Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will review guidance on the use of QRISK3 in primary care where a consultant cardiologist recommends preventative cholesterol-lowering medication; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of the final decision on treatment being based on informed patient consent following discussion of the risks and benefits, rather than solely on a QRISK3 score.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's (NICE) guideline, Cardiovascular disease: risk assessment and reduction, including lipid modification, recommends the use of QRISK3 to estimate an individual's risk of developing cardiovascular disease and to support clinical decision making. The guideline also emphasises that decisions about lipid-lowering treatment should be made following a discussion between the clinician and patient on the potential risks and benefits of treatment, taking account of the patient's circumstances, preferences and values. QRISK3 is an important decision-support tool, but clinical judgement remains central to treatment decisions. NICE keeps its guidance under regular surveillance.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
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 role of occupational therapists in supporting people’s sexual wellbeing, relationships and participation following illness, injury, disability or long-term health conditions.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England recognises the vital role occupational therapists play across the health and care system and is committed to supporting a skilled, sustainable workforce.
Opportunities for post registration development and specialism are the responsibility of employers and are designed both to support identified priority service areas, as well as enabling occupational therapists to develop different capabilities.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure occupational therapists are represented in sexual health workforce planning.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England recognises the vital role occupational therapists play across the health and care system and is committed to supporting a skilled, sustainable workforce.
Opportunities for post registration development and specialism are the responsibility of employers and are designed both to support identified priority service areas, as well as enabling occupational therapists to develop different capabilities.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance her Department provides to integrated care boards and local authorities on including occupational therapy in sexual health services.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England recognises the vital role occupational therapists play across the health and care system and is committed to supporting a skilled, sustainable workforce.
Opportunities for post registration development and specialism are the responsibility of employers and are designed both to support identified priority service areas, as well as enabling occupational therapists to develop different capabilities.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
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 improve public understanding of cardiovascular risk factors including cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and smoking.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals on managing cholesterol levels for patients, commonly referred to as lipid measurement, across health and care settings. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng238/chapter/Recommendations
Healthcare professionals are expected to follow NICE guidance in the care and treatment of individual patients.
Behavioural advice across the NHS Better Health apps, for example Couch to 5K, Active 10, and Quit Smoking, focus on supporting individuals to reduce cardiovascular risk by increasing physical activity, improving diet and weight management, and stopping smoking.
In addition, NHS England also supports awareness initiatives led by external partners, through communications and stakeholder engagement activity, such as Blood Pressure UK’s Know Your Numbers! And HEART UK’s National Cholesterol Month.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
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 adequacy of communication on recommended cholesterol levels between primary care services, NHS hospital cardiology departments and publicly available NHS patient information materials.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals on managing cholesterol levels for patients, commonly referred to as lipid measurement, across health and care settings. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng238/chapter/Recommendations
Healthcare professionals are expected to follow NICE guidance in the care and treatment of individual patients.
Behavioural advice across the NHS Better Health apps, for example Couch to 5K, Active 10, and Quit Smoking, focus on supporting individuals to reduce cardiovascular risk by increasing physical activity, improving diet and weight management, and stopping smoking.
In addition, NHS England also supports awareness initiatives led by external partners, through communications and stakeholder engagement activity, such as Blood Pressure UK’s Know Your Numbers! And HEART UK’s National Cholesterol Month.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consideration her Department has given to the proportion of teachers recorded as teaching religious education who are specialists in and usually teach other subjects when (a) assessing the size of the religious education teacher workforce, (b) determining whether there is a shortage of specialist religious education teachers and (c) deciding whether to provide a bursary for religious education initial teacher training.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government values and recognises the importance of all subjects, including religious education (RE). There were 15,781 teachers of RE in 2025/26.
As a consequence of a more favourable supply forecast, the recruitment need for RE fell for 2026/27. There were 492 postgraduate RE ITT trainees in 2025/26, the highest number of RE postgraduate ITT entrants since 2020/21.
The department reviews the need for initial teacher training (ITT) bursaries annually and will consider RE alongside all other subjects.
Further information is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, including information on the proportion of timetabled hours delivered by specialist teachers for each subject and key stage for secondary schools at national level. The latest available figures for RE by key stage are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/0326e399-7e8d-40ac-e607-08df06afb6ab.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to launch the public consultation on the revised National Curriculum in September 2026.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Reform of the national curriculum and GCSEs is continuing and will align with the government’s ambition to transform technical education for 14 to 16-year-olds. There will be a public consultation on the proposals for the national curriculum and assessment system.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what consideration her Department has given in developing the revised national curriculum to how subjects including religious education and science can complement statutory relationships and sex education by providing pupils with the knowledge and understanding needed to support healthy relationships and sexual wellbeing throughout their lives.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government recognises the important role that a broad and balanced curriculum plays in supporting pupils' health, wellbeing and preparation for adult life.
Relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) provides the statutory framework for teaching pupils about healthy relationships, sexual health and wellbeing. This is complemented by subjects such as science and religious education which provide relevant knowledge and opportunities for discussion from different disciplinary perspectives.
In science, pupils learn about the biological aspects of sexual health including human reproduction, fertility, and sexually transmitted infections. This knowledge helps pupils to understand their own development, make informed decisions and supports the understanding needed for healthy relationships and sexual wellbeing throughout their lives. Religious education can also support pupils' understanding by exploring different beliefs, values and ethical perspectives relating to relationships and family life
The government is continuing its programme of National Curriculum and GCSE reform. Proposals for the national curriculum and assessment system will be subject to public consultation.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will introduce free bus travel for young people aged 16-19 in England.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government knows how important affordable and reliable bus services are in enabling young people to get to education, work and access vital services. While there are no current plans to introduce a national scheme providing free bus travel for people aged 16 to 19 in England, in many areas, discounted tickets and concessionary schemes are provided through arrangements between local authorities, colleges and transport operators. Where transport services operate on a commercial basis, decisions regarding fares and ticket products are generally matters for operators.
Many operators offer discounted fares for young people, and in the year ending March 2026 youth concessions were available from at least one commercial operator in 76 of the 85 local authority areas in England outside London.
Additionally, on 22 July, the Government announced that single bus tickets will be capped at £2 from 1 January 2027, replacing the current £3 National Bus Fare Cap. Under the scheme, no single eligible bus ticket on participating bus routes will be higher than £2, helping millions of people access affordable bus travel, supporting access to work, education, healthcare and leisure.