Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of social media on young people’s wellbeing in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act requires services to protect children in the UK, including Surrey and Surrey Heath, from illegal and harmful content online. But we know that up and down the country, parents are grappling with how much screentime their children should have and the consequences on their mental health.
The government is determined to give children the childhood they deserve and enhance their wellbeing. That is why we are launching a consultation to gather evidence to understand how best we can build on the Online Safety Act’s provisions to ensure children have positive, enriched digital lives.
The consultation will be accompanied by a national conversation, and we want to hear from children and parents right across the UK. Every voice matters in shaping what comes next.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of children who have (a) been harmed by sodium valproate use during pregnancy and (b) received a diagnosis of Foetal Valproate Spectrum.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold information regarding the number of children that have been harmed by sodium valproate use during pregnancy, or those who have received a diagnosis of foetal valproate spectrum.
The National Disease Registration Service in NHS England collects and quality assures data about people with congenital conditions and rare conditions across the whole of England.
In the most recent official statistics on congenital conditions in England, the 2022 Congenital Condition Official Statistics Report, which contains information on congenital conditions detected in babies delivered in England between 1 January and 31 December 2022, as well as in previous publications of this series back to its inception in 2018, there were no foetus' or babies reported to have a diagnosis of fetal sodium valproate syndrome.
It is likely that while some of the individual conditions, for instance neural tube defects, cardiac, oro-facial clefts, and/or limb difference, that can be associated with this condition are recorded on the register, the overarching diagnosis of fetal sodium valproate syndrome may not yet be registered because fetal sodium valproate syndrome may take more than a year after birth to be confirmed as a diagnosis, so the number reported in any year is the minimum level in the population.
The National Disease Registration Service is assessing the feasibility and reliability of better ascertainment of fetal sodium valproate syndrome by linking the congenital condition register to primary care prescription data.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish a timetable for implementing redress recommendations from the Cumberlege Review and the Hughes Report.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department continues to take forward work to explore redress for those affected by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate, which includes recommendations made by the Patient Safety Commissioner in the Hughes Report. We recognise the importance of these issues for all those affected. This remains a cross-Government policy area involving multiple organisations, and given the complexity of the issues involved, it is important we get this right. A timetable for a response has not yet been finalised.
I met with the Patient Safety Commissioner in December 2025, to discuss progress following the Hughes Report and have made clear the Department’s expectation of continued, proactive engagement with the Patient Safety Commissioner and key stakeholders.
Asked by: Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
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 merits of expanding genetic for (a) the APOE4 gene and (b) other dementia-related risk factors in the NHS.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Pharmacogenomics and Medicine Optimisation NHS Genomic Network of Excellence convened a multidisciplinary meeting in November 2023 to support an impact assessment of potential testing for APOE-4 for prediction of risk of adverse events for lecanemab and donanemab. This group considered the evidence for expanding genomic testing for the APOE gene variants, including to inform other dementia related risk factors and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to offer genomic testing for the APOE gene variants as part of routine dementia care, risk assessment, or to first degree relatives of those with an already identified APOE variant to inform risk estimates of developing future Alzheimer's disease.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what dates his Department has met with patient groups representing families affected by sodium valproate since January 2024.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The current Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women's Health and Mental Health, Baroness Merron, the previous minister with responsibility for sodium valproate and pelvic mesh redress policy, held a roundtable with representatives of the sodium valproate patient groups in December 2024.
Since then, I met with relevant stakeholders at various parliamentary events. I also met with the Patient Safety Commissioner in December 2025, to discuss progress following the Hughes Report and have made clear the Department’s expectation of continued, proactive engagement with the Patient Safety Commissioner and key stakeholders.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been spent on the upkeep of HMS Albion since 20 November 2024.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The annual maintenance cost for HMS ALBION is circa £2 million per annum. This expenditure is to ensure that the ship remains safe whilst alongside HMNB Devonport on a tidal mooring. This ensures the ship remains compliant with environmental and safety legislation until disposal is complete.
HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark were tied up by the last government with no intention to send them to sea again before their out of service dates in the 2030s.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who leave higher education having completed their course and subsequently claim out-of-work benefits within (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) one year of leaving university.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This information is not held.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who leave higher education without completing their course and subsequently claim out-of-work benefits within (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) one year of leaving university.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This information is not held.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
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 help improve coordination between health, education, and social care services for families affected by sodium valproate.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Everyone who has been harmed from sodium valproate has our deepest sympathies.
The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, First Do No Harm, identified significant shortcomings in National Health Service care pathways for people harmed by sodium valproate. NHS England has acknowledged variation in the availability and adequacy of care pathways, the impact of delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis on long-term outcomes, and the need for improved care coordination for those requiring lifelong support, including co-ordination with non-health care services.
In response, NHS England has commissioned a Fetal Exposure to Medicines Services Pilot, being delivered by the NHS in Newcastle and Manchester. The pilot provides multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment and is informing the development of improved care pathways, better coordination of care, and reduced reliance on emergency care. Findings from the pilot will inform future decisions on the commissioning of services, subject to funding.
In addition, we work closely with the Department for Education and across the Government to ensure co-ordination between health, education, and social care services for children and their families. The Health and Opportunity Missions of the Government highlight the importance of joined up working and integrated delivery.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
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 Ministers in the devolved nations regarding establishing a UK wide sodium valproate redress scheme.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Though the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report covered England-only, we recognise that any response by the Government to the recommendations of the Hughes Report in England will likely have implications for the devolved administrations and their constituents.
Government officials are therefore working closely with officials across the United Kingdom in considering the recommendations in the Hughes Report. I recently met with my counterparts across the four nations and will continue productive engagement as we progress work in this area.
The Department continues to take forward work to explore redress for those affected by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate, which includes recommendations made by the Patient Safety Commissioner in the Hughes Report.
We recognise the importance of these issues for all those affected. This remains a cross-Government policy area involving multiple organisations, and given the complexity of the issues involved, it is important we get this right.
I also met with the Patient Safety Commissioner in December 2025, to discuss progress following the Hughes Report and have made clear the Department’s expectation of continued, proactive engagement with the Patient Safety Commissioner and key stakeholders.