Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered a Sponsored Reserve model or similar arrangement to enable NHS clinicians to contribute directly to Defence Medical Services while maintaining NHS employment.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There have been no formal considerations for the implementation of a Sponsored Reserve model within the National Health Service. The Department of Health and Social Care, in partnership with the Ministry of Defence, is focused on growing and maintaining the Active Armed Forces reserve and works with NHS organisations to enable individuals to train and deploy when needed.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps with the Secretary of State for Defence to create a formal framework for supporting NHS-employed clinicians who serve as medical Reservists.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Clinicians who serve as Reservists play a vital role in supporting both the National Health Service and the Armed Forces. The Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Defence work with NHS Employers to ensure that NHS organisations are supportive and flexible when it comes to people joining the Armed Forces Reserve, and to enable individuals to train and deploy when needed. All NHS trusts are signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant and all have been awarded an Employer Recognition Scheme award to reflect their commitment to supporting our Armed Forces, including the Reserves.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
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 impact of NHS staffing shortages on the availability of medical Reservists for the armed forces.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made. NHS Employers, which is part of the NHS Confederation and supports workforce development across the National Health Service, runs a programme that is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Defence to encourage NHS organisations to be supportive and flexible employers when it comes to people joining the Armed Forces Reserve. This ensures that people with the critically important skills that the reserves are looking for, such as doctors, are able to train and deploy when needed.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what his planned timetable is for (a) completing negotiations on and (b) implementing the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal announced on 8 May 2025.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Talks with the US are ongoing, and the Secretary of State met with his counterpart Jamieson Greer at the OECD on 3 June to progress implementation of the General Terms of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal and ensure businesses feel the benefits as soon as possible.
The government continues to engage intensively with the US to complete negotiations on the Economic Prosperity Deal at pace and will update on progress in due course.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS (a) information systems and (b) clinical protocols are interoperable with those used by (i) Defence Medical Services, (ii) Programme Cortisone and (iii) other defence initiatives.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Programme CORTISONE will provide the Defence Medical Services (DMS) with an up-to-date electronic healthcare information management system. One of the programme’s objectives is to enable greater interoperability with NHS information systems and the electronic transfer of medical records between the NHS and DMS. This capability is in development and expected to be implemented in the next one-two years.
The DMS and the NHS both follow National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the clinical care and the management of patients. All our professionally qualified medical and dental staff are registered with the National Governing Bodies and adhere to the same national standards as all other NHS healthcare professionals. Defence Healthcare Regulations are aligned to those of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), who are commissioned by the Defence Medical Services Regulator to ensure standards align with the NHS.
Military doctors, nurses and Allied Health Professionals are permanently based in NHS trusts across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Working in the NHS enables DMS personnel to maintain the skills they require to support military operations across the globe, whilst also providing essential support to our NHS and the general public as a whole.
DMS is working collaboratively on a number of projects with the NHS. The joint collaboration at Catterick Integrated Care Centre (CICC) is the first of its kind between the MOD and NHS. CICC will provide a unique integrated care centre, providing medical services for military personnel based at Catterick Garrison and primary and community NHS services for members of the public and military families.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to re-establish the National Space Council.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence along with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and other Departments, remains committed to ensuring that space activities are effectively coordinated across government. Ministers from across Government met on the 22 April to discuss our approach, and the Strategic Defence Review has recommended that a Cabinet sub-committee or equivalent be used to take forward our space strategy. This will be developed by Government to ensure strong Ministerial support for this vital area.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on whether there were irregular trading activities in UK-listed defence sector stocks on 2 June 2025.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the UK’s markets regulator and the lead agency responsible for monitoring UK markets, and investigating and taking any enforcement action related to market abuse.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 50701 on National Space Council, if he will make it his policy to reconvene the National Space Council.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No, although we remain committed to ensuring that space activities are effectively coordinated across all relevant departments, we are committed to establishing a new space policy governance structure to deliver such benefits, and Ministers from across government met on the 22 April to discuss our shared cross-government approach.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure children with SEND are not disproportionately affected by (a) school exclusions and (b) informal off-rolling in mainstream schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities receive the right support to succeed in their education. We are committed to ensuring earlier intervention in mainstream schools for pupils with special educational needs and introducing a new annual review of safeguarding, attendance and pupil movement, including off-rolling.
In all cases, school leaders should consider early intervention strategies to address the underlying causes of a pupil’s disruptive behaviour before issuing any exclusion. In the most serious cases, exclusion may be necessary to ensure every child can learn in a safe, calm classroom.
Asked by: Neil Shastri-Hurst (Conservative - Solihull West and Shirley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many defence contracts his Department has awarded since 5 July 2024; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken for procurement on the defence industrial base.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Based on contracts created in the Ministry of Defence Commercial Contracting system there have been 1986 contracts created with a start date more recent than 5 July 2024.
It is widely recognised that there are issues with the Department’s procurement system including that it is inefficient and creates uncertainty and barriers to entry for industry especially SMEs. The Defence Industrial Strategy will radically reform procurement to tackle these inefficiencies, cut waste, reduce red tape, and deliver maximum value for both our Armed Forces and our economy.