Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 June 2025 to Question 61726, if he will publish: (a) the data source for the reported 8.9% increase in doctors working in clinical oncology between 2021 and 2023, (b) the number and percentage increase in consultant clinical oncologists over that same period and (c) the number of consultant clinical ncologists per capita by Integrated Care System or NHS Trust area, including identification of the five areas with the lowest consultant-to-population ratios.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes monthly data on the number of staff employed by National Health Service trusts and integrated care boards (ICBs) in England, which is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics
It should be noted that the change in doctors working in the specialty of clinical oncology is between February 2024 and February 2025, the latest period for which data is available.
As of February 2025, there were over 1,800 full time equivalent doctors working in the speciality of clinical oncology in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. This is almost 150, or 8.9%, more than in 2024.
The change in the total number of full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of clinical oncology employed by NHS trusts and ICBs in England between 31 December 2020 and 31 December 2023 was 14.1%; the change over the same period in consultant clinical oncologists was 12.2%.
The following table shows the number of FTE consultant clinical oncologists employed by NHS trusts or ICBs per million population by ICB area for February 2025:
ICB | Consultant Clinical Oncologists – FTE, February 2025 | ONS Projected Population, June 2025 | Consultant Oncologists (per 1,000,000 population) |
Mid and South Essex | - | 1,232,502 | - |
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin | - | 533,260 | - |
Humber and North Yorkshire | 1.1 | 1,744,824 | 0.6 |
South West London | 5.8 | 1,557,624 | 3.7 |
Frimley | 3.0 | 791,237 | 3.8 |
West Yorkshire | 23.2 | 2,497,926 | 9.3 |
Coventry and Warwickshire | 9.6 | 1,016,366 | 9.4 |
Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire | 9.7 | 980,250 | 9.9 |
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent | 11.8 | 1,167,873 | 10.1 |
Somerset | 6.0 | 590,928 | 10.2 |
Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes | 11.1 | 1,060,963 | 10.5 |
Black Country | 13.9 | 1,249,119 | 11.1 |
Sussex | 20.5 | 1,768,736 | 11.6 |
Northamptonshire | 9.5 | 817,757 | 11.6 |
North East London | 25.6 | 2,147,223 | 11.9 |
Lancashire and South Cumbria | 21.3 | 1,779,694 | 12.0 |
North Central London | 18.0 | 1,485,975 | 12.1 |
Cheshire and Merseyside | 36.4 | 2,620,678 | 13.9 |
Lincolnshire | 11.2 | 795,667 | 14.1 |
North East and North Cumbria | 46.0 | 3,070,741 | 15.0 |
Norfolk and Waveney | 17.5 | 1,071,923 | 16.3 |
Derby and Derbyshire | 17.9 | 1,091,150 | 16.4 |
Herefordshire and Worcestershire | 13.6 | 815,030 | 16.7 |
Suffolk and North East Essex | 17.8 | 1,028,298 | 17.3 |
Greater Manchester | 52.2 | 3,008,589 | 17.4 |
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly | 10.7 | 596,108 | 17.9 |
Gloucestershire | 12.4 | 671,296 | 18.5 |
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire | 24.4 | 1,198,878 | 20.4 |
Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 39.3 | 1,893,635 | 20.8 |
Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland | 25.3 | 1,184,050 | 21.4 |
Kent and Medway | 42.0 | 1,932,162 | 21.8 |
Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West | 42.3 | 1,870,248 | 22.6 |
South East London | 42.1 | 1,861,345 | 22.6 |
North West London | 52.9 | 2,222,784 | 23.8 |
Dorset | 19.7 | 802,632 | 24.6 |
South Yorkshire | 36.0 | 1,432,349 | 25.1 |
Surrey Heartlands | 28.0 | 1,085,724 | 25.7 |
Birmingham and Solihull | 36.5 | 1,407,053 | 26.0 |
Hertfordshire and West Essex | 44.0 | 1,540,310 | 28.6 |
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 27.8 | 964,041 | 28.8 |
Devon | 37.4 | 1,268,832 | 29.5 |
Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire | 33.5 | 1,037,500 | 32.3 |
England | 957.1 | 58,893,277 | 16.3 |
Source: NHS England
Notes:
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the level of funding available to specialist by and for violence against women and girls organisations.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We recognise the vital role of specialist and ‘by and for’ services in providing the tailored support that victims and survivors of VAWG need to recover and rebuild their lives. That’s why in May 2025 we announced a £19.9m investment to provide vital support to victims of VAWG, increase awareness of VAWG and fund projects across the country aimed at preventing these horrific crimes. This includes:
The Home Office continues work on improving the commissioning of ‘by and for’ services at the local level to help stabilise and strengthen the sector.
Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
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 the 10 Year Health Plan for England on the Black Country.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan will ensure a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or geography. The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver more care locally, including in urban areas like the Black Country, supporting people to stay healthier.
The neighbourhood health service will reflect the specific needs of local populations. Over the course of the plan, neighbourhood health centres will be available in every community, including the Black Country, providing easy access to general practitioners, nurses, and wider support, such as employment advisers, all under one roof. The Government will begin establishing neighbourhood health centres in places where healthy life expectancy is lowest.
Asked by: Sonia Kumar (Labour - Dudley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department plans to take to support green projects in the Black Country.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy
The Government supports local places to drive action to deliver green projects and help realise our national net zero targets. Great British Energy will partner with community energy groups and local government, including Mayoral Strategic Authorities, to support the development of clean energy projects. Government also funds the Local Net Zero Accelerator pilot programme (including in West Midlands Combined Authority) to test how to support local places to leverage in commercial net zero investment at scale, alongside five Local Net Zero Hubs (including the Midlands Net Zero Hub) to support local government to develop net zero projects and attract commercial investment.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of his Department's spending was on (a) community, (b) acute and (c) primary care services in (i) Norfolk and Waveney and (ii) the rest of England by ICB area in the latest year for which statistics are available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2023/24, the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) spent £1,275.5 million on acute services, £240.9 million on community services, and £258.7 million on primary medical services. As a proportion of the Department’s Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit outturn of £182,819 million, as per the Department’s 2023/24 Annual Report, this is equivalent to approximately 0.7% for acute services, approximately 0.1% for community services, and approximately 0.1% for primary medical services. Further information on the Department’s 2023/24 Annual Report is available at the following link:
The following table shows a full breakdown of spend across these three service areas by ICB in 2023/24:
Integrated care board | Acute (millions of pounds) | Community (millions of pounds) | Primary medical services (millions of pounds) |
Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB | 1,115.9 | 190.4 | 217.8 |
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB | 1,026.2 | 183.3 | 220.4 |
Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB | 1,725.5 | 302.7 | 326.0 |
Mid and South East Essex ICB | 1,427.6 | 230.1 | 254.6 |
Norfolk and Waveney ICB | 1,275.5 | 240.9 | 258.7 |
Suffolk and North East Essex ICB | 1,140.2 | 216.0 | 230.4 |
Nort East London ICB | 2,498.7 | 470.5 | 488.0 |
North Central London ICB | 1,891.5 | 362.2 | 358.2 |
North West London ICB | 2,798.4 | 459.6 | 518.9 |
South East London ICB | 2,309.6 | 457.6 | 419.3 |
South West London ICB | 1,928.2 | 280.0 | 344.9 |
Birmingham and Solihull ICB | 1,612.5 | 314.2 | 339.7 |
Coventry and Warwickshire ICB | 1,142.1 | 174.4 | 221.3 |
Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB | 861.5 | 195.9 | 186.8 |
Derby & Derbyshire ICB | 1,268.2 | 191.0 | 252.9 |
Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland ICB | 1,147.1 | 231.6 | 252.9 |
Lincolnshire ICB | 928.0 | 180.6 | 189.4 |
Northamptonshire ICB | 912.8 | 124.0 | 174.3 |
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB | 1,363.0 | 257.3 | 248.3 |
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB | 612.2 | 126.0 | 115.2 |
Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent ICB | 1,210.5 | 311.9 | 264.3 |
Black Country ICB | 1,610.8 | 277.6 | 258.0 |
Cumbria & North East ICB | 3,768.9 | 724.4 | 743.4 |
Humber, Coast and Vale ICB | 2,019.4 | 358.3 | 388.4 |
Sth Yorkshire ICB | 1,611.8 | 267.4 | 329.0 |
West Yorkshire ICB | 2,776.8 | 536.7 | 571.6 |
Cheshire & Merseyside ICB | 3,404.8 | 648.2 | 637.8 |
Gtr Manchester ICB | 3,738.3 | 665.2 | 729.7 |
Lancashire & Sth Cumbria ICB | 2,374.5 | 399.2 | 411.9 |
Bucks, Oxfordshire & Berks West ICB | 1,831.3 | 392.1 | 383.8 |
Frimley ICB | 753.1 | 152.3 | 178.3 |
Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB | 2,032.0 | 433.0 | 372.4 |
Kent and Medway ICB | 2,228.3 | 460.0 | 407.8 |
Surrey Heartlands ICB | 1,210.2 | 190.4 | 217.0 |
Sussex ICB | 2,045.6 | 381.1 | 415.3 |
Bath & NE Somerset, Swindon & Wiltshire ICB | 1,010.6 | 209.3 | 218.3 |
Bristol, Nth Somerset & South Gloucs ICB | 1,110.5 | 226.2 | 222.5 |
Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly ICB | 651.9 | 166.7 | 144.1 |
Devon ICB | 1,479.2 | 339.5 | 273.3 |
Dorset ICB | 952.3 | 198.9 | 172.1 |
Gloucestershire ICB | 641.1 | 123.1 | 161.4 |
Somerset ICB | 703.2 | 114.6 | 143.1 |
Asked by: Diane Abbott (Independent - Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure equality of opportunity for black school students.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from. Our work to deliver the Opportunity Mission aims to improve opportunities for all children and young people across the country. High and rising standards in every school are at the heart of this mission and the key to strengthening outcomes and building a better future for all children no matter their background.
That means an excellent teacher for every child, a high quality curriculum, strong accountability with faster school improvement and an inclusive system which removes the barriers to learning.
We are tackling inequalities in the system head-on through our plan for change by rolling out free breakfast clubs in every state-funded primary school, improving mental health support and delivering a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work, and reflects the diversities of our society.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she has taken to help support the regeneration of town centres in the West Midlands.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
In December 2024, the government announced that the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) will receive £46,463,600 in UKSPF funding for the 2025/26 financial year. This includes £13,727,835 in capital funding and £32,735,765 in revenue funding. The UKSPF funding will be part of the WMCA's broader Integrated Settlement award. Additionally, six areas in the West Midlands will receive £120 million towards regeneration and community support. Bedworth in Warwickshire, Bilston, Darlaston, Dudley, and Smethwick in the Black Country, and Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham will each receive £20 million over the next 10 years. The funding, available since April, comes from the government's Plan for Neighbourhoods programme, which is releasing £1.5 billion to 75 areas in the UK based on criteria such as deprivation, life expectancy, and investment needs.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is taking to work more closely with UNESCO on the Global Geoparks initiative for mutual benefit.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England works with the UK Committee for UNESCO Global Geoparks and the UK National Commission for UNESCO to mentor and support existing and aspiring UNESCO Global Geoparks. We are responsible for designating and enabling good management of geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) many of which are of international value and provide the primary mechanism for protecting the geological value of our Geoparks. In return Geoparks are exemplars of best geoconservation practice.
More recently we have enabled the participation of Geoparks in the cross-government Climate Change and UNESCO Heritage Shared Outcomes Fund project and facilitated Geopark participation in the UNESCO Local to Global initiative which has focused on capacity and resilience building, notably including the urban Black Country UNESCO Global Geopark.
In 2025 we anticipate new applications from the Charnwood Forest Aspiring Geopark as well as the Cross-Channel/Transmanche Aspiring Geopark which is a unique transboundary collaboration between the Kent Downs National Landscape and the Parc naturel régional des Caps et Marais d'Opale.
Geoparks are locally driven and are a key part of our ambition to restore nature, at scale, and to enable more people to both act for and connect with nature through our rich geological heritage.
UKRI funded a project that partnered with Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geoparks, see GtR (attached as a PDF), between July and November 2022.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to help tackle poverty in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Marsha De Cordova
Many churches across the Diocese of Lichfield are involved in initiatives to help those in poverty, including offering Warm Welcome Spaces, foodbanks, and school uniform banks. Such initiatives are developed according to locally identified needs and available resources in parishes.
St Thomas’ Church in Kidsgrove, St Luke’s Church in Clayton, and All Saints Church in Madeley are three of the six local distribution points for the Newcastle-Staffs Foodbank. These churches work with other denominations in Chesterton, Silverdale and Newcastle town centre to provide this service to the local community in Newcastle under Lyme. On the 22nd May, the Foodbank published data to show that in one year, it had provided 8,720 emergency food parcels to people in need. 3,018 of these parcels went to children across Newcastle under Lyme. More information is available here: https://newcastlestaffs.foodbank.org.uk/2025/05/22/end-of-year-stats-2/
The Diocese of Lichfield Strengthening Communities team works with communities and individuals, churches and other faiths across Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, the Black Country and north Shropshire, to support community building and improve lives. More information about the work of the diocese can be found here: https://www.lichfield.anglican.org/about-us/strengthening-communities/ For further information do please contact the Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Revd Michael Ipgrave, or the Archdeacon of Stoke, the Venerable Megan Smith. Contact details are available on the Diocese of Lichfield website.
Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
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 trends in the length of NHS waiting lists in the Black Country since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In July 2024, the waiting list at the Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) was 192,268. Of these, 110,482, or 57.5% of pathways, were waiting within 18 weeks.
The latest data shows that as of March 2025, the waiting list at the Black Country ICB has decreased by over 13,631, to 178,637 since July 2024. Of these, 102,618, 57.4% of pathways were waiting within 18 weeks.
We promised change, and we’ve delivered early, with a reduction in the list of over 200,000 pathways. We have also now exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered over 3.5 million more appointments across the country.
This marks a vital First Step to delivering on the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, in line with the National Health Service constitutional standard, by March 2029.