Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford on 5 November 2019 (HL458), what plans they have for NHS England to require integrated care boards to cease using Individual Funding Requests or Exceptional Funding Requests for liothyronine in cases which meet NHS England’s 2023 Liothyronine—advice for prescribers pathway.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Individual Funding Requests are not intended to be used for rationing treatments, such as liothyronine. All clinical commissioning groups have their own Individual Funding Request policies that enable commissioners to focus on commissioning services that will meet the majority of their local population’s needs without spending funds on services that very few people may need access to.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the public health impact of the closure of many public toilets as referenced in the Royal Society for Public Health report Taking the P: Improving public toilets in the UK, published in 2019.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is not currently a specific Government assessment of the public health impact of the provision of public toilets. The provision of public toilets is a matter for local authorities, which are responsible for assessing and meeting the needs of their local populations.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 1 April (HL15592), whether they have assessed proposals for a system for equitable distribution of general practitioners in England; and whether amendments to implement any such proposal would be in scope of the NHS Modernisation Bill.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are expanding the recruitment of general practice (GP) doctors to improve access to appointments. Since October 2024, we have funded primary care networks (PCNs) with an additional £160 million to recruit recently qualified GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, preventing over 3,700 GPs graduating into unemployment.
Changes to the 2026/27 GP Contract have removed restrictions so that PCNs can hire more GPs. We introduced a practice level GP reimbursement scheme, worth £292 million, which enables practices to hire additional GPs or fund extra GP sessions with existing GPs. This is intended to help improve access, boost capacity, support GP employment, and continue to improve patient satisfaction. In July 2024, there were 27,735 fully qualified full time equivalent GPs and as of April 2026 there are 30,095, an extra 2,000 GPs. This is the highest number since 2015. This is separate to the passage of the bill.
We are aware that workforce shortages can be greater in some, often deprived, areas. We recognise the importance of ensuring that funding for core GP services is distributed fairly between practices across the country, and we know that the current distribution formula is considered outdated. The first phase of a review of the Carr-Hill formula concluded in May and the recommendations are with the Department for consideration.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to amend the Health and Social Care Act 2008 so that regulated activities are redefined to cover all aspects of supported accommodation including standards of care and oversight, to ensure vulnerable people receive adequate support.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
All supported accommodation providers must comply with their existing legal duties, including meeting the relevant standards for the quality of accommodation.
Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, supported living providers need to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) if they carry out the regulated activity of ‘personal care’. The attached CQC’s guidance Housing with care provides further information. The Department is not currently reviewing the definitions of existing regulated activities as set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
The CQC assesses how local authorities in England are meeting the regulated care functions under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. This includes assessments relating to safeguarding, as well as market capacity and timeliness of supported living service provision. If the CQC finds that a local authority is failing to perform its functions under the Care Act to an acceptable standard, it will continue to inform my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, under section 50 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. Following this notification, the Department will decide on and co-ordinate any improvement or intervention activity with the local authority.
We are clear that all supported housing settings must provide a safe, supportive, and secure environment that supports people to live independently. The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 aims to deliver on this ambition. The act introduces new national supported housing standards for the support provided, and a locally led licensing framework. The Government’s response in April to the relevant consultation stated its intention to require licensees to pass a fit and proper person test, and to require the licensed supported housing schemes to meet the new national supported housing standards which include standards on staff and safeguarding. The Government will consult on draft regulations later this year.
The Government is committed to reviewing the licensing regime after three years as required by the 2023 act. The Department currently has no plan to expand the CQC’s duties to encompass supported housing, but will work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the CQC to keep the effectiveness of licensing under review.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are satisfied that local authorities are following the statutory guidance of the Care Act 2014, that local authorities must ensure that the services they commission for vulnerable people in supported accommodation are safe, effective, and of high quality.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
All supported accommodation providers must comply with their existing legal duties, including meeting the relevant standards for the quality of accommodation.
Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, supported living providers need to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) if they carry out the regulated activity of ‘personal care’. The attached CQC’s guidance Housing with care provides further information. The Department is not currently reviewing the definitions of existing regulated activities as set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
The CQC assesses how local authorities in England are meeting the regulated care functions under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. This includes assessments relating to safeguarding, as well as market capacity and timeliness of supported living service provision. If the CQC finds that a local authority is failing to perform its functions under the Care Act to an acceptable standard, it will continue to inform my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, under section 50 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. Following this notification, the Department will decide on and co-ordinate any improvement or intervention activity with the local authority.
We are clear that all supported housing settings must provide a safe, supportive, and secure environment that supports people to live independently. The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 aims to deliver on this ambition. The act introduces new national supported housing standards for the support provided, and a locally led licensing framework. The Government’s response in April to the relevant consultation stated its intention to require licensees to pass a fit and proper person test, and to require the licensed supported housing schemes to meet the new national supported housing standards which include standards on staff and safeguarding. The Government will consult on draft regulations later this year.
The Government is committed to reviewing the licensing regime after three years as required by the 2023 act. The Department currently has no plan to expand the CQC’s duties to encompass supported housing, but will work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the CQC to keep the effectiveness of licensing under review.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to make provision for the Care Quality Commission to inspect and monitor supported accommodation including standards of care and oversight, to ensure vulnerable people receive adequate support.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
All supported accommodation providers must comply with their existing legal duties, including meeting the relevant standards for the quality of accommodation.
Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, supported living providers need to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) if they carry out the regulated activity of ‘personal care’. The attached CQC’s guidance Housing with care provides further information. The Department is not currently reviewing the definitions of existing regulated activities as set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
The CQC assesses how local authorities in England are meeting the regulated care functions under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. This includes assessments relating to safeguarding, as well as market capacity and timeliness of supported living service provision. If the CQC finds that a local authority is failing to perform its functions under the Care Act to an acceptable standard, it will continue to inform my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, under section 50 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. Following this notification, the Department will decide on and co-ordinate any improvement or intervention activity with the local authority.
We are clear that all supported housing settings must provide a safe, supportive, and secure environment that supports people to live independently. The Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 aims to deliver on this ambition. The act introduces new national supported housing standards for the support provided, and a locally led licensing framework. The Government’s response in April to the relevant consultation stated its intention to require licensees to pass a fit and proper person test, and to require the licensed supported housing schemes to meet the new national supported housing standards which include standards on staff and safeguarding. The Government will consult on draft regulations later this year.
The Government is committed to reviewing the licensing regime after three years as required by the 2023 act. The Department currently has no plan to expand the CQC’s duties to encompass supported housing, but will work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the CQC to keep the effectiveness of licensing under review.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether disclosures to the Southport Inquiry by (1) the Department of Health and Social Care, (2) NHS England, and (3) Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, concerning "inappropriate accesses" to victim records satisfied the current text of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Public Office (Accountability) Bill is currently undergoing parliamentary scrutiny and has not yet been enacted into law. It is not the practice of the Government to comment on the potential application of legislation to specific current scenarios when it is currently before Parliament and has not yet been enacted. The Bill does not provide for the duty of candour to apply retrospectively. The Government remains committed to supporting the independent Southport Inquiry.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many breaches of special category personal data, as defined by UK GDPR, by or relating to UK Biobank have been reported to the Information Commissioner's Office; and how many were reported by (1) UK Biobank, and (2) a third party.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
UK Biobank is a charity and operationally independent of government. The Government has been working closely with UK Biobank in its response to the data breach which it reported to the Government on 20 April 2026. Measures taken so far have included the suspension of access to their research analysis platform, revocation of access permissions from the institutions involved, rapid removal of the listings from the e-commerce platform, self‑referral to the Information Commissioners Office, and urgent work to introduce technical barriers to prevent download of participant‑level data.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what logs are made of files downloaded from the UK Biobank Research Analysis Platform; what level of detail is recorded in these logs; and how often they are audited.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
UK Biobank is a charity and operationally independent of government. The Government has been working closely with UK Biobank in its response to the data breach which it reported to the Government on 20 April 2026. Measures taken so far have included the suspension of access to their research analysis platform, revocation of access permissions from the institutions involved, rapid removal of the listings from the e-commerce platform, self‑referral to the Information Commissioners Office, and urgent work to introduce technical barriers to prevent download of participant‑level data.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what technical controls are in place in the UK Biobank Research Analysis Platform to monitor and restrict the download of participant-level data, and how long they have been in place.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
UK Biobank is a charity and operationally independent of government. The Government has been working closely with UK Biobank in its response to the data breach which it reported to the Government on 20 April 2026. Measures taken so far have included the suspension of access to their research analysis platform, revocation of access permissions from the institutions involved, rapid removal of the listings from the e-commerce platform, self‑referral to the Information Commissioners Office, and urgent work to introduce technical barriers to prevent download of participant‑level data.