Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) support available to police officers who attend traumatic incidents and (b) suicide prevention training provided to police officers.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The health and wellbeing of our police is a top priority for the Home Office and it’s essential that those who have faced traumatic incidents in the line of duty receive the support they need to recover and continue serving. We continue to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service who have developed an evidenced-based trauma support model which is now available to forces.
NPWS have also created a national suicide action plan which aims to educate and support the workforce, reduce stress and improve data recording. In addition, the Service is piloting a 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Support Line to provide urgent support for our police when they need it the most.
It is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers to effectively manage their workforce, ensuring the appropriate health and wellbeing provisions are in place for their officers and staff.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) support available to fire and rescue staff who attend traumatic incidents and (b) suicide prevention training provided to fire and rescue staff.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The health and wellbeing of firefighters is of the utmost importance. The government recognises the risks that firefighters face and is grateful to them for their bravery. Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) are ultimately responsible for the health and wellbeing of firefighters and the government-issued National Framework directs that all Fire and Rescue Authorities should have a people strategy which sets out the mental and physical health and wellbeing support available to firefighters.
National organisations such as The Fire Fighters Charity and Mind also offer valuable support to individuals and services. Their resources can assist Fire and Rescue Authorities in developing local approaches to managing mental health risks and promoting the wellbeing of their workforce.
The health and wellbeing support provided by Fire and Rescue services is considered by the fire inspectorate (His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services) in the course of their work.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
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 adequacy of the (a) support available to ambulance staff who attend traumatic callouts and (b) suicide prevention training provided to ambulance staff.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The mental health of all National Health Service staff is taken seriously, including ambulance staff as responders to emergency incidents. Ambulance trusts and the Association of Ambulance Trust Chief Executives have worked closely with NHS England to ensure there is a good range of health and wellbeing support for staff. This includes an ambulance sector specific suicide prevention pathway to provide immediate support 24 hours a day, seven days a week for staff experiencing suicidal ideation. At a national level, ambulance trust employees have access to the SHOUT helpline for crisis support, alongside the Practitioner Health service for more complex mental health wellbeing support, including trauma and addiction.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps Great British Energy is taking to help public services use more renewable energy.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
GBE’s first investment, together with government, included £180 million for around 200 schools and 200 hospitals in England to install solar power and complementary technology, cutting energy costs.
Eleven school installations have already happened, enabling estimated annual bill savings of £175,000 total.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
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 potential impact of NHS England’s decision not to commission abiraterone acetate plus prednisone/prednisolone for men with high risk non metastatic prostate cancer on health equity for Black men.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England develops an Equality and Health Inequalities Impact Assessment (EHIA) for policy propositions included in its Policy Work Programme. The EHIA for abiraterone acetate plus prednisone for hormone sensitive non-metastatic prostate cancer noted that incidence rates for prostate cancer are higher in the black ethnic group, compared with the white ethnic group, in males in England. Commissioning decisions for abiraterone acetate plus prednisone/prednisolone apply equally to all individuals with high risk non metastatic prostate cancer regardless of race or ethnicity.
Incidence rates for prostate cancer are higher in the black ethnic group, compared with the white ethnic group, in males in England. To address this inequality, the Government has invested £16 million in the £42 million United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, led by Prostate Cancer UK, which aims to identify new ways of detecting prostate cancer at an earlier stage, including in men without symptoms. The trial will ensure that at least 10% of participants are Black men, reflecting their higher risk and the importance of ensuring new tests are effective across all groups.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the randomised control trial study report entitled Cost utility analysis of adding abiraterone acetate plus prednisone/prednisolone to long term hormone therapy in newly diagnosed advanced prostate cancer in England: Lifetime decision model based on STAMPEDE trial data, published in June 2022, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the findings of that study on the cost utility of adding abiraterone acetate plus prednisone/prednisolone to long term hormone therapy in men with newly diagnosed high risk non metastatic prostate cancer.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England considered abiraterone as an off-label treatment for hormone sensitive, non-metastatic prostate cancer through its clinical policy development process in 2024/25. Through this process, NHS England confirmed that there was sufficient supporting evidence to support the routine commissioning of abiraterone in this indication, and it was ranked in the highest priority level. However, at this point in time, it has not been possible to identify the necessary recurrent headroom in revenue budgets to support the funding of any treatments under consideration. This position is being kept under review.
NHS England examined papers from the STAMPEDE trial, including Cost utility analysis of adding abiraterone acetate plus prednisone/prednisolone to long term hormone therapy in newly diagnosed advanced prostate cancer in England: Lifetime decision model based on STAMPEDE trial data, as part of the review of evidence for the policy proposition.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of delays in the S106 process; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of standardised agreements.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognise that protracted negotiations on section 106 agreements increase costs for local authorities and developers, and can have a disproportionate impact on SME builders.
On 28 May 2025, the government published the Planning Reform Working Paper: Reforming Site Thresholds (which can be found on gov.uk here). The working paper seeks views and evidence as to how section 106 obligations can be agreed more quickly, and the role national government should play in improving the process – including the merits of a standardised s106 template for medium sites. We will consider comments received on this working paper, which will inform a consultation later in the year.
Planning practice guidance on planning obligations encourages local planning authorities to use and publish standard forms and templates to assist with the process of agreeing planning obligations. These could include model agreements and clauses (including those already published by other bodies), that could be made publicly available to help with the planning application process. The guidance also states that planning obligations should be negotiated to enable decisions on planning applications to be made within the statutory time limits or a longer period where agreed in writing between the local planning authority and the applicant.
The government is committed to strengthening the system of developer contributions, including section 106 planning obligations, to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate she has made of the cost to court infrastructure of implementing the Equality and Human Rights Commission's revised code of practice for services, public functions and associations.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
No such estimates have been produced. Any financial consequences from implementing the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s revised code of practice in HM Courts and Tribunals Service will be considered as part of the agency’s annual budgeting cycle.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate she has made of the cost to courts of implementing the Equality and Human Rights Commission's revised code of practice for services, public functions and associations.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
No such estimates have been produced. Any financial consequences from implementing the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s revised code of practice in HM Courts and Tribunals Service will be considered as part of the agency’s annual budgeting cycle.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate she has made of the potential legal costs for her Department of implementing the proposed EHRC Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions, and Associations.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
No such estimates have been produced. Any financial implications of implementing the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s revised Code of Practice at MoJ HQ will be considered as part of the Department’s annual budgeting process.