Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data he holds on the number of bedrooms available for parents with a baby on the neonatal unit by (a) Trust and (b) neonatal units.

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

The results from NHS England’s Maternity and Neonatal Infrastructure Review, commissioned in 2023, showed that there are 747 parental accommodation rooms within neonatal units nationally. NHS England does not hold data on the standard of these rooms. However, there is undoubtedly variation in the provision of parental accommodation at neonatal units across England and we know that not all maternity hospitals are currently able to offer adequate accommodation for families due to the historic undercapitalisation across the National Health Service. A summary of the findings report is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/maternity-and-neonatal-infrastructure-review-findings/#:~:text=Against%20a%20backdrop%20of%20a,serious%20risk%20of%20imminent%20breakdown.

Data on the number of parental accommodation rooms is attached.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what monitoring her Department undertakes of recruitment and selection practices by organisations in receipt of public funds.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The department does not monitor the recruitment and selection approaches in place across other employers except in some specific situations, for example on the approach to the remuneration of some senior academy trust executive leaders.

All individuals working in public roles within the education sector are expected to comply with the Seven Principles of Public Life, which includes making decisions fairly and on merit.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full time equivalent civil servants are working on his Department's response to the Hughes Report: Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024.

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

Civil servants often contribute to a range of policy areas within the Department, therefore it is not possible to provide specific staff numbers for those that are exclusively working on the Department’s response to the Hughes Report.

Found: Chair) Jess Asato (Labour; Lowestoft) Sureena Brackenridge (Labour; Wolverhampton North East) Dr Caroline Johnson

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Helen Hayes (Chair); Jess Asato; Dr Caroline Johnson; Darren Paffey

Submit Evidence (by 27 Mar 2026)

The Education Select Committee and the Health and Social Care Select Committee have jointly launched an inquiry into the mental health of children and young people. This inquiry will examine mental health support and services provided in education and community settings, available to children and young people up to the age of 25. The Committees wish to understand how this provision is integrated with specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), acute and other statutory NHS services. 

Submit Evidence (by 10 Apr 2026)

The Education Committee is looking to examine how artificial intelligence (AI) and EdTech are reshaping education across England, from early years settings to schools, colleges and universities. The Committee will explore the opportunities these technologies present for improving learning and teaching, as well as the risks they pose - including their potential impact on children’s digital rights, safeguarding, inequalities and assessment.