Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to ensure transparency regarding the nature of the data compromised with the people affected by the Capita data breach.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Capita contacted all impacted members to inform them of the potential loss of data. Capita provided all impacted members with clear communications and also a subscription to Experian Plus that allowed members to monitor their online records for any signs of potential issues.

Capita also initiated an independent full review of their systems to review security and to identify any further potential data exfiltration. Capita cooperated fully with investigations into the breach with the Information Commissioner's Office and with Cabinet office in assessing any potential risks to the membership of the scheme.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department had made an assessment of the adequacy of Capita’s cybersecurity protocols prior to the March 2023 data breach.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office (CO), which is responsible for managing the contract with Capita for the Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme (RMSPS), ensured the adequacy of Capita's cybersecurity protocols through a robust contractual framework. Capita is required to adhere to Government Security standards and the Security Schedule of the contract, which includes providing annual independent penetration testing by a National Cyber Security Centre-accredited team and maintaining security accreditations such as ISO27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus.

These standards and Capita’s security posture are overseen by CO Information Assurance professionals and captured via regular reporting and audits. It should be noted that all of the accredited RMSPS systems were not compromised during the Capita cyber attack and remained secure; however, a small number of scheme members were unfortunately impacted when some data was extracted from a separate Capita finance file related to compensation payments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to review its guidance on outsourcing contracts following the Capita data breach.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Sourcing Playbook, which provides policy and guidance on sourcing decisions, is published by the Cabinet Office and is reviewed and updated regularly. The last update was 26 February 2025.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64901fcc5f7bb700127fac5e/Sourcing_Playbook_Final.pdf

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what contingency plans he has in place if Capita is deemed unsuitable to continue administering civil service pensions.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Contingency plans are linked to contractual obligations placed on the pension administrator with several options available to the Cabinet Office in the event that a third party is unable to meet its contractual obligations. In the event of a catastrophic failure, the Cabinet Office has the right to step in to manage the contract.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department takes to ensure that employers share accurate (a) data and (b) instructions with Civil Service Pensions; and how often this is audited.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office ensures employer data accuracy through a mandatory Interface Compliance Process, in place since 2018, which monitors the quality of all data and instructions against a 'right first time' standard. This process flags all Errors and Warnings on monthly submissions. The administrator, MyCSP, does not load the following month's data until all previous errors are corrected, ensuring a continuously maintained data quality. Compliance is audited weekly by the administrator, with summary reports provided to the Cabinet Office.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Capita data breach on the (a) integrity and (b) security of the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Civil Service Pension Scheme members were not affected by the Capita data breach, as the incident impacted data held by the Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme and their members. Therefore, there was no impact on the a) integrity or b) security of the Civil Service Pension Scheme

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to ensure that all Civil Service Pension Scheme members that were affected by the Capita data breach have been (a) notified and (b) supported.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

No members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme were affected by the Capita data breach as the scheme is administered by MyCSP. However, a small number of members of the Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme were affected. All were notified and full support was provided by Capita.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the (a) legal, (b) administrative, (c) remedial and (d) other costs to the public purse of Capita's data breach.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

In respect of the data breach for the Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme members, there was no cost borne by the public purse. However, Capita’s data breach is known to have impacted both private and public sector organisations and is much broader than just pension schemes. We cannot comment on the impact on anything other than the Royal Mail Pension scheme.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will review eligibility criteria for Carer’s Allowance in cases where unpaid carers support individuals with severe epilepsy.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The government keeps eligibility criteria under review to ensure they are meeting the needs of carers. Entitlement to Carer's Allowance depends on certain conditions relating to the circumstances of both the disabled person and the carer being satisfied. A carer must care for a severely disabled person for a minimum of 35 hours per week. The disabled person (including those with severe epilepsy) must be in receipt of a gateway benefit:

• Attendance Allowance.
• The middle or highest rate care component of Disability Living Allowance.
• The middle or highest rate care component of Child Disability Payment.
• The daily living component of Personal Independence Payment.
• The daily living component of Adult Disability Payment.
• The equivalent rate of a Constant Attendance Allowance.
• Armed Forces Independence Payment.
• Pension Age Disability Payment.
• Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people with uncontrolled epilepsy are adequately assessed for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) ensures that all health professionals (HPs) receive comprehensive training in disability analysis, including how to assess the impacts of medical conditions on people’s day-to-day activities, as well as awareness training on epilepsy and uncontrolled seizures.

Assessment quality is assured by suppliers and through DWP’s independent audit function, which checks assessments against a set of guidelines to ensure the criteria is applied appropriately and consistently in all cases, including those involving epilepsy and uncontrolled seizures.

The Personal Independence Payment Assessment Guide (PIPAG) provides detailed instructions for HPs, with Part 2, Section 2.3 covering guidance for HPs on applying the criteria for the daily living component. HPs also have access to Condition Insight Reports and Continuing Professional Development materials on epilepsy, offering clinical and functional information to support HP’s in delivering informed assessments.

Furthermore, if during the course of the assessment a HP identifies a deterioration in symptoms, or new symptoms that their usual health care professional is not aware of, DWP has a robust process in place to ensure this information is passed to the NHS, or if the individual if acutely unwell, they are transferred to an NHS service on the same day.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides to PIP assessors on the (a) risks and (b) limitations for people with uncontrolled seizures.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) ensures that all health professionals (HPs) receive comprehensive training in disability analysis, including how to assess the impacts of medical conditions on people’s day-to-day activities, as well as awareness training on epilepsy and uncontrolled seizures.

Assessment quality is assured by suppliers and through DWP’s independent audit function, which checks assessments against a set of guidelines to ensure the criteria is applied appropriately and consistently in all cases, including those involving epilepsy and uncontrolled seizures.

The Personal Independence Payment Assessment Guide (PIPAG) provides detailed instructions for HPs, with Part 2, Section 2.3 covering guidance for HPs on applying the criteria for the daily living component. HPs also have access to Condition Insight Reports and Continuing Professional Development materials on epilepsy, offering clinical and functional information to support HP’s in delivering informed assessments.

Furthermore, if during the course of the assessment a HP identifies a deterioration in symptoms, or new symptoms that their usual health care professional is not aware of, DWP has a robust process in place to ensure this information is passed to the NHS, or if the individual if acutely unwell, they are transferred to an NHS service on the same day.

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 reform the (a) procurement and (b) supply chain of medications to (i) ensure timely availability and (ii) reduce shortages at community pharmacies.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The resilience of UK supply chains is a key priority, and we are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues and avoid shortages.

As outlined in our recently published policy paper, ‘Managing a robust and resilient supply of medicines’, the Government is committed to building on the important actions already underway across the system to minimise disruption for patients and enhance resilience in our supply chains. The publication includes a number of actions, including:

• consulting on better reporting of supply issues;
• consulting on pharmacist flexibilities to allow pharmacists to supply an alternative if they do not have the exact prescribed item available, under certain circumstances;
• publishing information guides for patients, community pharmacies and general practices about what to do when faced with supply issues; and
• providing shortage information at the point of prescribing in general practice.

We will continue to engage with community pharmacy, industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and other colleagues across the supply chain as we progress work to co-design and deliver these actions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to formally recognise the contribution of community pharmacies to (a) NHS service delivery and (b) public health outcomes.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

This Government has repeatedly publicly recognised the valuable contribution to the National Health Service that community pharmacy makes as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the NHS, delivering a range of clinical services, providing access to medicine and supporting a range of public health outcomes.

That is why we agreed to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework by £617 million across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26, showing a commitment to rebuilding the sector.

We have further recognised, in our 10-Year Health Plan, that we can better use the skills of community pharmacy teams by expanding the services they offer and ensuring their vital role is recognised as we develop Neighbourhood Health Services helping to deliver the shift of care from hospitals into the community.

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 training for General Practitioners and junior doctors in recognising and managing cardiac and respiratory vulnerabilities in paediatric patients.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The steps taken include the production of the Paediatric and child health advanced practice area specific capability and curriculum framework, which was co-produced by NHS England and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. The framework is available at the following link:

https://advanced-practice.hee.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/01/Paediatric-and-child-Health-advanced-practice-area-specific-capability-and-curriculum-framework-NHSE.pdf

The framework outlines area specific capabilities and a curriculum addressing the full spectrum of paediatric health needs, including recognising and managing cardiac and respiratory conditions.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has considered exemptions or streamlined processes for PIP claimants with (a) Type 1 diabetes and (b) other lifelong and progressively complex conditions.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Other than for claims made under the special rules for people nearing the end of their life, all claims to PIP are treated in the same way. Entitlement to PIP is assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a health condition or disability, rather than the health condition or disability itself. Individuals can be affected in different ways by the same condition and so the outcome of a PIP claim depends very much on individual circumstances, including age and the ability to manage a condition without supervision or assistance.

I have launched the Timms Review with the aim of ensuring we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment. The Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts. This means the Government will share ownership and responsibility for how the Review runs and what it recommends.

The Timms Review will report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by autumn 2026, with an interim update expected ahead of that.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the potential impact of PIP reassessments for chronic conditions on the mental health of families affected.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Other than for claims made under the special rules for people nearing the end of their life, all claims to PIP are treated in the same way. Entitlement to PIP is assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a health condition or disability, rather than the health condition or disability itself. Individuals can be affected in different ways by the same condition and so the outcome of a PIP claim depends very much on individual circumstances, including age and the ability to manage a condition without supervision or assistance.

I have launched the Timms Review with the aim of ensuring we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment. The Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts. This means the Government will share ownership and responsibility for how the Review runs and what it recommends.

The Timms Review will report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by autumn 2026, with an interim update expected ahead of that.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to reform the Personal Independence Payment reassessment process for people with (a) Type 1 diabetes and (b) other lifelong conditions.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Other than for claims made under the special rules for people nearing the end of their life, all claims to PIP are treated in the same way. Entitlement to PIP is assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a health condition or disability, rather than the health condition or disability itself. Individuals can be affected in different ways by the same condition and so the outcome of a PIP claim depends very much on individual circumstances, including age and the ability to manage a condition without supervision or assistance.

I have launched the Timms Review with the aim of ensuring we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment. The Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts. This means the Government will share ownership and responsibility for how the Review runs and what it recommends.

The Timms Review will report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by autumn 2026, with an interim update expected ahead of that.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of PIP reassessments on (a) teenagers with Type 1 diabetes and (b) their carers.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Other than for claims made under the special rules for people nearing the end of their life, all claims to PIP are treated in the same way. Entitlement to PIP is assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a health condition or disability, rather than the health condition or disability itself. Individuals can be affected in different ways by the same condition and so the outcome of a PIP claim depends very much on individual circumstances, including age and the ability to manage a condition without supervision or assistance.

I have launched the Timms Review with the aim of ensuring we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment. The Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts. This means the Government will share ownership and responsibility for how the Review runs and what it recommends.

The Timms Review will report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by autumn 2026, with an interim update expected ahead of that.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England is taking to ensure continuity of care for children with rare or complex conditions when accessing frontline NHS services.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are committed to supporting children with long term conditions and ensuring they receive the support they need, including referral to specialist services as appropriate. We want a society where every person, including those with a long-term condition, as well as their families and carers receive high-quality, compassionate continuity of care.

Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases. The framework’s priorities include better coordination of care and increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals, including in primary care. We remain committed to delivering under the framework and published the fourth England action plan on 28 February 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England collects data on outcomes for children with congenital heart conditions who are treated in non-specialist settings.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The specific information requested is not held centrally. Information related to the outcomes for children with congenital heart conditions is available through the National Congenital Heart Disease Audit Annual Summary Report. The report does not disaggregate by non-specialist service.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support is available to farmers facing financial hardship due to (a) extreme weather events and (b) market volatility.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

For farm businesses to stay viable in an increasingly uncertain world, they must be able to profit from other activities.

The Government is offering a New Deal for Farmers to help address this. We have allocated a record £11.8bn to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament, protected farmers in trade deals and unlocked new markets for British produce, and extended the Season Worker Visa Scheme for 5 years. We have started to make the supply chain fairer, and we want our farmers to be primed to bid for a fair share of the £5 billion pounds a year spent on public-sector food and catering contracts.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve public awareness of the early signs of Type 1 diabetes.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Health Service has publicly accessible information on its website about the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes, available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/type-1-diabetes/symptoms/

The DigiBete app, launched in June 2020, provides a wide range of clinically approved, age-appropriate resources to help with the self-management and awareness of type 1 diabetes, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.digibete.org/type-1-awareness/

It is the responsibility of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to provide guidance and quality standards for the treatment and care of diabetes in England. The NICE NG18 guideline for type 1 and 2 diabetes provides clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of children and young people.

NG18 recommends that children and young people with suspected type 1 diabetes are referred immediately, on the same day, to a multidisciplinary paediatric diabetes team with the competencies needed to confirm diagnosis and provide immediate care.

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 public (a) awareness and (b) education on (i) epilepsy and (ii) Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on epilepsy recommends that clinicians should discuss the risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) with patients newly diagnosed with epilepsy, and ensure their understanding of the risk, which will raise awareness of the issue among patients and their families.

Additionally, the Royal College of General Practitioners aims to raise awareness of SUDEP amongst GPs and other primary care professionals, through its e-learning modules on SUDEP and seizure safety, which were developed in collaboration with SUDEP Action and last updated in December 2024.

Health Education England, now part of NHS England, has also developed an Epilepsy Programme in collaboration with SUDEP Action, which is designed to enable healthcare professionals, particularly those who are not specialists in epilepsy, to better understand SUDEP and how the risk of SUDEP can be reduced.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered implementing routine screening for Type 1 diabetes in children.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

A National Institute for Healthcare Research funded the EarLy Surveillance for Autoimmune diabetes, or ELSA, study, which is currently underway in England to explore the feasibility and benefits of screening for type 1 diabetes in children aged three to 13 years old.

The UK National Screening Committee, which advises ministers on all aspects of population and targeted screening, is aware of the ELSA study and looks forward to receiving the results of this study when the trial is complete.

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 ensure that general practitioners receive training on recognising symptoms of Type 1 diabetes in children and young people.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Health Service has publicly accessible information on its website about the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes, available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/type-1-diabetes/symptoms/

The DigiBete app, launched in June 2020, provides a wide range of clinically approved, age-appropriate resources to help with the self-management and awareness of type 1 diabetes, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.digibete.org/type-1-awareness/

It is the responsibility of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to provide guidance and quality standards for the treatment and care of diabetes in England. The NICE NG18 guideline for type 1 and 2 diabetes provides clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of children and young people.

NG18 recommends that children and young people with suspected type 1 diabetes are referred immediately, on the same day, to a multidisciplinary paediatric diabetes team with the competencies needed to confirm diagnosis and provide immediate care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department issues to GPs on immediate blood glucose testing when symptoms of Type 1 diabetes are reported.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Health Service has publicly accessible information on its website about the signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes, available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/type-1-diabetes/symptoms/

The DigiBete app, launched in June 2020, provides a wide range of clinically approved, age-appropriate resources to help with the self-management and awareness of type 1 diabetes, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.digibete.org/type-1-awareness/

It is the responsibility of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to provide guidance and quality standards for the treatment and care of diabetes in England. The NICE NG18 guideline for type 1 and 2 diabetes provides clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of children and young people.

NG18 recommends that children and young people with suspected type 1 diabetes are referred immediately, on the same day, to a multidisciplinary paediatric diabetes team with the competencies needed to confirm diagnosis and provide immediate care.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to take steps to amend the VAT threshold structure to support small employers in the (a) hospitality and (b) personal care sector.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

With a VAT registration threshold of £90,000, the UK’s threshold is higher than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD.

The Government’s approach to the VAT threshold aims to balance potential impacts on small businesses, including their growth and financial sustainability, the economy as a whole, and tax revenues.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she will assess the potential merits of only applying VAT to turnover above £90,000 for small businesses.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

With a VAT registration threshold of £90,000, the UK’s threshold is higher than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD.

The Government’s approach to the VAT threshold aims to balance potential impacts on small businesses, including their growth and financial sustainability, the economy as a whole, and tax revenues.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the impact of the VAT threshold on small businesses with turnover between £90,000 and £150,000; and if she will make it her policy to introduce a staggered VAT model to reduce disincentives to growth.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

With a VAT registration threshold of £90,000, the UK’s threshold is higher than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD.

The Government’s approach to the VAT threshold aims to balance potential impacts on small businesses, including their growth and financial sustainability, the economy as a whole, and tax revenues.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the number of small businesses that have limited their (a) turnover and (b) expansion plans to avoid exceeding the VAT threshold.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

With a VAT registration threshold of £90,000, the UK’s threshold is higher than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD.

The Government’s approach to the VAT threshold aims to balance potential impacts on small businesses, including their growth and financial sustainability, the economy as a whole, and tax revenues.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England plans to introduce standardised national protocols for interpreting oxygen saturation thresholds in children with chronic cardiac conditions.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Paediatric Early Warning System (NPEWS) was launched in England in November 2023. The use of NPEWS allows for a standard approach to recognition and escalation of concern when a child might be deteriorating. NPEWS works by assigning a score to varying levels of physiological values including oxygen saturations, depending on how far from normal those values are.

Recent evaluation by the Liverpool DETECT study group has found that NPEWS predictive performance remained very good within cohorts of children with and without cardiac disease.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a national strategy for palliative and end of life care.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

Additionally, we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

We are also providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. I am pleased to confirm the continuation of circa £26 million, adjusted for inflation, for the next three financial years, 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive, to be distributed again via integrated care boards. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.

Found: The current version is one that was signed in 2020 by the then Attorney-General, Suella Braverman, and

Found: The current version is one that was signed in 2020 by the then Attorney-General, Suella Braverman,