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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms his Department plans to use to monitor the effectiveness of the multi-year Settlement in reducing disparities in funding between more and less deprived local authorities.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is making good on long overdue promises to fundamentally update the way we fund local authorities. We are realigning funding with need by introducing a fairer and evidence-based funding assessment, which will target a greater proportion of central government grant funding towards the most deprived places which need it the most. By 2028-29, we expect that the 10% most deprived authorities in England will see a significant increase in Core Spending Power per head compared to the least deprived.

The new assessment will be based on the most up-to-date data available. Going forwards, we will update the data at the beginning of each multi-year Settlement to balance dynamism with providing certainty and stability over the Settlement period.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of epilepsy to (a) the NHS and (b) the wider economy; and how this estimate informs decisions on funding for epilepsy research.

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

While the Government has not made a formal estimate of the cost of epilepsy to the National Health Service and the wider economy, we are aware of a report published by Economist Impact in February 2024, titled, The value of action: mitigating the impact of neurological disorders in the United Kingdom, which estimated that idiopathic epilepsy cost the economy £1.7 billion or 0.07% of gross domestic product in 2019. This report is available at the following link:

https://impact.economist.com/health/value-action-mitigating-impact-neurological-disorders-united-kingdom

The Department funds research into epilepsy via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Between 2020/21 and 2024/25, the NIHR invested £12.8 million in direct research funding on epilepsy.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including epilepsy. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on epilepsy to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will publish changes in bus funding allocations by local transport authority for 2025–26 and 2026–27.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

On 5 December, the Government confirmed investment of over £3 billion from 2026/27 for the rest of the spending review period to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services for millions of passengers. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year, ending the short-term approach to bus funding and giving councils the certainty they need to plan ahead.

The formula used to calculate LABG allocations in 2025/26 was the Government’s first step towards ending competitive allocations and it considered population size, levels of deprivation and the extent of existing bus services. To prevent sharp decreases of funding, and as part of the Government’s effort to rebalance inequalities created by competitive allocations, losses were capped at 25%.

We revised this formula for 2026/27 onwards to give a greater weighting to levels of deprivation and population, and to cap any losses at 5% in our continued effort to end the inequalities of competitive allocations once and for all. The formula now also includes consideration of the rurality of local areas in response to a recommendation from the Transport Select Committee.

Further details on the funding formula and local authority allocations for 2026/27 onwards have been published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-bus-grant-allocations. LABG allocations for 2025/26 are also published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bus-service-improvement-plans-local-transport-authority-allocations/total-combined-bus-funding-allocations-2025-to-2026.

In addition to the LABG, the Government has also introduced a £3 million Bus Franchising Fund for Mayoral Combined Authorities that are pursuing franchising to apply for in 26/27, such as Liverpool City Region, to help support their transition to franchised services.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will set out the changes to the bus funding allocations formula between 2025-26 and 2026-27.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

On 5 December, the Government confirmed investment of over £3 billion from 2026/27 for the rest of the spending review period to support local leaders and bus operators across the country to improve bus services for millions of passengers. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year, ending the short-term approach to bus funding and giving councils the certainty they need to plan ahead.

The formula used to calculate LABG allocations in 2025/26 was the Government’s first step towards ending competitive allocations and it considered population size, levels of deprivation and the extent of existing bus services. To prevent sharp decreases of funding, and as part of the Government’s effort to rebalance inequalities created by competitive allocations, losses were capped at 25%.

We revised this formula for 2026/27 onwards to give a greater weighting to levels of deprivation and population, and to cap any losses at 5% in our continued effort to end the inequalities of competitive allocations once and for all. The formula now also includes consideration of the rurality of local areas in response to a recommendation from the Transport Select Committee.

Further details on the funding formula and local authority allocations for 2026/27 onwards have been published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-bus-grant-allocations. LABG allocations for 2025/26 are also published on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bus-service-improvement-plans-local-transport-authority-allocations/total-combined-bus-funding-allocations-2025-to-2026.

In addition to the LABG, the Government has also introduced a £3 million Bus Franchising Fund for Mayoral Combined Authorities that are pursuing franchising to apply for in 26/27, such as Liverpool City Region, to help support their transition to franchised services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department's funding for epilepsy research.

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

The Department funds research into epilepsy via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Between 2020/21 and 2024/25, the NIHR invested £12.8 million in direct research funding on epilepsy. This investment in epilepsy research allows us to continue developing our understanding of the condition and make a real difference to people living with epilepsy, as demonstrated by the examples of impact outlined below.

In 2022, the NIHR-hosted James Lind Alliance (JLA) carried out a UK Epilepsy Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) with epilepsy patients, carers, and service providers to identify the most pressing research priorities for ongoing epilepsy research investment. Many NIHR-funded research projects align to and address the priorities set out by the JLA PSP, boosting epilepsy research. These include:

• the Ultra Long-Term EEG to Guide Rapid Treatment Changes for People with Epilepsy (LEG-RTC) study, which that is studying how the first ever ultra-long term seizure recorder could help improve outcomes and reduce risk of harm for patients with epilepsy whose condition cannot be controlled by medication, with further information available at the following link: https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR209057;
• the Medicinal Cannabis in Refractory Epilepsies study, which aims to explore whether two different cannabis-based medicines are a useful treatment for refractory epilepsy in reducing seizures, and whether these medicines impact learning, sleep, behavior, quality of life, stress, and anxiety, with further information available at the following link: https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR131309; and
• the Developing a wireless intracranial neuromonitoring device for drug-resistant epilepsy study, to develop a wireless neuromonitoring device for drug-resistant epilepsy, aiming to create a minimally invasive, implantable device which allows for extended monitoring of seizures without the need for patients to remain in hospital leading to less patient distress, better localization data, reduced clinical costs, and better surgical outcomes. Further information is available at the following link: https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR204209.

Other examples of NIHR-funded epilepsy research and impact include:

• the Epilepsy: what are the chances of having a second seizure? study, where, in 2023, NIHR-funded researchers found that an individual’s risk of having a second seizure after an initial unprovoked seizure was highest in the first six months, although the risk remained elevated for two years and beyond, providing critical insights for doctors counselling their patients on repeat seizure risks. Many studies in this review had a follow-up period of less than two years. This review therefore highlights the need for further research which can estimate the risk of seizure recurrence beyond two years. Further information is available at the following link: https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/alert/epilepsy-what-are-the-chances-of-having-a-second-seizure/; and
• the How can we support the mental health of children with epilepsy? study, which evaluated the remotely delivered Mental Health Intervention for Children with Epilepsy (MICE), delivered by epilepsy clinicians with limited formal training in psychological interventions. Compared with usual care, when clinicians used the intervention, young people with epilepsy and their carers had improved mental health. The evidence from this research suggests that a variety of clinicians can effectively and safely treat children with epilepsy and mental health difficulties. The remote delivery of MICE was beneficial in terms of less travel time and less time out of school for children. Further information is available at the following link: https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/alert/how-can-we-support-the-mental-health-of-children-with-epilepsy/.

The NIHR also works closely with other Government funders, including UK Research and Innovation, which is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and includes the Medical Research Council, to fund research into epilepsy to improve treatments and prevent poor health outcomes for patients.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including epilepsy. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on epilepsy to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what proportion of research funding is allocated to epilepsy research; and if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of this proportion.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Medical Research Council (MRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), has committed a total of over £25.5 million since 2018/19 on epilepsy research, including over £9.5 million in 2024/25. This research spans discovery science and fundamental understanding of the disease, through to new approaches for diagnosis and intervention. MRC also supports epilepsy research within its portfolio of larger investments. For example, this includes a new MRC Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) in Restorative Neural Dynamics which aims to develop brain stimulation devices to treat a range of conditions including childhood epilepsy, and the UK data platform for Traumatic Brain Injury research (TBI-REPORTER) which includes post-traumatic epilepsy as one of the areas of focus.

The Department of Health and Social Care also funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR has funded a range of ongoing epilepsy research and has awarded £12.8 million to studies in the last five financial years. The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including alternative treatments for epilepsy.

Found: Caroline Dinenage (Chair); Mr Bayo Alaba; Vicky Foxcroft; Damian Hinds; Natasha Irons; Liz Jarvis; Anneliese Midgley

Found: Dinenage (Chair); Mr Bayo Alaba; Vicky Foxcroft; Damian Hinds; Dr Rupa Huq; Natasha Irons; Anneliese Midgley

Found: Dinenage (Chair); Mr Bayo Alaba; Vicky Foxcroft; Damian Hinds; Dr Rupa Huq; Natasha Irons; Anneliese Midgley