Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many MP surgeries have ministers in her Department had with MPs since January 2025.
Answered by Jo Stevens
Wales Office Ministers spend significant time engaging with Welsh and other MPs on a wide range of issues, hosting MPs at Wales Office events, and holding dedicated meetings with MPs on a regular basis.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on tertiary education finances in Wales.
Answered by Jo Stevens
I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of topics including how UK Government policy interacts with educational institutions in Wales.
Education is devolved in Wales and so is the responsibility of the Welsh Government. The UK Government is providing the Welsh Government with nearly £6.5bn in additional spending power over the Spending Review as a result of changes to the fiscal framework, additional funding through Barnett and the largest settlement in the history of devolution.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS staff are on long term sickness absence due to menopause.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on National Health Service staff long-term sickness absence due to menopause.
While menopause may be recorded locally as a contributing factor to an absence episode, the information is not collected in a way that enables the production of reliable national figures for long-term sickness absence attributable to menopause.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support the creation of jobs for young people in East Grinstead and Uckfield.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DBT is supporting the creation of well-paid jobs in East Grimsby by supporting businesses to start, scale, export and attract investment, leading to higher-skilled roles.
The Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority utilising new devolved funding helps local businesses invest in growth and infrastructure, exploiting major assets such as the Humber Freeport and offshore wind cluster.
By developing high-value sectors, strengthening skills and supporting local regeneration, it ensures higher productivity and better-paid employment for residents.
The Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub offers SMEs specialist advice on scaling up, accessing new markets and alternative funding options through the British Business Bank.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what consideration has there been to provide BS 30480 Suicide and the Workplace standard available to businesses in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
BS 30480 Suicide and the Workplace is a voluntary British Standard published by the British Standards Institution (BSI), the UK's National Standards Body. The standard is available as a free download through BSI's website. As with other voluntary British Standards, decisions on whether and how to adopt the standard are a matter for individual organisations.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what consideration has there been to promote BS 30480 Suicide and the Workplace standard in Wales.
Answered by Jo Stevens
BS 30480:2025 (Suicide and the Workplace – Intervention, prevention and support for people affected by suicide) is a voluntary British Standard published by the British Standards Institution (BSI) in November 2025. It provides guidance for organisations on suicide prevention, intervention, and support in workplace settings.
The BSI is the UK's National Standards Body, recognised by Government through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Business and Trade (DBT). It develops Standards independently through a consensus-based process involving relevant stakeholders and technical experts.
The BS 30480 Standard is guidance rather than a regulatory requirement. Standards can be used by organisations as tools to support good practice, but decisions on adoption and implementation remain with the organisation concerned.
The BSI has undertaken awareness-raising activity in relation to BS 30480 following publication. This included a parliamentary launch event at Speaker's House in November 2025, supported by Baroness Merron, and BSI has also made the standard available free of charge on its website. The standard has been downloaded more than 11,000 times since publication.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS staff absences occur in the NHS due to menopause for what figures are available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England does not publish official statistics on sickness absence due specifically to menopause because menopause is not recorded as a primary sickness absence reason within the national Electronic Staff Record (ESR) sickness absence statistics.
The ESR does, however, allow menopause to be recorded as a related reason for a sickness absence episode. For March 2026, National Health Service organisations in England recorded 1,764 full-time equivalent days lost where menopause was recorded as a related reason for sickness absence.
The figures should be interpreted with caution, as the menopause-related reason field is recorded locally and is not subject to the same level of validation as the data used in NHS England's official published sickness absence statistics.
Recording depends on local reporting practices, completion of the related reason field and staff disclosure, and is therefore likely to understate the true level of menopause-related sickness absence.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration has been undertaking to adopt British Standard BS 30416 on menstruation, menstrual health and menopause in the workplace standard - guide for NHS staff.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the importance of supporting National Health Service staff experiencing menstruation, menstrual health conditions, and menopausal symptoms.
Many principles in British Standard 30416 are already reflected in NHS England guidance, learning resources, and support, which are kept under review in light of emerging evidence, stakeholder feedback, and good practice.
NHS England has signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge, reflecting its commitment to support employees experiencing menopause.