Scott Benton

The Department has not undertaken any recent assessments on 20mph roads or the impact on road users and has no current plans to do so.

The Department published a comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph signed-only limits on 22 November 2018.

The headline findings were:

• 20mph limits are supported by the majority of residents and drivers
• There is insufficient evidence to conclude that that there has been a significant change in collisions and casualties following the introduction of 20mph limits in residential areas.
• In one city centre case study there has been a significant reduction in collisions and casualties.

Local traffic authorities are responsible for their procurement procedures, and the Department for Transport would not be able to estimate the average cost of erecting signage.

The causes of congestion can be systemic, for example increasing population and urbanisation, or more localised, for example network pinch points, inadequate public transport or road works. It is for traffic authorities to decide what systems to put in place to help them manage their road networks as efficiently as possible.

The Department is fully committed to reducing emissions from road transport. We recently published the Transport Decarbonisation Plan Transport decarbonisation plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) which identified policy measures to decarbonise road traffic and all other forms of transport, in order to ensure the transport sector delivers its contribution to upcoming carbon budgets, and put us on a pathway to net zero.

The total funding provided to Blackpool Council and Blackpool Transport for Bus and Light Rail services for March 2020 to October 2022 is £9.5m, broken down below.

The additional funding provided to Blackpool Council for Bus Services since March 2020 is £216,052.

The additional funding provided to Blackpool Council for Light Rail Services since March 2020 is £3,520,190.

The additional funding provided to Blackpool Transport for Bus Services since March 2020 is £5,779,425.

The provision of tram services is largely devolved in England. It is for local transport authorities and operating companies to determine ticket prices.

Throughout the pandemic, the Government has supported tram systems with exceptional financial support. In total, the Government will have provided around £250 million to English tram and light rail systems outside London. This funding has helped keep services running and reduced any need for local authorities and operators to pass financial pressures on to passengers.

The recently announced Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a price reduction to ensure that all businesses and other non-domestic customers, including local authorities, are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter. As an energy intensive sector, it is expected many Light Rail systems will benefit significantly from this scheme.

While we recognise that bringing new routes into a regional airport is likely to increase its passenger footfall, it is important to recognise that Public Service Obligations (PSOs) are a route support measure to strengthen connectivity.

We will consider whether there are further opportunities to utilise PSOs, alongside other policy measures, towards meeting our ongoing regional connectivity and levelling-up objectives. We will also continue to consider applications for PSOs on vital routes into London and lifeline services for remote communities that are in danger of being lost.

Airports operate in a private capacity and their funding streams are subject to their own private and commercial activities. The DfT has not undertaken any assessment in relation to the usage of capital and revenue funding to support development of airports.

The Department for Transport is in regular contact with the travel industry regarding the challenges facing the sector as a result of COVID-19. The sector is crucial to the UK’s economy and businesses across the industry are able to draw on the unprecedented package of economic measures we have put in place during this time.

This includes a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital, two business interruption loan guarantee schemes for different sizes of business, Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, financial support for employees and VAT deferrals.

The Department for Transport is in close contact with the travel sector ensuring that the Government is kept fully aware of the latest developments with all firms and to understand where additional policy measures and address specific industry issues.

The Government recognises the challenging times facing the travel sector as a result of COVID-19. The sector is crucial to the UK’s economy and businesses across the industry will be able to draw on the unprecedented package of economic measures we have put in place during this time.

This includes a Bank of England scheme for firms to raise capital and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme which facilitates access to finance for businesses affected by the outbreak. Firms are also able to access ‘Time to Pay’ scheme which eases restrictions with tax bills and VAT deferrals.

The Department for Transport and other departments are in close contact with the travel sector ensuring that the Government is kept fully aware of the latest developments with all firms and to understand where additional policy measures should be considered to address specific industry issues.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s register records the name and address of registered keepers and their vehicles. As it does not include any information about an individual’s employment status, no assessment is made of the level of compliance with vehicle tax of drivers employed in the gig economy.

Additionally, all motorists require motor insurance to cover minimum third-party risks. This must cover all purposes for which the driver is using the vehicle, such as for employment. As such the Department does not conduct assessments of compliance in individual sectors.

All drivers and riders must ensure that they comply with road traffic regulations. The Department has not made an assessment, and does not plan to carry out an assessment, of the potential merits of introducing a compulsory registration scheme for all drivers employed in the gig economy for delivering food for either online retailers or takeaways and restaurants.

The Department is rapidly developing plans for e-scooter trials. We are hosting meeting with local authorities and rental e-scooter providers who may be interested in participating in trials, setting out our proposals. We have also launched a consultation on the rules that would apply during trials. Legislative proposals to enable trials will follow shortly after the consultation closes.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget 2020 that £500 million is being made available in 2020/21 to local highway authorities in England, outside London, to repair potholes. The North West’s share is £53 million. The Department will shortly publish details of the individual funding allocations we are making available, including (a) Lancashire and (b) Blackpool.

The Secretary of State keeps the performance and role of Transport for the North under regular review. The legislation which established Transport for the North as a statutory Sub-National Transport Body enables the organisation to bring forward proposals for additional functions to be devolved to them. To date, the Secretary of State has not received any such proposals.

Ministers meet regularly with Transport for the North to discuss delivery of the Government’s infrastructure programme. The Government is committed to increasing infrastructure investment that will support levelling up and drive growth and productivity across our Northern communities.

The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service provision are primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. However, the Bus Services Act 2017 provides the tools local authorities need to improve local bus services and increase passenger numbers.

The annual Bus Service Operators Grant the Government provided for Blackpool Borough Council during 2018/19 was £41,141.

We have announced an additional £30 million of additional funding to improve current services and restoring lost services. Blackpool Council has been allocated £41,640 which will be available from April 2020 if the funding requirements are met. This is from the £220 million Better Deal for Bus Users package to transform bus services. The Government’s ambition is to secure a long term, sustained improvement in bus services underpinned by a National Bus Strategy for England which will be accompanied by a long-term funding settlement.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-better-deal-for-bus-users/a-better-deal-for-bus-users

On 11 February 2020, the Prime Minister announced there will be £5 billion of new funding to overhaul bus and cycle links for every region outside London which may benefit bus services serving Blackpool and the wider North West.

The Chief Executive of Blackpool Council made some representations to the Secretary of State for Transport for a passing loop and additional rail services over to the South Fylde line. I am also aware that my hon Friend, the Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys Paul Maynard has advocated further expansion of Blackpool’s light rail system over this line, supported by a study carried out for the Council.

I understand that as part of their Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) business case work Lancashire County Council commissioned a study to assess potential conventional rail improvements over the South Fylde line. However, this scheme was not included in the final TCF bid and no decision has been taken by the Council regarding next steps.

I encourage local authorities and stakeholders in Blackpool and Lancashire to work together to agree a preferred way forward.

The Chief Executive of Blackpool Council made some representations to the Secretary of State for Transport for a passing loop and additional rail services over to the South Fylde line. I am also aware that my hon Friend, the Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys Paul Maynard has advocated further expansion of Blackpool’s light rail system over this line, supported by a study carried out for the Council.

I understand that as part of their Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) business case work Lancashire County Council commissioned a study to assess potential conventional rail improvements over the South Fylde line. However, this scheme was not included in the final TCF bid and no decision has been taken by the Council regarding next steps.

I encourage local authorities and stakeholders in Blackpool and Lancashire to work together to agree a preferred way forward.

The Chief Executive of Blackpool Council made some representations to the Secretary of State for Transport for a passing loop and additional rail services over to the South Fylde line. I am also aware that my hon Friend, the Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys Paul Maynard has advocated further expansion of Blackpool’s light rail system over this line, supported by a study carried out for the Council.

I understand that as part of their Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) business case work Lancashire County Council commissioned a study to assess potential conventional rail improvements over the South Fylde line. However, this scheme was not included in the final TCF bid and no decision has been taken by the Council regarding next steps.

I encourage local authorities and stakeholders in Blackpool and Lancashire to work together to agree a preferred way forward.

We have no plans to make an assessment of the adequacy of this policy’s operation.

Parliament decides the circumstances under which abortion is permitted. It would be for Parliament to decide whether to change the law on abortion. The Department continues to work closely with NHS England, the Care Quality Commission and abortion providers to ensure abortions are only performed in accordance with the legal requirements set down by Parliament in the 1967 Abortion Act.

Home use of early medical abortion pills is permitted if the pregnancy has not exceeded 10 weeks gestation at the time the first medicine in the course is administered. If there is any uncertainty about the gestation of the pregnancy, the woman should attend an in-person appointment. If she does not attend in-person, the doctor would not be able to form an opinion in good faith that the pregnancy is below 10 weeks gestation and therefore would not be able to prescribe abortion pills for home use.

Safeguarding is an essential aspect of abortion care, and the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures (RSOPs) for approved independent sector abortion providers in England include the requirement that all abortion providers have effective arrangements in place to safeguard vulnerable women accessing home-use early medical abortion who may be experiencing coercion to end a pregnancy. Providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse and coercion and know how to respond.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects against all the Department’s RSOPs when it inspects an independent sector provider, and safeguarding procedures are included in the CQC’s Termination of Pregnancy inspection framework as areas to be considered during an inspection.

As commissioners of abortion care, NHS England and integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring abortion providers have appropriately trained staff to meet safeguarding requirements.

The standard of training for health care professionals is the responsibility of the health care independent statutory regulatory bodies who set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and approve courses. Higher Education institutions write and teach the curricula content that enables their students to meet the regulators outcome standards. Whilst not all curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all emphasise the skills and approaches a health care practitioner must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients, including for abortion.

Safeguarding is an essential aspect of abortion care, and the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures (RSOPs) for approved independent sector abortion providers in England include the requirement that all abortion providers have effective arrangements in place to safeguard vulnerable women accessing home-use early medical abortion who may be experiencing coercion to end a pregnancy. Providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse and coercion and know how to respond.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects against all the Department’s RSOPs when it inspects an independent sector provider, and safeguarding procedures are included in the CQC’s Termination of Pregnancy inspection framework as areas to be considered during an inspection.

As commissioners of abortion care, NHS England and integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring abortion providers have appropriately trained staff to meet safeguarding requirements.

The standard of training for health care professionals is the responsibility of the health care independent statutory regulatory bodies who set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and approve courses. Higher Education institutions write and teach the curricula content that enables their students to meet the regulators outcome standards. Whilst not all curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all emphasise the skills and approaches a health care practitioner must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients, including for abortion.

Safeguarding is an essential aspect of abortion care, and the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures (RSOPs) for approved independent sector abortion providers in England include the requirement that all abortion providers have effective arrangements in place to safeguard vulnerable women accessing home-use early medical abortion who may be experiencing coercion to end a pregnancy. Providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse and coercion and know how to respond.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects against all the Department’s RSOPs when it inspects an independent sector provider, and safeguarding procedures are included in the CQC’s Termination of Pregnancy inspection framework as areas to be considered during an inspection.

As commissioners of abortion care, NHS England and integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring abortion providers have appropriately trained staff to meet safeguarding requirements.

The standard of training for health care professionals is the responsibility of the health care independent statutory regulatory bodies who set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and approve courses. Higher Education institutions write and teach the curricula content that enables their students to meet the regulators outcome standards. Whilst not all curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all emphasise the skills and approaches a health care practitioner must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients, including for abortion.

Within secondary care, hospital providers are responsible for ensuring that patients within hospital settings, including those with Parkinson’s disease, receive the appropriate medication on time.

NHS England has published a RightCare toolkit which aims to address challenges in providing services for those with progressive neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. The toolkit provides advice on medicine optimisation, highlighting the importance of timely administration of specific drugs, such as Levodopa, in acute and community health settings.

The Department has not held discussions with abortion providers regarding potential changes to the 1967 Abortion Act.

No assessment has been made. As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the Government adopts a neutral stance. Any change to the law in this area would be a matter of conscience for individual Parliamentarians rather than for the Government.

No assessment has been made. The Government has no current plans to commission a review into the impact of home use of pills for abortion on women’s health and safety.

There are no current plans to review or hold an inquiry into the operation of Section 178 of the Health and Care Act 2022.

There are no current plans to review or hold an inquiry into the operation of Section 178 of the Health and Care Act 2022.

Following amendments to the 1967 Abortion Act that allow women in England and Wales to take early medical abortion (EMA) pills at home, the Department have taken forward work to ensure that robust safeguarding processes for home-use EMA are embedded across all services. This included publication of national safeguarding guidance for under 18 year olds accessing EMA services, and strengthening the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures, which all independent abortion providers must comply with, to require providers to have robust safeguarding processes in place to identify and support women and girls who need it.

There are no plans to change the existing systems in place to ensure that under 16 year olds receive safe, age appropriate abortion care. All independent sector services wishing to perform termination of pregnancy must be approved by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) before they are able to provide abortion services. The CQC inspect independent sector abortion services. If a CQC inspection identifies instances of non-compliance, then appropriate regulatory action will be taken.

The Department expects all abortion providers to have due regard to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health national guidance on safeguarding under 18 year olds accessing early medical abortion services, which will ensure that robust safeguarding processes are embedded across all abortion services. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://childprotection.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/safeguarding-guidance-for-children-and-young-people-under-18-accessing-early-medical-abortion-services/

The following table shows the number of people with diabetes in Blackpool South Parliamentary Constituency that had a urine-to-albumin ratio (UACR) test during the audit year, January 2021 to March 2022, broken down by diabetes type.

Source: National Diabetes Audit

The following table shows the number of people with diabetes in NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board that had a urine-to-albumin ratio (UACR) test during the audit year, January 2021 to March 2022, broken down by diabetes type.

Source: National Diabetes Audit

Data is not held at the individual constituency level. Data is available from the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board and its predecessor, the Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group, which is comprised of Blackpool South, Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituencies. The following table shows the number of people diagnosed with chronic kidney disease within the geographical footprints of the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board and the Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group in each year since 2019.

The requested data is not held in the format requested.

The requested data is not held in the format requested.

The information requested is not held centrally.

We do not have estimates of the costs of providing healthcare to people who have crossed the English Channel by small boats. A breakdown of healthcare costs for people who have entered the country this way is not available.

Healthcare for those seeking asylum is delivered by a number of bodies, reflecting different parts of an individual’s journey through the immigration system.

Information about healthcare for migrants is in the Department’s Migrant Health Guide and available at the following link:

www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-entitlements-migrant-health-guide

Providers are required to have effective arrangements in place to safeguard children and young people accessing abortion services throughout their pathway, including complying with all legal requirements and ensuring staff are trained to recognise signs of abuse, including sexual violence or evidence of coercion.

The Department commissioned the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to develop safeguarding guidance for those aged under 18 years old accessing early medical abortion services. The guidance, published in August, aims to ensure that children and young people’s holistic and safeguarding needs are identified and implemented in early medical abortion settings. This includes managing physical, psychological and wider care needs as appropriate.

The guidance emphasises the importance of abortion providers having strong working relationships and networks with wider health services including primary care, community and acute paediatrics and counselling services for children and young people.

Providers are required to have effective arrangements in place to safeguard children and young people accessing abortion services throughout their pathway, including complying with all legal requirements and ensuring staff are trained to recognise signs of abuse, including sexual violence or evidence of coercion.

The Department commissioned the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to develop safeguarding guidance for those aged under 18 years old accessing early medical abortion services. The guidance, published in August, aims to ensure that children and young people’s holistic and safeguarding needs are identified and implemented in early medical abortion settings. This includes managing physical, psychological and wider care needs as appropriate.

The guidance emphasises the importance of abortion providers having strong working relationships and networks with wider health services including primary care, community and acute paediatrics and counselling services for children and young people.

NHS England will invest £20 million over the next three years to expand opt-out testing in emergency departments in the highest prevalence local authority areas, including Blackpool.

Since 2013 the Government has mandated local authorities in England to commission comprehensive open access to most sexual and reproductive health services, including free and confidential HIV testing through the Public Health Grant. In 2021/22, the Public Health Grant was adjusted to include the cost of financing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which reduces the risk of acquiring HIV infection. Blackpool received £18,705,648, of which £69,525 was allocated to PrEP provision. Funding for PrEP is now included within the Public Health Grant and embedded within its baseline for 2022/23. In 2022/23 Blackpool has been allocated £19,231,130.

The Department has issued Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) which allow pharmacists to substitute a specified alternative hormone replacement therapy (HRT) product if the prescribed product is not available. There are currently 14 SSPs in place for five HRT medicines, to manage and mitigate medicine supply issues. Enabling the supply of an alternative product in accordance with an SSP is a safe, effective way to ensure HRT continues to be available.

The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ set out a target to deliver a 10% increase in elective activity compared to pre-pandemic levels, rising to 30% by 2024/25. In 2021/22, the Department provided an additional £39 billion to support health and care services, including a £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund to increase elective activity.

n Lancashire and South Cumbria, £60.5 million was allocated for the recovery of elective services. Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust received £15.1 million from this allocation, with a further £2.5 million from specialised commissioners to support the restoration of tertiary activity.

Allocations to integrated care boards (ICBs) made through NHS England, including NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, are adjusted for health inequalities and unmet need in the weighted capitation formula, which was recently reviewed by the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation. ICB allocations were published in April 2022 and are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/allocation-of-resources-2022-23/

The Department issues funding to NHS England which determine allocations to integrated care boards. National Health Service trusts receive payment by activity commissioned by integrated care boards to provide a range of healthcare services.

The funding received by Blackpool Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, including funding related to the COVID-19 pandemic, is published in the Trust’s published Annual Report and Accounts for 2019/20 and 2020/21. The Trust has not yet published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2021/22.

In 2020/21 and 2021/22 we have invested £33 million in the deployment of the HIV prevention drug pre-exposure prophylaxis in specialist sexual health clinics, which has been made routinely available in England, including Blackpool.

NHS England is investing £20 million for opt-out HIV testing in 21 local authority areas with the highest HIV prevalence, including Blackpool, in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines. All sites aim to be fully established during 2022/23.

Blackpool Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust receives an annual capital allocation for its operational needs. In addition, the Trust has received £22.7 million for local infrastructure schemes over the last three years. The Trust received £5.1 million for investment in its estate and digital initiatives from the Elective Recovery Targeted Investment Fund announced in September 2021. In 2020/21, the Trust received £2.8 million for the expansion of the emergency department and £1.9 million to address backlog maintenance across its estate. In 2021/22, we also provided the Trust with £12.9 million for improvements to Fylde Coast Emergency Department to expand and develop an ambulatory village and centralise clinical care.

In line with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ clinical guidelines, feticide should be performed before medical abortion after 21 weeks and six days of gestation to ensure that there is no risk of a live birth. We are aware of a small number of incidents where late gestation abortions have occurred after taking early medical abortion pills and these are being investigated appropriately.

Independent clinical advice states that an ultrasound should be provided in certain conditions, including if a woman is unable to provide her last menstrual period with reasonable certainty or if there is a high risk of ectopic pregnancy. The Department has published guidance on the new legal requirement for doctors prescribing abortion pills for use at home to record their good faith opinion that the pregnancy will not have exceeded 10 weeks when the first pill is taken.

The Department is reviewing the evidence published in Public Health England's ‘Gambling-related harms evidence review: the economic and social cost of harms’ report. We plan to publish an addendum in the autumn setting out the specific calculations and modelling assumptions in the report.

The Department is reviewing the evidence published in Public Health England's ‘Gambling-related harms evidence review: the economic and social cost of harms’ report. We plan to publish an addendum in the autumn setting out the specific calculations and modelling assumptions in the report.

The Department is reviewing the evidence published in Public Health England's ‘Gambling-related harms evidence review: the economic and social cost of harms’ report. We plan to publish an addendum in the autumn setting out the specific calculations and modelling assumptions in the report.

No specific assessment has been made as the Department does not set clinical practice.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is currently reviewing its report ‘Fetal Awareness: Review and Recommendations for Practice’. The College has established a review group to consider the latest evidence on fetal pain and fetal awareness which is expected to report on its findings by the end of 2022.

The Department does not set guidelines for clinical practice. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists considered the issue of fetal pain and awareness in its guidelines ‘Fetal Awareness: Review of Research and Recommendations for Practice’. The Royal College is currently reviewing this guidance.

During the Government’s consultation on the temporary approval which allowed home use of early medical abortion, we assessed evidence from the responses received, including from domestic abuse charities.

We will work with those in the violence against women and girls sector and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner to monitor the impact as face to face services return from August 2022.

During the Government’s consultation on the temporary approval which allowed home use of early medical abortion, we assessed evidence from the responses received, including from domestic abuse charities.

We will work with those in the violence against women and girls sector and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner to monitor the impact as face to face services return from August 2022.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) keeps the eligibility criteria of all vaccination programmes under review and considers new evidence as it emerges.

In 2018, a human papillomavirus (HPV) programme targeting men who have sex with men (MSM) aged up to 45 years old who attend sexual health clinics was introduced, after a recommendation from the JCVI as they are a high-risk group for HPV exposure and some related cancers. Clinicians can offer the HPV vaccine to individuals in this age group who have a similar risk profile to the eligible MSM population.

From January to June 2020, the Department was not notified of any abortions in England and Wales where one or both medical abortion pills were taken at home at 24 weeks gestation or above. The Department was also not notified of any abortions where one or both medical abortion pills were taken at home at 28 weeks gestation for residents of England and Wales, from January to June 2020. This aligns with our response to FOI-1250644.

Regular meetings are held with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and abortion service providers to ensure the appropriate safeguards are in place to protect women accessing abortion services.

All services registered by the CQC to provide termination of pregnancy services are subject to ongoing monitoring and providers have a statutory duty to report incidents to the CQC. Where concerns or evidence of risk are identified, the CQC will follow up to ensure the safety of woman accessing those services and will use its enforcement powers where necessary to protect people. In addition, Prevention of Future Deaths Reports play a valuable role in drawing matters of concern to the attention of the Government, its agencies and others to determine if action is needed or should be taken.

The Department continues to carefully monitor the impact of and compliance with the temporary approval of home administration of both sets of abortion medication. Officials have regular meetings with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Care Quality Commission and abortion service providers to ensure the appropriate safeguards are in place to protect women accessing this service.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has issued clinical guidelines for healthcare professionals on ‘Coronavirus infection and abortion care’. The guidance sets out the circumstances where women should be asked to attend a clinic for an ultra-sound scan. However, it states that “most women can determine the gestational age of their pregnancy with reasonable accuracy by last menstrual period (LMP) alone”. The Royal College’s guidance includes a decision aid for clinicians to use to help determine if an ultra-sound scan is required. This includes detailed questions to identify gestational age.

The information is not held in the format requested as abortion notification forms (HSA4) submitted by clinics and hospitals to the Chief Medical Officer at the Department do not record the number of individual women. From 1 April 2020 to 31 December 2020 eight complications involving haemorrhage after early medical abortion for residents of England and Wales were notified to the Department, where one or both medications were taken at home. No complications related to perforation, sepsis or cervical tear were notified. We do not hold information on ruptured ectopic pregnancies. Data for 2021 will be published in June 2022.

The Department is undertaking a project to review the system of recording abortion complications data and we anticipate this work will be completed shortly. The review will cover all data on complications arising from abortion including home use of early medical abortion pills.

To improve the accuracy of the data collected, the Department is working closely with a range of statutory bodies, professional organisations and abortion providers to identify additional sources of information that could be used to complement complications data collected via HSA4 abortion notification forms and improve the flow of data on abortion complications between different organisations, such as independent and National Health Service abortion providers and wider NHS health and care services.

The Department does not collect this information.

It would be for Parliament to decide whether to make any changes to the law on abortion. As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the Government adopts a neutral stance and allows hon. Members to vote according to their moral, ethical or religious beliefs.

The Department has made no such estimate. Abortion providers should provide women with information on what to do with the pills if they choose not to take them after they have been received, for example returning pills to a pharmacy, clinic or general practitioner for safe disposal.

We have met with a number of Parliamentarians and a range of stakeholders to discuss the consultation and implementation of the temporary measure. The consultation has now closed and we are carefully considering all of the responses received and plan to publish our response later this year.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with regional teams as well as community eating disorder services and commissioners to manage demand and support teams. The data shows that community eating disorder services continue to expand access to treatment to increasing number of children and young people and their families.

On 5 March 2021, we announced £79 million of funding for to expand mental health support for children and young people in 2021/22. This includes funding to treat an additional 2,000 children and young people with eating disorders. This is in addition to the new early intervention services to open in 18 sites across the country for 16 to 25 year olds, announced in November 2020.

Private hospital settings providing National Health Service commissioned care can access testing through their local commissioning NHS trust or clinical commissioning group. Private hospitals who do not provide NHS-commissioned care may access publicly funded asymptomatic testing through national workplace testing.

Guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists sets out that healthcare staff caring for women requesting abortion should identify those who require more support in the decision-making process and pathways to additional support, including counselling and social services, should be available. As part of their consultation, clinicians will discuss possible complications with the woman and women will be provided with written advice and information about possible symptoms, including those which would necessitate urgent review. Women have access to a 24 hour telephone helpline should they have any concerns.

In 2019 the United Kingdom met the UNAIDS target for the third consecutive year, with 94% of people living with HIV being diagnosed, 98% of those diagnosed being on treatment and 97% of those on treatment having an undetectable viral load. As well as developing a new sexual and reproductive health strategy, this year we have also committed to publish a HIV Action Plan which will set out actions to reach zero new HIV transmissions in England by 2030. This work will be informed by the report and recommendations of the independent HIV Commission. The Department will work in collaboration with key partners including the Government Equalities Office on both the strategy and HIV Action Plan.

In March 2020, we announced that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) will be routinely available across England in 2020/21 as part of the Government’s aim to end HIV transmission by 2030. This year we provided £11 million to local authorities for routine commissioning of PrEP and this is already in place in the majority of areas. Routine commissioning of PrEP will benefit tens of thousands of people and, along with other measures, will take us closer to our ambition of zero HIV transmissions by 2030.

Public Health England, in collaboration with stakeholders, is currently developing a monitoring and evaluation framework for the routine commissioning of PrEP. This will use established surveillance systems and include measures of PrEP need and use among key population groups to inform equitable delivery and access.

A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified no items of correspondence received since March 2020. This figure represents correspondence received by the Department’s Ministerial correspondence unit only.

We have no central record of any other representations and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.

Clinicians will discuss possible complications with the woman during the consultation and women will be provided with written advice and information about possible symptoms, including those which would necessitate urgent review. Women have access to a 24 hour telephone helpline should they have any concerns.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) have issued clinical guidelines for healthcare professionals on ‘Coronavirus infection and abortion care’. The guidance sets out the circumstances where women should be asked to attend a clinic for an ultra-sound scan. However it states that “most women can determine the gestational age of their pregnancy with reasonable accuracy by last menstrual period (LMP) alone”. The RCOG guidance includes a decision aid for clinicians to use to help determine if an ultra-sound scan is required. This includes detailed questions to identify gestational age.

Private hospitals settings providing National Health Service commissioned care can access testing through their commissioning body, normally their local commissioning NHS trust or clinical commissioning group. Private hospitals who do not provide NHS-commissioned care may access publicly funded asymptomatic testing through National Workplace Testing which is accessible to organisations who are registered in England, employ 50 people or more and whose employees cannot work from home. Tests are currently being provided free to both public and private sector employers until at least 31 March 2021. The Government’s support will be kept under review and will engage with employers before any changes to the support offer are made.

Organisations who do not meet the criteria for National Workplace Testing can contact their local authority to gain information on their local asymptomatic testing offer.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care regularly engages with colleagues across Government on mental health and suicide prevention and meets regularly with suicide and self-harm prevention stakeholders, including meetings of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group.

The Department does not set clinical practice. It is for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to consider whether to revise their guidelines, having looked at the available evidence.

Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions affecting businesses such as casinos and bookmakers in tier 3 is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938964/Coronavirus_England_briefing_26_November.pdf

Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions affecting businesses such as casinos and bookmakers in tier 3 is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938964/Coronavirus_England_briefing_26_November.pdf

We do know that the virus spreads readily in any indoor environment where members of different households and/or support bubbles spend time together, so the transmission risk in indoor settings, such as casinos, remains high. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies provided advice to the Department and considered the risks of transmission through different routes and environments in a paper which is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/933225/S0824_SARS-CoV-2_Transmission_routes_and_environments.pdf

Epidemiological data and projection models on local restriction tiers, including commentary on individual tier allocation decisions affecting businesses such as casinos and bookmakers in tier 3 is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/938964/Coronavirus_England_briefing_26_November.pdf

The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has not looked at the evidence to offer prenatal screening for fetal sex as a population screening programme.

Every year the UK NSC hosts a call for new topics to be considered. The UK NSC’s call for new topics is open and will close on 6 December 2020. The UK NSC welcomes submissions.

More information about the 2020 annual call can be found at the following link:

https://phescreening.blog.gov.uk/2020/09/15/annualcall2020/

Information on how to submit a proposal can be viewed at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-evidence-review-process/uk-nsc-evidence-review-process

NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with colleagues across Health Education England, Public Health England, Care Quality Commission, NHSX and the Department to bring together local and national intelligence of the impact of digital and remote working during the COVID-19 outbreak. This will include consideration of patients with mental health conditions.

Local initiatives are in place to address digital barriers to access remote services, including access for the most excluded citizens. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with local service providers to ensure the homeless have access to the right healthcare and support including registering with a general practitioner and access to mental health services. NHS England and NHS Improvement are also working with Groundswell to understand the experiences of people who are homeless, in order to drive improvements in the services they receive.

We have not received any specific evidence.

While we have no specific evidence relating to betting shops, we know that the virus spreads readily in any indoor environment where members of different households and/or support bubbles spend time together, so the transmission risk in indoor settings, such as bookmakers, remains high. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies provided advice to the Department and considered the risks of transmission through different routes and environments in a paper which is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/933225/S0824_SARS-CoV-2_Transmission_routes_and_environments.pdf

Between January to June 2020, notifications on form HSA4 indicate that abortions took place at 10 weeks gestation or above where both sets of pills were taken at home (out of a total number of 23,061 abortions) and 40 abortions took place at 10 weeks gestation or above where only the second set of pills was taken at home (out of a total number of 30,977 abortions). This is out of a total number of 54,038 abortions where either both sets or one set of the abortion pills was taken at home.

We continue to closely monitor the impact of the temporary approval for women’s homes to be classed as a place where both sets of medication for early medical abortion can be taken up to 10 weeks gestation.

Since the 1 April the Department has not been notified of any maternal deaths relating to abortion. The Department is aware of reports of two women who died after seeking abortion treatment earlier this year. Both sought care before the temporary approval came into force on 30 March and physically attended an abortion clinic. Both deaths have been appropriately investigated and in one case investigations are continuing. For the other case, the coroner concluded that there was no evidence to suggest the pregnancy or abortion contributed to the death either directly or indirectly.

The Department continues to closely monitor the impact of the temporary approval for women’s homes to be classed as a place where both sets of medication for early medical abortion can be taken up to 10 weeks gestation. Officials have regular meetings with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Care Quality Commission and abortion service providers.

The Government has committed to undertake a public consultation on making permanent the COVID-19 measure allowing for home use of both pills for early medical abortion up to 10 weeks gestation for all eligible women. Further details on the consultation will be available in due course.

The work around validating and publishing baseline data on access to mental health services for 18 to 25-year olds is currently underway.

NHS England does not yet have a revised publication or dissemination date. Work on the development of metrics has been slowed due to the pandemic but is continuing in order to ensure delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan commitment to increase access and improve experience of care for this age group.

No comparative assessment has been made on the rate of complications to date.

The Department does not hold data on coercive abortion. Safeguarding is an essential component of abortion services. Individual providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse in adult women and know how to respond.

No comparative assessment has been made on the rate of complications to date.

The Department does not hold data on coercive abortion. Safeguarding is an essential component of abortion services. Individual providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse in adult women and know how to respond.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are working on revised, patient-facing information on Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) and where to get support. This document will help clarify
that people are meant to be engaged in conversations before a DNACPR recommendation is made and how to ask for a review, if such recommendation is made.The guidance will be published shortly following consultation with key stakeholders and people with lived experience.

The additional funding for children and young people’s eating disorder services was added to the overall clinical commissioning group (CCG) funding and distributed using the main CCG allocation formula.

The CCG allocation formula as a whole is based on a number of different components which, together, are intended to take account of the different aspects of healthcare need in a population, including mental health needs.

The technical guide to CCG allocations explains how these formulae are developed and used. This can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/technical-guide-to-allocation-formulae-and-pace-of-change-for-2019-20-to-2023-24-revenue-allocations/

The indicative funding profile for children and young people’s eating disorder services in the Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20-2023/24 correlates to the national workforce and activity trajectories also set out in the Implementation Plan. These were modelled on the indicative workforce costs to achieve the children and young people’s eating disorder waiting time standard by the end of 2020/21 and being maintained thereafter.

Funding is then allocated as part of overall clinical commissioning group budgets, using a statistical formula to make geographic distribution fair and objective so that it more clearly reflects local healthcare needs and helps to reduce health inequalities.

An assessment has not been made at this stage of the effectiveness of Israel’s use of plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients (convalescent plasma) on patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19. However, all international evidence on the use of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 patients will be considered when the results of the trials are available, in addition to the findings from the clinical trials currently taking place in the United Kingdom.

Clinical trials in the UK include patients receiving convalescent plasma, to determine if it can help those with the virus. NHS Blood and Transplant is collecting convalescent plasma to supply the clinical trials and for wider treatment, if it is shown to be effective in reducing disease symptoms.

NHS England commissions all specialist cleft palate services provided by Cleft Lip and Palate Centres, including services delivered on an outreach basis as part of a clinical network of services.

The service provides surgery and specialist care for patients with cleft lip and/or palate and non-cleft velopharyngeal dysfunction in order to ensure that patients achieve an aesthetic and functional facial appearance, and to maximise oral feeding, hearing, speech and psycho-social wellbeing.

Delivery of the service is through a network of care managed and delivered from the specialist centre. The network will commonly include outreach services and relies on strong links to and coordination with local community services. These local community services are commissioned by clinical commissioning groups including local speech and language therapy; local ear, nose and throat services and audiology; and community and local paediatric care. These locally delivered services work collaboratively with the Centres.

Spend on related cleft lip and palate services in 2018/19 (the most recent year for which financial data is currently available) was £28.6 million.

NHS England commissions all specialist cleft lip services provided by Cleft Lip and Palate Centres, including services delivered on an outreach basis as part of a clinical network of services.

The service provides surgery and specialist care for patients with cleft lip and/or palate and non-cleft velopharyngeal dysfunction in order to ensure that patients achieve an aesthetic and functional facial appearance, and to maximise oral feeding, hearing, speech and psycho-social wellbeing.

Abortion providers will discuss possible complications with the woman during the consultation and women will be provided with written advice and information about possible symptoms, including those which would necessitate urgent review. Women have access to a 24 hour telephone helpline should they have any concerns.

Any complication known to the practitioner terminating the pregnancy should be reported to the Chief Medical Officer on form HSA4. All serious incidents should be reported by the provider to their commissioner, the Care Quality Commission and other relevant organisations in line with the framework published by NHS England and NHS Improvement at the following link:

https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/serious-incident-framework/

The measures were put in place to ensure that the vast majority of women and girls could continue to access abortion services whilst limiting COVID-19 transmission. This change was made on a temporary basis only and is time limited for two years, or until the pandemic is over. The Department is keeping under review when the temporary approval will be removed.

Abortion providers will discuss possible complications with the woman during the consultation and women will be provided with written advice and information about possible symptoms, including those which would necessitate urgent review. Women have access to a 24 hour telephone helpline should they have any concerns.

Any complication known to the practitioner terminating the pregnancy should be reported to the Chief Medical Officer on form HSA4. All serious incidents should be reported by the provider to their commissioner, the Care Quality Commission and other relevant organisations in line with the framework published by NHS England and NHS Improvement at the following link:

https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/serious-incident-framework/

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not have a statutory responsibility to report routinely on complications arising from abortion procedures. It may, however, report on such issues if they have been identified during the course of an inspection, or if a number of reported issues results in the CQC deciding to inspect the provider, and any concerns would be highlighted in its resulting provider inspection report. The CQC engages regularly with the Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement on these matters.

NHS England commissions all specialist cleft lip services provided by Cleft Lip and Palate Centres, including services delivered on an outreach basis as part of a clinical network of services.

The service provides surgery and specialist care for patients with cleft lip and non-cleft velopharyngeal dysfunction in order to ensure that patients achieve an aesthetic and functional facial appearance, and to maximise oral feeding, hearing, speech and psycho-social wellbeing.

Care covers pre-natal and post-natal diagnosis and advice including feeding advice, corrective surgery including specialist and outreach nursing, lip and palate repair, speech assessment, investigation and treatment/surgery, children’s dentistry, bone grafting, orthodontics, dento-alveolar surgery, restorative dentistry including implant treatment, rhinoplasty, orthognathic surgery, audiology/Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) (hearing and ENT problems), clinical psychology, genetics, and revision treatment.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has issued clinical guidelines for healthcare professionals on ‘Coronavirus infection and abortion care’. The guidance sets out the circumstances where women should be asked to attend a clinic for an ultra-sound scan. However, it states that “most women can determine the gestational age of their pregnancy with reasonable accuracy by last menstrual period (LMP) alone”. The RCOG guidance has recently been updated and now includes a decision aid for clinicians to use to help determine if an ultra-sound scan is required. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends in its guidance ‘Abortion Care’ that services should consider providing abortion assessments by phone or video call, as evidence shows that community services and telemedicine appointments improve access to abortion services.

The Schedule to the Abortion Regulations 1991 set out the forms for the purpose of certifying the opinion of a registered medical practitioner under the Act. The regulations also set out the form for notification of abortions to the Chief Medical Officer.

Mental health services, including eating disorder services have remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic and are continuing to support people with eating disorder issues.

Services across the country are adapting their protocols, as needed, to ensure that medical monitoring continues in way that is safe for both patients and workforce. Examples of adaptation include using dedicated rooms with strict cleaning timetables for weighing patients, working with primary care or local neighbouring teams to undertake measurements and utilising digital means or telephone or video consultations to share information between clinicians and people with eating disorders.

Services are adapting delivery of evidenced based therapies, as clinically appropriate to do so, to provide ongoing support and treatment and keep people with eating disorders engaged during this time.

The Required Standard Operating Procedures set out in the Department’s Procedures for the Approval of Independent Sector Places for the Termination of Pregnancy require that all women requesting an abortion should be offered the opportunity to discuss their options and choices with a trained counsellor and this offer should be regularly repeated. Guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists sets out that healthcare staff caring for women requesting abortion should identify those who require more support in the decision-making process and pathways to additional support, including counselling and social services, should be available. All abortion providers should ensure that women have the time and space to discuss their reasons for seeking abortion. Impartial, accurate information is supplied to help the woman consider her options so she can reach an informed choice this should include information on the impact of a COVID-19 diagnosis on pregnancy if this is a particular concern.

The changes to abortion regulation made on 30 March 2020 is on a temporary basis only and is limited for two years, or until the COVID-19 pandemic is over. It is not permanent.

Eating disorder services across the country are adapting their protocols, as required, to ensure that medical monitoring continues in way that is safe for both patients and the workforce.

Examples of this adaptation include using dedicated rooms for weighing patients with strict cleaning timetables, working with primary care or local neighbouring teams to undertake measurements and utilising digital means or telephone or video consultations to share information between clinicians and people with eating disorders.

Eating disorder services have not been paused during COVID-19 and are working around the clock to support people with eating disorder issues through the COVID-19 outbreak and beyond. Where people with eating disorders need support, they should contact their general practitioner or local community eating disorder service or mental health crisis service.

Community eating disorder services are deploying innovative digital tools to connect with people and provide ongoing support, assessment and treatment. They are also adapting the delivery of evidence-based therapies, where it is clinically appropriate to do so, to provide ongoing support and treatment and keep people with eating disorders engaged during this time. Guidance has been published to help services manage their capacity and demand for community mental health services during the COVID-19 outbreak.

National Health Service mental health services have remained open throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, and we have continued to support the NHS to provide services in other innovative ways, such as through greater use of digital channels. It is important that people with eating disorders are able to continue with their agreed meal plans during social isolation arrangements. People in contact with eating disorder services should discuss arrangements for their eating plans with the team in charge of their care.

We have published guidance online that explains what steps people can take if they are unable to access food. This guidance has been shared with local authorities, retailers and charities to help them respond to enquiries from those seeking help. The guidance can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-accessing-food-and-essential-supplies

On 23 March 2020, the Government ordered hotels and guest houses to close to reduce social contact, prevent the spread of COVID-19 and save lives. The exception to this is where hotels, guest houses, hostels and bed and breakfasts are providing rooms to support homeless and other vulnerable people through arrangements with local authorities or to provide accommodation for key workers.

Further information on closing certain businesses and venues is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/876905/300320_Revised_Guidance.pdf

Mental health should be an integral part of medical education and training so that all doctors have the necessary knowledge and experience of mental health to assess patients holistically, considering the individuals’ physical, social and psychological needs. All newly qualified doctors, as a condition of their registration with the General Medical Council (GMC), must explain and illustrate by professional experience the principles for the identification, safe management and referral of patients with mental health conditions.

The Government is committed to provide the best training experience for all doctors in training and works with the GMC and relevant stakeholders to ensure doctors in training receive the necessary mental health training to meet the current and future needs of patients. The GMC, at the request of the Department held a roundtable on 21 November 2019 to use their influence to improve educational knowledge and skill in the recognition and treatment of eating disorders.

Since 2016, the government has funded a programme supporting primary and secondary schools in England to tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying. The programme has reached over 1,800 schools so far. I am clear that no child should be bullied for any reason at all.

Undergraduate training is set by individual Medical Royal Colleges against standards set by the General Medical Council (GMC) and the curricula for postgraduate specialty training.

The GMC’s General Professional Capabilities Framework sets out the essential generic capabilities needed for safe, effective and high-quality medical care in the United Kingdom. The framework, which the GMC requires colleges to embed in all curricula, covers the knowledge, skills and behaviours that a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.

Diagnosing and treating eating disorders is an important area of medical practice. It is included within the curriculum for all doctors, including for general practitioners (where most eating disorders initially present) and in more depth within training for psychiatry, particularly child and adolescent psychiatry.

In response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report, a working group has been set up to address the recommendations and ensure they feed into planned improvements to eating disorder services. The group meets every quarter and includes representatives from the Department and the General Medical Council (GMC)

The GMC, at the request of the Department, held a roundtable on 21 November 2019 to discuss steps to improve education, knowledge and skills in the recognition and treatment of eating disorders. The GMC is also working with the Faculty of Eating Disorders, Beat and other key stakeholders, including medical schools and Health Education England, to explore how education and training in eating disorders can be strengthened through the development of a common understanding and shared resources.

The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health set out the improvements expected in mental health services by 2021. This is underpinned by the report Stepping Forward to 2021 – the mental health workforce plan for England.

As at November 2019, there are 661 consultants working in child and adolescent psychiatry¹ this is 33 (or 5.3%) more than in 2010. Data are not collected on the number of consultant psychiatrists working within children and young people’s eating disorder services.

Through their program of work, Enhancing Junior Doctors Working Lives, Health Education England (HEE) is promoting the benefits of psychiatry training. HEE has also increased the number of Psychiatry placements available for junior doctors undertaking foundation training.

Note:

¹Data taken from NHS Hospital and Community Health (HCHS) data set.

NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), but not staff working in primary care or in general practitioner (GP) surgeries, local authorities or other providers.

The following table shows the full time equivalent (FTE) number of doctors, and nurses and health visitors employed in the Lancashire area as at November 2019, the latest available data, compared to November 2010.

The Lancashire area is defined as those working at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, NHS East Lancashire CCG or NHS West Lancashire CCG.

The following table shows the number of GPs and nurses employed in the area covered by NHS East Lancashire CCG as at September 2019 compared to September 2015, FTE.

The following table shows the number of GPs and nurses employed in the area covered NHS West Lancashire CCG as at September 2019 compared to September 2015, FTE.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guideline, ‘Neuropathic pain in adults: pharmacological management in non-specialist settings’, updated July 2019, sets out evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals in pharmacological treatments for neuropathic pain. This guidance can be found at the following link:

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg173

In addition, NICE is currently developing guidance on the assessment and management of chronic pain, with an expected publication date of 19 August 2020. Guidance scope for the NICE clinical guidance document in development can be found at the following link:

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/gid-ng10069/documents/final-scope

Government continues to support the integrated provision of health and social care because of the improvements it brings to the quality of care people receive. Integrated provision has been found to improve health, quality of life and patient satisfaction.

Integration across health and social care commissioning also enables improved co-operation and joint decision-making between health and social care partners in delivering shared outcomes. A number of local areas have reported improved outcomes through the adoption of integrated approaches.

At the national level, evidence of savings due to integrated provision is limited, therefore, the department does not have an estimate of the annual savings of integration.

The Care Act 2014 enshrined in law asset and strengths-based approaches to how we design and deliver care and support, with social workers and other professionals co-producing care and support to deliver better outcomes for individuals, communities and services.

An evaluation of the Care Act was completed in 2019 and findings will be published in early 2020, including a summary of lessons learned for implementation of major policy and legislative changes.

The data requested is not collected or held centrally.

As a member of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the UK is regularly involved in discussions on the outstanding issues related to Iran's implementation of its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, most recently at the quarterly meeting 7-11 March 2022. Ahead of the meeting, the UK consulted with international counterparts and during the Board session issued a joint statement with France and Germany noting Iran's recent agreement with the IAEA to make progress on this issue, and reinforcing that Iran is legally obliged to cooperate with the IAEA by providing technically credible information, documentation and answers to questions requested by the IAEA.

From January 2016 to December 2020 FCDO allocated a total of £256 million to Marie Stopes International (MSI), and £96 million to International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF). Comparable figures beyond December 2020 are not yet available.

A new standard methodology to capture donors' official development assistance spending on sexual and reproductive health and rights was developed by The European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF) in December 2020. Spending figures for 2016 are reported in the 2020 EPF donor delivery report (https://www.epfweb.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/DD_Report2020_webversion_new.pdf) and 2017 to 2019 spending figures are reported in the 2021 EPF donor delivery report (https://donorsdelivering.report/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/DD_Report_2021.pdf). Comparable figures beyond December 2019 are not yet available.

As FCDO takes an integrated approach to our programming on sexual and reproductive health and rights, it is not possible to give a specific figure for our funding for the provision of safe abortion services.

From January 2016 to December 2020 FCDO allocated a total of £256 million to Marie Stopes International (MSI), and £96 million to International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF). Comparable figures beyond December 2020 are not yet available.

A new standard methodology to capture donors' official development assistance spending on sexual and reproductive health and rights was developed by The European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF) in December 2020. Spending figures for 2016 are reported in the 2020 EPF donor delivery report (https://www.epfweb.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/DD_Report2020_webversion_new.pdf) and 2017 to 2019 spending figures are reported in the 2021 EPF donor delivery report (https://donorsdelivering.report/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/DD_Report_2021.pdf). Comparable figures beyond December 2019 are not yet available.

As FCDO takes an integrated approach to our programming on sexual and reproductive health and rights, it is not possible to give a specific figure for our funding for the provision of safe abortion services.

From January 2016 to December 2020 FCDO allocated a total of £256 million to Marie Stopes International (MSI), and £96 million to International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF). Comparable figures beyond December 2020 are not yet available.

A new standard methodology to capture donors' official development assistance spending on sexual and reproductive health and rights was developed by The European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF) in December 2020. Spending figures for 2016 are reported in the 2020 EPF donor delivery report (https://www.epfweb.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/DD_Report2020_webversion_new.pdf) and 2017 to 2019 spending figures are reported in the 2021 EPF donor delivery report (https://donorsdelivering.report/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/DD_Report_2021.pdf). Comparable figures beyond December 2019 are not yet available.

As FCDO takes an integrated approach to our programming on sexual and reproductive health and rights, it is not possible to give a specific figure for our funding for the provision of safe abortion services.

On 19 August, the UK issued a joint statement with France and Germany underlining our grave concern at the latest reports of the IAEA. These reports confirm that Iran has produced uranium metal enriched up to 20% for the first time, and has significantly increased its production capacity of uranium enriched up to 60%.

60% enrichment constitutes an important step towards developing a nuclear weapon. No State without nuclear weapons has ever before produced Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU). We urge Iran to halt all activities in violation of the JCPoA and return to the negotiations in Vienna as soon as possible with a view to bringing them to a swift, successful conclusion.

The Quartet Principles call on parties to renounce violence as a means of achieving their goals. Hamas continues to embrace violence. We continue to call upon Hamas and other terrorist groups to permanently end their incitement and indiscriminate rocket fire against Israel. Hamas' military wing has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK since 2001 and the UK maintains a no contact policy with Hamas in its entirety.

The UK is committed to ensuring the safety of shipping and to maintaining the principle of freedom of navigation. Growing tensions around strategic maritime choke points threatens the ability of trade to safely pass through international waters. The UK continues to underline the need for a reduction in tensions on all sides.

The UK, with France and Germany, triggered the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA's) Dispute Resolution Mechanism on 14 January 2020 in response to Iran's systematic non-compliance with the deal. Our priority continues to be to bring Iran back into compliance with its commitments and to return the US to the deal. Negotiations on a return to the JCPOA are currently ongoing in Vienna.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not track foreign governments funding of UK grassroots organisations to change UK abortion laws so is unable to provide this information.

The UK is proud to defend universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights. Investing in SRHR can reduce some of the factors that lead girls to drop out of school, such as early pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, period poverty and shame.

Grassroots organisations are critical to achieving lasting transformation. The barriers to achieving sexual and reproductive health and rights are multi-dimensional and complex, and particular to a country or community context. Grassroots organisations are well placed to understand this context, to be a voice for people affected by these barriers and to define where actions should be focused. An example of UK support is to the Robert Carr Fund which supports networks of grassroots organisations that seek to serve key populations affected by HIV, and ensure that their issues and concerns are raised and addressed.

The UK Government's relationship with the British Red Cross is established under the BRC's Royal Charter. There are no current plans to review this relationship.

We closely follow the important work of the International Criminal Court and are looking at the implications of this decision.

We closely follow the important work of the International Criminal Court and are looking at the implications of this decision.

The British Embassy to Israel is based in Tel Aviv and we have no plans to move it.

The UK Government has zero tolerance towards incitement of violence and we have raised this issue with UNRWA.

UNRWA informed us that they had identified the material in question through their own regular monitoring and took swift action to correct the issue. The Agency also conducted a review to identify and address any education materials in breach of its policies. UNRWA has reported that these materials are no longer circulated and are not used in current lessons.

We continue to monitor the situation to ensure self-learning materials remain in line with UN values.

The FCDO monitors UNRWA's self-learning material via different tools including programme monitoring and annual assessments to assess UNRWA's implementation of the curriculum framework.  This ensures lessons taught with UNRWA self-learning materials are in line with UN values.

On 4 January, Iran commenced uranium enrichment up to 20 per cent at the Fordow plant in violation of its JCPoA commitments. The E3 issued a statement on 7 December 2020 making it clear that Iran should not implement any measures set out in its recently adopted nuclear law. We remain in regular touch with the IAEA, who have a mandate to monitor and verify Iranian nuclear activity, on this and other JCPoA compliance matters.

We remain deeply concerned by Iran's continued and systematic non-compliance with its nuclear commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). We note with great concern both Iran's recent announcement to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it intends to install an additional three cascades of advanced centrifuges at the Fuel Enrichment Plant in Natanz, and the recent law passed by the Iranian Parliament, which - if implemented - would substantially expand Iran's nuclear programme and limit IAEA monitoring access. We have been clear, both at the 16 December Joint Commission and at the 21 December ministerial meeting of JCPoA participants, that Iran must not implement these measures and must return to full compliance with its commitments under the deal. We also made this point clearly at the UN Security Council meeting on 22 December on the Secretary General's ninth report on the implementation of UNSCR 2231.

The UK remains firmly committed to the JCPoA. Along with France and Germany, we have consistently worked to preserve the JCPoA framework over the last two years. We have made clear at every stage that we favour a diplomatic solution to resolve our concerns over the Iranian nuclear programme. And we have worked tirelessly to keep the diplomatic door open for renewed talks between Iran and the US. President-elect Biden has said that if Iran returns to compliance with the deal, the US would re-enter the agreement and seek to both strengthen it and extend it. We welcome this commitment. This is an important opportunity to restart engagement between Iran and the US, and to realise the objectives of the JCPoA.

The UK has a strong track record of investment in maternal and newborn health through strengthening health systems, alongside other essential services, including family planning. Since the 2018 ICAI report, we have taken a series of steps to improve our approach, embedding a focus on quality, respectful maternity care. These were recognised and commended by ICAI in their 2020 follow-up review.

The UK Government has a manifesto commitment on ending the preventable deaths of mothers, newborns, and children by 2030. We have invested in staff knowledge and skills, and are supporting our partners, including the World Health Organisation, to promote, deliver, and measure quality maternal health care. We support the Global Financing Facility for women, children, and adolescent health in its efforts to strengthen quality and sustainability of services in 36 countries. This action is more important than ever given the negative indirect impacts of COVID-19, which is reducing access to maternity care, and other essential health services.

Our position regarding the US notification to snapback sanctions pursuant to UNSCR 2231 has been very clearly expressed to the UN Security Council Presidency and all UN Security Council members. E3 Foreign Ministers have made clear that the US ceased to be a participant to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) following their withdrawal from the deal on 8 May 2018. We cannot therefore support the US' action, which is incompatible with our current efforts to support the JCPoA. We remain committed to the JCPoA and have always said we regret the US' withdrawal from the deal.

However, Iran's continued non-compliance with its nuclear commitments under the JCPoA remains deeply concerning and seriously undermines the non-proliferation benefits of the agreement. We have called for a ministerial Joint Commission meeting to address Iran's non-compliance and find a way forward. We are clear that Iran must engage seriously with this process, and that its current actions put the JCPoA at risk.

Hizballah's destabilising influence threatens regional stability and endangers Lebanon and its people. The UK has long had a no contact policy with the whole organisation. Hizballah was proscribed in its entirety in March 2019 and an asset freeze put in place against the entire organisation in January 2020. The UK does not provide any assistance or funding directly to Hizballah, Hizballah-led ministries or Hizballah-led institutions. Following proscription, we went through a due diligence process with all our programme implementing partners to ensure that they were fully aware of the implications of the UK decision to proscribe Hizballah in its entirety. We regularly raise our concerns about Hizballah at the UN Security Council, and call on all parties to abide by the provisions of relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.

The UK welcomed the historic Israel-United Arab Emirates normalisation deal. The Foreign Secretary discussed wider US efforts to normalise Israel and Arab state ties in a meeting with Jared Kushner on 3 September, following both of their recent visits to the Middle East. The UK welcomes all efforts towards peace and we continue to work closely with international partners strongly advocating a two-state solution and a regional approach to peace. We believe that negotiations on a two state solution will only succeed when they are conducted between Israelis and Palestinians, but international action has a role in facilitating progress. The changing regional context and converging Arab and Israeli interests presents an opening to develop Arab-Israeli relations and create the conditions for serious Israeli-Palestinian talks to resume. The Arab League and Arab states have a key role in the peace process and we are in close contact on this issue.

Hamas, including Izz Al-Din Al-Qassem, is subject to financial sanctions in the UK through the EU counter-terrorism sanctions regime CP931. Her Majesty's Government is transferring existing EU sanctions regimes into UK law through regulations made under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, and the Secretary of State and the Treasury have made regulations providing for counter terrorism sanctions after the end of the transition period. We will look to carry over existing EU designations at the end of the transition period.

The Government is committed to supporting the sustainable economic development of the British Overseas Territories (OTs). The Territories have some autonomy over their own trade relationships, and many already have established trading links with their neighbours. Working jointly with the Department for International Trade, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is exploring opportunities for the OTs to strengthen their global trade standing. This has included considering their interests in future Free Trade Agreements, posts connecting to our overseas network, and the GREAT campaign.

The UK's Overseas Territories (OTs) have preferential access to the UK market, which means that they are able to export goods to the UK tariff and quota free. The British Government has ensured that this access will continue at the end of the transition period. The UK has established trade links with some OTs, and stands ready to support UK and OT businesses that want to strengthen their trade links.