Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (i) whether Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) claims are matched to assessors with condition-specific expertise, (ii) whether the Department for Health and Social Care holds audits or quality assurance exercises on the accuracy and consistency of medical determinations under the VDPS since 2021, and (iii) what steps are being taken to ensure the transparency and accountability of the VDPS medical assessment process.

Answered by Ashley Dalton

Each claim to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) is assessed on a case-by-case basis by a medical assessor. All medical assessors are General Medical Council registered doctors, who have undertaken specialised training in vaccine damage and disability assessment.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), as the administrator of the VDPS, is responsible for managing quality assurance with the medical assessment supplier. Medical assessors write a comprehensive medical assessment report for each claim, explaining how they reached their decision and what evidence they considered. NHSBSA shares this report with the claimant.

If a claim is rejected, the claimant can challenge the medical assessor’s decision by submitting a mandatory reversal request. The original decision will then be reviewed.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has plans to implement mandatory trauma-informed training and accreditation for all professionals working with adopted children.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Ribble Valley to the answer of 13 January 2026 to Question 102909.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers other than additional funding she has to ensure Lancashire County Council fills potholes in Ribble Valley in a timely and thorough way.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

In addition to providing funding, the Department uses a range of non-financial levers to drive improvement. These include requiring local highway authorities to publish annual highway maintenance transparency reports and to demonstrate compliance with best practice in asset management, including a greater focus on preventative maintenance.

In January 2026, the Department also introduced a new traffic light rating system which assesses local highway authorities in England based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so using best practice. Lancashire County Council received an overall amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, green for spend and amber for best practice.

These ratings will be updated annually, providing an incentive to authorities to adopt best practice, and enabling the Department to identify where to target support to ensure road condition improves nationwide. The Department is also updating the Code of Practice this year, the first update since 2017, to ensure the Code reflects the latest developments in relation to the effective management of highways maintenance works.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review the prescription payment penalty charge system.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are no plans for such a review. NHS Penalty Charge Notices are issued in accordance with the National Health Service (Penalty Charge) Regulations 1999.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data collection exists on the outcomes of people with a dementia diagnosis in care home settings.

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

NHS England collects and publishes data about people with dementia registered at each general practice (GP) in England. Dementia diagnosis counts are published with ethnicity and age breakdowns, prescriptions of anti-psychotic medications, and record of receiving a care plan review. Diagnosis rates are calculated by comparing recorded diagnoses to estimated dementia prevalence.

From April 2023 data has also been collected on counts of patients on the GP’s dementia register which are aggregated into the following residential types:

- residential care home;

- nursing home;

- private residence;

- no permanent address;

- other residential type; and

- inconclusive residential type.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the growth of agricultural co-operatives.

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

The Good Food Cycle recognises the key role that co-operatives and community initiatives can play in supporting delivery of the growth, health, sustainability, and food security / resilience outcomes. As Defra develops a food strategy, the department will be considering how better to support local and place-based initiatives, to deliver the changes needed to deliver our outcomes.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that workers in Ribble Valley constituency have the right to a guaranteed hours contract.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Employment Rights Act 2025 will ensure people can have the security they need by giving eligible workers the right to guaranteed hours.

The next stage in implementation is a full public consultation on how the measures are implemented. Consultation will be key to ensure that the regulations deliver the benefits envisaged.

Ahead of implementation, the government will publish clear guidance for employers and workers on the new right to guaranteed hours, ensuring that everyone understands their responsibilities and entitlements.

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 ensure the validity of online evidence submitted to the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation Call for Evidence, including the verification methods for submissions.

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

The call for evidence only collects personal category data that is necessary to support its analysis and further our understanding of the experiences of different groups of women and families, in line with United Kingdom data protection proportionality principles. Individuals’ names or other identifiable information are not collected because they were not deemed necessary for analysis.

Surveys are hosted by SurveyOptic, who are monitoring their network for unusual spikes in activity and will flag anything unusual to the investigation team to prevent bots. Throughout the analysis process, responses that appear to be duplicative, whether identical or near identical, will be removed.

Found: 49 (81.6%) Mr Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat, Newbury) (added 28 Oct 2024) 30 of 49 (61.2%) Maya Ellis

Found: present: Florence Eshalomi (Chair); Lewis Cocking; Andrew Cooper; Chris Curtis; Mr Lee Dillon; Maya Ellis

Found: Cheshire) Chris Curtis (Labour; Milton Keynes North) Mr Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat; Newbury) Maya Ellis

Found: North West Afzal Khan Brownedge St Mary’s Catholic High School PR5 6PB Lancashire North West Maya Ellis

Found: North West Afzal Khan Brownedge St Mary’s Catholic High School PR5 6PB Lancashire North West Maya Ellis