Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of menopause support services.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service.
NHS England is working on menopause workforce support packages for employees and developing a range of tools and interventions that will help to upskill more GPs in menopause care, including awareness of mental health symptoms during menopause, and improve access to treatments. We are also using Community Diagnostic Centres to pilot pathways for women that suffer from post-menopausal bleeding.
We also know that support in the workplace during the menopause can be crucial. Which is why we will: require large employers to detail the steps they are taking to support their staff as part of an action plan; and, publish guidance for small and medium employers on the measures they should consider to enable women to better manage their symptoms.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to expand prescribing of GLP-1 medications beyond specialist weight-management services.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on the first two GLP-1 medicines licensed for the treatment of obesity, namely liraglutide under various brand names and semaglutide with brand name Wegovy, restricted their use to specialist weight management services. These services are primarily delivered in secondary care.
NICE recommended that tirzepatide, with brand name Mounjaro, could be used for the treatment of obesity in eligible patients without a restriction on its setting. This means tirzepatide can be used in specialist weight management services but can also be prescribed in primary care by general practitioners (GPs) and other competent prescribers. From 23 June 2025, tirzepatide started to become available in primary care so the expansion beyond specialist services is underway.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are the National Health Service organisations responsible for arranging the provision of health services within their area in line with local population need and taking account of relevant guidance. ICBs have had to develop new care pathways to ensure that patients can access these medicines via their GP with appropriate wraparound support. NHS England has been working closely with ICBs to support the safe and effective roll out of tirzepatide in primary care. It has identified the groups of people to be prioritised in each phase of the initial rollout; helped develop local treatment models; provided funding support and regular communication channels to ICBs; and set up an interim, centrally funded ‘wraparound care service’, known as the ‘Healthier You: Behavioural Support for Obesity Prescribing’, for patients to be referred into, with a procurement underway for a longer-term offer.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had recent discussions with Eli Lilly on the cost of Mounjaro.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has held various discussions with Eli Lilly regarding the recent list price increase of Mounjaro. NHS England has worked with Eli Lilly to ensure the list price increase will not affect National Health Service commissioning of tirzepatide in England as a treatment for eligible diabetes and obesity patients in the NHS.
We remain committed to the rollout of this medicine as a weight loss treatment based on clinical priority. This will enable 220,000 eligible people to access the medication over the first three years. The initial eligibility criteria will be for people with a body mass index of 40 or more in addition to four or more qualifying comorbidities.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have also entered equivalent agreements to maintain their current commissioning approaches.
Pricing in the private market is a matter for Eli Lilly and for private providers. Private patients who are impacted by price increases should discuss any concerns with their private provider. This includes their options regarding payment plans, alternative treatments, and/or stopping or tapering off their current medication. Eli Lilly is working with private providers to support continued patient access.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on tackling (a) pavement parking and (b) other obstructions for (i) pushchair, (ii) wheelchair and (iii) mobility aid users.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with local authorities on these matters. The Government fully understands the serious problems that vehicles parked on the pavement, and other obstacles on the pavement, can cause for pedestrians, especially for people with mobility or sight impairments and those with wheelchairs, prams or pushchairs. The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the 2020 pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible. In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to manage pavement parking, and it is up to them to decide where to restrict pavement parking and what enforcement is appropriate. Recent reforms by my Department to the process by which Traffic Regulation Orders are made will make it easier for them to do so.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help safeguard public sector digital infrastructure against cyberattacks.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Government is committed to improving the cyber resilience of public sector digital infrastructure, focusing our efforts around the Government Cyber Security Strategy.
We have already made important steps to better understand and mitigate cyber risk and are now accelerating our response to address key risks and better support departments through a more interventionist approach.
This accelerated response will address the long-standing shortage of cyber skills, strengthen accountability for cyber risks, provide greater support for delivery in the form of cyber services, guidance, and hands-on technical support and bolster our response capabilities to fast-moving cyber incidents.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
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 help ensure that the 10-Year Plan for Health promotes equitable access to (a) palliative and (b) end of life care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
One of the three ‘shifts’ that the 10 Year Health Plan will deliver is around the Government’s determination to shift healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative care and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift and were highlighted in the plan as being an integral part of neighbourhood teams.
I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all- age palliative and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.
Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.
To support integrated care boards (ICBs) in the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The guidance makes specific reference to commissioners defining how their services will meet population needs 24/7 and includes a priority action for ensuring that staff, patients, and carers can access the care and advice they need, whatever time of day.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on the service delivery of end of life care for adults also includes recommendations about 24/7 access to care. Although NICE guidance is not mandatory, there is an expectation that commissioners and service providers take the guidelines into account when making decisions about how to best meet the needs of their local communities.
The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to help ensure that services remove variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce a 24/7 single point of access for palliative and end of life care (a) advice, (b) guidance and (c) support, following the publication of the 10-Year Plan for Health.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
One of the three ‘shifts’ that the 10 Year Health Plan will deliver is around the Government’s determination to shift healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative care and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift and were highlighted in the plan as being an integral part of neighbourhood teams.
I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all- age palliative and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.
Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.
To support integrated care boards (ICBs) in the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The guidance makes specific reference to commissioners defining how their services will meet population needs 24/7 and includes a priority action for ensuring that staff, patients, and carers can access the care and advice they need, whatever time of day.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on the service delivery of end of life care for adults also includes recommendations about 24/7 access to care. Although NICE guidance is not mandatory, there is an expectation that commissioners and service providers take the guidelines into account when making decisions about how to best meet the needs of their local communities.
The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to help ensure that services remove variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
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 provide funding certainty to hospices beyond this financial year, in the context of the 10-year plan for palliative and end-of-life care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
One of the three ‘shifts’ that the 10 Year Health Plan will deliver is around the Government’s determination to shift healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative care and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift and were highlighted in the plan as being an integral part of neighbourhood teams.
I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all- age palliative and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.
Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.
To support integrated care boards (ICBs) in the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The guidance makes specific reference to commissioners defining how their services will meet population needs 24/7 and includes a priority action for ensuring that staff, patients, and carers can access the care and advice they need, whatever time of day.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on the service delivery of end of life care for adults also includes recommendations about 24/7 access to care. Although NICE guidance is not mandatory, there is an expectation that commissioners and service providers take the guidelines into account when making decisions about how to best meet the needs of their local communities.
The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to help ensure that services remove variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10-Year Plan for Health, if he will publish further detail on proposals to increase the provision of palliative and end of life care in community settings.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
One of the three ‘shifts’ that the 10 Year Health Plan will deliver is around the Government’s determination to shift healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative care and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift and were highlighted in the plan as being an integral part of neighbourhood teams.
I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all- age palliative and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan.
Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.
To support integrated care boards (ICBs) in the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The guidance makes specific reference to commissioners defining how their services will meet population needs 24/7 and includes a priority action for ensuring that staff, patients, and carers can access the care and advice they need, whatever time of day.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on the service delivery of end of life care for adults also includes recommendations about 24/7 access to care. Although NICE guidance is not mandatory, there is an expectation that commissioners and service providers take the guidelines into account when making decisions about how to best meet the needs of their local communities.
The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to help ensure that services remove variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with farmers to help improve the resilience of domestic food supply chains.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Food security is national security. We need a resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports British farmers, fishers and food producers.
As part of the Government’s Plan for Change we are delivering on the Government’s New Deal for Farmers which includes a raft of new policies and major investment to boost profits for farmers.
We've allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament.