systems. Further detail is provided in Written Statement UIN HCWS314 'Artificial intelligence update'.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when her department plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. member for Newton Abbot sent on the 31st of July 2026 under case ref MW17484.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The correspondence has been transferred to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as it has policy responsibility for the issue. It will respond directly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of trends in the levels of usage of the drug nerandomilast to treat pulmonary fibrosis.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently evaluating nerandomilast for treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and progressive pulmonary fibrosis and expects final guidance to be issued in January 2027.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had recent discussions with the Ataxia campaign.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis in the Department’s transparency data.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a) continued use of the FDP and b) implementation of the proposed Single Patient Record on public trust in NHS data governance.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The security and privacy of people’s health and social care data is paramount, and the strongest safeguards will be built into the Single Patient Record (SPR), through legislation, mandatory information standards, and contractual requirements on all relevant providers.

The Department and NHS England undertook extensive public engagement on the use of data in 2024/25 which showed strong support for the SPR, and engagement with public and stakeholders will continue.

There are no formal metrics for measuring trust in digital services, but we will continue to engage with patients, the public and other stakeholders to set out the benefits of these programmes, and reinforce awareness of the data and privacy safeguards in place.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what metrics her Department uses to assess public trust in NHS digital services regarding the NHS Federated Data Platform.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The security and privacy of people’s health and social care data is paramount, and the strongest safeguards will be built into the Single Patient Record (SPR), through legislation, mandatory information standards, and contractual requirements on all relevant providers.

The Department and NHS England undertook extensive public engagement on the use of data in 2024/25 which showed strong support for the SPR, and engagement with public and stakeholders will continue.

There are no formal metrics for measuring trust in digital services, but we will continue to engage with patients, the public and other stakeholders to set out the benefits of these programmes, and reinforce awareness of the data and privacy safeguards in place.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how privacy-by-design principles will be mandatory requirements in the development of the proposed Single Patient Record.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The security and privacy of people’s health and social care data is paramount, and the strongest safeguards will be built into the Single Patient Record (SPR), through legislation, mandatory information standards, and contractual requirements on all relevant providers.

The Department and NHS England undertook extensive public engagement on the use of data in 2024/25 which showed strong support for the SPR, and engagement with public and stakeholders will continue.

There are no formal metrics for measuring trust in digital services, but we will continue to engage with patients, the public and other stakeholders to set out the benefits of these programmes, and reinforce awareness of the data and privacy safeguards in place.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what metrics the Department uses to assess public trust in NHS digital services regarding the future Single Patient Record.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The security and privacy of people’s health and social care data is paramount, and the strongest safeguards will be built into the Single Patient Record (SPR), through legislation, mandatory information standards, and contractual requirements on all relevant providers.

The Department and NHS England undertook extensive public engagement on the use of data in 2024/25 which showed strong support for the SPR, and engagement with public and stakeholders will continue.

There are no formal metrics for measuring trust in digital services, but we will continue to engage with patients, the public and other stakeholders to set out the benefits of these programmes, and reinforce awareness of the data and privacy safeguards in place.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of sanctions available against organisations that incur data breaches when systems are found to be inadequate, particularly where sensitive health information is involved.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the UK's data protection legislation independently of Government. Organisations processing special category data, including health information, must meet additional conditions and safeguards because of the sensitivity of that information. The ICO has powers to issue enforcement notices and substantial monetary penalties where organisations fail to comply with their obligations, including obligations relating to data security.

The Government keeps the effectiveness of the data protection framework under review and recently strengthened the ICO’s investigatory and enforcement powers through the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to a) reduce and b) support victims of scam texts from people pretending to be the NHS.

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

NHS England has worked with the National Cyber Security Centre and telecommunications partners to implement technical measures to reduce fraudulent text messages purporting to be from National Health Service organisations. NHS England has also issued guidance to organisations that promotes clear and consistent use of SMS to help patients recognise genuine NHS communications. Patients who receive a suspicious message are encouraged to follow the National Cyber Security Centre's guidance on spotting and reporting scam texts.

Additionally, any scam texts should be reported to Report Fraud, the national reporting service for fraud and cybercrime in the United Kingdom. They can be contacted by phone on 0300 123 2040, or on their website at the following link:

https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/reporting-a-fraud/

More generally, the Government works closely with industry, regulators, law enforcement, and consumer groups to close the vulnerabilities that criminals exploit and stop scams reaching people. On 5 November 2025, the Government launched the second Telecoms Fraud Charter to go further in identifying, preventing, and disrupting telecoms fraud. We are also working closely with Ofcom to stop more cases of number ‘spoofing’, where scammers impersonate UK numbers and trick people into thinking they’re speaking to banks, telephone companies, or other legitimate organisations. Further details are available at the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fraud-sector-charter-telecommunications

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of pharmacies needing to call GP practices to request a change in prescription due to unavailability of medications on a) staff workload and b) patient satisfaction.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 9 September to Question 23585.

Found: Darlington; Maya Ellis; George Freeman; Kit Malthouse; Freddie van Mierlo; Samantha Niblett; Martin Wrigley

Found: Darlington; Maya Ellis; George Freeman; Kit Malthouse; Freddie van Mierlo; Samantha Niblett; Martin Wrigley

Found: Darlington; Maya Ellis; George Freeman; Kit Malthouse; Freddie van Mierlo; Samantha Niblett; Martin Wrigley