Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's report of 2020 entitled Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Children Cases, what steps his Department is taking to implement recommendations from that report; and whether the Government has any plans for an alternative inquiry to take its place.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice and its partners are delivering a package of reforms aimed at improving how the family justice system supports children and families – including victims of domestic abuse.

As part of this work we have already taken forward many of the actions it committed to following the Harm Panel report. This includes expanding the Pathfinder model which aims to improve the experience of children and families involved in private law proceedings. Through delivery of Pathfinder in ten court areas, we are learning a significant amount about how the family courts can operate in line with the principles for reform set out in the Harm Panel report. We are carefully monitoring these lessons ahead of further expansion. Alongside this, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s recent report on the Family Court Review and Reporting Mechanism pilot has made further recommendations, which the Government is now considering.

In addition, following the recommendations of the Harm Panel report, we have completed a review of the presumption of parental involvement. The evidence from the review suggests that the presumption may feed into a pro-contact culture in the family courts, finding a high incidence of court-ordered contact between children and parents who have caused or posed a risk of harm. As part of our wider package of family court reforms, the Government announced on 22 October 2025 that we will repeal the presumption of parental involvement from the Children Act 1989 when Parliamentary time allows.

The Government will also be publishing our new, cross-government Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy as soon as possible, which will set out the strategic direction and concrete actions to deliver on the Government’s ambition to tackle violence against women and girls.

The Government therefore does not consider it necessary to establish an alternative inquiry at this time.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of (a) the quality of commissioning of social care services by local authorities and (b) the development of high-quality markets of service providers in local areas; and what steps he is taking to ensure factors other than volume and price are used by local authorities when commissioning social care services.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care.

In delivering their duties, local authorities should work closely with local providers to promote best practice and achieve a sustainable balance of quality, effectiveness, and value for money.

To ensure high standards of care, local authorities are assessed by the Care Quality Commission in how well they are delivering these commissioning and market shaping duties. Local authority assessment reports are published by the Care Quality Commission at the following link:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether integrated care boards have issued best practice guidance on the provision of health and social care services for those with a learning disability.

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

There are clear expectations of integrated care boards (ICBs) in relation to the commissioning of health services for people with a learning disability. The Model ICB Blueprint sets out the direction of travel for their role and functions in relation to commissioning services for the needs of their local population. Further information on the Model ICB Blueprint is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/strategic-commissioning-framework/

Each ICB is expected to have an Executive Lead for learning disability and autism to support the Board in addressing health inequalities, supporting equal access to health services, and planning to meet the needs of its local population of people with a learning disability and autistic people. NHS England has published guidance on expectations for Executive Lead roles which sets out further information, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/executive-lead-roles-on-integrated-care-boards/

There is a range of best practice guidance available to support ICBs to commission services for people with a learning disability, including guidance on Dynamic Support Registers and Care (Education) and Treatment Reviews, a service model for adults, and guidance for developing support and services for children and young people. Further information on all three guidance documents is available, respectively, at the following three links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/dynamic-support-register-and-care-education-and-treatment-review-policy-and-guide/#heading-1

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/service-model-for-commissioners-supporting-people-with-a-learning-disability-andor-autism-who-display-behaviour-that-challenges-including-those-with-a-mental-health-condition/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/developing-support-and-services-for-children-and-young-people-with-a-learning-disability-autism-or-both/

ICBs can also utilise NHS Futures, a digital collaboration platform which supports people working in health and social care to connect, share, and learn across organisations. NHS Futures has dedicated workspaces to support good practice, including resources on learning disability and autism.

The recently published NHS Medium Term Planning Framework emphasises the importance of improving outcomes for people with a learning disability, and our 10-Year Health Plan makes clear that people with disabilities are a priority group for more holistic, ongoing support from neighbourhood health 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 effectiveness of the Adult Social Care Digital Transformation Fund; and what plans he has for the future of the fund.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Digitising Social Care programme, which ended in April 2025, aimed to improve the digitisation of the adult social care sector. As part of this programme, the Digital Transformation fund enabled integrated care boards to support care providers to adopt digital social care records (DSCRs) and other care technologies.

80% of Care Quality Commission registered adult social care providers now use a DSCR, up from 41% in December 2021, benefitting 89% of people who draw on care. DSCRs have been shown to deliver significant productivity benefits, releasing at least 20 minutes of admin time per care worker, per shift. The widespread rollout of DSCRs also provides the foundation for more joined up and better-informed care. An independent report evaluating the impact of the Digitising Social Care programme is planned for publication in Spring 2026.

Building on the work of the Digitising Social Care programme, we are investing in the development of national data infrastructure for social care to lay the foundations for improved integration with National Health Service systems. We are also working to set new national standards for care technologies so that people can confidently buy and use technology which supports them or the people they care for.

Found: Cocking Chris Curtis Maya Ellis Mr Will Forster Naushabah Khan Mr Gagan Mohindra Joe Powell Mr Clive Betts

Found: No.148) Current membership Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative; North Cotswolds) (Chair) Mr Clive Betts

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Anna Dixon; Sarah

Found: No.148) Current membership Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative; North Cotswolds) (Chair) Mr Clive Betts

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Anna Dixon; Sarah