Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March to Question 114810, whether the underlying cost data from the Realist evaluation of Autism ServiCe Delivery (RE-ASCeD) paper referred to in the Answer was critically appraised; and whether NHS England, when interpreting the data from this research to inform guide prices, (a) took into account inflation since publication and (b) checked that the hourly rate for clinical time included appropriate adjustments for patient facing time.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Realist evaluation of Autism ServiCe Delivery (RE-ASCeD) paper was considered as part of the development of guide prices for 2026/27. Specifically, the amount of professional time linked to an average assessment and the evidence of increased cost for children and young people over adult assessment.
During the process of determining guide prices, NHS England considered that the costs reported would have changed since publication of the NHS England commissioned RE-ASCeD evaluation, due to various reasons, including changes in practice. As a result, NHS England did not use these costs directly to inform the guide prices, but noted some of the helpful components such as the amount of professional time linked to an average assessment and the evidence of increased cost for children and young people over adult assessments.
We reflected that practices have changed over time and therefore not all elements of the RE-ASCeD evaluation remain relevant. Whilst we did not consider the hourly rates within the evaluation, we continued to be guided by optimal assessment pathway practice as outlined in the National Autism Framework and Operational Guidance from 2023 and current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2026 to Question 114810 Neurodiversity: Mental Health Services, what weight was given to the autism assessment cost data in the Realist evaluation of Autism ServiCe Delivery (RE-ASCeD) paper in determining guide prices.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Realist evaluation of Autism ServiCe Delivery (RE-ASCeD) paper was considered as part of the development of guide prices for 2026/27. Specifically, the amount of professional time linked to an average assessment and the evidence of increased cost for children and young people over adult assessment.
During the process of determining guide prices, NHS England considered that the costs reported would have changed since publication of the NHS England commissioned RE-ASCeD evaluation, due to various reasons, including changes in practice. As a result, NHS England did not use these costs directly to inform the guide prices, but noted some of the helpful components such as the amount of professional time linked to an average assessment and the evidence of increased cost for children and young people over adult assessments.
We reflected that practices have changed over time and therefore not all elements of the RE-ASCeD evaluation remain relevant. Whilst we did not consider the hourly rates within the evaluation, we continued to be guided by optimal assessment pathway practice as outlined in the National Autism Framework and Operational Guidance from 2023 and current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how he is working with the DSMA to prevent the inadvertent disclosure of information from HMNB Portsmouth by the media which would improve an adversary’s knowledge and understanding of the UK’s military plans.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Ministry of Defence has frequent contact with the Defence and Security Media Advisory Committee during which specific matters are discussed in confidence, with impartial advice provided to the Department and to the media.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the Women's Justice Board report entitled Women’s Justice Board recommendations for reducing women’s imprisonment.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 14 April to Questions 124155, 124156 and 124157.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will consult with young women and specialist women and girls’ organisations to develop a Young Women's Strategy.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 14 April to Questions 124155, 124156 and 124157.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his department has to develop a Young Women’s Strategy.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 14 April to Questions 124155, 124156 and 124157.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the changes to EU customs duties for small parcels on the magazine media sector.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The EU’s changes to customs duties for small parcels remain at the proposal stage, although interim measures have started to be introduced by some Member States. This Government is engaging with relevant UK business representative organisations and industry stakeholders to consider the potential implications. To support preparedness, the Department is working with other departments to develop new online resources to help businesses, particularly SMEs understand and navigate any new requirements.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 114815 on Administration of Estates: Correspondence, what proportion of reviews of the state pension record of the deceased were completed within (a) 15 days where there was a surviving spouse or civil partner of a customer over the State Pension age, (b) 20 days where there was no surviving spouse or civil partner of a customer over the State Pension age and (c) over 8 weeks where the customer was over the State Pension age in each of the last three years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2025 to Question 27053 on Cancer: Health Services, how much funding his Department (a) has allocated and (b) plans to allocate to increase maximise radiotherapy productivity through AI.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to support productivity and efficiency in radiotherapy services, for example by assisting clinicians with aspects of treatment planning such as contouring. The Department has not allocated ring‑fenced funding specifically for the purpose of increasing radiotherapy productivity through AI. Decisions on the adoption of AI technologies in radiotherapy are taken locally by National Health Service organisations, which may choose to invest in products that meet clinical safety, regulatory, and value‑for‑money requirements.
Nationally, the Department and NHS England have focused AI investment on priority areas such as diagnostics, including cancer imaging, where there is clear evidence of benefit to patient pathways. Any future funding decisions for AI in health and care, including potential investment related to radiotherapy, will be considered as part of Spending Review processes.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of the Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 on the number of glue traps.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No formal assessment has been made of the impact of the Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 on the number of glue traps.
The Act aims to improve animal welfare by reducing the use of glue traps in England. Since 2022, market-leading suppliers have been removing glue traps from sale and promoting more humane alternatives; and since 2024, professional pest controllers have only been able to use glue traps in exceptional circumstances under licence. Defra has confidence that the number of these devices deployed across England has significantly reduced.