Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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 impact of Advice and Guidance pathways on access to specialist care for women experiencing menopause-related health conditions.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific formal assessment has been made. Advice and Guidance is designed to support quicker, clearer clinical decision making, by enabling general practitioners (GPs) and specialists to discuss and agree the most appropriate next steps for a patient, including those with menopause related conditions.
Where the outcome of advice is for care management in the community, we expect patients to be seen more quickly, closer to home, benefiting from earlier specialist input. In these cases, the GP may still subsequently refer their patient at any point if they have concerns.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how SEND reforms will balance wellbeing and emotional safety with attendance and academic attainment.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government’s Schools White Paper set out our vision for children to achieve and thrive. It makes clear that our ambition for children to achieve academically goes hand in hand with our work on inclusion, belonging, attendance and engagement.
The department is introducing a new universal offer that is inclusive by design to allow pupils to achieve and thrive throughout education in mainstream settings. To support the new universal offer, we will develop new evidence-based teaching resources to support effective curriculum adaptation for children and young people.
We have committed to publish a new Pupil Engagement Framework to enable all schools to measure the key factors that determine their children’s engagement in education, including their sense of belonging, and make improvements.
We are also rolling out specialist mental health professionals in every school and college by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs). As of March 2026, 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England are covered by an MHST, up from 52% in March 2025. By March 2027, we estimate 66% of pupils and learners will be covered.
Our statutory guidance, ‘Working together to improve school attendance’, is clear that schools should take a support first approach identifying barriers to attendance, including any special educational needs and disabilities needs, and working with families and other local services to get support in place which enables children to be in school.
Our recent consultation on key stage 4 performance measures included proposals for a possible new progress measure to recognise the progress of children who start secondary school significantly behind their peers. We are analysing responses from the consultation currently and will publish our response in summer 2026.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for each of the last seven years, how many SEND7 request for change applications have been submitted to the SEND tribunal; how many of these applications have resulted in a new, sooner appeal date; and what was the average reduction in the waiting time for an appeal to be heard where a SEND7 request was successful.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Data on the average waiting time between appeal lodgement and first hearing, and between appeal lodgement and final disposal, for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) appeals is not routinely recorded by the Tribunal. Consequently, the average waiting time for a SEND appeal to be heard from receipt of the appeal, including a yearly breakdown for the period 2019 to 2025, could only be obtained through the manual review of individual case records. This information could therefore only be provided at disproportionate cost.
HMCTS does not routinely record the number of requests made under Rule 7 of the Tribunal’s procedure rules. This information is therefore not held.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the average wait for a SEND tribunal appeal to be heard from receipt of the appeal and what was the average wait for a SEND tribunal appeal in each year from 2019-2025.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Data on the average waiting time between appeal lodgement and first hearing, and between appeal lodgement and final disposal, for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) appeals is not routinely recorded by the Tribunal. Consequently, the average waiting time for a SEND appeal to be heard from receipt of the appeal, including a yearly breakdown for the period 2019 to 2025, could only be obtained through the manual review of individual case records. This information could therefore only be provided at disproportionate cost.
HMCTS does not routinely record the number of requests made under Rule 7 of the Tribunal’s procedure rules. This information is therefore not held.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether they will commit to publishing a clear timetable for the establishment of a compensation scheme for those harmed by pelvic surgical mesh, in line with the recommendations of the Hughes Report.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Government extends its deepest sympathies to all those affected by pelvic mesh, and recognises the profound, life‑changing impact these harms have had on individuals and their families. We know that for many, the consequences are ongoing and deeply felt.
The Government is carefully considering the work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC), Professor Henrietta Hughes, including her report, which set out recommendations for redress for those harmed by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. The Government has been clear that there must be meaningful progress on this matter during this Parliament. We recognise how difficult this uncertainty is for those affected, and we will ensure that the public is kept informed on this important work.
Departmental officials are working in coordination with colleagues across the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, and the devolved administrations to establish the full scope of those affected by pelvic mesh, to assess the financial impact on individuals, and to develop our response to the PSC's report.
There are nine specialist mesh centres across England, ensuring that women in every region with complications resulting from mesh operations get the right support. Each mesh centre is led by a multi-disciplinary team to ensure patients get access to the specialist care and treatment that they need.
However, services can always improve. NHS England has now completed their internal audit of mesh centres across England conducted in 2025, which was designed in partnership with patient representatives. Though the audit is showing the value and impact of the service delivered by mesh centres, with nearly 3,000 patients now seen in the services since their introduction, equating to 700 per year, there are distinct areas for improvement and a timeline for these improvements will be made at pace.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether interim financial or medical support is available to patients experiencing ongoing complications from pelvic mesh while a compensation scheme is under consideration.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Government extends its deepest sympathies to all those affected by pelvic mesh, and recognises the profound, life‑changing impact these harms have had on individuals and their families. We know that for many, the consequences are ongoing and deeply felt.
The Government is carefully considering the work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC), Professor Henrietta Hughes, including her report, which set out recommendations for redress for those harmed by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. The Government has been clear that there must be meaningful progress on this matter during this Parliament. We recognise how difficult this uncertainty is for those affected, and we will ensure that the public is kept informed on this important work.
Departmental officials are working in coordination with colleagues across the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, and the devolved administrations to establish the full scope of those affected by pelvic mesh, to assess the financial impact on individuals, and to develop our response to the PSC's report.
There are nine specialist mesh centres across England, ensuring that women in every region with complications resulting from mesh operations get the right support. Each mesh centre is led by a multi-disciplinary team to ensure patients get access to the specialist care and treatment that they need.
However, services can always improve. NHS England has now completed their internal audit of mesh centres across England conducted in 2025, which was designed in partnership with patient representatives. Though the audit is showing the value and impact of the service delivered by mesh centres, with nearly 3,000 patients now seen in the services since their introduction, equating to 700 per year, there are distinct areas for improvement and a timeline for these improvements will be made at pace.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the Department has made towards establishing a redress scheme for patients harmed by pelvic mesh implants since the publication of the Hughes Report.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Government extends its deepest sympathies to all those affected by pelvic mesh, and recognises the profound, life‑changing impact these harms have had on individuals and their families. We know that for many, the consequences are ongoing and deeply felt.
The Government is carefully considering the work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC), Professor Henrietta Hughes, including her report, which set out recommendations for redress for those harmed by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. The Government has been clear that there must be meaningful progress on this matter during this Parliament. We recognise how difficult this uncertainty is for those affected, and we will ensure that the public is kept informed on this important work.
Departmental officials are working in coordination with colleagues across the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, and the devolved administrations to establish the full scope of those affected by pelvic mesh, to assess the financial impact on individuals, and to develop our response to the PSC's report.
There are nine specialist mesh centres across England, ensuring that women in every region with complications resulting from mesh operations get the right support. Each mesh centre is led by a multi-disciplinary team to ensure patients get access to the specialist care and treatment that they need.
However, services can always improve. NHS England has now completed their internal audit of mesh centres across England conducted in 2025, which was designed in partnership with patient representatives. Though the audit is showing the value and impact of the service delivered by mesh centres, with nearly 3,000 patients now seen in the services since their introduction, equating to 700 per year, there are distinct areas for improvement and a timeline for these improvements will be made at pace.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether they have assessed the financial impact on individuals unable to work due to complications arising from pelvic mesh implants.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Government extends its deepest sympathies to all those affected by pelvic mesh, and recognises the profound, life‑changing impact these harms have had on individuals and their families. We know that for many, the consequences are ongoing and deeply felt.
The Government is carefully considering the work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC), Professor Henrietta Hughes, including her report, which set out recommendations for redress for those harmed by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. The Government has been clear that there must be meaningful progress on this matter during this Parliament. We recognise how difficult this uncertainty is for those affected, and we will ensure that the public is kept informed on this important work.
Departmental officials are working in coordination with colleagues across the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, and the devolved administrations to establish the full scope of those affected by pelvic mesh, to assess the financial impact on individuals, and to develop our response to the PSC's report.
There are nine specialist mesh centres across England, ensuring that women in every region with complications resulting from mesh operations get the right support. Each mesh centre is led by a multi-disciplinary team to ensure patients get access to the specialist care and treatment that they need.
However, services can always improve. NHS England has now completed their internal audit of mesh centres across England conducted in 2025, which was designed in partnership with patient representatives. Though the audit is showing the value and impact of the service delivered by mesh centres, with nearly 3,000 patients now seen in the services since their introduction, equating to 700 per year, there are distinct areas for improvement and a timeline for these improvements will be made at pace.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate has been made of the number of patients affected by complications arising from pelvic mesh implants in England.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Government extends its deepest sympathies to all those affected by pelvic mesh, and recognises the profound, life‑changing impact these harms have had on individuals and their families. We know that for many, the consequences are ongoing and deeply felt.
The Government is carefully considering the work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner (PSC), Professor Henrietta Hughes, including her report, which set out recommendations for redress for those harmed by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. The Government has been clear that there must be meaningful progress on this matter during this Parliament. We recognise how difficult this uncertainty is for those affected, and we will ensure that the public is kept informed on this important work.
Departmental officials are working in coordination with colleagues across the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, and the devolved administrations to establish the full scope of those affected by pelvic mesh, to assess the financial impact on individuals, and to develop our response to the PSC's report.
There are nine specialist mesh centres across England, ensuring that women in every region with complications resulting from mesh operations get the right support. Each mesh centre is led by a multi-disciplinary team to ensure patients get access to the specialist care and treatment that they need.
However, services can always improve. NHS England has now completed their internal audit of mesh centres across England conducted in 2025, which was designed in partnership with patient representatives. Though the audit is showing the value and impact of the service delivered by mesh centres, with nearly 3,000 patients now seen in the services since their introduction, equating to 700 per year, there are distinct areas for improvement and a timeline for these improvements will be made at pace.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued to NHS trusts and Integrated Care Boards on ensuring timely access to specialist care and treatment for women experiencing complications associated with hormone replacement therapy.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline on the identification and management of menopause includes guidance for healthcare professionals on the prescribing of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The guideline includes guidance on reviews for women receiving treatment for menopause and recommends that women should be referred to a healthcare professional with expertise in menopause if treatments do not improve their menopause-associated symptoms or they have ongoing side effects.
These NICE guidelines represent best practice and support clinicians in the assessment, management, and treatment of menopause symptoms and associated complications. Healthcare professionals are expected to take these guidelines fully into account in their prescribing decisions. The guideline is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23
HRT is the main treatment for menopause symptoms, and NICE recommends that for most women it is safe and effective. It is important, however, that women are provided with accurate information and are able to make informed choices about their care, including HRT and that healthcare practitioners take a personalised approach when discussing treatments, using evidence-based information tailored to individuals’ circumstances.