First elected: 4th July 2024
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
These initiatives were driven by Sarah Bool, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Sarah Bool has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Sarah Bool has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
Sarah Bool has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Food Products (Market Regulation and Public Procurement) Bill 2024-26
Sponsor - Alistair Carmichael (LD)
The Department for Business and Trade is responsible for the overall policy on shared parental leave, but how it applies in schools specifically is covered by the Burgundy Book, a national agreement negotiated with employers by the six teachers’ organisations. Further information can be found on the Local Government Association website.
The department has no authority or responsibility for the Burgundy Book and, therefore, we are unable to provide any further information on this matter.
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life, breaking down the barriers to opportunity.
Educational psychologists play a critical role in the support available to children and young people, providing statutory input into education, health and care (EHC) assessments and advising the school workforce on how to support children and young people with SEND.
As set out in the SEND Code of Practice, when carrying out an EHC needs assessment, local authorities are required to seek psychological advice and information from an educational psychologist, who should normally be employed or commissioned by the local authority.
As the employers of educational psychology services, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that their services are adequately staffed. The department does not hold data on waiting times for the commissioning of educational psychologists.
However, the department is taking measures to support local authorities by investing in building the pipeline. We are investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists from 2024. This is in addition to the £10 million currently being invested in the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.
To support retention, following graduation, trainees who have had their training funded by the department are required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period. For trainees beginning their course in September 2024, this requirement has increased to three years.
Preventing an outbreak of African swine fever in the UK is one of Defra’s key biosecurity priorities. The department keeps policy on personal imports under constant review and works closely with the devolved Governments on contingency planning and preventing an incursion from possibly infected goods.
We have already strengthened controls on personal imports of pork and pork products from the EU through the measures we introduced in September last year. We are working to develop a long-term policy on personal imports of products of animal origin and animal by-products, taking account of international examples.
We currently have no plans to discuss the potential merits of paying compensation to businesses affected by the withdrawal of the regulatory position statement entitled Using shredded waste carpet in equestrian surfacing.
Withdrawing the RPS means that using shredded waste carpets for equestrian surfacing is not prohibited, but a waste management permit is needed instead. There is no mechanism to compensate businesses affected by the withdrawal of a regulatory position.
There have been no discussions with the Environment Agency about the adequacy of the length of the notice period for the withdrawal of the regulatory position statement entitled Using shredded waste carpet in equestrian surfacing RPS248.
We currently have no plans to discuss the potential merits of paying compensation to businesses affected by the withdrawal of the regulatory position statement entitled Using shredded waste carpet in equestrian surfacing.
Withdrawing the RPS means that using shredded waste carpets for equestrian surfacing is not prohibited, but a waste management permit is needed instead. There is no mechanism to compensate businesses affected by the withdrawal of a regulatory position.
Waste is a commodity, and there is a legitimate global market for secondary materials. The transfrontier shipment of waste, including waste carpet, is subject to strict controls that are set out in the UK’s legislation. All waste shipments from the EU to the UK must comply with these controls. The Environment Agency (EA) is England’s competent authority and conducts compliance activities on an intelligence led, risk-based approach to ensure that imports of waste to England are in compliance with the legislative controls. The EA welcome any information regarding possible illegal movements via their incident reporting system or via Crimestoppers.
The Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on driving and diabetes mellitus, has recommended that continuous or flash glucose monitoring systems, may be used to monitor glucose for the purpose of driving.
Following a consultation with stakeholders in 2018, it was decided that the testing of interstitial fluid can be permitted for driving licensing purposes for people with diabetes and Group 1 licences (cars or motorcycles).
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is in the process of assessing the potential merits of introducing legislative proposals to extend the use of this technology to Group 2 licences (bus and lorry drivers) with diabetes. A targeted consultation was launched on 18 November 2024 and will run for a period of four weeks.
Land and property assets that have been acquired for HS2 via Compulsory Purchase Order or Statutory Blight, and that are no longer required, will be sold subject to the Crichel Down Rules.
These require Government departments, under certain circumstances, to offer back surplus land to the former owner or the former owner’s successors at the current market value.
As she/the Honourable Member will appreciate, this Government is still in its early stages, and is carefully considering next steps in this policy area.
War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Payments are not taken into account in Universal Credit. Guaranteed Income Payments, Service Attributable Pensions and service-attributable, non-taxable Service Invalidity Pensions are also not taken into account. New Style Employment Support Allowance (ESA) disregards any guaranteed income scheme payable under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
In the legacy income-related benefits, e.g. income-related ESA, there is a statutory £10 weekly disregard. However, Local Authorities have discretionary powers fully to disregard ‘war pension’ income in the assessment of Housing Benefit.
NHS England is following standard procedure in its consultation on the NHS Payment Scheme. NHS England consults on changes to the payment scheme each year, as it is required to by law. While the legal requirement is just for NHS England to consult commissioners and providers, it does accept responses from other interested parties and members of the general public.
The statutory consultation period of 28 days ended on 28 February 2025. The outcome of the consultation will be published shortly once all responses received have been fully considered and any decisions made about the final Payment Scheme.
As required by law, NHS England has assessed the impact of the proposed NHS Payment Scheme. This is available at the following link:
This impact assessment includes consideration of the impact on patient choice, as well as an assessment of the impact on patients, in line with NHS England’s public sector equality duty.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients will continue to benefit from the Right to Choose their provider at the point of referral. None of the proposed changes to the NHS Payment Scheme included in the consultation would change this.
Local integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for planning service provision in their local area, including for ADHD assessments. In doing so, ICBs should take account of waiting lists, considering how local funding can be deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.
The consultation on the proposed NHS Payment Scheme closed on 28 February 2025. The outcome of the consultation will be published shortly once all responses received have been fully considered and any decisions made about the final Payment Scheme.
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including assessments and treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
NHS England has established the ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors. The taskforce is working to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support. The final report is expected in the summer, which will make recommendations about how to address the challenges faced by those affected by ADHD.
There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for assessment for, or treatment of, ADHD either nationally or for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, relevant information may be held locally by individual NHS trusts or commissioners.
In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop an ADHD data improvement plan to inform future service planning. NHS England has also conducted detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, capturing examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services. NHS England is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.
Local integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for planning service provision in their local area, including for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments. In doing so, ICBs should take account of waiting lists, considering how local funding can be deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.
Patients will continue to have the right to choose their provider as set out in legislation. The proposed NHS Payment Scheme does not and cannot change this.
The Government is committed to patients having the right to choose their provider when referred to consultant-led treatment, or to a mental health professional, for their first appointment as an outpatient. Further information on the choices available for patients can be found on the NHS Choice framework available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-choice-framework
The consultation on the proposed NHS Payment Scheme closed on 28 February 2025. The outcome of the consultation will be published shortly once all responses received have been fully considered and any decisions made about the final Payment Scheme.
NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors. The taskforce is working to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, with the final report expected in summer 2025.
The Department has not made an assessment of the potential merits of ring-fencing funding for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including those with ADHD, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, recently announced a series of reforms to the National Health Service operating model to move power from the health centre to local leaders. In keeping with these reforms, we are giving systems greater control and flexibility over how funding is deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.
NHS England has established the ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity, and justice sectors. The taskforce is working to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, with the final report expected in summer 2025.
The National Health Service in England is required to fund medicines and treatments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. NHS England has undertaken considerable activity to support NICE-recommended CAR-T therapies which are currently commissioned and those that may be available in the future.
There are 3 CAR-T products currently available for four types of blood cancer which have treated over 1,500 people to date: these products were made available via the Cancer Drugs Fund which provides early access to promising new cancer medicines. Two additional CAR-T products are currently being evaluated by NICE.
NHS England uses horizon scanning to see what is coming and has a dedicated team to support the adoption of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) that are recommended by NICE into the NHS. The team works with a variety of internal and external stakeholders to ensure timely patient access to ATMPs that are on the NICE technology appraisal and highly specialised technology workplan. NHS England regularly engages with clinicians who provide CAR-T therapy in order to ensure that there is sufficient capacity within the service to deliver this.
The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources.
The NICE has evaluated and been able to recommend a number of CAR-T therapies, a type of cell therapy for the treatment of blood cancers, that are now available to NHS patients.
The NICE is responsible for the methods and processes it uses to develop its recommendations and concluded a comprehensive review of the methods and processes it uses for health technology evaluation in January 2022. The NICE carried out the review through extensive engagement with stakeholders, including Department officials. The NICE introduced a number of changes that make its methods fairer, faster, and more consistent, and appropriate to the evaluation of emerging new technologies, such as cell and gene therapies.
The NICE is monitoring the impact of the changes following the methods review and has committed to considering modular updates to its methods and processes in the future.
The Government is clear that patients should expect and receive the highest standard of service and care from the National Health Service, and that people should be treated with compassion, dignity, and respect. Patients attending emergency departments will always be prioritised based on clinical need.
My Department has no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing water reed as an alternative thatching material for historic buildings.
Any works to demolish any part of a listed building or to alter or extend it in a way that affects its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest require listed building consent. It is for local planning authorities to decide whether to grant listed building consent depending on the particular circumstances of each case.