Danny Chambers Portrait

Danny Chambers

Liberal Democrat - Winchester

13,821 (24.2%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 4th July 2024

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Mental Health)

(since September 2024)

1 APPG membership (as of 20 Nov 2024)
Dog Advisory Welfare
Danny Chambers has no previous appointments


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Danny Chambers has voted in 37 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Danny Chambers Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Lindsay Hoyle (Speaker)
(7 debate interactions)
Rachel Reeves (Labour)
Chancellor of the Exchequer
(3 debate interactions)
Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour)
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
(3 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department of Health and Social Care
(19 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(6 debate contributions)
Wales Office
(4 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Danny Chambers's debates

Winchester Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Danny Chambers has not participated in any petition debates

Latest EDMs signed by Danny Chambers

10th October 2024
Danny Chambers signed this EDM on Wednesday 4th December 2024

UN Special Rapporteur's report on atrocity crimes in Iran

Tabled by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
That this House welcomes the landmark Atrocity Crimes report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, published by the OHCHR in July 2024, which sheds light on grave human rights violations, including the 1988 massacre of political prisoners; notes that the report states that …
103 signatures
(Most recent: 12 Dec 2024)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 52
Labour: 28
Conservative: 5
Scottish National Party: 5
Plaid Cymru: 4
Green Party: 3
Democratic Unionist Party: 3
Independent: 2
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 2
Traditional Unionist Voice: 1
21st November 2024
Danny Chambers signed this EDM as a sponsor on Monday 25th November 2024

Carers Rights Day

Tabled by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
That this House celebrates Carers Rights Day; recognises the hard and vital work unpaid carers do caring for their loved ones; notes that carers across the country support the wellbeing of millions of the most vulnerable in our society and contribute £184bn to the UK economy; further notes that health …
41 signatures
(Most recent: 10 Dec 2024)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 35
Independent: 3
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Green Party: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
View All Danny Chambers's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Danny Chambers, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Danny Chambers has not been granted any Urgent Questions

1 Adjournment Debate led by Danny Chambers

Wednesday 20th November 2024

1 Bill introduced by Danny Chambers


A Bill to make provision for and in connection with restricting the importation and non-commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 29th November 2024
(Read Debate)

Danny Chambers has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 31 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
14th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help accelerate the rollout of (a) 4G and (b) 5G in (i) central Winchester and (ii) other urban areas with limited mobile data availability.

This government wants all areas of the UK, including urban areas such as Winchester, to benefit from good quality mobile coverage. Our ambition is for all populated areas to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030, and to increase 4G coverage to 95% of the UK landmass by the end of 2025 through the Shared Rural Network programme.

This government is committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition. As part of this work, the Government intends to reform the planning system to make it easier to build and deploy digital infrastructure.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
14th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department is taking steps to support people with the cost of full fibre to premises connections in commercially viable areas where providers (a) do not connect premises and (b) require substantial fees.

The government does not support individuals with the cost of obtaining a full fibre connection in commercially viable areas. However, we have deployed a range of measures to support roll-out in commercially viable areas to make it as easy and as cost-effective as possible for operators to rollout their networks. For instance, we have worked with Ofcom to create regulation that facilitates infrastructure sharing between operators. We are also working with local authorities to overcome planning barriers

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
18th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 3.46 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October, how she plans to distribute the £300 million for further education in England.

This government is committed to driving economic growth and supporting opportunity for all, and further education (FE) is central to this. The government is providing an additional £300 million for FE to ensure young people are developing the skills they need to succeed, and an additional £300 million to support colleges to maintain, improve and ensure suitability of their estate. This funding will benefit all FE colleges. We will set out how the additional funding will be distributed in due course.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
11th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children with cerebral palsy attend mainstream schools.

The department does not hold statistics on how many children with cerebral palsy attend mainstream schools.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
11th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with his EU counterparts on ending restrictions on the import of poultry products from avian influenza disease control zones in EU countries.

Protecting both animal and human health is a top priority. Imports from EU zones restricted due to high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cannot meet the necessary animal health requirements, and therefore Import Health Certificates cannot be issued. However, imports from non-restricted areas remain permitted.

The department remains in close contact with EU counterparts to ensure restrictions are science-based and proportionate, with the aim of resuming trade as soon as conditions allow.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
8th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to produce a Chalk Streams Action Pack for the (a) protection and (b) enhancement of chalk streams.

This Government is committed to the protection and enhancement of chalk streams. We recognise that these unique water bodies are not just vital ecosystems; they are a symbol of our national heritage. That is why this Government has prioritised fixing the systemic issues in the water system, to restore our rivers, lakes and seas to good health.

We have introduced the Water (Special Measures) Bill in September, which will deliver on the government’s commitment to put water companies under special measures. We have also launched an independent commission into the water sector regulatory system in October to deliver transformative change to the water system.

These actions are fundamental to addressing the multiple pressures facing chalk streams.

Emma Hardy
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
23rd Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ban the (a) sale and (b) use of electric shock collars for dogs.

The Government will introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation and will bring forward plans in due course. Ministers will be considering available evidence around the use of hand-controlled e-collars and their effects on the welfare of animals.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
11th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the last Ministerial visit to an aquarium in the UK took place.

All Ministerial visits should be declared on the ministerial transparency return which is published by Cabinet Office every quarter.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
11th Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department last updated rules for (a) zoos and (b) aquariums on animal welfare.

The Secretary of State's Standards of Modern Zoo Practice were last updated in 2012. Defra is currently in the process of updating these standards, to ensure all animals in zoos and aquariums are kept in conditions that reflect latest best practice. The draft updated standards were consulted on in 2022, and further discussions have been held with the sector. An updated version of the standards will be published in due course.

Daniel Zeichner
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
18th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to change the level of train fares on South Western Railways when it is taken into public ownership.

Whilst it is our ambition through public ownership to deliver a more affordable railway, any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.

Through future legislation, we will set out the role Great British Railways will have in fares, ticketing, and other operational aspects of the railway.

Mike Kane
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
3rd Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of NHS funding has been allocated to mental health services in each year since 2015; and whether this funding met the NHS mental health investment standard.

The following table shows the recurrent National Health Service baseline, the total forecast mental health spend, and the proportion of NHS funding forecasted to be allocated to mental health services, which is only available in the format required under section 3(2) of the Health and Care Act 2022 from 2022/23 to 2024/25:

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

Recurrent NHS baseline

£142,400,000,000

£154,700,000,000

£164,000,000,000

Total forecast mental health spend

£12,600,000,000

£13,900,000,000

£14,800,000,000

Mental health share of recurrent baseline

8.87%

9%

9.01%

Source: Department of Health and Social Care Written Ministerial Statements.

The forecast figures for mental health spend are different from those in the NHS Mental Health Dashboard, which also includes spend on learning disabilities and dementia. The dashboard also compares integrated care board (ICB) mental health spend to ICB allocations, whereas the figures above compare projected total mental health spend to the recurrent NHS Mandate, which includes spending across ICBs, service development funding, and specialised commissioning.

The following table shows the number of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), now integrated care boards (ICBs), meeting the Mental Health Investment Standard (MHIS), each year from 2016/17 to 2023/24:

Year

Number of CCGs, now ICBs, meeting the MHIS

2016/17

177 out of 209 CCGs

2017/18

186 out of 207 CCGs

2018/19

179 out of 195 CCGs

2019/20

181 out of 191 CCGs

2020/21

135 out of 135 CCGs

2021/22

106 out of 106 CCGs

2022/23

41 out of 42 ICBs

2023/24

42 out of 42 ICBs

Source: NHS Mental Health Dashboard, NHS England

Note: between 2020/21 and 2021/22, there was a methodology change in how CCG base allocation was calculated.

Calculation of the MHIS does not include spend on learning disabilities, autism, dementia, and specialised commissioning.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
3rd Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of extra NHS funding announced at the budget will be allocated to NHS mental health services.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
3rd Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to maintain the Mental Health Investment Standard.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
25th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October, whether he has made an estimate of the total cost to pharmacy businesses of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions (a) nationally and (b) by constituency.

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, which enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department, from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The employer National Insurance rise will be implemented April 2025, and the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year at the earliest opportunity.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
25th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 2.40 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October, if he will make an estimate of the number of pharmacies that will pay increased National Insurance contributions (a) nationally and (b) by constituency.

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, which enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department, from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The employer National Insurance rise will be implemented April 2025, and the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year at the earliest opportunity.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
13th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to encourage increase his international counterparts to increase financial support for low- and middle-income countries in combating antimicrobial resistance at the Global High-Level Ministerial Meeting in Saudi Arabia.

The United Kingdom has long championed improved global finance to address anti-microbial resistance (AMR). The Department has committed £450 million of Official Development Assistance budget to tackle AMR in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through improving laboratory capacity and surveillance on resistance. The UK has also funded £106.6 million through the Global AMR Innovation Fund to develop innovative solutions to AMR which focus on the needs of LMICs.

We welcome the adoption of the political declaration on AMR at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and its call for the World Bank to work with the Quadripartite to facilitate improved access to existing funding for AMR.

I attended the 4th Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance in Jeddah on 15 and 16 November 2024. At the event I worked with other global leaders to secure progress that is being made to deliver the commitments agreed at the UNGA High Level meeting and build momentum on the actions needed, particularly on sustainable financing to tackle AMR.

Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
13th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) emergency respite and (b) mental health support is available for unpaid carers in crisis.

The Government is committed to ensuring that families have the support that they need. We want to ensure that people who care for family and friends are better able to look after their own physical and mental health and wellbeing.

Local authorities have duties to support people caring for their family and friends. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support such as respite and breaks for carers. The Better Care Fund also includes funding that can be used for unpaid carer support, including for short breaks and respite services for carers.

As part of the Carers Partnership in the Health and Wellbeing Alliance, the Carers Trust has published a Carer Contingency Campaign Pack. This will help support local carer organisations’ work with local partners to deliver carer contingency plans for carers in their area. Further information on the pack is available at the following link:

https://carers.org/resources/all-resources/150-carer-contingency-campaign-pack-supporting-carers-and-strengthening-local-care-systems

We know that people, including unpaid carers, with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they deserve, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health. This includes recruiting 8,500 more mental health workers, introducing specialist mental health professionals in every school, rolling out Young Futures hubs in every community, and modernising the Mental Health Act.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
11th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to (a) sporting and (b) physical activities for (i) children and (ii) young people with cerebral palsy.

We have not made such an assessment. However, the Government’s new mission-led approach puts health, and children and young people at the heart of our priorities. The Government aims to provide all children, including disabled children and disabled young people, with opportunities to access high-quality sport and physical activity, especially those who are less likely to be active.

The Chief Medical Officer’s physical activity guidelines for disabled children highlights the importance of tailoring activities to meet individual needs, breaking an activity into chunks and making everyday movement enjoyable. Providing these inclusive opportunities for disabled children is a core principle of the Department of Education’s Inclusion 2024 programme, and the Government funded School Games Network, which works with organisations, including Cerebral Palsy Sport, to create inclusive environments in sport and physical activity for children with cerebral palsy.

Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
11th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the understanding of first-line healthcare professionals of atypical motor development in children.

The Royal College of General Practitioners has produced an e-learning module, Motor development in children: assessment and red flags. This module is designed to help general practitioners (GPs) assess children’s motor development. It identifies opportunities to perform a brief developmental assessment, describes an approach to assessing children of different ages, and highlights what typical and atypical motor development looks like, including important red flags. It also advises GPs on what steps to take if they do have concerns about a child’s motor development. Further details about the module are available at the following link:

https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/info.php?id=601

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has also produced an e-learning module on neuromuscular disorders, which includes guidance to clinicians on how to apply a clear, structured approach to assessing motor development in children aged zero to five years old, and how to use their skills and knowledge to recognise atypical motor development. Further details about the module are available at the following link:

https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/recognising-neuromuscular-disorders-online-learning.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on developmental follow-up of children and young people born preterm, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng72

The NICE guidance recognises that children who are born preterm are at an increased risk of developmental problems, including motor function problems and cerebral palsy.

The NICE has also produced a quality standard on cerebral palsy in children and young people and the guidance, Cerebral palsy in under 25s: assessment and management. The NICE quality standard includes specific reference to referral for children with delayed motor milestones. Further information on the quality standard on cerebral palsy in children and young people and the guidance on cerebral palsy in under 25-year-olds is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs162

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng62

The NICE guidance also recommends using the General Movement Assessment during routine neonatal follow-up assessments for children between zero and three months who are at increased risk of developing cerebral palsy. It recommends that all children with delayed motor milestones should be referred to a child development service for further assessment. Additionally, the guidance states that clinicians should recognise that the most common delayed motor milestones in children with cerebral palsy are:

  • not sitting by eight months, corrected for gestational age;
  • not walking by 18 months, corrected for gestational age; and
  • early asymmetry of hand function, hand preference, before one year, corrected for gestational age.
Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
8th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) GPs and (b) hospital staff receive adequate training to support those suffering from alcohol dependence.

The Government is committed to ensuring that those with alcohol dependence can access high quality help and specialist clinical support. General practitioners (GP) are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.

All United Kingdom registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Good Medical Practice. In 2012 the GMC introduced revalidation, which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice, gives patients confidence that doctors are up to date with their practice, and promotes improved quality of care by driving improvements in clinical governance.

The training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners and has to meet the standards set by the GMC. Whilst curricula do not necessarily highlight specific conditions for doctors to be aware of, they instead emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.

The Department will soon be publishing the first ever UK clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment. The guidelines include good practice recommendations for GPs and their teams, and for hospital clinicians. The guidelines can be used to inform training for staff working with people with alcohol dependence.

Additionally, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, and NHS England’s 10-year strategic plan for the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce (2024–2034), outlines actions to be taken over the next decade to improve recruitment, training, skills, and career development and retention of specialist GPs working in the local authority-commissioned drug and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce. The strategic plan is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/10-year-strategic-plan-for-the-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-and-recovery-workforce

Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
8th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce levels of alcohol consumption in the context of alcohol mortality rates.

The Department is working with partners in the devolved administrations to develop the first ever clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment for the United Kingdom, which will promote and support good practice and improve the quality of service provision, resulting in better outcomes for people experiencing alcohol dependence and alcohol related harms.

Through our Health Mission, the Government has committed to prioritising preventative public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. The Department will continue to work across Government to understand how best to reduce alcohol-related harms.

Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
6th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to tackle (a) mental health and (b) suicide rates among mothers in the twelve months postpartum.

Specialist community perinatal mental health services are established in all parts of England, but we recognise more is needed. Too many people with mental health issues, including mothers in the 12 months postpartum, are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.

As set out in NHS England’s 2024/25 Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance, the National Health Service is working to increase the number of people accessing perinatal mental health services to 66,000. ​In 2023/24, 58,200 ​women ​accessed these services, compared to 30,600 in 2019/20.

The Suicide Prevention Strategy for England was published in September 2023. The strategy highlights pregnant women and new mothers as a priority group who could benefit from targeted support.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
6th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to create specialist services for people with bipolar disorder.

The Community Mental Health Framework set out a vision for transforming community mental health services. The vision is a whole person, whole population approach to community health services, with new integrated models between primary and secondary care that can deliver more flexible, personalised, and holistic care for more people with serious mental illness, including for people with a diagnosis of bi-polar disorder. Since April 2021, all areas have received significant additional, ring-fenced funding to develop these new integrated primary and community mental health services, built around Primary Care Networks, in line with the Community Mental Health Framework. Systems have made significant progress in rolling out these integrated models of care, including for people with a diagnosis of bi-polar disorder.

In addition, people of all ages who are in crisis or who are concerned about a family or loved one can now call 111, select the mental health option, and speak to a trained mental health professional. National Health Service staff can guide callers with next steps such as organising face-to-face community support or facilitating access to alternative services, like crisis cafés or safe havens, which provide a place for people to stay as an alternative to accident and emergency or hospital admission.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
6th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for mental health diagnoses of children.

It is unacceptable that too many children and young people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long, which can impact on them receiving a diagnosis. That is why we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across both adult, and children and young people’s mental health services, to help reduce delays and provide faster treatment.

The Department of Health and Social Care is also working with the Department for Education and NHS England to consider how to deliver our commitment of access to a specialist mental health professional in every school.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
6th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) GPs and (b) other healthcare professionals receive adequate training to (a) screen for bipolar disorder, (b) manage it effectively and (c) prevent the inappropriate prescription of antidepressants.

The standard of training for general practitioners and other health care professionals is the responsibility of the independent statutory regulatory bodies, which set the outcome standards expected at undergraduate level and approve courses, and higher education institutions, which write and teach the curricula content that enables their students to meet the regulators’ outcome standards.

Whilst not all curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all nevertheless emphasize the skills and approaches a Health Care Practitioner must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and appropriate treatment plans for their patients, including those with bipolar disorder.

Once qualified, health care professionals are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up to date, and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This should include taking account of new research and guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high-quality care to all patients.

Stephen Kinnock
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
6th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve uptake of community alcohol services.

A vital part of delivering the Health Mission shift to prevention will be action to reduce the harms from excess alcohol consumption. The Department of Health and Social Care is continuing to invest in improvements to local drug and alcohol treatment services. Funding for drug and alcohol treatment services is provided through the public health grant. In addition, local authorities have a further £267 million from the Department of Health and Social Care this year to improve quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery. This is alongside £105 million made available by the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to improve housing and employment outcomes for people affected by alcohol and drug use.

The latest provisional data from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System for the year ending in September 2024 suggests that there were over 97,000 adults in community treatment for alcohol and not any other drug and over 45,000 adults in treatment for problems with both alcohol and non-opiates. The number of people in treatment for alcohol and not any other drug has increased by 34% since the year ending August 2020 and is currently the highest since records began in 2005/6.

Additionally, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has published a commissioning quality standard providing guidance for local authorities to support them in commissioning effective alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services in their areas. The Department of Health and Social Care will soon publish the United Kingdom Clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment which will include recommendations on developing effective, accessible, and inclusive services. More information on the commissioning quality standard is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commissioning-quality-standard-alcohol-and-drug-services

Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
31st Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the total health and social care budget was allocated to the public health grant in each of the last five years.

The proportion of the Department of Health and Social Care budget allocated to the local authority Public Health Grant over the last 5 years is shown in the table:

2019-20

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

2023-24

2024-25

Total PH Grant quantum (£m) (i)

3,134

3,279

3,324

3,417

3,530

3,603

Total DHSC Budget (£m) (ii)

134,184

181,441

183,548

177,095

182,634

187,636

% of DHSC Budget that is the PH grant

2.34%

1.81%

1.81%

1.93%

1.93%

1.92%

(i) the Public Health Grant includes the notional amounts for the 10 Greater Manchester Local Authorities who are part of a business rates retention scheme and no longer receive a public health grant; and (ii) the DHSC budget for 2024/25 is the planned budget as set out in the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2024 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/public-expenditure-statistical-analyses-2024

Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
31st Oct 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on raising the public health grant allocated to local authorities.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has discussed the Department’s settlement for 2025/26 with my Rt Hon. Friend, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, as part of the Spending Review process.

We will confirm 2025/26 local authority public health grant allocations at the earliest opportunity, and will confirm future years’ allocations as part of the forthcoming Spending Review next year.

Andrew Gwynne
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
11th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to (a) FIFA and (b) the government of the Kingdom of Morocco on the report entitled Cleansing the streets of Morocco for a football tournament, published by the International Animal Coalition.

The organisation of international sports events is a matter for independent international sports bodies. The FCDO has not made representations to the Kingdom of Morocco or FIFA regarding the report referenced. This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. That is what we intend to do, and we will be outlining more detail in due course.

Hamish Falconer
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)