Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that education, health and care plans for SEND children are issued by local authorities within five weeks.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department wants to ensure that education, health and care (EHC) assessments are progressed promptly and, if needed, high quality plans are issued as quickly as possible so that children and young people can access the support they need.
The overall time it takes from a local authority receiving a request for an EHC needs assessment and the final plan being issued, if one is required, must not take longer than 20 weeks unless specific exceptions apply.
The department continues to monitor, challenge and work closely with local authorities that have issues with EHC plan timeliness. Where there are concerns about a local authority’s capacity to make the required improvements, we ensure that the cause of these problems is identified with the local authority and that an effective recovery plan is implemented. Where needed, the department deploys specialist special educational needs and disabilities advisors to help identify the barriers to carrying out the EHC plan process in a timely way and to address these through practical plans for recovery, alongside addressing other areas of weakness in provision.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing indefinite leave to remain for Ukrainian nationals that have fled to the UK since 2022.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
On 1 September, the Government announced in parliament that the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (UPE) would be extended for an additional 24 months to enable those eligible to obtain a further period of permission following their initial permission under UPE. More detail will follow in due course.
The UK Government has always been clear that our offer of temporary sanctuary under the Ukraine Schemes does not lead to settlement in the UK. However, the UPE extension reflects a generous and meaningful commitment to support those displaced by the conflict, while also respecting the Ukrainian Government’s strong desire for the future return of its citizens when it is safe to do so.
There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure the extension of visa for Ukrainian nationals in the UK who have fled the war since 2022.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
On 1 September, the Government announced in parliament that the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme (UPE) would be extended for an additional 24 months to enable those eligible to obtain a further period of permission following their initial permission under UPE. More detail will follow in due course.
The UK Government has always been clear that our offer of temporary sanctuary under the Ukraine Schemes does not lead to settlement in the UK. However, the UPE extension reflects a generous and meaningful commitment to support those displaced by the conflict, while also respecting the Ukrainian Government’s strong desire for the future return of its citizens when it is safe to do so.
There are other routes available for those who wish to settle in the UK permanently, if they meet the requirements.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to counter disinformation pertaining to the MMRV vaccine.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Fylde on 5 September 2025 to Question 73639.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide up-to-date clinical guidance on the age groups that should receive the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) ensures commissioners, providers, and relevant healthcare professionals have access to the necessary resources to communicate accurate information, including age groups, about the routine childhood immunisation programme. UKHSA writes the national clinical guideline ‘immunisation against infectious disease’, known as ‘The Green Book’, which includes up-to-date clinical guidance on eligibility for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in the relevant chapters. The Green Book is available at the following link:
From 1 January 2026, general practitioners will offer eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) as part of the routine infant vaccination schedule.
The eligibility criteria for children will be set out in clinical guidance, which will be published in due course, covering which birth cohorts will get the MMRV vaccine and when, to ensure the most effective protection for children.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve patient safety across the NHS in Greater Manchester.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has been informed that, in 2023, the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board (ICB) reviewed its approach to quality assurance and provider oversight and developed the Greater Manchester Quality Assurance and Escalation Framework. As a commissioner, the ICB has a provider oversight framework that operates alongside NHS England’s provider oversight framework to ensure that there is strong oversight in relation to patient safety. All providers’ boards are accountable for their workforce and organisational culture and report on areas such as safer staffing and workforce planning.
We have been informed by the ICB that the measures being taken to improve patient safety across Greater Manchester are focused on the areas of quality assurance and provider oversight, winter planning, maternity and neonatal oversight, and mental health oversight.
The Government is committed to advancing patient safety and a learning culture across the National Health Service. The changes we are making as part of the 10-Year Health Plan will improve quality and safety by making it clear where responsibility and accountability sits at all levels of the system. This will be reinforced by a new era of transparency, a rigorous focus on high-quality care, and a renewed focus on patient and staff voice.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve information sharing between GPs and hospital trusts in Greater Manchester.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information sharing within the Greater Manchester region is supported by the Greater Manchester Care Record (GM Care Record), a digital resource for 3.4 million citizens, that is used to help improve health and care services and save lives. It brings together information shared by National Health Service trusts, general practices, and care services across all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs into one joined up patient record. The GM Care Record is used by frontline health and care workers to ensure patients receive the care and treatment they need, at the right time, and in the right way.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the timely sharing of patient information between hospital trusts with different IT systems.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Health and Social Care Act 2022, the Data (Use and Access) Act, and the Health and Social Care Information Standards (Procedure) Regulations 2025 introduced a new legislative framework for mandatory information standards for public and private health and adult social care providers and IT suppliers in the health and care system. This will provide the basis for ensuring interoperability between IT systems.
The Government's 10-Year Health Plan commits to delivering a single patient record (SPR). The SPR will give staff and providers access to the information they need to provide health and care and will end the need for patients to repeat their medical history when interacting with different health and care providers. It will provide a comprehensive patient record, bringing together information from all of a patient’s medical records into one place.
We have been engaging with the public to help shape our plans, including what information they would like to see included in an SPR, and we will continue to talk to the public and to health and care professionals as we design the SPR to ensure their needs are reflected. The SPR will begin to go live from 2028.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to implement a single patient record system across the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Health and Social Care Act 2022, the Data (Use and Access) Act, and the Health and Social Care Information Standards (Procedure) Regulations 2025 introduced a new legislative framework for mandatory information standards for public and private health and adult social care providers and IT suppliers in the health and care system. This will provide the basis for ensuring interoperability between IT systems.
The Government's 10-Year Health Plan commits to delivering a single patient record (SPR). The SPR will give staff and providers access to the information they need to provide health and care and will end the need for patients to repeat their medical history when interacting with different health and care providers. It will provide a comprehensive patient record, bringing together information from all of a patient’s medical records into one place.
We have been engaging with the public to help shape our plans, including what information they would like to see included in an SPR, and we will continue to talk to the public and to health and care professionals as we design the SPR to ensure their needs are reflected. The SPR will begin to go live from 2028.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential potential impact of bridleways on supporting active travel in urban areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Decisions on measures to support active travel, including through the use of bridleways, are a matter for local authorities.
Active Travel England encourages local authorities to consult with local groups, such as equestrians, where any proposed active travel project involves the proposed use of a bridleway. This is appliable to both urban and rural areas.