Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight 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 merits of restricting NHS staff from striking.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
An impact assessment was completed and published online by the Department for Business and Trade on the Repeal of the Strikes (Minimum Services Levels) Act 2023. The Government has repealed these restrictions on striking National Health Service staff via the Employment Rights Act, which has come into effect with royal assent in December 2025. The impact assessment is available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67129a858a62ffa8df77b3de/Impact_assessment_repeal_strikes_minimum_service_levels_act_2023.pdf
The Government will continue to work constructively with all NHS unions to avoid disrupting services for patients.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Question 107772 from the Rt hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 April 2026 to Question 107772.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is responsible for reforming the regulation of funeral directors.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care will lead on co-ordinating cross-Government work to raise standards in relation to the care and treatment of the deceased, supported by the Department of Business and Trade, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the potential merits, costs and feasibility of bringing the former Rutherford Centre at Bomarsund into NHS ownership or management.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department did not provide an assessment of the cost, clinical impact, or NHS England’s treatment timelines associated with transitioning patients from Rutherford Health centres. This includes the Bomarsund site, prior to the organisation's liquidation. The Government is committed to improving performance for diagnosing and treating cancer. To support these objectives, the National Health Service is currently making use of two of the five former Rutherford Cancer sites, Taunton and Clatterbridge.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of clinical impact, treatment timings and associated costs for the NHS resulting from the closure of Rutherford Health centres, including the Bomarsund site.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department did not provide an assessment of the cost, clinical impact, or NHS England’s treatment timelines associated with transitioning patients from Rutherford Health centres. This includes the Bomarsund site, prior to the organisation's liquidation. The Government is committed to improving performance for diagnosing and treating cancer. To support these objectives, the National Health Service is currently making use of two of the five former Rutherford Cancer sites, Taunton and Clatterbridge.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the long-term potential social and economic impacts of closed Rutherford Health sites on communities.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department did not provide an assessment of the cost, clinical impact, or NHS England’s treatment timelines associated with transitioning patients from Rutherford Health centres. This includes the Bomarsund site, prior to the organisation's liquidation. The Government is committed to improving performance for diagnosing and treating cancer. To support these objectives, the National Health Service is currently making use of two of the five former Rutherford Cancer sites, Taunton and Clatterbridge.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Blyth and Ashington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate has been made of the cost to the NHS of taking on patients who were previously receiving care from Rutherford Health prior to its liquidation.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department did not provide an assessment of the cost, clinical impact, or NHS England’s treatment timelines associated with transitioning patients from Rutherford Health centres. This includes the Bomarsund site, prior to the organisation's liquidation. The Government is committed to improving performance for diagnosing and treating cancer. To support these objectives, the National Health Service is currently making use of two of the five former Rutherford Cancer sites, Taunton and Clatterbridge.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
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 (a) advice and (b) approval that was given by NHS England in regard to (i) former CEO Jonathan Lofthouse leaving the Humber Health Partnership, (ii) former chair Sean Lyons leaving the Humber Health Partnership and (iii) the appointment of Lyn Simpson as interim CEO at Humber Health Partnership (Hull University Teaching Hospitals and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Foundation Trust).
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference his Department's press release entitled NHS patients to get quicker tests and scans closer to home, published on 13 April 2026, whether teenagers and young adults will have access to diagnostic services at new and expanded Community Diagnostic Centres; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that diagnostic pathways at these Centres are appropriate for patients aged 13–25.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to bring down the size of the list and reduce waiting times. The Department also recognises that teenagers and young adults require age-appropriate care, regarding diagnosis, treatment and wider support.
In April 2026, the Department announced its plan to open four new community diagnostic centres during 2026/27. The Department also announced a further 32 centres, which will be expanded and improved with new scanning equipment, outpatient clinic space and testing facilities. The 36 centres, backed by a £237 million Government investment, will significantly boost NHS diagnostic capacity and deliver more care in local communities, including for teenagers and young adults.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, that the sector is appropriately reflected within wider emergency planning and resilience frameworks, including consideration within Civil Contingencies structures, to ensure uninterrupted delivery of critical care.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the vital work of air ambulance organisations in communities across the country. The Department is already engaging with air ambulance organisations on resilience issues and will continue to do so as part of our regular resilience planning.