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 develop a (a) comprehensive and (b) fully-funded plan to effectively (i) recruit, (ii) train, and (iii) retain a sustainable social care workforce.

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

We are launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. We expect that the commission will look at workforce issues, building on work already underway to provide a career structure, give care professionals greater skills and legislate for the first ever Fair Pay Agreements.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to provide additional funding for fracture liaison services to help increase the (a) coverage and (b) quality of those services.

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

Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are a globally recognised care model and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%. They can play a vital role in improving quality of life and increasing the number of years that can be lived in good health.

We remain committed to rolling out FLS across every part of the country by 2030.

In the meantime, we are investing in high-tech DEXA scanners, which are expected to provide an extra 29,000 scans to ensure that people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier.

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 ensure effective fracture liaison services for over 50s.

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

Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are a globally recognised care model and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%. They can play a vital role in improving quality of life and increasing the number of years that can be lived in good health.

We remain committed to rolling out FLS across every part of the country by 2030.

In the meantime, we are investing in high-tech DEXA scanners, which are expected to provide an extra 29,000 scans to ensure that people with bone conditions get diagnosed earlier.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will provide Integrated Care Boards with detailed guidance on the minimum provision of palliative care required for hospices in their area.

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

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. Although the statutory guidance does not specifically set out a minimum provision of palliative care required by ICBs, it does state that ICBs have a legal duty to commission palliative and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations.

Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at end of life and to their loved ones.

Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between ICB areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department have to ensure that local authorities can fulfil their duties to carers under the Care Act 2014.

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

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how well local authorities in England are delivering their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including their duties relating to unpaid carers.  This means that the CQC is looking at how local authorities are supporting unpaid carers in their area.

All 153 local authorities in England are being assessed, with ratings and reports available on the CQC’s website. The assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice, and helping us to target support where it is most needed.

The Government recognises the challenges facing the adult social care system. That is why the Government is launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service.

The commission will start a national conversation about what working age adults, older people, and their families expect from adult social care, including exploring the needs of unpaid carers, who provide vital care and support.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the bathing standard in the (a) River Ver and (b) River Lea.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to improving the quality of bathing water at designated sites around the country, as an important contributor to many people’s mental and physical health. However, as these two sites are not designated bathing waters they are not covered by the Bathing Water Regulations 2013. This means that the Environment Agency does not monitor for intestinal enterococci and E. coli, the bacteria used to assess bathing water quality.

They Environment Agency manages rivers and other open water locations that are not designated as bathing waters for the purpose of protecting fish and wildlife, rather than people, so health risks from using these locations may be higher than at designated bathing waters. Anyone can become unwell when swimming in open waters. UK Health Security Agency and the Environment Agency offer advice in the ‘swim healthy’ guidance, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/swim-healthy-leaflet/swim-healthy.

More information on designated bathing waters can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bathing-waters-list-of-designated-waters-in-england.

The Environment Agency also publishes the water quality data that they hold. This information can be accessed via the following link: Open WIMS data.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to introduce (a) accountability and (b) enforcement provisions for private train companies during rail nationalisation.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

During the transition of passenger services to a public sector operator, the Secretary of State for Transport will continue to hold private sector operators to account through a range of measures, using enforcement provisions where required. All operators will continue to go through an annual planning process with the Department to agree plans for changes to service specifications, performance improvements and other deliverables. If an operator’s poor performance means that contractual conditions for early termination are met, Ministers will not hesitate to take decisive action.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to incentivise dentists to increase NHS appointments in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) England.

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

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency, this is the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB. ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB is expected to deliver 5,712 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.

Areas which are struggling to recruit and retain NHS dentists can make use of the Golden Hello scheme, which aims to encourage dentists to work in areas where they are needed most.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to impose a legal duty on large-scale housing developments to include adequate sewage capacity.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 40935 on 31 March 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on the potential impact of the energy price cap increase on unpaid carers.

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

The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. This, combined with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run, is how we will drive down energy bills and make cold homes a thing of the past.

However, we recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. This is why we are delivering the Warm Home Discount to approximately three million eligible low-income households this winter. On 25 February 2025, we published a consultation on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring approximately 2.7 million households into the scheme, pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to approximately six million.

The Government is continuing to work with Ofgem and energy suppliers to ensure energy bills remain fair and affordable while we transition to clean power by 2030.

Local authorities have duties to support people caring for their family and friends. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.

Ministers regularly engage with colleagues in other Government departments on a range of issues.

Flamstead Toad Patrol

Protecting children from data exploitation

Libraries in state primary schools

LED headlights

Introduction of the Hillsborough Law and the 36th anniversary

British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme

Changes to Overseas Development Assistance

Leasehold reform

British companies and the transportation of Russian liquefied natural gas

Treatment of Israeli hostages

Israeli Defence Force attacks on humanitarian workers

Humanitarian response to the Myanmar earthquake

Homelessness

Mental health in farming

Children's Mental Health Week

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