Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many clearances for Carer's Allowance claims have been made involving carers' earnings being averaged since 3 September 2025.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Obtaining this information would require a manual review of individual claims and could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative assessment of the adequacy of levels of access to Procysbi for people with Cystinosis in England compared to other parts of the UK.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government does not plan to undertake a comparative assessment of access to individual medicines across the United Kingdom. Health is a devolved matter and each UK nation is responsible for making its own decisions on the funding and use of medicines for patients in its health system.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all paediatric departments have access to specialists trained in the diagnosis and treatment of Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS).

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises that paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS) can be distressing conditions for children, young people, and their families, and that assessment and management can be clinically complex.

NHS England welcomes the formation of the PANS PANDAS Steering Group (PPSG), which includes representatives from key royal colleges, specialist clinical bodies, and the national charity PANS PANDAS UK. Since its establishment, the PPSG has launched several strategic initiatives to improve awareness, understanding, and care for affected children and young people. This includes the development of United Kingdom clinical guidelines and the formation of the PANS PANDAS Research Group and the Education, Social Care and Health Group.

Responsibility for commissioning and planning local health services sits with integrated care boards, which are expected to ensure local services have access to the appropriate clinical expertise to meet the needs of their populations and to consider emerging evidence and guidance as it develops.

The Department continues to support research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which welcomes funding applications into all aspects of human health, including PANS and PANDAS. As the evidence base strengthens, bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will consider whether updates to national guidance are appropriate.

Protection and restoration of ancient woodland