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 improve access to treatment for people with alopecia areata in Gloucester.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to supporting all those living with dermatological conditions, including alopecia areata. Dermatology services are being transformed to make sure that patients are seen on time. NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Programme for Dermatology is working with National Health Service trusts to deliver rapid clinical transformation. The work brings together clinicians and operational teams to work collectively to transform patient pathways, reduce unnecessary appointments, and improve access and waiting times for patients.

In March 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended ritlecitinib as an option for treating severe alopecia areata in people 12 years old and over. The NHS is legally required to make funding available for treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance within three months of publication of the guidance, opening the way for patients across the country, including in Gloucester, to access this treatment.

It is a clinician’s responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of their patient, whilst ensuring they are taking account of appropriate national guidance on clinical effectiveness, as well as the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care board (ICB), in this case the NHS Gloucestershire ICB.

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 increase (a) funding and (b) support for research into endometriosis.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Over the past 10 years, the NIHR has invested approximately £11.2 million into research with a focus on endometriosis and continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of women’s health, including endometriosis.

To support further research into women’s health, in 2024 the NIHR launched two new funding calls for studies seeking to improve the health and wellbeing of women. Details of the successful funding awards will be published on the NIHR’s website later this year.

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 support phlebotomists in Gloucester.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Local organisations are responsible for supporting their workforce, including staff in phlebotomy roles. We are aware of local industrial action in Gloucester. This is a local issue for the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to manage, working in partnership with trade unions.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support the (a) implementation and (b) effectiveness of high street rental auctions in Gloucester.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is fully committed to revitalising our high streets and supporting businesses to make our towns and cities, including Gloucester, successful. High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs) are supported by a fund of over £1 million, a new burdens payment and a suite of detailed guidance and practical templates to support implementation. My department are working closely with 11 local authority early adopters, who will be amongst the first to deliver, and will help shape future guidance and champion these powers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding her Department provides to children and young people’s domestic abuse services in Gloucester.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

This Government has set out an ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within a decade and will treat it as the national emergency that it is. Supporting children and young people who are victims of domestic abuse within their families and in their own relationships must be a key part of that through the forthcoming VAWG strategy. The Home Office currently funds specialist support to children who have been impacted by domestic abuse through the Children Affected by Domestic Abuse (CADA) Fund, which supported eight organisations across England and Wales with £10.3 million between 2022 and 2025.

The Government has increased funding to all local authorities to £160 million for 2025-26, an uplift of £30 million from the previous year, to provide further support in safe accommodation for domestic abuse survivors, including children. We will deliver a cross-government, transformative approach, underpinned by a new VAWG Strategy published later this year. This will take into account the needs of all victims, including children.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to increase public confidence in policing in Gloucester.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

As part of the Safer Street’s Mission, the Government has set out an ambition to halve violence against women and girls, halve knife crime and restore public confidence in policing, including through the delivery of a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

Provision has been made for £1,527,344 of funding to Gloucestershire Constabulary to kickstart the increase of neighbourhood policing personnel in 2025/26.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to provide support to theatres in Gloucester.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The government primarily supports theatres predominantly through Arts Council England (ACE). Through their main funding programme, the 2023-2027 National Portfolio Investment Programme, ACE is providing over £100 million in grants per year to around 195 theatres across the country. Across all their funding programmes, including lottery schemes, for the financial year 2024-25, ACE awarded around £300 million to theatres/theatre based organisations.

From 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025, ACE will have invested a combined total of £455,613 across two 'Theatre' awards in the constituency of Gloucester - to Complicite, an internationally renowned touring theatre company who have recently relocated to Gloucester, and Strike a Light, a theatre organisation homegrown in Gloucester.

Theatres also benefit from the support that the government provides the sector through Theatre Tax Relief, and has also recently announced over £270 million investment for our arts venues, museums, libraries and our heritage sector.

Found: Danny Beales Dr Beccy Cooper Jen Craft Josh Fenton-Glynn Andrew George Paulette Hamilton Alex McIntyre

Found: Chair); Danny Beales; Ben Coleman; Dr Beccy Cooper; Jen Craft; Josh Fenton-Glynn; Andrew George; Alex McIntyre

Found: ; Danny Beales; Ben Coleman; Jen Craft; Josh Fenton-Glynn; Andrew George; Paulette Hamilton; Alex McIntyre

Found: Danny Beales; Ben Coleman; Jen Craft; Josh Fenton -Glynn; Andrew George; Paulette Hamilton; Alex McIntyre

Found: ; Danny Beales; Ben Coleman; Jen Craft; Josh Fenton-Glynn; Andrew George; Paulette Hamilton; Alex McIntyre

Found: Danny Beales; Dr Beccy Cooper; Jen Craft; Josh Fenton-Glynn; Andrew George; Paulette Hamilton; Alex McIntyre

The first 1000 days of life, from conception to age two, are widely recognised as a critical period for child development, shaping long-term health, well-being, and life outcomes.The previous Committee examined this period in its 2019 First 1000 days of life inquiryconsidering national strategy, current spending and barriers to investment and local provision. Since then, there have been a number of significant policy developments in this area.The most notable being the shift to integrated care services (ICSs) under the previous Government in 2022.The current Government has allocated £126 million for early years support and the expansion of Family Hubs under its mission to “break down the barriers to opportunities”.The Committee’s inquiry will examine progress made since 2019, the effectiveness of family hubs and integrated care systems in improving early childhood outcomesand how inequalities in access can be most improved.