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, if it will make an assessment of the potential merits of transferring control of social care to the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government to provide services at the local level.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No estimation or assessment has been made. The Department currently has responsibility for social care policy. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to meet the eligible care and support needs of people in their local area.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what minimum English language proficiency requirements apply to frontline adult social care workers in England; and whether his Department, or any relevant regulator, has conducted audits or assessments in the last five years of the ability of non‑native English‑speaking staff in those roles to communicate effectively in English with service users and carers.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Providers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) are required to deploy enough suitably qualified, competent, and experienced staff and only employ 'fit and proper' staff who are able to provide care and treatment appropriate to their role, as per Regulations 18 and 19 of the Health and Social Care 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 respectively.
It is the responsibility of a care provider to ensure that everyone involved in the delivery of services has the required level of English language competence to enable them to communicate effectively with people who use services and colleagues.
The CQC can assess providers’ compliance with these regulations through assessment and monitoring activity. Where an assessment of a service has been carried out, individual reports will be published to the CQC’s website. Where a breach or non-compliance of regulation is identified, the CQC can take regulatory action as set out in the CQC’s published enforcement policy, which is available at the following link:
https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-regulation/providers/enforcement/enforcement-policy
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered New Zealand's retirement villages sector in developing policy on the future of the social care system in England.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the important role retirement villages play in providing high quality, safe, and suitable homes which can help people stay independent and healthy for longer and reduce the need to draw on health and social care provision.
The Department of Health and Social Care is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to support the development of suitable older people’s housing. We are aware of relevant international evidence in this area, including examples cited in the Older People’s Housing Taskforce report such as older people’s housing models in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.
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 estimations his Department has made of the cost of integrating the social care sector into the Department and devolving it to local government level.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No estimation or assessment has been made. The Department currently has responsibility for social care policy. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to meet the eligible care and support needs of people in their local area.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 help reduce the number of avoidable severe allergic reactions in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Last year, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved two sublingual immunotherapy treatments for moderate to severe allergic rhinitis.
National Health Service partners in Somerset encourage all patients with a diagnosis of severe allergy to have prescribed and to carry with them an adrenaline injection device which when used early enough in a severe allergy response can prevent patient harm and admission.
Over the past five years, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has delivered a substantial programme of work to improve allergy safety in restaurants and food businesses, including in Yeovil. The FSA published new best practice guidance in March 2025 to improve allergen information when eating out. The FSA has also expanded its free online allergen training, which has now been taken by over one million people since 2020. Through this work, the FSA is aiming to enable people with food allergies to make informed and safe choices and trust the food that they receive.
The Department for Education is developing new statutory guidance which will significantly strengthen how schools support pupils with allergy. The Government has also amended the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to place a new statutory duty on schools to develop and publish an allergy safety policy, and to give powers to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, to make regulations relating to allergy safety, including requiring schools to stock adrenaline devices, to secure allergy awareness training, and to record and report incidents of near misses. These measures should help to prevent instances of children experiencing severe allergic reactions while at school.
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 estimate he has made of the level of skilled professional workforce required to meet the long-term demand of the social care sector; and what steps he is taking to meet that target.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Demand for long‑term care is projected to rise markedly over the next decade, driven by growth in the older population. Current projections from Skills for Care, and the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre at the London School of Economics suggest that this would require workforce growth of approximately 2% to 3% per year to broadly keep pace with demand.
Recent data from Skills for Care shows a 3.2% increase in filled posts in domiciliary care and a 1.4% increase in residential care between March 2025 and February 2026.
The Department’s immediate priority is to support the adult social care sector to meet current demand by improving recruitment, retention, and workforce stability. While responsibility for workforce planning and delivery sits primarily with local authorities and providers, the Department is taking action to support the sector and improve its sustainability.
This includes introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement to improve pay, and terms and conditions, delivering a national recruitment campaign to promote care as a career, working with the Department for Work and Pensions to support domestic recruitment, and continuing to monitor workforce capacity through Skills for Care data, the Capacity Tracker, and intelligence from sector partners.
The Department of Health and Social Care is also taking action to professionalise and upskill the workforce, which is essential for both short-term capacity and long-term sustainability. This includes implementing the Care Workforce Pathway as the first universal career structure for adult social care, investing a further £10 million this financial year through the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme to fund training and qualifications including the Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate, providing £2.3 million to support newly qualified social workers through the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment, and piloting a fund to enable adult social care nurses to prescribe medications and support care workers to take on healthcare activities.
Together, these measures aim to improve retention through clearer progression, better recognition of skills, and increased opportunities for development, while supporting the sector to meet rising and increasingly complex demand.
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 level of skilled professional workforce the Department estimates is needed to meet the current demand of the social care sector and what steps is it taking to meet this target.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Demand for long‑term care is projected to rise markedly over the next decade, driven by growth in the older population. Current projections from Skills for Care, and the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre at the London School of Economics suggest that this would require workforce growth of approximately 2% to 3% per year to broadly keep pace with demand.
Recent data from Skills for Care shows a 3.2% increase in filled posts in domiciliary care and a 1.4% increase in residential care between March 2025 and February 2026.
The Department’s immediate priority is to support the adult social care sector to meet current demand by improving recruitment, retention, and workforce stability. While responsibility for workforce planning and delivery sits primarily with local authorities and providers, the Department is taking action to support the sector and improve its sustainability.
This includes introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement to improve pay, and terms and conditions, delivering a national recruitment campaign to promote care as a career, working with the Department for Work and Pensions to support domestic recruitment, and continuing to monitor workforce capacity through Skills for Care data, the Capacity Tracker, and intelligence from sector partners.
The Department of Health and Social Care is also taking action to professionalise and upskill the workforce, which is essential for both short-term capacity and long-term sustainability. This includes implementing the Care Workforce Pathway as the first universal career structure for adult social care, investing a further £10 million this financial year through the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme to fund training and qualifications including the Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate, providing £2.3 million to support newly qualified social workers through the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment, and piloting a fund to enable adult social care nurses to prescribe medications and support care workers to take on healthcare activities.
Together, these measures aim to improve retention through clearer progression, better recognition of skills, and increased opportunities for development, while supporting the sector to meet rising and increasingly complex demand.
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 level of skilled professional workforce the Department estimates is needed to meet the current demand of the social care sector and what steps is it taking to meet this target.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Demand for long‑term care is projected to rise markedly over the next decade, driven by growth in the older population. Current projections from Skills for Care, and the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre at the London School of Economics suggest that this would require workforce growth of approximately 2% to 3% per year to broadly keep pace with demand.
Recent data from Skills for Care shows a 3.2% increase in filled posts in domiciliary care and a 1.4% increase in residential care between March 2025 and February 2026.
The Department’s immediate priority is to support the adult social care sector to meet current demand by improving recruitment, retention, and workforce stability. While responsibility for workforce planning and delivery sits primarily with local authorities and providers, the Department is taking action to support the sector and improve its sustainability.
This includes introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement to improve pay, and terms and conditions, delivering a national recruitment campaign to promote care as a career, working with the Department for Work and Pensions to support domestic recruitment, and continuing to monitor workforce capacity through Skills for Care data, the Capacity Tracker, and intelligence from sector partners.
The Department of Health and Social Care is also taking action to professionalise and upskill the workforce, which is essential for both short-term capacity and long-term sustainability. This includes implementing the Care Workforce Pathway as the first universal career structure for adult social care, investing a further £10 million this financial year through the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme to fund training and qualifications including the Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate, providing £2.3 million to support newly qualified social workers through the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment, and piloting a fund to enable adult social care nurses to prescribe medications and support care workers to take on healthcare activities.
Together, these measures aim to improve retention through clearer progression, better recognition of skills, and increased opportunities for development, while supporting the sector to meet rising and increasingly complex demand.
Asked by: Jeremy Hunt (Conservative - Godalming and Ash)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department continues to support Recommendation 6.1 of the Williams Review on removing the General Medical Council’s right of appeal under section 40A of the Medical Act 1983.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All of the proposals relating to the findings of the Williams Review and the Mann Review contained within the Reforming the General Medical Council legislative framework consultation, published 24 March 2026, are currently open for public consultation. We welcome stakeholder views on the consultation and responses will be carefully considered to help inform future policy decisions.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's policy paper entitled Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025, what progress his Department has made in applying only validated alternative methods for pharmacopoeial adventitious agent testing for human medicinal products licensed in the UK.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In line with the Government’s strategy to replace animals in science, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) supports the use of non-animal approaches where they are fit for purpose and accepts that, where a biological product is not pharmacologically active in animals and no relevant animal model exists, studies in animals, including with surrogate molecules, should not be undertaken and first-in-human applications can be supported using non-animal data, such as in vitro methods and computer modelling, to inform expected human exposure and safety. Further information is available at the following link:
More broadly, alternative methods used to characterise safety must be demonstrated as fit for their intended purpose, and MHRA guidance, published in March 2026, sets out its current approach to medicines using non-animal methods, including how such approaches can support regulatory submissions and the adoption of validated alternatives as they become available. For potency testing and for adventitious agent testing, separate information for manufacturers on controls for batch release is on the MHRA website explaining how adoption of non-animal methods for these purposes is supported. Further information is available at the following two links:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mhra-approach-to-medicines-using-non-animal-methods
https://nibsc.org/about_us/our_use_of_animals.aspx