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 that lessons learned from the COVID-19 Vaccine Taskforce will inform its approach to managing the shortages of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT).

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

The Department has not conducted a 360-degree supply and demand forecast for pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT). However, the Department is in regular discussion with suppliers of PERT on the latest stock availability and the actions that are being taken to mitigate the supply issue, including what steps suppliers are taking to ensure future supplies meet the long-term needs for patients in the United Kingdom.

The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market.

In the longer term, the Department has had interest from non-UK suppliers of PERT wishing to bring their products to the UK and, along with colleagues in the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, we are working with these potential suppliers, and if authorised, these products could further diversify and strengthen the market.

While the Department's approach for managing the supply issues with PERT is not specifically informed by the COVID-19 Vaccines Taskforce experience, as we are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues for PERT.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has conducted a 360-degree supply and demand forecast for pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy to assess the long-term needs for patients.

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

The Department has not conducted a 360-degree supply and demand forecast for pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT). However, the Department is in regular discussion with suppliers of PERT on the latest stock availability and the actions that are being taken to mitigate the supply issue, including what steps suppliers are taking to ensure future supplies meet the long-term needs for patients in the United Kingdom.

The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market.

In the longer term, the Department has had interest from non-UK suppliers of PERT wishing to bring their products to the UK and, along with colleagues in the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, we are working with these potential suppliers, and if authorised, these products could further diversify and strengthen the market.

While the Department's approach for managing the supply issues with PERT is not specifically informed by the COVID-19 Vaccines Taskforce experience, as we are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues for PERT.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the planned changes to funding for Level 7 apprenticeships for Specialist Community Public Health Nurses after January 2026; and what steps his Department is taking to support skills development within the NHS workforce.

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

While the Department for Education has announced that the funding arrangements for Level 7 apprenticeships are changing, we are working closely with partners to ensure that health and social care has access to the skilled workforce patients need, including specialist community public health nurses.

We will publish our 10 Year Workforce Plan by the end of this year. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the report by Barnado's and Co-op entitled Deeper Roots, Stronger Futures: Unlocking the Potential of Food Partnerships with Young People report, published on 7 July 2025, on her forthcoming youth strategy.

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

We will review this report as part of our work to develop a new National Youth Strategy. The Strategy is being co-produced with young people and stakeholders working with and for young people, and the breadth of issues it covers will be shaped by our engagement.

The strategy will aim to better coordinate youth services, as well as move away from one-size-fits all approaches from central government, bringing power back to young people and their communities and rebuilding a thriving and sustainable sector. We will be publishing the strategy in the autumn.

Alongside this, Defra’s food strategy will articulate the outcomes we want from the food system enabling government, civil society, and the food industry to work to shared goals and priorities. Local and place-based approaches will have a key role to play in delivery of these outcomes. The government will continue to work with partners across the food system as we develop our approach.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to include a commitment within his Department’s upcoming food strategy to establish a Food Partnership in every local authority area with opportunities for young people by 2030.

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

The food strategy will articulate the outcomes we want from the food system enabling the Government, civil society, and the food industry work to shared goals and priorities. Local and place-based approaches will have a key role to play in delivery of these outcomes. We will continue to work with partners across the food system as we develop our approach.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of the data collated in the Centre for Human Specific Research's Recombinant Antibodies and Mimetics Database on advancing studies in (a) disease mechanisms, (b) diagnostics and (c) therapeutics.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is committed to the development of non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year. Recombinant antibodies offer enhanced reliability, consistency, and specificity compared to traditional animal-derived antibodies, strengthening studies into disease mechanisms, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Resources like the Recombinant Antibodies and Mimetics Database from the Centre for Human Specific Research are important information sources to support their wider uptake. Further steps supporting alternative methods, including any targets to phase out specific applications of animal testing, will be outlined in the upcoming strategy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Animals in Science Regulation Unit is taking to (a) help ensure the maintenance of animal welfare standards at licensed facilities during periods of extreme heat, (b) monitor compliance and (c) respond to any identified concerns.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

Licensed establishments are responsible for the welfare of animals in their care at all times, including during extreme weather. Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA), all such establishments must comply with legal requirements and standards set out in the Home Office’s published Operational Guidance and Code of Practice.

These documents require establishments to have contingency plans for temperature extremes to ensure animal welfare. Establishment licence holders must ensure sufficient trained staff are in place to maintain high standards of care and facility management.

Daily checks by competent personnel are mandated under Standard Condition 4 to monitor animal welfare and environmental conditions, with prompt action required to address any issues. Standard Condition 18 requires that any breaches or potential breaches of licence conditions be reported to the Secretary of State.

The Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) monitors compliance through regular audits, including both announced and unannounced visits, to assess animal welfare and adherence to ASPA.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Performance assessment and economic analysis of a human Liver-Chip for predictive toxicology study published in 2022 in Nature Communications Medicine.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is committed to non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year. While it is not yet possible to replace all animal use, we support approaches that replace, reduce and refine animal use in research, including human Liver-Chip models. The economic impact of individual technical advancements are to be defined as these technologies are utilised more widely by industry stakeholders in drug discovery and development. The Government strategy will help facilitate the inclusion, review and adoption of these types of validated alternative methods by regulators.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies on animal testing of the ability of (a) organ-on-chip, (b) artificial intelligence and (c) advanced use of human cells and tissues to provide human-relevant data on the effects of potential new medicines in whole biological systems.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is committed to non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year. While it is not yet possible to replace all animal use, we support approaches that replace, reduce and refine animal use in research, and provide human-relevant translatable data, including organ-on-chip, cell-based assays and AI. The impact of individual technical advancements are however a matter for individual regulators to consider, and the Government strategy will help facilitate the inclusion and adoption of alternative methods in these regulatory contexts.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of recent developments in organ-on-chip technology on the generation of data on how organs react to potential new medicines.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is committed to non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year. While it is not yet possible to replace all animal use, we support approaches that replace, reduce and refine animal use in research, including organ-on-chip technologies. Data from alternative methods can support medicine development as part of clinical trial applications. The impact of individual technical advancements are however a matter for individual regulators to consider, and the Government strategy will help facilitate the inclusion and adoption of alternative methods in these regulatory contexts.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase the recruitment and retention of school nurses; how much funding was allocated for school nursing services in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial years; and what steps his Department is taking to help to ensure the effectiveness of school nursing services in supporting (i) early intervention, (ii) mental health, (iii) immunisation programmes and (iv) wider public health objectives.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The child health workforce, including school nurses, is central to how we support families to give their children the best start in life. We will ensure we have the staff we need so that children and their families are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. This will take time, but we are committed to building a health service fit for the future with the workforce it needs.

School nursing is part of the Healthy Child Programme (HCP) and is commissioned by local authorities with funding from the Public Health Grant (PHG). In 2023/24, local authorities spent £305 million on services for children aged five to 19 years old. Data on local authorities’ PHG spending for the financial years following 2023/24 is not yet available.

The HCP includes delivery of public health promotions such as the school nurses’ championship of early intervention, mental health awareness, the uptake of immunisation offers, and engagement with wider public health objectives. We are currently refreshing the HCP guidance to strengthen service quality and reduce unwarranted regional variation in service delivery.

Found: Morrissey (Conservative; Beaconsfield) Lee Pitcher (Labour; Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme) Michael Wheeler

Found: Morrissey (Conservative; Beaconsfield) Lee Pitcher (Labour; Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme) Michael Wheeler

Found: ; Dr Rose Marie Parr; Anna Sabine; Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst; Victoria Smith; Dr David Stirling; Michael Wheeler

Found: Smith (Lay member) Gareth Snell (Labour; Stoke-on-Trent Central) Dr David Stirling (Lay member) Michael Wheeler

Found: Foody, Louise Haigh, Sally Jameson, Joe Morris, Sarah Owen, Laurence Turner, Chris Webb and Michael Wheeler

Maternity APPG
Thursday 10th July 2025

Found: MP (Rochdale), Michelle Welsh MP (Sherwood Forest), Andrew Western MP (Stretford and Urmston), Michael Wheeler