Oral Answers to Questions

Matt Bishop Excerpts

Tuesday 14th April 2026 Commons Chamber

[Mrs Hodgson]

Unlike the Conservative party, we trust our GPs. This will be consultant-led advice and guidance, on which GPs will then decide.

[Matt Bishop (Forest of Dean) (Lab)]

T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)]

I am delighted to announce that we are investing in 36 new and better community diagnostic centres in shopping centres and high streets across England. This is what a Labour Government deliver: the biggest expansion in diagnostics in a generation, shorter waits for tests, checks and scans, and an NHS on the road to recovery. It is a record that the Tories could not touch, the Scottish National party cannot match, Plaid Cymru cannot sustain, and Reform would destroy. On 7 May, people can only trust Labour with the NHS.

[Matt Bishop]

A constituent of mine, Emma, has been left with significant injuries following poor maternity care during childbirth. For more than 20 years she has been fighting for, but has been denied, corrective treatment on the NHS because it has been deemed cosmetic, despite the clear impact on her mental health and relationships. What steps can the Secretary of State take to ensure that women in such circumstances have access to the treatment that they need?

[Wes Streeting]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that case. It is shocking but sadly not surprising, because the injuries sustained by women during childbirth are often completely ignored as well as going unaddressed. We have to learn from the case raised by my hon. Friend to ensure that constituents such as his are not fighting for the care that they deserve, and we will act on those lessons.

Oral Answers to Questions

Matt Bishop Excerpts

Tuesday 13th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Kinnock]

I thank the hon. Lady for that question. I am not familiar with the details, of course, so might she write to me with the clear details? I am sure that officials will then take the matter up as a matter of urgency.

[Matt Bishop (Forest of Dean) (Lab)]

Parents supported by Harry’s Pals, a small charity, consistently describe the fragmented and emotionally exhausting system of accessing support for children with life-limiting conditions. Will the Secretary of State commit to exploring a dedicated national support pathway for parent carers, including better access to counselling and respite, and will he meet me and Hayley Charlesworth, the founder of Harry’s Pals, who is watching at home today with Harry, to discuss how we can better support families in the Forest of Dean and nationally?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Ashley Dalton)]

Local authorities must assess disabled children’s social care needs and provide respite care, including funding short breaks where appropriate. We are currently developing an all-age palliative care and end-of-life care modern service framework, and will consider the issue of emotional and practical support, including for parents who are carers, as part of that work. My hon. Friend the Minister for Care chairs a cross-Government meeting with Ministers from the Departments for Work and Pensions, for Business and Trade and for Education, to consider how we can provide care as we improve recognition and support. I would be happy to meet my hon. Friend and the founder of Harry’s Pals.