Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which NHS Trusts will be involved in the Rapid National Investigation into maternity and neonatal services.

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

On 14 August 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced the appointment of Baroness Amos as Chair of the Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/baroness-amos-to-spearhead-maternity-and-neonatal-investigation#

The investigation will carry out rapid reviews of up to ten trusts with specific issues. The Chair is working closely with families to finalise the terms of reference, including the selection criteria to select the trusts, which will be announced as soon as possible.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Online Safety Act 2023 on (a) Wikipedia and (b) news reporting sites.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Online Safety Act covers services where users post content or interact online, requiring sites like Wikipedia to address illegal material and protect children where necessary. Ofcom must ensure that the duties are proportionate and appropriate for the different kinds and sizes of services.

The Act includes exemptions for specific types of user comment sections, which will take many news publishers sites out of scope. Safeguards are also built in to protect news publisher content on the largest (Category 1) platforms and Ofcom will be required to review how the Act affects journalistic and news publisher material on such services.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Online Safety Act 2023, what assessment he has made on the adequacy of the security of personal data shared with third parties.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Online Safety Act has cross-cutting duties to ensure that users’ rights to privacy are protected. All providers are required to give particular regard to the importance of protecting users’ privacy rights when implementing measures to comply with their new safety duties, including age assurance technologies. Where Ofcom has concerns that a provider has not complied with its obligations under data protection law, it may refer the matter to the ICO.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what guidance her Department has issued to (a) websites and (b) organisations on the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Ofcom has conducted an extensive programme of work aimed at facilitating understanding and compliance with the Online Safety Act. This includes a Regulation Checker to help services and organisations identify whether they are in scope of the relevant duties. Where they are, Ofcom provides guides and toolkits on complying with the new rules. Ofcom’s guide for services webpage can be used as a hub for relevant resources. When it comes to compliance, Ofcom will focus on services where the risk and impact of harm is the highest, only taking action where appropriate.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the UKVI waiting times for answering enquiries regarding (a) UK passports and (b) British National status.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

For customer enquiries made to the Passport Adviceline, in August, the average speed to answer passport related calls was 16 seconds.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter of 10 July 2025 from the hon. Member for Henley and Thame on maternity services.

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

The letter has been passed to Baroness Amos as chair of the independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care, and she will respond directly in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July to Question 66814 on Health Services: Oxfordshire, what steps he is taking to ensure that Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is able to recruit and retain midwives in the context of efficiency savings.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring the National Health Service can both recruit and retain staff. We recently announced the Graduate Guarantee for nurses and midwives, which will ensure that there are enough positions available for every newly qualified midwife in England, and includes £8 million to support the temporary conversion of vacant maternity support worker posts to band 5 registered midwifery roles.

Additionally, NHS England is undertaking targeted retention programme for midwives, led by the Chief Nursing Officer. This includes: a midwifery and nursing retention self-assessment tool; mentoring schemes; strengthened advice and support on pensions and flexible retirement options; and the publication of menopause policies and guidance. NHS England has also invested in unit-based leads in every trust who focus on retention and provide pastoral support to midwives. This initiative, alongside investment in workforce capacity, has seen a reduction in vacancy, leaver and turnover rates.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Environment Agency on their decision to remove opposition to new housing developments that would be connected to the Oxford Sewage treatment works in Oxfordshire.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

A multidisciplinary EA team worked with Thames Water to develop a strategic approach to managing wastewater capacity challenges in Oxford. This provided a framework for the EA to no longer object to developments, instead providing clear advice on the risks and how the regulatory process is now ensuring water quality is protected and environmental objectives would be met.

Following this outcome, the EA are continuing to engage with local authorities, Thames Water and developers through quarterly meetings to track delivery of the improvements to the Oxford STW and ensure wastewater capacity is delivered in this critical growth area.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the diversions on the Thames path due to the closure of (a) Marsh Lock bridge and (b) Temple Footbridge.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We recognise the importance of National Trails as crucial connectors, not only for visitors keen to complete the trails, but as valued community pathways supporting local businesses and residents.

We understand that the Thames Path National Trail Partnership are continuing to work with the Environment Agency, landowners and other partners to progress work at both locations to support the accessibility and safety of the trail.

Thames Path diversions are managed by the organisation responsible for the asset that has created the need for the diversion. Although the ownership for Marsh Lock Bridge is unclear, the Environment Agency led the diversion work relating to Marsh Lock Bridge and Temple Footbridge for which they are responsible. The Environment Agency sought advice from the Local Authority on the safest route available to the public using other existing highways and once agreed, the Local Authority issue a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order which authorises the diversion. Alternative viable diversion routes will be considered by the Environment Agency and the relevant Local Authority if they become available for use.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to help (a) ensure that energy consumers receive a reliable electricity supply and (b) reduce power cuts due to issues with the electricity distribution network.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Maintaining a secure electricity supply is a key priority for Government. DESNZ works closely with industry to continually improve and maintain the resilience the energy infrastructure, networks and assets to reduce vulnerabilities, and ensure an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents.

Ownership of a Distribution Network Operator (DNO) requires appropriate levels of investment to ensure power flows reliably, safely and securely. All DNOs are regulated by Ofgem, which sets annual targets for customer interruptions and customer minutes lost; DNOs must report their performance against these measures to Ofgem which rewards or penalises operators appropriately.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of revising the compensation scheme for electricity consumers to include compensation for the inconvenience caused by power cuts of shorter duration where these occur repeatedly.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government expects energy companies to deliver the best support to customers. Ofgem monitors and enforces the Guaranteed Standards of Performance. Ofgem also regularly reviews and updates their compensation arrangements. The most recent changes were made following the Storm Arwen Review which came into effect on 1 September 2023 and enable higher levels of compensation at more regular intervals. Ofgem regulates Distribution Network Operators through a price control process, which includes incentives to reduce the frequency and duration of power interruptions. For the next price control period (2028–2033), Ofgem is reviewing whether amendments are required to minimise repeated or prolonged interruptions.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the tax-free childcare system on levels of administration for early years providers.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve the condition of (a) the Thames path, (b) The Ridgeway and (c) other National Trails.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government remains committed to enhancing access to nature and recognises the importance of National Trails as crucial links between urban and rural settings, allowing people to get closer to nature and experience the natural world.

In addition to the continued delivery of the King Charles III England Coast Path and Coast to Coast National Trails, Defra has supported the creation of National Trails UK (NTUK) and provided funding to aid in its establishment. We anticipate that NTUK will improve the long-term management and sustainability of National Trails, improve the capacity for National Trails to engage people currently not accessing nature and test new ideas and ways of working as a family of National Trails.

We are also delivering the £33m ‘Access for All’ programme, which consists of a package of targeted measures in our protected landscapes, national trails, forests and the wider countryside to make access to green and blue spaces more inclusive.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made a recent assessment of the level of efficiency across government in answering correspondence from members of the public.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Cabinet Office works with Government departments and agencies to monitor the quality and timeliness of correspondence, providing support and guidance as necessary.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in levels of funding allocated to National Trails since 2018 on those trails.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government remains committed to enhancing access to nature and will continue to work closely with Natural England, National Trails UK and relevant partners to understand and respond to the needs of our National Trails. We know it requires significant efforts and commitment from local authorities and trail partnerships to keep our trails accessible to the public.

The Government will continue to work with Natural England and our partners in support of our National Trails and to ensure that the public can confidently access our trail network. Despite the challenging fiscal environment, Defra has committed to supporting National Trails UK with a continuation of Protected Landscapes Partnership funding, individual grant, and Access for All funding. There are no current plans to assess National Trails specifically against year-on-year funding.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 25560 on National Trails UK: Finance, what his timetable is for announcing the funding settlement for (a) National Trails UK, (b) the Thames Path National Trail and (c) The Ridgeway National Trail in 2024/25.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Funding settlements to National Trails UK are not announced, and individual National Trails are not funded separately. In 24/25 NTUK received a combination of funding through the Protected Landscapes Partnership, direct grants and Access for All funding.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) criminal and (b) civil measures to increase compliance with child maintenance payments.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

69% of Paying Parents due to pay via the Collect & Pay service actually paid some maintenance during the calendar quarter ending March 2025. This compares with 65% during the quarter ending March 2023. In the year to March 2025, the CMS arranged around £1.5 billion in child maintenance payments.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) believes current enforcement powers are sufficient and substantial enough to encourage paying parents to comply. The CMS requires paying parents to pay their maintenance on time, to avoid accrual of arrears. Where a paying parent fails to pay on time or in full, the CMS aims to take immediate action to recover the debt and re-establish compliance. When a paying parent does not make maintenance payments on time or in full, the CMS will initially negotiate a payment that is feasible for the parent to pay. If this is unsuccessful and the paying parent is employed, the CMS will request that ongoing child maintenance payments be deducted directly from their salary by issuing what we call a Deductions from Earnings Order (DEO). A DEO instructs an employer to make deductions from the paying parent’s earnings and pay the amounts to the CMS who will pass this onto the receiving parent. The CMS also has powers to deduct maintenance from a wide range of bank accounts including joint and business accounts.

The CMS has a range of strong “civil” enforcement powers that can be used against those who consistently refuse to meet their obligations to provide financial support to their children including holding or obtaining driving licenses and passports and forcing the sale of a property.

These powers are designed to act as a deterrent and encourage parents to pay their liability. Powers are used effectively and produce positive results. In many cases, once an application to the courts has been made, paying parents have either paid their liability or agreed to a repayment plan.

Planned reforms to the Direct Pay service will allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster as monitoring all payments would enable the CMS to immediately identify any missed, late or partial payments and take swift enforcement action.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January to Question 25553 on Methylphenidate Shortages, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the current supply of methylphenidate for ADHD.

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

The Department has worked closely with industry stakeholders, and, following extensive collaborative efforts, previous issues have been resolved and all strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, atomoxetine oral solution, guanfacine prolonged-release tablets and methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets and prolonged-release capsules are now available.

We continue to support the NHS England Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) taskforce, which brings together expertise from the National Health Service, education, and justice sectors to coordinate a system-wide response to rising demand. In collaboration with NHS England’s national ADHD data improvement plan, we are developing future growth forecasts to support improved demand planning. These forecasts will be shared with industry to help ensure a more responsive and sustainable supply of ADHD medicines.

In parallel, we are also engaging with new suppliers for ADHD medicines to increase supply capacity and resilience.

The Department also maintains and regularly updates a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website. This resource supports prescribers and dispensers in making informed decisions with patients. The list is available at the following link:

www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-available-medicines-to-treat-adhd

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with the new Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission on her priorities for the Commission.

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

Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson was confirmed as the next Chair of the EHRC. She will begin her term as EHRC Chair in December and will meet regularly with the Minister for Women and Equalities as part of her role.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 64336 on Vamorolone, what the consequences are for (a) Integrated Care Boards and (b) NHS Trusts for not making NICE recommended medicines available within 90 days of publication of relevant guidance.

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

Commissioners have a statutory responsibility to make funding available for a medicine or treatment recommended by a National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal (TA) or highly specialised technology evaluation (HST) within the timeframe recommended in that guidance, usually within three months of the TA or HST being published.

Under the National Health Service Constitution, patients have a right to receive all medicines and treatments recommended by NICE if they and their healthcare professional think that the medicine is right for them. In practical terms, the effect of this legal obligation and the NHS constitution is that all NICE-approved treatments must be included in local formularies for use in line with the TA or HST recommendations and with no additional funding or formulary restrictions.

The only exception is if the technology is not relevant to the care provided by the organisation; for example, cancer treatments would not need to be included in the formulary of a mental health trust, and treatments for dementia would not need to be included in the formulary of a specialist children’s hospital. There is no provision to take affordability into account when adding NICE-approved medicines to local formularies.

NHS enforcement guidance relating to its statutory accountability and oversight role, under the NHS Act 2006, the 2012 Act and the 2022 Act is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-enforcement-guidance/

The evolving NHS operating model will strengthen capabilities and clarify roles in overseeing performance. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, we will move to a Single National Formulary (SNF) for medicines within the next two years. The SNF will play a role in driving rapid and equitable adoption of clinically and cost-effective innovations.

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 ensure that NICE appraisals for (a) Duchenne muscular dystrophy and (b) other rare, progressive conditions take into account urgency of access.

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

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) aims wherever possible to issue guidance on new medicines close to the time of licensing to ensure that patients can benefit from rapid access to clinically and cost-effective new medicines. NICE’s ability to do so is contingent on the company notifying NICE of its launch plans at an early stage and providing a timely evidence submission.

The Life Sciences Sector Plan sets out the measures we are taking that will mean that patients are able to access medicines three to six months faster, including improved alignment between decisions from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and NICE guidance publication.

The Life Sciences Sector Plan is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/688c90a8e8ba9507fc1b090c/Life_Sciences_Sector_Plan.pdf

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 ensure that the impact on carers is included in NICE technology appraisals for rare and progressive diseases.

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

NICE’s technology appraisal process allows its independent committees to take societal benefits, such as health-related quality-of-life for carers and impact on personal social services, into account. NICE’s methods are set out in its published health technology evaluations manual, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/process/pmg36.

Evaluations should consider all health effects for patients, and, when relevant, carers. When presenting health effects for carers, evidence should show when the condition is associated with a substantial effect on carer’s health-related quality of life and how the technology affects carers. This applies for all therapies, including therapies for rare diseases. NICE appraisals specifically consider health-related quality of life, for both patients and carers, rather than quality of life as a whole.

The Chilterns National Landscape boundary review

Safety of British nationals aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla

Dr Anjana Khatwa

Elon Musk at the Unite the Kingdom rally

Mental health care in Gaza

Pesticides in public spaces

Maternity care in the UK

Drug-resistant superbugs

Sentencing Guidelines and pre-sentence reports

Universities and international students

Shrill carder bee

Reinstatement of the Winter Fuel Payment

Unpaid Care Dashboard

Intergenerational volunteering and sustainability initiatives

Final delivery plan on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)

National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) grant

Dame Annette Brooke

Independence of Healthwatch England

Pavement parking consultation response

Leasehold reform (No. 2)

Children of Ukraine

Neurodivergent children at school

Impact Assessments of changes to Official Development Assistance

Humanitarian response to the Myanmar earthquake

Restless legs syndrome

Electoral reform

Court transcript costs

New blood cancer drug

Police front counter closures

First female Astronomer Royal

Loan Charge and settlement terms offered to large companies and individuals

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Found: Campbell Siân Berry Ellie Chowns Dawn Butler Tessa Munt Wera Hobhouse Jo White Adrian Ramsay Freddie van Mierlo

Found: Campbell Siân Berry Ellie Chowns Dawn Butler Tessa Munt Wera Hobhouse Jo White Adrian Ramsay Freddie van Mierlo

Found: Campbell Siân Berry Ellie Chowns Dawn Butler Tessa Munt Wera Hobhouse Jo White Adrian Ramsay Freddie van Mierlo

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Found: Olney Dr Al Pinkerton Mr Lee Dillon Victoria Collins Luke Taylor Layla Moran Alison Bennett Freddie van Mierlo

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Found: Olney Dr Al Pinkerton Mr Lee Dillon Victoria Collins Luke Taylor Layla Moran Alison Bennett Freddie van Mierlo

Found: Chambers Daisy Cooper Cameron Thomas Mr Lee Dillon Helen MaguireEdward Morello Jess Brown-Fuller Freddie van Mierlo

Found: Campbell Siân Berry Ellie Chowns Dawn Butler Tessa Munt Wera Hobhouse Jo White Adrian Ramsay Freddie van Mierlo

Found: Campbell Siân Berry Ellie Chowns Dawn Butler Tessa Munt Wera Hobhouse Jo White Adrian Ramsay Freddie van Mierlo