Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to make the UK more competitive for commercial liver cancer trials, including tackling logistical and regulatory barriers.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has delivered a step change in clinical trial set-up and delivery by cutting unnecessary bureaucracy, standardising processes and freeing up workforce capacity.
Streamlined trials improve patient outcomes and accelerate access to and development of new medicines and therapies, including treatments for liver cancer, while driving global investment into life sciences.
Data published on 21 October shows that the Government has met its target to reduce the time it takes to set up a commercial clinical trial to 150 days or less, as set out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan. The average set-up time for commercial clinical trials in the United Kingdom dropped to 100 days in the three months to March this year, down from 153 in the same period last year. More information is available at the following link:
The National Cancer Plan for England includes a dedicated chapter on research and innovation, setting out actions to improve access to clinical trials and accelerate the set-up and delivery of cancer clinical trials.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of deprivation on obesity; and what steps her Department plans to address this.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 13 April in response to Question 123732.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to establish a cross-government working group on technology-based interventions for serious and repeat motoring offenders.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is not currently planning to establish such a cross-government working group. However, under the Road Safety Strategy we have established a new National Road Safety Board which brings together Government departments and other partners including the National Police Chiefs Council. The Board will drive forward delivery of the Government's ambitious targets to improve road safety.
We recognise that technology has a role to play in tackling serious and repeat motoring offences. As part of the motoring offences consultation, which closed on 11 May 2026, we sought views on using alcohol ignition locks (alcolocks) as part of a drink drive rehabilitation process. We are currently analysing the responses.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with the Ministry of Justice and Home Office on the use of in-vehicle technology to prevent repeat speeding offences.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not held specific discussions with the Ministry of Justice or Home Office on this point. The Government does not currently have plans to introduce speed limiters or other in-vehicle technology specifically to tackle repeat speeding offences.
Speeding carries penalties including fines, penalty points and disqualification. Under the totting-up system, drivers who accumulate 12 or more penalty points within three years will ordinarily be disqualified. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the independent courts.
The Government keeps the motoring offences framework under review. We consulted on proposed changes to penalties for motoring offences, but this was not among the measures proposed.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with local authorities and police forces on improving enforcement of speed limits around schools.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not held specific discussions with local authorities or police forces on improving enforcement of speed limits around schools.
The police are responsible for enforcing speed limits and are operationally independent. Decisions on the deployment of resources, including enforcement activity around schools, are a matter for individual chief constables, taking account of local priorities.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her strategy is for increasing public awareness of the risk factors and early symptoms of liver disease.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 September in response to Question 27776.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the number of trusts where maternity services have had culturally sensitive training on racism and discrimination on Black women’s experiences and engagement with maternity care.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are rolling out an anti-discrimination programme to all trusts by the end of this year, to be completed by the end of 2027, which will equip leaders and frontline staff to use tried and tested approaches to tackle discriminatory practices. A robust, independent evaluation of this programme has been commissioned and is being undertaken.
This is part of a broader set of actions to tackle the root causes of racism and discrimination. We have also established an inequalities dashboard, to identify areas where specific populations face the greatest disparities, enabling tailored interventions and more equitable support.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the affordability of compulsory school uniform items for families; and if she will consider introducing a (a) recommended maximum price (b) price cap for such items.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Too many families report that school uniform costs remain a financial burden and the government has legislated to limit the number of branded uniform items that schools can require, helping to reduce costs for parents and remove barriers to children accessing sport and other school activities.
Schools can now require no more than three branded items, or four in secondary and middle schools where a branded tie is compulsory, saving families up to £50 per child on their back-to-school shop.
We have also strengthened expectations on affordability through statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms. This guidance is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms.
Schools will be expected to consider the cost of individual items, particularly higher-cost items such as blazers, and the overall uniform cost when assessing affordability.
Our approach gives parents choice in how they manage uniform costs, including the option to buy items from a range of retailers. A cost cap would be complex, difficult to enforce and burdensome for schools, and the government has no plans to introduce a maximum price or cost cap.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, further to the Answer of 16 June 2026 to Question 8929, if his Department will consult with civil society organisations with expertise relating to rare and less survivable cancers when developing the cancer manuals in order to ensure that they fulfil the National Cancer Plan's aim of reducing disparities in cancer survival.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Department and NHS England continue to work with cancer stakeholders on the implementation of the National Cancer Plan and will discuss the development of cancer manuals with relevant stakeholders.
As set out in our National Cancer Plan, the first wave of manuals will include an equal balance of rare cancers, where survival has been slowest, and the most common cancers. It is in the combination of both points that we will maximise progress against our ambition to reduce disparities in cancer survival.
Asked by: Paulette Hamilton (Labour - Birmingham Erdington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the fresh freezing and storage of brain tumour tissue, including data collected through NHS England’s gap analysis of freezer capacity; and if he will provide the most recent available data by NHS trust on the (a) availability of suitable freezer capacity and (b) proportion of brain tumour patients whose tissue is routinely fresh-frozen and stored following surgery.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
NHS England has completed a gap analysis of the need for freezer capacity and is looking at how to support services to provide an equitable expansion of that capacity.
The Department and NHS England will work with professional bodies, including the Royal College of Pathologists, to review tissue retention guidance and consent processes.
The Department is looking at ways to support trusts to expand freezer capacity, and will provide an update on this in the autumn.
There are no plans to publish the full gap analysis. The data is management information which is not routinely published.