Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Quigley Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd July 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. That is not linked to the question. That is why I was really bothered when I called the hon. Gentleman.

[Mr Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) (Lab)]

5. What recent estimate his Department has made of the proportion of mental health research funding allocated to eating disorders.

[The Minister for Care (Stephen Kinnock)]

Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Department is committed to finding new ways of tackling eating disorders through research. We are supporting research projects, including the eating disorders genetics initiative—one of the largest studies of its kind—and have a £4.25 million collaboration with other UK research funders to build new partnerships in eating disorder research. We are also strengthening support for people with eating disorders by recruiting more mental health workers, expanding mental health support in schools and embedding it in young futures hubs.

[Mr Quigley]

Eating disorders cost the UK an estimated £9 billion each year, yet research into these serious conditions receives just 1% of all mental health research funding. That is despite eating disorders affecting around 9% of people with mental health conditions, the consequences of which are delayed diagnosis and treatment and often lengthy hospital admissions. Will the Minister agree to meet me and the eating disorder charity Beat to discuss how the Government can break this cycle and ensure that eating disorder research receives the attention and investment that it urgently needs?

[Stephen Kinnock]

I know that this subject is close to my hon. Friend’s heart, and I pay tribute to him for his work on it. We recognise the devastating impact that an eating disorder can have, and the earlier the treatment is provided, the greater the chance of recovery. The Department continues to work closely with NHS England, which is now refreshing guidance on children and young people’s eating disorders. I commend the work of Beat, and I would be happy to discuss this further with my hon. Friend.

--- Later in debate ---

[Ashley Dalton]

We are looking very carefully at the arguments for national screening. The hon. Member will be aware that there are concerns. We have to look at this very carefully to ensure that screening programmes do not cause unnecessary harm, but targeted and widespread screening for prostate cancer is something that the Department is looking at and will report on in due course.

[Mr Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) (Lab)]

T8. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am so delighted to have two questions on health this week that I am not even going to mention ferries!As my hon. Friend will know, the process for securing an education, health and care plan is complex and can lead to delays in accessing vital support. That can have a serious impact on the health and wellbeing of young people and children. What steps is the Minister taking to improve the health element of EHCPs for families navigating the process, including those in my constituency?

[Stephen Kinnock]

We have inherited a system that is utterly failing to meet the needs of children with special educational needs. This Government are reforming the SEND system, ensuring that there is joined-up support across education and healthcare. We are also supporting inclusive environments and earlier intervention for children through the early language support for every child programme, or ELSEC, and the partnership for inclusion of neurodiversity in schools programme, or PINS.

Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Quigley Excerpts

Tuesday 17th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Wes Streeting]

I was in the Chamber to hear the hon. Member’s question. Obviously we are led by clinical advice when it comes to decisions on screening programmes, but I understand the case she makes. I would be delighted to ensure that she gets a meeting with the relevant Minister.

[Mr Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) (Lab)]

T8. Earl Mountbatten hospice in my constituency delivers outstanding care across the community. Despite that, Hampshire and Isle of Wight integrated care board plans to cut its funding by £1.4 million, while other hospices in the region have their funding increased. I am deeply concerned that the cut will affect our local health services. Will the Minister meet me to discuss how we can restore that essential funding and protect hospice care for my constituents?

NHS and Care Volunteer Responders Service

Richard Quigley Excerpts

Monday 19th May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Karin Smyth]

I am afraid that I have to disagree with the hon. Gentleman—it is not muddled. The analysis undertaken by NHS England indicates that the current system is not providing good value for money, and we are making sure that we produce something better for the future. This Government will continue to act in the best interests of volunteers, patients and taxpayers in setting up the NHS of the future.

[Mr Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) (Lab)]

I congratulate all the volunteers in my constituency, who do a great job. Does the Minister agree that the huge increase in volunteers over the past few years is because the Conservatives ran down the NHS? Now they are in opposition, they can no longer run down the NHS, so they talk it down instead.

[Karin Smyth]

Well, we could—[Interruption.] Sorry, the hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon (Gregory Stafford) is chuntering from a sedentary position. I partly agree with my hon. Friend. Yes, the Conservatives did run down the NHS and we inherited a broken system, but volunteering has always been a really important part of the NHS and the care system, so I pay tribute to those people who come forward. It is both good for the system and the people they help, and for many individuals. We talked earlier about people feeling disconnected, perhaps as receivers of volunteering, but we know how valuable it is for individuals themselves to be giving and volunteering, and we want to see more of that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Quigley Excerpts

Tuesday 6th May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Wes Streeting]

I will tell the hon. Lady what we are not going to do: we are not going to see £1.7 billion wasted on strikes by resident doctors or 1.5 million cancelled operations and appointments, which is exactly what happened on the Conservatives’ watch. Within three weeks, we ended the strike by resident doctors and we have cut waiting lists by 200,000 as a result. As I have said to resident doctors, their pay offer will be fair and neither staff nor patients want to go back to the bad old days of strikes under the Tories. They had an unwilling and incalcitrant Government under the Conservatives, who were unwilling to work with resident doctors, but we want to work with them to deliver better care for patients.

[Mr Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) (Lab)]

T3. I pay tribute to my 17-year-old constituent, Arlo Lambie, who tragically died on 13 April following the diagnosis of a grade 4 brain tumour. I knew Arlo—he was a fun and bright lad who will be sadly missed. While Arlo’s parents, Ellie and Alex, wish to put on record their thanks for the “incredible and compassionate care” Arlo received at St Mary’s hospital on the Isle of Wight, they want to know what steps the Secretary of State is taking to improve NHS access to breakthrough treatments to ensure that the commercial interests of pharmaceutical companies do not take precedence, so that children with brain cancer, like Arlo, are given the best possible chance to survive for longer.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Ashley Dalton)]

I add my heartfelt condolences to Arlo’s family. In September, we launched a new series of funding opportunities designed to improve brain cancer research for both adults and children. We are committed to furthering our investment and support for high-quality brain tumour research, ensuring that funding is used in the most meaningful and impactful way. Hon. Members will note that there is a debate on Thursday on brain tumours, and I will be attending the all-party parliamentary group on brain tumours next week.

Health and Social Care: Winter Update

Richard Quigley Excerpts

Wednesday 15th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Wes Streeting]

I am really grateful to the hon. Member for raising that question and for the example she gave of the Whittington advertisement for staff specifically to deliver corridor care. I make no criticism of the trust itself in trying to make sure it has the right staff in place to deliver the best care possible in the present circumstances. It is not the fault of the Whittington that there is corridor care; it is a legacy of 14 years of Conservative failure. I would also say that my reaction to seeing that advertisement was the same as hers: it was proof that corridor care has been normalised. I want to reassure her, the House and patients across the country that this Government will not accept corridor care as normal care. We will not tolerate it as being acceptable care. We will do everything we can as fast as we can to consign corridor care to the history books and I reassure the staff working in the NHS in these intolerable conditions that we will work with them to deliver the investment and the reform needed to get the NHS back on its feet and make it fit for the future.

[Mr Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) (Lab)]

Despite the Conservative party’s best efforts to ruin our NHS, will the Secretary of State join me in paying tribute to the hard-working NHS and social care staff in my constituency who, despite enormous winter pressure, are doing their best to go above and beyond to provide exceptional care and keep the NHS on its feet?

[Wes Streeting]

I thank staff on the Isle of Wight for everything they are doing to support communities across the island against a challenging backdrop. Since my hon. Friend arrived in the House he has been an extremely strong, loud and effective voice for the people of his constituency and across the Isle of Wight, and I look forward to working with him and health and care leaders on the Isle of Wight to make sure that they see their health and care services improving as a result of their decision to send a Labour Member of Parliament and a Labour Government here to serve our NHS and his communities.

Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Quigley Excerpts

Tuesday 7th January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Richard Quigley (Isle of Wight West) (Lab)]

T10. The Isle of Wight does not just have a problem with its ferries, as the House would expect; we also have a huge problem with dentistry. We are a true dental desert. However, the size of our community means that we are an ideal place to try new approaches to dentistry, especially for children. Will the Minister meet me to discuss those approaches and improve dentistry on the island?

[Stephen Kinnock]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to describe the Isle of Wight as a dental desert. That is perhaps one of the reasons why the good people of that island elected a Labour Member for the first time in history. Our ambition is to make sure that everyone who needs a dentist can get one. Sadly, 28% of adults in England—13 million people—have an unmet need for NHS dentistry. I would be glad to meet my hon. Friend to learn more about how the experience of the Isle of Wight can improve services nationally.