Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
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 the shortage of consultant cardiologists on NHS waiting lists (i) nationally and (ii) in South Yorkshire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made. We are committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment across all specialties, including cardiology. As a first step, we delivered on our interim target that 65% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks by March 2026.
The Government has improved cardiology waiting times nationally, with a waiting list reduction of nearly 40,000 and an 8.2% improvement in the proportion of waits below 18 weeks. The South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) has particularly strong waiting time performance for cardiology, with 84.7% of the service’s waiting list below 18 weeks, the second strongest performing ICB nationally.
As set out in the Elective Reform Plan we are investing in modernisation, reforming, and simplifying pathways, increasing surgical and diagnostic capacity, and empowering patients with faster and more convenient access to care. These actions will improve waiting times for all patients, and specifically cardiology as a priority speciality.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with Integrated Care Boards on the potential impact of women who are on waiting lists for medical treatment on their decision-making for when they have children.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not held specific discussions with integrated care boards on the potential impact of women being on waiting lists for medical treatment on their decisions about when to have children.
We recognise that long waits for treatment can have a significant impact on patients' lives and future plans, including the decision to have children. We are committed to reducing waiting times, so that patients receive timely care and treatment.
As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning by March 2029 to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment across all specialties. We are on track, hitting our first interim target of 65% in March 2026.
Integrated care boards are responsible for planning and commissioning services to meet the needs of their local populations and for supporting the delivery of elective recovery in their areas.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
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 reduce cardiology waiting lists (a) nationally and (b) in South Yorkshire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment across all specialties, including cardiology. As a first step towards achieving this, we delivered on our interim target that 65% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks by March 2026.
Since coming into office, the Government has improved cardiology waiting times nationally, with a waiting list reduction of nearly 40,000 and an 8.2% improvement in the proportion of waits below 18 weeks. The South Yorkshire Integrated Care Bord (ICB) has particularly strong waiting time performance for cardiology, with 84.7% of the service’s waiting list below 18 weeks, the second strongest performing ICB nationally.
As set out in the Elective Reform Plan we are investing in modernisation, reforming and simplifying pathways, increasing surgical and diagnostic capacity, and empowering patients with faster and more convenient access to care. These actions will improve waiting times for all patients, and specifically cardiology as a priority speciality.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made in implementing the Animal Welfare Committee's recommendations on lamb castration and tail docking.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As a result of considering the recommendations in the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the Implications of Castration and Tail Docking for the Welfare of Lambs, the Government issued a UK-wide consultation on lamb castration and tail docking which launched on 12 January 2026 and closed on 9 March 2026. The Government is currently analysing consultation responses and will publish a formal response in due course.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
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 causes of delays in issuing Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry results within NHS trusts in England.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
Ensuring patients receive their diagnostic test results, including dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) results quickly is a priority for the Government.
NHS England guidance, published in August 2023, sets out that imaging reports must be provided within four weeks, or 28 days, of image acquisition. All National Health Service providers and imaging networks are expected to meet this. The guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/diagnostic-imaging-reporting-turnaround-times/
Achieving this relies on good digital connectivity, IT infrastructure, home working solutions, and approved insourcing models established across imaging departments and networks. That is why the Government is investing in digital diagnostic transformation through NHS England’s Diagnostics Digital Capability Programme which ensures networks have a core set of digital capabilities to improve the quality, safety, and productivity of care.
The Government announced in March 2026 that tens of thousands of patients at risk of osteoporosis and other bone conditions are getting faster access to vital bone scans, as the Government has invested in 20 new DEXA scanners across England. This builds on the first wave of 13 scanners announced last year.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will introduce recall petition powers for communities in relation to their elected council representatives.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The government is not currently proposing to introduce recall petition powers for councillors. Instead, we are committed to strengthening the local government standards regime through a comprehensive package of reforms. The government response to the ‘Strengthening the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England’ consultation, published in November 2025, states our intention to legislate for a clearer and more consistently applied conduct system that will help local elected members to hold themselves and their colleagues to account in meeting the high standards and conduct their roles demand and the public have a right to expect.