Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the Trusts outlined in the national maternity review were made aware of (a) their inclusion before the review was publicly announced and (b) why they had been chosen to be included in the review.

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

All trusts were made aware that they had been selected for inclusion in the national maternity and neonatal investigation before it was publicly announced.

The Chair’s selection of the trusts for the local reviews has been made with a view to ensure a diverse mix of trusts, including variation in case mix, trust type, and geographic and demographic coverage. By taking this approach, the investigation can capture learning from a wide range of provision and experiences, ensuring the findings are relevant across the system.

The rationale of these selected sites has taken into consideration several criteria, including data indicating trusts with poor outcomes or experience, in particular from Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK, or MBRRACE-UK, perinatal mortality rates from 2021 to 2023, and the Care Quality Commission maternity patient survey from 2024.

The Chair also considered trusts proposed by bereaved and harmed families who have experienced failures in maternity care.

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 support primary care providers in assessing hereditary cancer risk for people without a clear family history.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service and delivered by a national genomic testing network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). The NHS GLHs deliver laboratory based genetic testing as directed by the National Genomic Test Directory (the Test Directory), which includes tests for over 7,000 rare diseases and over 200 cancer clinical indications, including both whole genome sequencing (WGS) and non-WGS testing. The Test Directory includes a range of tests for inherited cancer as part of its coverage of rare and inherited disease and cancer related genomic indications. Further information on the Test Directory is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-genomic-test-directories/

The Test Directory sets out the eligibility criteria for patients to access testing as well as the genomic targets to be tested, the method that should be used, and the clinical specialities able to request the test. A robust and evidence based process and policy is in place to routinely review the Test Directory and ensure that genomic testing continues to be available for all patients for whom it would be of clinical benefit, while delivering value for money for the NHS. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/genomics/the-national-genomic-test-directory/

Qualified general practitioners (GPs) are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date, and for identifying learning needs across their whole scope of practice. The Royal College of General Practitioners provides a number of resources on cancer prevention, diagnosis, and care for GPs, relevant for the primary care setting.

NHS England is supporting GPs in referring cancer patients earlier in various ways. This includes encouraging GP direct access to tests for patients who fall outside of urgent suspected cancer referrals and sharing evidence-based assessments of where cancer recognition and referral guidance could be improved with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to inform referral updates. NHS England also funds Gateway-C, an early diagnosis education platform aimed at primary care.

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 help support dairy farmers in Ribble Valley constituency.

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

The UK dairy sector is highly resilient and adaptable and continues to supply healthy and affordable products in spite of the many challenges it has faced in recent years.

This Government recognises that food security is national security, and that it requires a resilient and healthy food system that works with nature and supports farmers. That is why we are introducing new deals for farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen food security.

Ensuring fairness in supply chains is key for UK dairy farmers and supporting the sustainability of the sector. The Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024, which fully came into force on 9 July 2025, improve fairness and transparency, requiring dairy contracts to include clear terms on pricing, termination, and prohibiting unilateral changes.

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 ensure that every ICB retains its Women’s Health Champion.

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

The network of women’s health champions brings together senior leaders in women’s health from every integrated care system (ICS) to share best practice to improve women’s health outcomes across the life course and reduce health inequalities. The role is a voluntary commitment.

The network continues to meet every one to two months to share insight and discuss best practice on local implementation of women’s health services across ICSs. Meetings continue to be well-attended with insightful, positive discussion. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health also attended the March 2025 Network of Champions meeting and had the opportunity to hear firsthand about their excellent work and ideas for the future.

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 help reduce gynaecology waiting lists in Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB.

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

Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are committed to cutting waiting times across all specialities and integrated care boards (ICBs). We have committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard, that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, by March 2029. We are making good progress, with waiting lists cut by over 230,000 since the Government came into office, including nearly 14,000 fewer waits for gynaecology treatment.

We also delivered 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and June 2025, exceeding our pledge of two million. However, we know that there is more to do and have confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment to expand capacity across diagnostics, electives, and urgent care. This includes expanding the number of surgical hubs, which provide valuable and protected capacity across elective specialities, including gynaecology. As of November 2025, there are 123 operational elective surgical hubs in England, three of which are in the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB. Over half of the 123 provide gynaecology services. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, also committed to:

• increasing the relative funding available to support gynaecology procedures with the largest waiting lists;
• ensuring that independent sector providers play a greater role in providing support for the most challenged specialities, such as gynaecology; and
• reforming and optimising clinical pathways across a number of specialities. In gynaecology, this includes supporting the delivery of innovative models offering patients care closer to home and piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres for patients with post-menopausal bleeding.

Found: Questions 1-26 Witnesses I: Sarah Pochin II: Jim Shannon III: Bambos Charalambous IV: Bradley Thomas V: Maya Ellis