Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an independent appeal or review mechanism for complainants who are dissatisfied with decisions made by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

Answered by Jim McMahon

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman's decisions on complaints are typically final, and can only be challenged through the courts on points of law. The government has no plans to change this.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding strategies his Department is considering to ensure hospices remain (a) competitive and (b) sustainable.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which can include the hospice services available within the ICB catchment.

As set out in the Government’s recently published 10-Year Health Plan, we are determined to shift more care out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative care and end of life care services, including hospices, will have a big role to play in that shift, and were highlighted in the plan as being an integral part of neighbourhood teams.

I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all- age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan. The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end-of-life care services to support a reduction in variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to support hospices to (a) attract and (b) retain their workforce.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing National Health Services.  As independent organisations, charitable hospices are responsible for their own recruitment and employment terms. They are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment, including the pay scales. It is for them to determine what is affordable within the financial model they operate.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. The funding will alleviate immediate pressures on hospice finances, enabling them to invest in infrastructure over the longer term. It will allow hospices to create an improved physical environment with enhanced facilities and will allow them to focus their attention and wider resources on providing the best quality care to patients.

Some hospices, however, are NHS services. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create an NHS workforce in England ready to deliver a transformed service. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it. From now on, we will ensure that staff will be better treated, have better training, more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future, so they can achieve more.

Found: on Standards in Public Life Room G07 1 Horse Guards Road London SW1A 2HQ Alberto Costa

Found: Switchboard: 0300 123 3000 or 020 7981 3000 www.ofcom.org.uk Classification: HIGHLY SENSITIVE Mr Alberto Costa

Found: Alberto Costa MP Chair of the Committee on Standards cc Clerk of the Committee on Standards

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Alberto Costa (Chair); Paula Barker; Gill Furniss; Mehmuda Mian;

Found: Current membership Alberto Costa (Conservative; South Leicestershire) (Chair) Paula Barker (Labour; Liverpool

Found: Letter dated 09/06/2025 from Matthew Pennycook MP to Lewis Cocking MP and Alberto Costa MP regarding

Found: Letter dated 09/06/2025 from Matthew Pennycook MP to Lewis Cocking MP and Alberto Costa MP regarding

Found: request that the enclosed letters to David Simmonds MP (30 July 2025); to Lewis Cocking MP and Alberto Costa

Found: request that the enclosed letters to David Simmonds MP (30 July 2025); to Lewis Cocking MP and Alberto Costa