Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration his Department has given to the integration of recommendations from the Getting It Right First Time programme for gastroenterology into the national quality strategy.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the value of clinically‑led improvement programmes such as Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) in identifying and addressing unwarranted variation in care, including in gastroenterology. Rather than being incorporated into the National Quality Strategy, which will set out overarching principles and priorities for improving quality, GIRFT recommendations are developed through detailed clinical engagement, analysis of national data, and close working with professional bodies, providers, and systems. Specialty‑specific recommendations from programmes such as GIRFT are used to inform delivery at national, regional, and local levels, rather than being incorporated as prescriptive elements of the strategy itself.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of considering improvements in quality of care for people with long term chronic conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease as part of the national quality strategy.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Improving the quality of care for people living with long-term chronic conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, is a key priority for the National Health Service. Rather than being incorporated into the National Quality Strategy, which will set out overarching principles and priorities for improving quality, the NHS is working to improve outcomes and experience for people with long-term conditions through clinically-led improvement activity, data-driven benchmarking, and partnership with professional and patient groups. This work complements the National Quality Strategy’s goal of supporting sustainable quality improvement across the health and care system and reducing health inequalities.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken to process Access to Work claims.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have increased the number of staff by 29% from 500 in March 2024 to 648 in March 2026 and streamlined processes to improve the service.
In the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of the scheme and how to improve it, so that it helps more disabled people in work. We are considering all aspects of Access to Work as we develop plans for reform.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
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 workforce shortages in creative therapies for children and young people.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
While no such specific assessment has been made, more young people are being supported to access National Health Service mental health services. In the first 12 months of the Government, nearly 40,000 more children and young people received support compared to the previous 12 months. This is helped by over 8,000 extra mental health workers being recruited since July 2024.
Work is ongoing in NHS England to determine the adequacy of creative therapies, including art, music, dramatherapy, via the forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan. The plan is expected to be published later in the spring.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NIHR, in line with the Medical Research Council’s Place Framework, also uses the location of the host organisation as a tiebreaker in funding decisions to support a more geographically balanced spread of health research investment across the UK.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) does not use location as a formal tie-breaker criterion in assessment. In the instances of a tie break scenario, the NIHR will typically use strategic fit to make a decision. The NIHR does, however, use 'Working with people and communities' and 'Inclusive research' as part of its assessment criteria, and as part of determining strategic fit, funding committee’s consider aspects such as location. Further information is available at the following link:
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria the NIHR use to make funding decisions in the event of a tiebreaker.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) does not use location as a formal tie-breaker criterion in assessment. In the instances of a tie break scenario, the NIHR will typically use strategic fit to make a decision. The NIHR does, however, use 'Working with people and communities' and 'Inclusive research' as part of its assessment criteria, and as part of determining strategic fit, funding committee’s consider aspects such as location. Further information is available at the following link:
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
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 increase participation in bowel cancer screening programmes in Harrogate and Knaresborough.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Harrogate, Leeds, and York Bowel Cancer Screening Programme serves the population of Harrogate and Knaresborough. Data from NHS England shows that uptake for this programme is 75.3% for people aged 60 to 74 years old. While this is higher than the England average of 70.3%, we know that there is more work to be done.
Work is ongoing to both maintain and improve uptake, which includes collaborating with the Humber North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance and general practices, as well as local communities working together. Additional work to support raising awareness of the bowel cancer screening programme includes development of a recent promotional video which was shared with all North Yorkshire practices to enable them to play on displays in surgery waiting rooms, and with the local authority for use on their social media platforms. Other promotional initiatives have included:
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing bursaries or financial support for students training in creative therapies.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The student finance system is the primary funding support package for students in further education, and students training in creative therapies can access student loans via the Student Loans Company. There are no current plans to provide any additional financial support to these students.
The Government keeps the funding arrangements for all healthcare students under close review. At all times the Government must strike a balance between the level of support students receive and the need to make best use of public funds to deliver value for money.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of cormorant predation on fish stocks and biodiversity.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter and the information provided relates to England only.
While the Government recognises the impact that cormorants can have on native fish stocks, it has not made a recent formal assessment of cormorant predation on them or wider biodiversity. Many factors are responsible for suppressing fish stock recovery, including climate change effects, poor water quality, altered hydrology and physical habitat modification or degradation.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provides licensing functions to permit the control of cormorants to protect fisheries where it can be shown that non-lethal measures are failing to manage predation. Licences are issued by Natural England, which has responsibility for setting a prudent upper limit on cormorant control to ensure that licensed removal does not irreversibly affect their conservation status.
Asked by: Tom Gordon (Liberal Democrat - Harrogate and Knaresborough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the Competition and Markets Authority on supermarket pricing practices.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade engages regularly with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on competition and consumer protection issues.
The CMA keeps supermarket pricing practices under review. In 2024, it carried out work on price marking and promotions in the grocery sector. This identified concerns about compliance with consumer protection law. The CMA has since set clear expectations for retailers and will take action where non‑compliance is identified, using its consumer enforcement powers.