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.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to recruit NHS cardiologists (a) nationally and (b) in regions suffering from shortages.

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

Decisions on recruitment and employment are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.

The new resident doctors’ deal will see significant expansion of training places by up to 4,500 over the next three years, including 1,000 next year, 250 of which will be starting in February. This expansion combined with the impact of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act is expected to bring competition ratios down and tackle specialty bottlenecks almost immediately.

The forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether an equality impact assessment has been undertaken for the raised 'standard of proof' for asylum claims, as amended following the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

As required through the Public Sector Equality Duty, we consider equality impact assessments throughout the policy development process. Raising the 'standard of proof' for asylum claims that were made on or after 28 June 2022 when the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 came into force was no exception.

We are committed to ensuring that proposals are considered carefully so that they support creation of a system which is both fair and sustainable.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment they have made of the consistency and adequacy of shared‑care protocols for adults with ADHD across integrated care boards.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment, treatment, and support services in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

The NICE ADHD guideline does not set out a timeframe within which medication should be provided, but it does explain the key considerations for clinicians when deciding whether to offer medication.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has issued guidance on prescribing and managing medicines to support general practitioners (GPs) in deciding whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors such as whether the proposed activity is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes the GP being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate. GP practices may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds.

If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician, and this applies to both National Health Service and private medical care.

The Government announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.

The final report, due in the summer, will make recommendations on how the Government, the health system, and wider public services can respond to increasing demand for support more fairly and effectively so that people receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is being provided to GPs to enable them to participate in shared‑care arrangements for ADHD.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment, treatment, and support services in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

The NICE ADHD guideline does not set out a timeframe within which medication should be provided, but it does explain the key considerations for clinicians when deciding whether to offer medication.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has issued guidance on prescribing and managing medicines to support general practitioners (GPs) in deciding whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors such as whether the proposed activity is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes the GP being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate. GP practices may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds.

If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician, and this applies to both National Health Service and private medical care.

The Government announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.

The final report, due in the summer, will make recommendations on how the Government, the health system, and wider public services can respond to increasing demand for support more fairly and effectively so that people receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place.

Bank holiday for celebrations if England win the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Nature restoration and flood risk

Retirement of Tracy Thirlwall

Discrimination and exclusion in football

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month

HPV vaccine

Hydration breaks during FIFA World Cup 2026

NEU dispute and strike action at St Paul’s Way Trust school

Strike action and industrial dispute at Tower Hamlets leisure centres

Trophy hunting imports

Climate Change Act 2008

Israel death penalty

Trans+ History Week

Interception of Global Sumud Flotilla vessels in international waters

Job cuts planned at the BBC

London South Bank University industrial dispute

Enhertu for metastatic breast cancer patients

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Amendment) Regulations 2026

Procurement and provision of absorbent continence products

Attack on the hon. Member for Poole's constituency office

Government response to Israel’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza

Trade union support for Durham Pride

Ruby's Law and recognising pets in domestic abuse protection orders

Higher Education pensions

75th anniversary of the Easington Pit Disaster

Orgreave Inquiry

Civil Service Pension Scheme

50th anniversary of the Trico strike for equal pay

Durham Miners’ Gala 2026

Industrial dispute of staff in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Found: I am copying this letter to Dr Kieran Mullan, MP for Bexhill and Battle; and Olivia Blake, MP for Sheffield