Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment (PIP) claimants are included in the Transform Decision Making pilot, expressed as both a percentage and number.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP is running a small-scale trial of a transformed decision making approach within the Health Transformation Programme's new Health Assessment Service, and we will evaluate the impacts. The initial phase of testing involved around 1% of PIP assessments from 16 March 2026. From 1 June 2026, we began a second phase of testing with around 4% of PIP assessments nationally. We expect the second phase of the test to involve approximately 2,800 to 3,300 PIP customers per month.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Transform Decision Making programme was initiated.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We began testing a transformed decision making approach on 16 March 2026 in postcodes comprising around 1% of all national PIP assessment volume. On 1 June 2026 we expanded this to around 4% of all PIP assessment volume. This is an operational change, which aims to reset and re-balance the decision-making process to free up assessment provider capacity and improve decision quality.
The test forms part of the work of the Health Transformation Programme, which is a major government programme modernising the PIP service, and is therefore subject to programme governance.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what governance arrangements are in place for oversight of the Transform Decision Making programme.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We began testing a transformed decision making approach on 16 March 2026 in postcodes comprising around 1% of all national PIP assessment volume. On 1 June 2026 we expanded this to around 4% of all PIP assessment volume. This is an operational change, which aims to reset and re-balance the decision-making process to free up assessment provider capacity and improve decision quality.
The test forms part of the work of the Health Transformation Programme, which is a major government programme modernising the PIP service, and is therefore subject to programme governance.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the positive role advanced technology can play in the reporting and prevention of violence against women and girls.
Answered by Natalie Fleet - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this Government. In our ‘Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government Strategy’, we committed to use every tool available – including advanced technology – to protect women and girls from harm.
That is why the Strategy sets out a whole-system response, bringing together regulators, industry and policing to make better use of data, digital tools and innovation. As part of this, the Government is working with leading technology companies, academics and experts to develop and implement a world-first deepfake detection evaluation framework, which will help tackle synthetic media threats including AI-generated non-consensual intimate imagery and child sexual abuse material.
At the same time, we are driving the use of advanced technology across policing to strengthen prevention and reporting of VAWG offences. Data-driven policing tools, including digital risk assessment tools such as the Metropolitan Police Service’s V100, use advanced analytics to identify and target the most dangerous perpetrators.
We are working with the National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection (NCVPP) to explore how these tools can improve the identification of high harm perpetrators, while it works closely with forces to drive innovation and strengthen the adoption of technology to support more effective investigations across all VAWG offences.
The Home Office has also provided central funding to the policing-led Digital Public Contact Programme to deliver a range of modern contact capabilities for victims. This includes Single Online Home (SOH), which ensures easier access to crime information and reporting, and My Police Portal, currently being trialled in eight forces to improve support and deliver more consistent victim experiences, and Video Response for non-emergency reporting for VAWG victims.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to mandate that all ICBs make provision of Aquablation as a procedure to treat enlarged prostates.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is currently no mandate for aquablation to integrated care boards (ICBs), in line with the ICB responsibility to ensure high-quality care for their populations. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance provides information on aquablation, which all National Health Service organisations are expected to follow as a matter of course, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/mib315
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many ICBs have chosen to make provision of Aquablation to treat enlarged prostates.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is currently no mandate for aquablation to integrated care boards (ICBs), in line with the ICB responsibility to ensure high-quality care for their populations. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance provides information on aquablation, which all National Health Service organisations are expected to follow as a matter of course, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/mib315
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of implementing the recommendations of the Leng Review on working relationships between doctors and (a) physician and (b) anaesthesia associates.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent Leng Review involved the College of Medical Associate Professionals, the United Medical Associate Professionals, and the Association of Anaesthesia Associates, as well as professional bodies representing doctors, in the development of its recommendations for physician assistants (PAs) and physician assistants in anaesthesia (PAAs), still legally known as physician associates and anaesthesia associates respectively.
The Department and NHS England continue to regularly meet with these groups as implementation is progressed, with the aim of supporting clear and effective ways of working for multidisciplinary teams and strengthened working relationships, in line with the review’s recommendations.
The Department is currently running public consultations, as part of the broader reforms to the General Medical Council’s governing legislation, on proposals to change the professional titles of these roles in legislation, in line with recommendations one and nine of the review. All responses, including those from former, current, and prospective PAs and PAAs as well as relevant representative bodies, other organisations, and members of the public, will be analysed and considered as part of this process.
We do not hold information on how many qualified PAs and PAAs are not currently in employment.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department involved the professional bodies UMAPs and CMAPs before its acceptance of the Leng Review recommendations; and whether it has consulted them since.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent Leng Review involved the College of Medical Associate Professionals, the United Medical Associate Professionals, and the Association of Anaesthesia Associates, as well as professional bodies representing doctors, in the development of its recommendations for physician assistants (PAs) and physician assistants in anaesthesia (PAAs), still legally known as physician associates and anaesthesia associates respectively.
The Department and NHS England continue to regularly meet with these groups as implementation is progressed, with the aim of supporting clear and effective ways of working for multidisciplinary teams and strengthened working relationships, in line with the review’s recommendations.
The Department is currently running public consultations, as part of the broader reforms to the General Medical Council’s governing legislation, on proposals to change the professional titles of these roles in legislation, in line with recommendations one and nine of the review. All responses, including those from former, current, and prospective PAs and PAAs as well as relevant representative bodies, other organisations, and members of the public, will be analysed and considered as part of this process.
We do not hold information on how many qualified PAs and PAAs are not currently in employment.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to consider the viewpoints of physician associates and anaesthesia associates in ongoing regulatory consultations since the Leng Review.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent Leng Review involved the College of Medical Associate Professionals, the United Medical Associate Professionals, and the Association of Anaesthesia Associates, as well as professional bodies representing doctors, in the development of its recommendations for physician assistants (PAs) and physician assistants in anaesthesia (PAAs), still legally known as physician associates and anaesthesia associates respectively.
The Department and NHS England continue to regularly meet with these groups as implementation is progressed, with the aim of supporting clear and effective ways of working for multidisciplinary teams and strengthened working relationships, in line with the review’s recommendations.
The Department is currently running public consultations, as part of the broader reforms to the General Medical Council’s governing legislation, on proposals to change the professional titles of these roles in legislation, in line with recommendations one and nine of the review. All responses, including those from former, current, and prospective PAs and PAAs as well as relevant representative bodies, other organisations, and members of the public, will be analysed and considered as part of this process.
We do not hold information on how many qualified PAs and PAAs are not currently in employment.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many qualified physician associates and anaesthesia associates are not in employment.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent Leng Review involved the College of Medical Associate Professionals, the United Medical Associate Professionals, and the Association of Anaesthesia Associates, as well as professional bodies representing doctors, in the development of its recommendations for physician assistants (PAs) and physician assistants in anaesthesia (PAAs), still legally known as physician associates and anaesthesia associates respectively.
The Department and NHS England continue to regularly meet with these groups as implementation is progressed, with the aim of supporting clear and effective ways of working for multidisciplinary teams and strengthened working relationships, in line with the review’s recommendations.
The Department is currently running public consultations, as part of the broader reforms to the General Medical Council’s governing legislation, on proposals to change the professional titles of these roles in legislation, in line with recommendations one and nine of the review. All responses, including those from former, current, and prospective PAs and PAAs as well as relevant representative bodies, other organisations, and members of the public, will be analysed and considered as part of this process.
We do not hold information on how many qualified PAs and PAAs are not currently in employment.