Asked by: Lord Rennard (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to scope and support the development of peer support networks for people living with type 1 diabetes and eating disorders, including moderated online and in-person models.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Diabetes Audit is the primary mechanism for collecting data in England on the care and outcomes of people living with diabetes, helping to inform healthcare practice and policy.
The National Diabetes Audit could serve as a registry for type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE) in the future. An agreed definition of T1DE supported by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will be important to enable diagnosis, data recording, and establishing data collection processes.
NHS England works closely with NICE to understand emerging areas for consideration in national guidance and has committed to sharing the current pilot site evaluation outcomes, when available, with NICE to ensure findings are considered in the development of future guidance.
The National Health Service does not currently have any plans to introduce a mental health assessment to the annual care check for people with type 1 diabetes or to embed mental health support into all diabetes clinics to provide emotional wellbeing for people with type 1 diabetes. NICE is responsible for producing clinical guidelines and quality standards for diabetes care.
The current NICE guideline for type 1 diabetes diagnosis and management, a copy of which is attached, states that members of diabetes professional teams should be alert to the symptoms of depression and anxiety, have the appropriate skills to provide basic management, and arrange prompt referral to specialists where an individual’s mental health interferes significantly with their wellbeing or self-management.
NHS England works in close partnership with national charities and organisations that support people living with type 1 diabetes, including by facilitating and supporting peer support opportunities.
For example, NHS England has collaborated with Diabetes UK, Breakthrough Type 1 Diabetes, and people with lived experience to produce The Six Principles of Good Peer Support for People Living with Type 1 Diabetes statement, which aims to promote the standards required for peer support to both clinicians and to those who are looking to access peer support opportunities. Further information on the statement is available on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.
Diabetes UK also runs the Together Type 1 Programme which aims to create a supportive environment where young people can connect with others who understand the challenges of living with type 1 diabetes. Further information is available on the Together Type 1 Programme on Diabetes UK’s website, in an online only format. Diabetes UK also has a network of regional teams that facilitate local peer support groups and activities.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether NHS England will create a dedicated registry for type 1 diabetes that includes a specific category for type 1 diabetes and eating disorders to improve prevalence data and patient support.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Diabetes Audit is the primary mechanism for collecting data in England on the care and outcomes of people living with diabetes, helping to inform healthcare practice and policy.
The National Diabetes Audit could serve as a registry for type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE) in the future. An agreed definition of T1DE supported by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will be important to enable diagnosis, data recording, and establishing data collection processes.
NHS England works closely with NICE to understand emerging areas for consideration in national guidance and has committed to sharing the current pilot site evaluation outcomes, when available, with NICE to ensure findings are considered in the development of future guidance.
The National Health Service does not currently have any plans to introduce a mental health assessment to the annual care check for people with type 1 diabetes or to embed mental health support into all diabetes clinics to provide emotional wellbeing for people with type 1 diabetes. NICE is responsible for producing clinical guidelines and quality standards for diabetes care.
The current NICE guideline for type 1 diabetes diagnosis and management, a copy of which is attached, states that members of diabetes professional teams should be alert to the symptoms of depression and anxiety, have the appropriate skills to provide basic management, and arrange prompt referral to specialists where an individual’s mental health interferes significantly with their wellbeing or self-management.
NHS England works in close partnership with national charities and organisations that support people living with type 1 diabetes, including by facilitating and supporting peer support opportunities.
For example, NHS England has collaborated with Diabetes UK, Breakthrough Type 1 Diabetes, and people with lived experience to produce The Six Principles of Good Peer Support for People Living with Type 1 Diabetes statement, which aims to promote the standards required for peer support to both clinicians and to those who are looking to access peer support opportunities. Further information on the statement is available on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.
Diabetes UK also runs the Together Type 1 Programme which aims to create a supportive environment where young people can connect with others who understand the challenges of living with type 1 diabetes. Further information is available on the Together Type 1 Programme on Diabetes UK’s website, in an online only format. Diabetes UK also has a network of regional teams that facilitate local peer support groups and activities.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether NHS England plans to add a mental health assessment as an annual care check for people with type 1 diabetes.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Diabetes Audit is the primary mechanism for collecting data in England on the care and outcomes of people living with diabetes, helping to inform healthcare practice and policy.
The National Diabetes Audit could serve as a registry for type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE) in the future. An agreed definition of T1DE supported by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will be important to enable diagnosis, data recording, and establishing data collection processes.
NHS England works closely with NICE to understand emerging areas for consideration in national guidance and has committed to sharing the current pilot site evaluation outcomes, when available, with NICE to ensure findings are considered in the development of future guidance.
The National Health Service does not currently have any plans to introduce a mental health assessment to the annual care check for people with type 1 diabetes or to embed mental health support into all diabetes clinics to provide emotional wellbeing for people with type 1 diabetes. NICE is responsible for producing clinical guidelines and quality standards for diabetes care.
The current NICE guideline for type 1 diabetes diagnosis and management, a copy of which is attached, states that members of diabetes professional teams should be alert to the symptoms of depression and anxiety, have the appropriate skills to provide basic management, and arrange prompt referral to specialists where an individual’s mental health interferes significantly with their wellbeing or self-management.
NHS England works in close partnership with national charities and organisations that support people living with type 1 diabetes, including by facilitating and supporting peer support opportunities.
For example, NHS England has collaborated with Diabetes UK, Breakthrough Type 1 Diabetes, and people with lived experience to produce The Six Principles of Good Peer Support for People Living with Type 1 Diabetes statement, which aims to promote the standards required for peer support to both clinicians and to those who are looking to access peer support opportunities. Further information on the statement is available on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.
Diabetes UK also runs the Together Type 1 Programme which aims to create a supportive environment where young people can connect with others who understand the challenges of living with type 1 diabetes. Further information is available on the Together Type 1 Programme on Diabetes UK’s website, in an online only format. Diabetes UK also has a network of regional teams that facilitate local peer support groups and activities.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans NHS England has to embed mental health support into all diabetes clinics to support emotional wellbeing for patients with type 1 diabetes.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Diabetes Audit is the primary mechanism for collecting data in England on the care and outcomes of people living with diabetes, helping to inform healthcare practice and policy.
The National Diabetes Audit could serve as a registry for type 1 diabetes with disordered eating (T1DE) in the future. An agreed definition of T1DE supported by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will be important to enable diagnosis, data recording, and establishing data collection processes.
NHS England works closely with NICE to understand emerging areas for consideration in national guidance and has committed to sharing the current pilot site evaluation outcomes, when available, with NICE to ensure findings are considered in the development of future guidance.
The National Health Service does not currently have any plans to introduce a mental health assessment to the annual care check for people with type 1 diabetes or to embed mental health support into all diabetes clinics to provide emotional wellbeing for people with type 1 diabetes. NICE is responsible for producing clinical guidelines and quality standards for diabetes care.
The current NICE guideline for type 1 diabetes diagnosis and management, a copy of which is attached, states that members of diabetes professional teams should be alert to the symptoms of depression and anxiety, have the appropriate skills to provide basic management, and arrange prompt referral to specialists where an individual’s mental health interferes significantly with their wellbeing or self-management.
NHS England works in close partnership with national charities and organisations that support people living with type 1 diabetes, including by facilitating and supporting peer support opportunities.
For example, NHS England has collaborated with Diabetes UK, Breakthrough Type 1 Diabetes, and people with lived experience to produce The Six Principles of Good Peer Support for People Living with Type 1 Diabetes statement, which aims to promote the standards required for peer support to both clinicians and to those who are looking to access peer support opportunities. Further information on the statement is available on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.
Diabetes UK also runs the Together Type 1 Programme which aims to create a supportive environment where young people can connect with others who understand the challenges of living with type 1 diabetes. Further information is available on the Together Type 1 Programme on Diabetes UK’s website, in an online only format. Diabetes UK also has a network of regional teams that facilitate local peer support groups and activities.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans NHS England has to embed mental health support into all diabetes clinics to provide emotional wellbeing for people with type 1 diabetes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service does not currently have any plans to introduce a mental health assessment to the annual care check for people with type 1 diabetes or to embed mental health support into all diabetes clinics to provide emotional wellbeing for people with type 1 diabetes.
NHS England is currently funding five Type 1 Disordered Eating (T1DE) pilots, with the aim of increasing understanding of the characteristics and care needs of people with T1DE, assessing the feasibility of the service delivery model and build the evidence base for an integrated diabetes and mental health pathway.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for producing clinical guidelines and quality standards for diabetes care.
The current NICE guideline for type 1 diabetes diagnosis and management states that members of diabetes professional teams should be alert to the symptoms of depression and anxiety, have the appropriate skills to provide basic management and arrange prompt referral to specialists where an individual’s mental health interferes significantly with their wellbeing or self-management. The guideline is available at the following link:
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 a mental health assessment to the annual care check for people with type 1 diabetes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service does not currently have any plans to introduce a mental health assessment to the annual care check for people with type 1 diabetes or to embed mental health support into all diabetes clinics to provide emotional wellbeing for people with type 1 diabetes.
NHS England is currently funding five Type 1 Disordered Eating (T1DE) pilots, with the aim of increasing understanding of the characteristics and care needs of people with T1DE, assessing the feasibility of the service delivery model and build the evidence base for an integrated diabetes and mental health pathway.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for producing clinical guidelines and quality standards for diabetes care.
The current NICE guideline for type 1 diabetes diagnosis and management states that members of diabetes professional teams should be alert to the symptoms of depression and anxiety, have the appropriate skills to provide basic management and arrange prompt referral to specialists where an individual’s mental health interferes significantly with their wellbeing or self-management. The guideline is available at the following link:
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is her Department taking to encourage schools to take part in active travel schemes in Hampshire.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Hampshire is a partner in Living Streets’ Walk to School Outreach programme, which Active Travel England provided £5 million of funding in 2025-26. The programme supports schools both to tackle barriers to walking and take part in a walk to school challenge. Hampshire schools can also access Modeshift STARS school travel planning scheme and the Active Travel Inspectors scheme which an additional £1 million of funding was provided in 2025-25. This aims to empower pupils identify ways to make walking, wheeling, and cycling easier and more enjoyable for school journeys. Registration on Modeshift STARS is free for all schools in England, outside London.
In addition, the Department recently announced an additional £30 million to support the delivery of Bikeability cycle training to children across England. The programme offers a range of training levels, starting with basic cycle handling skills and progressing to more advanced road cycling techniques to help teach children and adults the skills and confidence they need to cycle safely on roads.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to expand (a) literacy and (b) numeracy support for prisoners who enter custody with low basic skills.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Too many prisoners enter into custody with significant gaps in their education and low levels of literacy and numeracy. Improving prisoners' functional skills is a key priority for both HMPPS and the Ministry of Justice as strong foundational skills are vital for rehabilitation.
HMPPS has introduced whole-prison strategies to strengthen literacy and numeracy, and this is supported by Heads of Education, Skills and Work who bring expertise of education into prisons. Participation in English and maths functional skills has increased across public prisons and the number of prisoners achieving a full or partial grade in functional skills courses increased by 21% in the year to 31 March 2024.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on tackling in-work poverty.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We know that working full-time substantially reduces the risk of being in poverty. Working age adults living in households where no adults are in work were around 6 times more likely to be in relative poverty after housing costs than working age adults in households where all adults work. This is why supporting people into good work will always be the foundation of our approach to delivering lasting change.
Ministers and officials have regular discussions with Local Authorities, including quarterly meetings with both Mayors and Local Government Association representatives to discuss progress with our Get Britain Working initiatives. These proposals, backed by an initial £240 million investment in 25/26, will deliver the biggest reforms to employment support in a generation to help more people to access good, meaningful work, and support them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers.
Alongside this, our plan to Make Work will help more people to stay in work, improve job security and boost living standards including by increasing the National Living Wage by 6.7 per cent to £12.21 an hour, boosting the pay of 3 million workers.
We have also commenced reviewing Universal Credit to make sure it is doing the job we want it to do, to make work pay and tackle poverty. We have begun this work by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate for deductions from Universal Credit and announcing the first sustained above inflation rise in the basic rate of Universal Credit since it was introduced.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the gap between the lowest and highest achievers in GCSE maths performance.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
High and rising standards across education, from early years to adulthood, are the key to unlocking stronger outcomes and a better future for children and young people. Our new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams are now working closely with schools, including Maths Hubs to sharing best practice and put in place targeted plans to drive-up performance in schools needing extra support.
The department funded, school-led network of Maths Hubs across both primary and secondary schools, focusses on reducing attainment gaps by providing school-to-school support with mathematics subject knowledge and pedagogy training for teachers. In addition, the department funds the Maths Champions programme working with early years settings to boost young children’s basic number skills, and the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme supporting disadvantaged students with an aptitude for mathematics to go on to further study.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review is closely examining the key challenges to attainment for young people and the barriers which hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve, to help us ensure high standards for all. The Review’s interim report, published in March, recognised the need for the curriculum to respond to social and technological change, including to consider what opportunities might be offered around the rise of artificial intelligence and trends in digital information demand.
Please note that in the context of international standings in PISA tests, this response extends only to England as education is a devolved matter.