Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what (a) grants and 9b) funding her Department has allocated to the Medical Research Council for research into anti-seizure medications in pregnancy since 2018.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Since 2018, the Medical Research Council (MRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), has committed £2.7 million to a research project developing a new anti-seizure drug to the point of regulatory submission for first-in-human trials. The treatment is intended to improve upon the effectiveness of the main existing anti-seizure treatment, valproate, to avoid valproate’s harmful effects on unborn children.
DSIT is investing a record £58.5 billion on R&D between 2026/27 and 2029/30. UKRI will deliver an expected £38.6 billion of R&D investment from 2026/27 to 2029/30, rising to nearly £10 billion per annum by the end of the period. A more detailed breakdown of UKRI’s budgets will be published later this year.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated for research of anti-seizure medications in pregnancy (a) in total and (b) to the MHRA since 2020.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Between 2020 and 2024 the Department, through its research delivery arm the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR), has invested approximately £5.34 million through direct awards to research into anti-seizure or anti-epilepsy medication in pregnancy. This figure reflects the total budget for research awards that were active during this period. The most recent funding in this area was £2.68 million to a research award which commenced in June 2023. Since 2018, the NIHR has invested approximately £5.33 million through direct awards to prospective research studies into anti-seizure medications other than sodium valproate. This figure reflects the total budget for research awards that were active during this period. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has not received specific funding for research in this area from the Department. The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of maternal health, including anti-seizure medications in pregnancy.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated for prospective studies into anti-seizure medications other than Sodium Valproate in pregnancy since 2018.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Between 2020 and 2024 the Department, through its research delivery arm the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR), has invested approximately £5.34 million through direct awards to research into anti-seizure or anti-epilepsy medication in pregnancy. This figure reflects the total budget for research awards that were active during this period. The most recent funding in this area was £2.68 million to a research award which commenced in June 2023. Since 2018, the NIHR has invested approximately £5.33 million through direct awards to prospective research studies into anti-seizure medications other than sodium valproate. This figure reflects the total budget for research awards that were active during this period. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has not received specific funding for research in this area from the Department. The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of maternal health, including anti-seizure medications in pregnancy.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when research funding was last given for anti-seizure medications in pregnancy.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Between 2020 and 2024 the Department, through its research delivery arm the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR), has invested approximately £5.34 million through direct awards to research into anti-seizure or anti-epilepsy medication in pregnancy. This figure reflects the total budget for research awards that were active during this period. The most recent funding in this area was £2.68 million to a research award which commenced in June 2023. Since 2018, the NIHR has invested approximately £5.33 million through direct awards to prospective research studies into anti-seizure medications other than sodium valproate. This figure reflects the total budget for research awards that were active during this period. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has not received specific funding for research in this area from the Department. The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of maternal health, including anti-seizure medications in pregnancy.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS trusts on providing meals for parents when their child is in hospital overnight.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is currently working with the National Health Service to pilot providing meals for parents when their child is in hospital overnight through work being implemented to recognise the wishes of Sophie Fairall and the charity established posthumously in her name, Sophie’s Legacy. This work aims to improve hospital experiences for children and their parents, including ensuring parents and carers have access to food and drink while staying with their children in hospital.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools' core budgets in more deprived communities are not disproportionately used to meet the costs of providing free school meals.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
This department spends over £1.5 billion annually supporting the provision of free and nutritious meals to around 3.4 million children. We have also set aside over £1 billion over the multi-year spending review period to back our significant expansion of free meals support to all households on Universal Credit, taking effect from September 2026 and benefitting over half a million children.
As with all policies, we continue to keep free meals policy, including funding, under review to ensure that nutritious meals continue to be deliverable. Departmental officials meet regularly with the sector, including the school catering industry, and use these insights to inform our work.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of planned business rates reforms on the wholesale sector; and if she will consider extending retail-equivalent reliefs to wholesalers.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government currently provides a 40 per cent business rates relief for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, up to a cash cap of £110,0000 per business, in 2025-26. Eligibility for the RHL relief scheme is outlined in guidance published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, and is focused on RHL properties that are wholly or mainly open to visiting members of the public. This is to ensure that support is targeted at in-person RHL, thereby helping to rebalance the burden between online and high-street retailers. There are no plans to expand the scope of this relief.
From 2026/27, the Government is introducing permanently lower business rates multipliers for RHL properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000. Details on which RHL properties will qualify for these lower multipliers can be found online here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/business-rates-multipliers-qualifying-retail-hospitality-or-leisure.
To fund these lower RHL multipliers sustainably, from 2026/27, the Government is also introducing a higher multiplier on properties with RVs of £500,000 and above.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she made of the role of wholesalers in maintaining supply chain resilience when determining eligibility for business rates reliefs.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government currently provides a 40 per cent business rates relief for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, up to a cash cap of £110,0000 per business, in 2025-26. Eligibility for the RHL relief scheme is outlined in guidance published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, and is focused on RHL properties that are wholly or mainly open to visiting members of the public. This is to ensure that support is targeted at in-person RHL, thereby helping to rebalance the burden between online and high-street retailers. There are no plans to expand the scope of this relief.
From 2026/27, the Government is introducing permanently lower business rates multipliers for RHL properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000. Details on which RHL properties will qualify for these lower multipliers can be found online here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/business-rates-multipliers-qualifying-retail-hospitality-or-leisure.
To fund these lower RHL multipliers sustainably, from 2026/27, the Government is also introducing a higher multiplier on properties with RVs of £500,000 and above.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the target to include a women's health hub within every ICB area is not included in the document by NHS England entitled 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance, last updated on 22 August 2025.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A target on women’s health hubs was not needed in this year’s planning guidance because the target was met. We have moved away from central targets through the planning guidance and are supporting integrated care boards (ICBs) to continue improving their delivery of women’s health hubs. This is in line with their responsibility to decide which services they want to commission in order to meet the needs of their local populations and will therefore not be mandated. We have heard from ICBs on the positive impacts that women’s health hubs have on both women's access to care in the community and their experiences. The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and to support ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to moving towards a neighbourhood health service, with more care delivered in local communities, to identify and address problems earlier and closer to home. Women’s health hubs are an example of this approach and can play a key role in delivering the Government’s commitments on tackling long National Health Service waiting lists, as well as shifting care into the community.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the removal of the mandatory target for the provision of women's health hubs in each ICB area in the 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance, last updated on 22 August 2025, on the availability of (a) conservative treatment and (b) pelvic floor physiotherapy for (i) stress incontinence and (ii) prolapse for women.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A target on women’s health hubs was not needed in this year’s planning guidance because the target was met. We have moved away from central targets through the planning guidance and are supporting integrated care boards (ICBs) to continue improving their delivery of women’s health hubs. This is in line with their responsibility to decide which services they want to commission in order to meet the needs of their local populations and will therefore not be mandated. We have heard from ICBs on the positive impacts that women’s health hubs have on both women's access to care in the community and their experiences. The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and to support ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to moving towards a neighbourhood health service, with more care delivered in local communities, to identify and address problems earlier and closer to home. Women’s health hubs are an example of this approach and can play a key role in delivering the Government’s commitments on tackling long National Health Service waiting lists, as well as shifting care into the community.