Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January to Question 25057 on Workforce freezes, whether he plans to publish an Answer following engagement with NHS England.

We have increased specialty training places for key roles, such as radiologists, radiographers, and other diagnostic professionals, alongside initiatives to improve retention and reduce reliance on outsourcing. These efforts are part of our continued commitment to building a resilient, sustainable service capable of meeting rising demand and improving patient outcomes.

We are aware of cases where trusts have put recruitment restrictions in place in diagnostic services. Systems and trusts need to manage their expenditure within the budgets they have been allocated for the year. Information regarding proportion of trusts is not currently available.