Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure flexibility in the workplace for people living with fluctuating conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS).
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments, including workplace flexibilities, where a disabled person or person with a long-term health condition would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage. This includes chronic and fluctuating health conditions and disabilities, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The Equality and Human Rights Commission provides statutory guidance to employers covering this. DWP also provides tailored guidance through its Support with Employee Health and Disability online service and the Disability Confident Scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces including guidance on flexible working.
All employees have the existing right to request flexible working arrangements. The Employment Rights Bill is designed to make it more likely that flexible working requests are accepted and would require employers to explain the basis for their decision where rejecting a request. The Keep Britain Working Review is currently establishing vanguards to explore innovative ways to support more disabled employees to stay in work.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
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 preventable unplanned hospital admissions for people with multiple sclerosis on (a) people with multiple sclerosis, (b) the NHS and (c) the economy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Unplanned hospital admissions for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are detrimental to patient wellbeing, the health and care system and the economy.
That is why the Government is investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring lists and waiting times down, including for patients with MS.
The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard, that 92% of patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment, by March 2029.
NHS England's revised service specification aims to improve diagnosis times for MS by reducing waiting times and enhancing care coordination. The new service specification, published in August 2025, is part of the larger Neurology Service Transformation Programme aimed at improving the delivery and experience of neurology services through clear minimum standards for both specialised and core services, including earlier diagnosis.
Additionally, the shifts outlined in our 10-Year Health Plan will free up hospital-based consultants’ time by shifting care from hospitals to communities, utilising digital technology to reduce administrative burdens, and promoting prevention to reduce the onset and severity of conditions that lead to hospital admissions. This includes expanding community-based services, employing artificial intelligence for productivity, developing integrated neighbourhood health teams, and investing in digital tools and data. These shifts will allow specialists to focus on more complex cases, enabling earlier identification and management, and improved patient outcomes, including for people with MS.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that people seeking a potential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis are seen by a neurologist within 12 weeks.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Unplanned hospital admissions for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are detrimental to patient wellbeing, the health and care system and the economy.
That is why the Government is investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring lists and waiting times down, including for patients with MS.
The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard, that 92% of patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment, by March 2029.
NHS England's revised service specification aims to improve diagnosis times for MS by reducing waiting times and enhancing care coordination. The new service specification, published in August 2025, is part of the larger Neurology Service Transformation Programme aimed at improving the delivery and experience of neurology services through clear minimum standards for both specialised and core services, including earlier diagnosis.
Additionally, the shifts outlined in our 10-Year Health Plan will free up hospital-based consultants’ time by shifting care from hospitals to communities, utilising digital technology to reduce administrative burdens, and promoting prevention to reduce the onset and severity of conditions that lead to hospital admissions. This includes expanding community-based services, employing artificial intelligence for productivity, developing integrated neighbourhood health teams, and investing in digital tools and data. These shifts will allow specialists to focus on more complex cases, enabling earlier identification and management, and improved patient outcomes, including for people with MS.
Asked by: Lord Stone of Blackheath (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to transfer responsibility for policy and governance relating to cannabis-based medicinal products to the Department for Health and Social Care; and what assessment they have made of the impact of that transfer on regulatory barriers, clinical research and patient access through the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Home Office is the lead department for controlled drug legislation, whilst the Department of Health and Social Care and its Arm's Length Bodies lead on healthcare and the regulation of medicines. The Government has no plans to change this.
The Department of Health and Social Care and the Home Office work closely with other system partners in developing and reviewing policy on controlled drugs in healthcare, including cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPMs).
The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England are taking an evidenced-based approach to the access of CBPMs. Since the law changed in 2018 to allow the lawful access to unlicensed CBPMs, two licensed cannabis-based medicines have been made available for prescribing on the National Health Service for patients with multiple sclerosis or hard to treat epilepsies and tuberous sclerosis, where clinically appropriate. This follows approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
NICE has assessed the available evidence, concluding that there is a clear need for more evidence to support routine prescribing and funding decisions of unlicensed CBPMs. NHS funding decisions follow established procedures that ensure equitable distribution of funding, prioritising those medicines that have proved their safety, quality, and clinical and cost effectiveness.
On the 2 June, the Government asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), a statutory independent scientific advisory body that advises the Government on drug-related issues, to review the effect of the 2018 law change, and to look at whether it has had the desired impact, and whether there are any unintended consequences. The Government will carefully consider the ACMD’s advice prior to making any decisions.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the MS Society’s report entitled A Different Path: Rethinking MS hospital care, published in September 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of preventable unplanned hospital admissions for people with multiple sclerosis on (a) people with MS, (b) the NHS and (c) the economy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our recently published 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, including patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
We recognise that preventable unplanned hospitals admissions for people with MS creates added pressure on acute services and are more costly for the National Health Service and the economy, when in fact most patients would prefer to be supported in the community.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service, which will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a person’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and only in a hospital if necessary.
The Neighbourhood Health Service will rebalance our health and care system so that it fits around peoples’ lives, not the other way round, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach and giving people more power and choice over the care they receive.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 ensure that people seeking a potential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis are seen by a neurologist within 12 weeks.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. We have committed to achieving the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029, including in neurology services.
In January 2025, we published our Elective Reform Plan, which sets out our approach to hitting that target by the end of this Parliament.
We surpassed our manifesto pledge to deliver an extra two million elective appointments; we have delivered 5.2 million additional appointments in our first year of government. Many of those appointments included appointments for treating multiple sclerosis.
Waiting lists are coming down; they have fallen by over 206,000 since the Government came into office.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the MS Society’s report entitled A Different Path: Rethinking MS hospital care, published in September 2025, what steps he is taking to increase staffing levels in (a) neurology, (b) multiple sclerosis nursing and (c) allied health professions in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. To support this, the Department and NHS England will be engaging with key stakeholders to ensure that the particular needs of different patient groups and relevant health professionals are reflected in this work.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the MS Society’s report entitled A Different Path: Rethinking MS hospital care, published in September 2025, what steps he is taking to improve hospital care for people with multiple sclerosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services, including hospital care, for their local population, including for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The Government expects ICBs to assess the demand for service provision in designing their local services.
Whilst there hasn’t been a specific discussion with NHS England regarding the MS Optimum Clinical Pathway, there are initiatives to support better care for patients with neurological conditions, such as MS, across England. These include the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which aims to improve MS care by supporting the NHS to address variations in care and promoting best practices.
The Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit, published by NHS England’s RightCare Programme, supports healthcare systems in improving the care of individuals living with progressive neurological conditions, including MS. It aims to enhance local services and reduce hospital admissions by focusing on preventative care and optimising the delivery of services.
NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP) is a multi-year programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services. The NTP has collaborated with clinicians and patient groups to create specific pathways for MS, aiming to improve the quality and coordination of care.
NHS England has also recently updated its Specialised Neurology Services (Adults) Service Specification, which includes services for people with MS. Service specifications define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care. The refreshed service specification is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/specialised-neurology-services-adults/
The three shifts outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan will support people with long-term conditions, including those with MS, to better manage their condition and access services closer to home. For example, it will empower them to access their medical history and allow them to book and manage their appointments and medication.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
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 NHS England on adopting the MS Optimum Clinical Pathway for people with multiple sclerosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services, including hospital care, for their local population, including for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The Government expects ICBs to assess the demand for service provision in designing their local services.
Whilst there hasn’t been a specific discussion with NHS England regarding the MS Optimum Clinical Pathway, there are initiatives to support better care for patients with neurological conditions, such as MS, across England. These include the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which aims to improve MS care by supporting the NHS to address variations in care and promoting best practices.
The Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit, published by NHS England’s RightCare Programme, supports healthcare systems in improving the care of individuals living with progressive neurological conditions, including MS. It aims to enhance local services and reduce hospital admissions by focusing on preventative care and optimising the delivery of services.
NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP) is a multi-year programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services. The NTP has collaborated with clinicians and patient groups to create specific pathways for MS, aiming to improve the quality and coordination of care.
NHS England has also recently updated its Specialised Neurology Services (Adults) Service Specification, which includes services for people with MS. Service specifications define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care. The refreshed service specification is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/specialised-neurology-services-adults/
The three shifts outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan will support people with long-term conditions, including those with MS, to better manage their condition and access services closer to home. For example, it will empower them to access their medical history and allow them to book and manage their appointments and medication.
Asked by: Fred Thomas (Labour - Plymouth Moor View)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the prescription of Fampridine as a treatment for MS.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers and departmental officials have regular discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on a range of issues, including in relation to its guidelines.
NICE’s guideline on the diagnosis and management of multiple sclerosis in adults, published in June 2022, recommends that fampridine should not be offered to treat mobility issues in people with multiple sclerosis as it is not found to be a cost-effective treatment.