Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - 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 18 November (HL11736), whether they plan to provide no budget to enact recommendations from the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group until after the merger of NHS England with the Department of Health and Social Care.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the important role that NHS England’s clinical policy development process plays in determining routine commissioning decisions on new specialised services, treatments, and interventions, which have not been reviewed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
We are carefully assessing NHS England’s functions as part of the process of merging NHS England with the Department. The outcome of these ongoing assessments will be made at the earliest opportunity, and we remain committed to progressing this reform at pace, subject to legislation and the will of Parliament.
Until such a time that NHS England is being abolished, Clinical Priorities Advisory Group recommendations are being enacted under the current rules and criteria.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of proposals to repeal section 4(2) of the Law Reform (Personal Injuries) Act 1948, and whether they plan to review how courts should take account of NHS-provided care when awarding damages in clinical negligence cases.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.
As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office’s (NAO) report, The costs of clinical negligence, which was published on 17 October 2025.
The NAO found that in 2024/25, there was a 3.7 to one ratio of legal costs to damages payable for low-value claims, those of £25,000 or less. The report can be viewed on the NAO’s website.
We welcome the report by the NAO. The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to implementing a fixed recoverable costs regime for clinical negligence claims valued up to £25,000, in the light of previous consultations on this proposal; and what assessment they have made of the potential costs to the taxpayer.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.
As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office’s (NAO) report, The costs of clinical negligence, which was published on 17 October 2025.
The NAO found that in 2024/25, there was a 3.7 to one ratio of legal costs to damages payable for low-value claims, those of £25,000 or less. The report can be viewed on the NAO’s website.
We welcome the report by the NAO. The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (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 current cost pressures in clinical negligence claims valued up to £25,000, and what plans they have for further engagement with the Civil Procedure Rule Committee on options to manage these pressures.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.
As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office’s (NAO) report, The costs of clinical negligence, which was published on 17 October 2025.
The NAO found that in 2024/25, there was a 3.7 to one ratio of legal costs to damages payable for low-value claims, those of £25,000 or less. The report can be viewed on the NAO’s website.
We welcome the report by the NAO. The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consultation has taken place with Cancer Alliances about the future of the Genomic Medicine Service.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information regarding the draft NHS Genomic Medicine Service (NHS GMS) specification was shared with the Cancer Alliances as part of stakeholder engagement conversations held during summer 2025. The NHS GMS regions are expected to have ongoing engagement with local Cancer Alliances as part of NHS GMS service development and strategy and as part of regional governance requirements.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to change their genomic testing strategy.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Genomic Medicine Service’s (NHS GMS) service specification, published in July 2025, sets out future testing strategy, including focus on improved turnaround times and requirements to deliver the Genomic Population Health Service, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan. The final service specification was published in Autumn 2025 following stakeholder feedback. The new NHS GMS will be operational from April 2026 and will set out the new model up to 2036.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish the draft service specification for the Genomic Medicine Service, and if so, when.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Genomic Medicine Service’s (NHS GMS) service specification, published in July 2025, sets out future testing strategy, including focus on improved turnaround times and requirements to deliver the Genomic Population Health Service, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan. The final service specification was published in Autumn 2025 following stakeholder feedback. The new NHS GMS will be operational from April 2026 and will set out the new model up to 2036.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what data they collect on the annual sales of handmade cigars.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Clearance figures for tobacco products, including cigar products, can be found in HMRCs tobacco bulletin, which is available on GOV.UK.
However, HMRC does not collect sales data specifically on handmade cigars.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government what advice the Attorney General provided about the proportionality and applicability to Northern Ireland under World Trade Organization rules of the generational smoking ban in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, and the likelihood of a legal challenge at the World Trade Organization.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
The Law Officers sit on the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee. As part of the process of approving a government Bill for introduction, as set out in the published Guide to Making Legislation, a legal issues memorandum is prepared for this Committee. This will set out all relevant legal issues.
Whether the Law Officers have been asked to provide advice outside of the PBL process is covered by the Law Officers’ Convention. This Convention provides that whether or not the Law Officers have been asked to provide advice, and the contents of any such advice, is not disclosed outside Government.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government what advice the Attorney General provided about the legality and applicability to Northern Ireland of the generational smoking ban in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, and the compatibility of that ban with the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
The Law Officers sit on the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee. As part of the process of approving a government Bill for introduction, as set out in the published Guide to Making Legislation, a legal issues memorandum is prepared for this Committee. This will set out all relevant legal issues.
Whether the Law Officers have been asked to provide advice outside of the PBL process is covered by the Law Officers’ Convention. This Convention provides that whether or not the Law Officers have been asked to provide advice, and the contents of any such advice, is not disclosed outside Government.