Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of expanding the scope of the maternity care inquiry to include the limitations of coroners’ powers to hold inquests into stillbirths.

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

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, recently announced an independent, national investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services, to look at the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care. It will look at up to 10 maternity and neonatal units where there are specific issues, international evidence, adoption of best practice, and will engage in a system-wide investigation of maternity and neonatal care. This will include bringing together lessons from past reviews. The investigation will produce, by December 2025, one clear set of national recommendations to achieve high quality, safe care across maternity and neonatal services, and will ensure that women and families are listened to.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, also announced the establishment of a Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce that will use the recommendations from the independent investigation to develop a national plan with families to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.

The Terms of Reference for the independent investigation and taskforce, including the investigation’s scope, are being developed with input from families and other key partners and are expected to be published shortly. We are not, therefore, able to confirm whether this will include reference to coronial powers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells on coroners holding inquests into stillbirths, dated 6 June 2025.

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

The Department has received the Hon. Member’s correspondence of 6 June and will reply as soon as possible.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with Boston Consulting Group since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has not held discussions with the Boston Consulting Group since 4 July 2024 concerning Gaza. We have always been clear that any plans to enforce a reduction in territory or demographic change in Gaza are totally unacceptable.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what guidance his Department issued to British citizens in Iran during the airstrikes of June 2025.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) travel advice remains under regular review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks to British nationals. On 13 June, the FCDO updated its travel advice for Iran to note that Israeli strikes had occurred and that an Iranian military response was underway. FCDO updated advice further as military action continued, including to provide factual updates on the reported targets of strikes, the status of Iran's airspace, the status of Iran's land borders and the temporary withdrawal of UK staff from Iran. Subsequent updates reflected the announcement of a ceasefire and the return to Iran of UK staff. As we have long advised, UK Government support is extremely limited in Iran. In an emergency, the UK Government will not be able to evacuate you, provide face-to-face assistance or help you if you get into difficulty. The safety of British nationals in each country and territory is the FCDO's overriding concern when determining travel advice. We continue to advise against all travel to Iran, where British and British Iranian dual nationals are at very high risk of arrest, questioning and detention.

Independent parking regulator

Access to Work backlogs

Reform of the special educational needs and disabilities system

Found: Q27 Mike Martin: Thank you very much for your time today.

Found: Rankin Alison Bennett John Cooper Clive Jones Manuela Perteghella Caroline Voaden Lisa Smart Mike Martin

Found: Rankin Alison Bennett John Cooper Clive Jones Manuela Perteghella Caroline Voaden Lisa Smart Mike Martin

Found: Rankin Alison Bennett John Cooper Clive Jones Manuela Perteghella Caroline Voaden Lisa Smart Mike Martin

Found: Rankin Alison Bennett John Cooper Clive Jones Manuela Perteghella Caroline Voaden Lisa Smart Mike Martin

Found: Rankin Alison Bennett John Cooper Clive Jones Manuela Perteghella Caroline Voaden Lisa Smart Mike Martin

Found: Rankin Alison Bennett John Cooper Clive Jones Manuela Perteghella Caroline Voaden Lisa Smart Mike Martin

Found: Rankin Alison Bennett John Cooper Clive Jones Manuela Perteghella Caroline Voaden Lisa Smart Mike Martin

Found: Rankin Alison Bennett John Cooper Clive Jones Manuela Perteghella Caroline Voaden Lisa Smart Mike Martin

Found: Champion Alison Bennett John Cooper Clive Jones Manuela Perteghella Caroline Voaden Lisa Smart Mike Martin

Found: Champion Alison Bennett John Cooper Clive Jones Manuela Perteghella Caroline Voaden Lisa Smart Mike Martin

Submit Evidence (by 14 Oct 2025)

This inquiry will examine the circumstances behind and the consequences of a major data breach in February 2022 from the Ministry of Defence. The breach involved the personal data of thousands of Afghan applicants for resettlement to the UK and their families, potentially putting these people at risk of reprisals. The inquiry aims to understand how this breach could have been allowed to happen, and, once it had happened, whether successive Governments took well-informed and sensible decisions under cover of an unprecedented super-injunction. The inquiry will also examine the Government’s wider arrangements for the resettlement of eligible Afghans in the UK.