Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the powers for local authorities and their associated enforcement agencies to regulate non-surgical cosmetic procedures and what plans they have to introduce legislation to implement a mandatory licensing scheme in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to addressing longstanding concerns around the safety of the cosmetics sector. On 7 August we announced our plans to introduce further regulation in this space.
In the first instance, the Government will prioritise the introduction of legal restrictions to ensure that cosmetic procedures that are deemed to pose the highest level of risk to the public, such as the liquid Brazilian butt lift, are classed as Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated activities. The new restrictions will mean that these procedures will only be permitted to be performed by suitably qualified regulated healthcare professionals, working for providers who are registered with the CQC. We are working with stakeholders to develop our plans in this space and intend to consult on proposals for restrictions around the performance of the highest risk procedures in spring 2026.
The Government has also committed to legislating to introduce a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures through powers granted through the Health and Care Act 2022. Under this scheme, which will be operated by local authorities, practitioners will be required to obtain a licence to perform specified cosmetic procedures, and the premises from which they operate will also need to be licensed. We are taking forward work to determine which procedures will be included within the local authority licensing scheme and what requirements will have to be met in order to be granted a licence. The proposals will be developed through further stakeholder engagement and public consultation before being taken forward through secondary legislation and the requisite parliamentary processes.
Further details of the Government’s commitments are available in the Government’s response to the 2023 consultation on the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to meet their manifesto commitment to provide open-access mental health services for children and young people in every community; and what is the expected timeline for full implementation.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is establishing Young Futures Hubs to bring together services that improve access to opportunities and support for children and young people in community settings, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive.
Since 2024/25, 24 Early Support Hubs received top-up funding of £8 million to expand their early intervention and prevention support for children and young people's mental health and to take part in an ongoing evaluation of these services.
The evaluation of the Early Support Hubs project will make a significant contribution to the design and implementation of Young Futures Hubs, ensuring that services continue to evolve to meet the needs of young people.
Young Futures Hubs will provide early wellbeing support and ensure there is no wrong front door for children and young people, including those aged 18 to 25 years old, seeking mental health help. Hubs will direct individuals to National Health Service mental health services where more specialist support is required.
The hubs will be designed in partnership with local areas, drawing on local understanding of need and the landscape of existing services. The Government aims to establish 50 hubs over the next four years in the places where they will have the greatest impact. The first eight Young Futures Hubs will launch by the end of this financial year, supported by £2 million of investment.
Also, we will accelerate the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what specific measures they are taking to ensure young people aged 18-25 can access appropriate mental health support in the community.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is establishing Young Futures Hubs to bring together services that improve access to opportunities and support for children and young people in community settings, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive.
Since 2024/25, 24 Early Support Hubs received top-up funding of £8 million to expand their early intervention and prevention support for children and young people's mental health and to take part in an ongoing evaluation of these services.
The evaluation of the Early Support Hubs project will make a significant contribution to the design and implementation of Young Futures Hubs, ensuring that services continue to evolve to meet the needs of young people.
Young Futures Hubs will provide early wellbeing support and ensure there is no wrong front door for children and young people, including those aged 18 to 25 years old, seeking mental health help. Hubs will direct individuals to National Health Service mental health services where more specialist support is required.
The hubs will be designed in partnership with local areas, drawing on local understanding of need and the landscape of existing services. The Government aims to establish 50 hubs over the next four years in the places where they will have the greatest impact. The first eight Young Futures Hubs will launch by the end of this financial year, supported by £2 million of investment.
Also, we will accelerate the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a mandated national standard of education and training for those who practise in the aesthetics sector and what plans does the Government have for the implementation of statutory regulation for the sector.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to addressing longstanding concerns around the safety of the cosmetics sector. On 7 August we announced our plans to introduce further regulation in this space.
In the first instance, the Government will prioritise the introduction of legal restrictions to ensure that cosmetic procedures that are deemed to pose the highest level of risk to the public, such as the liquid Brazilian butt lift, are classed as Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated activities. The new restrictions will mean that these procedures will only be permitted to be performed by suitably qualified regulated healthcare professionals, working for providers who are registered with the CQC. We are working with stakeholders to develop our plans in this space and intend to consult on proposals for restrictions around the performance of the highest risk procedures in spring 2026.
The Government has also committed to legislating to introduce a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures through powers granted through the Health and Care Act 2022. Under this scheme, which will be operated by local authorities, practitioners will be required to obtain a licence to perform specified cosmetic procedures, and the premises from which they operate will also need to be licensed. We are taking forward work to determine which procedures will be included within the local authority licensing scheme and what requirements will have to be met in order to be granted a licence. The proposals will be developed through further stakeholder engagement and public consultation before being taken forward through secondary legislation and the requisite parliamentary processes.
Further details of the Government’s commitments are available in the Government’s response to the 2023 consultation on the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Lord Beamish (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish a timeline for the design and implementation of a national licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures, including injectable toxins and dermal fillers.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to addressing longstanding concerns around the safety of the cosmetics sector. On 7 August we announced our plans to introduce further regulation in this space.
In the first instance, the Government will prioritise the introduction of legal restrictions to ensure that cosmetic procedures that are deemed to pose the highest level of risk to the public, such as the liquid Brazilian butt lift, are classed as Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated activities. The new restrictions will mean that these procedures will only be permitted to be performed by suitably qualified regulated healthcare professionals, working for providers who are registered with the CQC. We are working with stakeholders to develop our plans in this space and intend to consult on proposals for restrictions around the performance of the highest risk procedures in spring 2026.
The Government has also committed to legislating to introduce a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures through powers granted through the Health and Care Act 2022. Under this scheme, which will be operated by local authorities, practitioners will be required to obtain a licence to perform specified cosmetic procedures, and the premises from which they operate will also need to be licensed. We are taking forward work to determine which procedures will be included within the local authority licensing scheme and what requirements will have to be met in order to be granted a licence. The proposals will be developed through further stakeholder engagement and public consultation before being taken forward through secondary legislation and the requisite parliamentary processes.
Further details of the Government’s commitments are available in the Government’s response to the 2023 consultation on the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many full-time equivalent learning disabilities nurses were employed across all NHS organisations in England in each of the past three years.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes monthly NHS Hospital and Community Health Service Workforce Statistics for England. These include staff working for hospital trusts and core organisations but excludes staff working for other providers such as in primary care, general practice, or social care. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, the human resources system for the National Health Service. The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent learning disability nurses in hospital trusts and core organisations across England as of 30 September for each of the years 2022 to 2025:
| 30 September 2022 | 30 September 2023 | 30 September 2024 | 30 September 2025 |
|
Learning disabilities nurses | 2,974 | 2,998 | 3,040 | 3,167 |
|
Source: NHS Hospital and Community Health Service monthly workforce statistics, NHS England. | |||||
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Physician Associate/Assistant Preceptorship Programme for primary care is open to newly qualified physician associates.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the publication of the Leng Review recommendations on 16 July 2025, NHS England has updated the eligibility criteria for the preceptorship in primary care for physician assistants (PAs), which are still legally known as physician associates.
In line with the recommendation that newly qualified PAs should gain at least two years of experience in secondary care, the scheme is only open to qualified PAs already employed in primary care, as of 16 July 2025, who have not undertaken a PA preceptorship.
NHS England has published a frequently asked questions document, a copy of which is attached, to provide further information and guidance on the implementation of The Leng Review. This confirms that the scheme will be honoured and continue for those employers and PAs currently participating in the programme this financial year.
Asked by: Lord Mott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likelihood of the NHS meeting its 2 per cent productivity growth target.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government remains committed to the 2% National Health Service productivity growth target, as set out in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement. This ambition is central to ensuring that the NHS can sustainably meet rising demand.
Recent data indicates good progress. NHS England’s latest estimates show productivity growth of 2.4% between April to July 2025, building on a 2.7% increase in 2024/25. While challenges remain, such as industrial action, these figures, which focus on the acute sector where data quality is strongest, suggest the NHS is on track to meet its productivity commitments.
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 steps he is taking to ensure the forthcoming HIV Action Plan will strengthen awareness of HIV risk among women.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The new HIV Action Plan, published on World AIDS Day on 1 December 2025, sets out how the Government will enable every level of the healthcare system to work together to engage everyone in prevention, testing, and treatment, tackle stigma, and reach our ambition to end new HIV transmissions by 2030. This includes a focus on women, as we know from the UK Health Security Agency’s latest data that they are not benefitting equally from the progress made on HIV in recent years.
Women will benefit from all of the actions in the HIV Action Plan, including improved testing and prevention services, rapid treatment, and support for those living with HIV. We will commission a new national HIV Prevention England programme backed by a total of £4.8 million of funding from April 2026 to March 2029. This programme supports communities disproportionately affected by HIV, including women, in particular black African and heterosexual women. The current programme delivers National HIV Testing Week, aimed at improving testing and increasing awareness of HIV prevention. In Testing Week 2025, heterosexual women accounted for 30% of all testers compared with 25% in 2024. We will also fund formula milk, and related sterilising equipment, for the infants of women living with HIV, thereby removing financial pressures and reducing the risk of transmission to babies.
Asked by: Steve Barclay (Conservative - North East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many community diagnostic centres were open at the end of (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24, (c) 2024-25, and are expected to be at the end of (d) 2025-26.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table sets out the number of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) which had started delivering activity, namely having gone live, and which were fully operational, delivering all modalities proposed in their approved business cases, from permanent facilities, from 2022/23 to 2024/25:
Financial year end | Number of CDCs delivering CDC activity. | Fully operational (delivering all planned tests from permanent facilities and location) |
2022/23 | 104 | 10 |
2023/24 | 163 | 54 |
2024/25 | 170 | 101 |
2025/26 (including planned numbers) | 170 | 128 (current number based on delivery reporting November 2025) 154 (expected year end point based on latest delivery plans) |
Source: NHS England
Notes:
The Elective Reform Plan sets out that the Government will deliver additional CDC capacity in 2025/26 by expanding several existing CDCs and building up to five new CDCs. The locations of both new and expanded CDC schemes will be confirmed in due course. This is funded as part of £600 million of capital investment for diagnostics in 2025/26, which my rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out in her June 2025 statement.
The plan also commits to opening more CDCs 12 hours per day, seven days a week, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around busy working lives. Upon entering office in July 2024, 63 CDCs were offering at least one diagnostic service out of hours, available to patients 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
The latest position at the end of November 2025 is that 101 CDCs are offering at least one service to this standard, an increase of 38 from July 2024. By the end of March 2026, this number is currently planned to increase to 116.