Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the gender breakdown is of maternity services staff for each NHS trust.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what standardised guidance is available to NHS maternity services regarding a) paternal involvement and b) support for fathers in childbirth.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Royal College of Midwives have issued guidelines emphasising the importance of involving fathers and partners in maternity and perinatal care. These guidelines set expectations for trusts to adopt family-centred care and to treat fathers as active participants, not just visitors or observers. These resources are available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://rcm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/engaging_dads_pocket_guide.pdf
The Department and NHS England do not hold data on the proportion of births in National Health Service facilities at which a father is present.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the proportion of births in NHS facilities at which a father is present.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Royal College of Midwives have issued guidelines emphasising the importance of involving fathers and partners in maternity and perinatal care. These guidelines set expectations for trusts to adopt family-centred care and to treat fathers as active participants, not just visitors or observers. These resources are available, respectively, at the following two links:
https://rcm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/engaging_dads_pocket_guide.pdf
The Department and NHS England do not hold data on the proportion of births in National Health Service facilities at which a father is present.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what resources i) his department and ii) the NHS is providing to support those wards within the government Pride in Place program in a) Telford, b) West Midlands and c) England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pride in Place is funded and led by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Neither the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) nor NHS England holds the information requested. However, our 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service, delivering truly integrated, proactive and personalised care closer to where people live and work.
We have launched wave 1 of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP) in 43 places across England, including in the West Midlands. The NNHIP supports systems across the country in driving innovation and integration at a local level to improve the care they provide to their communities.
As announced at Autumn Budget 2025, the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild programme will deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres, with 120 delivered in 2030. Rollout will be progressive over this Parliament, with early sites focused on areas of greatest need.
Neighbourhood Health Centres will bring together National Health Service, local authority and voluntary sector services in one building to help create a holistic offer that meets the needs of local populations.
DHSC continues to work closely with MHCLG on relevant policies and programmes including Pride in Place. I recently met with the Minister for Devolution, Faith and Communities on this topic to discuss synergies between Neighbourhood Health and Pride in Place.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what accountability measures her Department has put in place for the nutritional content of breakfasts provided by schools participating in the Free Breakfast Club scheme.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department is committed to delivering on the pledge to provide free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. Since April 2025, we have delivered 2.6 million breakfasts and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. We are investing a further £80 million to fund approximately 2,000 additional schools between April 2026 and March 2027.
Compliance with the School Food Standards is mandatory for maintained schools, academies and free schools. School governors have a responsibility to ensure compliance and should appropriately challenge the senior leadership team to ensure obligations are met.
Alongside the School Food Standards statutory guidance, we published updated breakfast club guidance in November, which provides guidance on which foods should be served at breakfast clubs to ensure that the School Food Standards are met.
We are working to revise the School Food Standards to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that food provided by schools participating in the Free Breakfast Club scheme meets nutritional and quality standards.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department is committed to delivering on the pledge to provide free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. Since April 2025, we have delivered 2.6 million breakfasts and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. We are investing a further £80 million to fund approximately 2,000 additional schools between April 2026 and March 2027.
Compliance with the School Food Standards is mandatory for maintained schools, academies and free schools. School governors have a responsibility to ensure compliance and should appropriately challenge the senior leadership team to ensure obligations are met.
Alongside the School Food Standards statutory guidance, we published updated breakfast club guidance in November, which provides guidance on which foods should be served at breakfast clubs to ensure that the School Food Standards are met.
We are working to revise the School Food Standards to ensure they support our work to create the healthiest generation of children in history.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help reduce geographical variations in the cost of petrol and diesel.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has introduced the Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) Regulations 2025, which requires all petrol stations in the UK to share live fuel price data through the Fuel Finder service from 2 February 2026. This will improve transparency and enable motorists to compare prices easily, helping to reduce regional disparities. The Competition and Markets Authority continues to monitor the road fuel market to assess the effectiveness of competition and advise the Government on any further action needed to protect consumers.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Department's answer of 20 October 2025 to Written Question 80401: Pet Travel Scheme, what recent steps she has taken to negotiate a pet passport scheme.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have begun negotiations with the EU on the SPS agreement.
As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will become easier and cheaper.
Instead of getting an animal health certificate each time you travel, owners will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU. In the meantime, owners will still need an Animal Health Certificate for their dog, cat or ferret if they are travelling from Great Britain to an EU country.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the quality and availability of prostate cancer support and treatment.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
To improve the quality and availability of prostate cancer support, NHS England has committed to ensuring that every person diagnosed with cancer has access to personalised care. This includes needs assessments, a care plan, and health and wellbeing information and support. Through the provision of information, personalised care empowers people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer. This approach ensures that each person’s care is planned holistically, covering mental and physical health, as well as any practical or financial concerns.
NHS England has funded an audit of prostate cancer to improve treatment quality and availability. Using routine data collected on patients diagnosed in a National Health Service setting, the audit brings together information to look at what is being done well, where it’s being done well, and what needs to be done better. On 9 October 2025, the latest national prostate cancer audits were published alongside patient summaries. The Government and the NHS are now considering the reports and acting on the findings where appropriate.
The National Cancer Plan will aim to improve how the physical and psychosocial needs of people with cancer can be met, including for prostate cancer, with a focus on personalised care to improve quality of life. It will address how the experience of care can be improved for those diagnosed, treated, and living with and beyond prostate cancer.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Government on support for mountain rescue services.
Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)
I want to pay a warm tribute to the extraordinary commitment and bravery of all mountain rescue teams, particularly volunteers across Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Responsibility for mountain rescue is devolved to the Scottish Government, who have been provided with the largest settlement in the history of devolution. They must answer to the Scottish people on how they are using this record funding.
While Police Scotland holds the statutory responsibility for search and rescue on land, one of the three RAF mountain rescue teams is based at RAF Lossiemouth. This crucial reserved military asset, under the UK Ministry of Defence, regularly works alongside civilian teams to save lives on Scotland’s mountains. It is crucial that the two Governments continue to work together saving lives on Scotland's mountains.