Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken for (a) referrals and (b) assessments for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department recognises that Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are complex, multi-systemic conditions that can be challenging to diagnose. While no formal assessment of average diagnosis times has been made, the Department is aware that many patients experience significant delays for a confirmed diagnosis. These delays are primarily due to low awareness among clinicians, the absence of a single diagnostic test for hypermobile EDS, and the need for multidisciplinary input.

For rarer genetically confirmed types of EDS, NHS England commissions a national diagnostic service. In addition to investigating and diagnosing complex and rare EDS types, the national diagnostic service supports general practitioners (GPs) and specialists in secondary and tertiary care by issuing detailed reports with management recommendations, developing guidelines and pathways of care, and offering clinician-to-clinician advice. It helps GPs by clarifying referral pathways and guiding ongoing care, while supporting hospital specialists through access to genetic testing, multidisciplinary input, and best practice guidance. This collaboration ensures accurate diagnosis, reduces unnecessary investigations, and promotes coordinated care across all levels of the health system, helping to avoid inappropriate referrals and ensuring that patients are able to access the correct specialist care efficiently.

We also recognise that GPs can find it challenging to diagnose EDS because these conditions share symptoms with many other disorders. The EDS GP Toolkit, developed by the Royal College of General Practitioners in partnership with Ehlers-Danlos Support UK, helps GPs in managing EDS by improving recognition, diagnosis, and management of these multi-system disorders. The toolkit aims to reduce delays in diagnosis and helps to prevent long-term disability through appropriate early management.

The Department is engaging with patient organisations to identify further opportunities to streamline referral processes and ensure equitable access to assessment and care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of NHS waiting times for the diagnosis of Ehlers–Danlos syndrome.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department recognises that Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are complex, multi-systemic conditions that can be challenging to diagnose. While no formal assessment of average diagnosis times has been made, the Department is aware that many patients experience significant delays for a confirmed diagnosis. These delays are primarily due to low awareness among clinicians, the absence of a single diagnostic test for hypermobile EDS, and the need for multidisciplinary input.

For rarer genetically confirmed types of EDS, NHS England commissions a national diagnostic service. In addition to investigating and diagnosing complex and rare EDS types, the national diagnostic service supports general practitioners (GPs) and specialists in secondary and tertiary care by issuing detailed reports with management recommendations, developing guidelines and pathways of care, and offering clinician-to-clinician advice. It helps GPs by clarifying referral pathways and guiding ongoing care, while supporting hospital specialists through access to genetic testing, multidisciplinary input, and best practice guidance. This collaboration ensures accurate diagnosis, reduces unnecessary investigations, and promotes coordinated care across all levels of the health system, helping to avoid inappropriate referrals and ensuring that patients are able to access the correct specialist care efficiently.

We also recognise that GPs can find it challenging to diagnose EDS because these conditions share symptoms with many other disorders. The EDS GP Toolkit, developed by the Royal College of General Practitioners in partnership with Ehlers-Danlos Support UK, helps GPs in managing EDS by improving recognition, diagnosis, and management of these multi-system disorders. The toolkit aims to reduce delays in diagnosis and helps to prevent long-term disability through appropriate early management.

The Department is engaging with patient organisations to identify further opportunities to streamline referral processes and ensure equitable access to assessment and care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS trusts in England provide specialist clinics for Ehlers–Danlos syndrome.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population, including for those with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that meet patients’ needs.

More widely, through the 10-Year Health Plan, we are introducing Neighbourhood Health Centres, and deploying multidisciplinary teams to provide holistic support to people with EDS. Patients will benefit from enhanced NHS App functionality, including the My Medicines and My Health sections, and will be able to self-refer to specialist services where appropriate.

Additionally, the 10-Year Health Plan’s commitments on artificial intelligence will give clinicians advanced tools for faster diagnosis, predictive analytics, and personalised care planning. For people with long-term conditions like EDS, this means earlier interventions, better monitoring of complex needs, and more time for clinicians to focus on patient-centred care rather than administrative tasks. The plan also commits to 95% of people with complex needs having a personalised care plan by 2027.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans her Department has to improve training and clinical awareness of Ehlers–Danlos syndrome among GPs and primary care clinicians to support earlier recognition and referral.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department recognises that Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are complex, multi-systemic conditions that can be challenging to diagnose. While no formal assessment of average diagnosis times has been made, the Department is aware that many patients experience significant delays for a confirmed diagnosis. These delays are primarily due to low awareness among clinicians, the absence of a single diagnostic test for hypermobile EDS, and the need for multidisciplinary input.

For rarer genetically confirmed types of EDS, NHS England commissions a national diagnostic service. In addition to investigating and diagnosing complex and rare EDS types, the national diagnostic service supports general practitioners (GPs) and specialists in secondary and tertiary care by issuing detailed reports with management recommendations, developing guidelines and pathways of care, and offering clinician-to-clinician advice. It helps GPs by clarifying referral pathways and guiding ongoing care, while supporting hospital specialists through access to genetic testing, multidisciplinary input, and best practice guidance. This collaboration ensures accurate diagnosis, reduces unnecessary investigations, and promotes coordinated care across all levels of the health system, helping to avoid inappropriate referrals and ensuring that patients are able to access the correct specialist care efficiently.

We also recognise that GPs can find it challenging to diagnose EDS because these conditions share symptoms with many other disorders. The EDS GP Toolkit, developed by the Royal College of General Practitioners in partnership with Ehlers-Danlos Support UK, helps GPs in managing EDS by improving recognition, diagnosis, and management of these multi-system disorders. The toolkit aims to reduce delays in diagnosis and helps to prevent long-term disability through appropriate early management.

The Department is engaging with patient organisations to identify further opportunities to streamline referral processes and ensure equitable access to assessment and care.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Armed Forces Pension Scheme payments have been (a) delayed and (b) unpaid in the last five years, where the recipient’s entitlement is manually calculated by his Department.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

This information is not held.

All Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) pensions are processed using Ministry of Defence approved calculators. The only manual interaction involved in the process is the input of specific criteria, such as service dates and date of birth, which may affect the outcome of the calculation.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a rolling automatic pension calculation for former armed forces personnel who have received an Early Departure Payment.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

There are no plans to introduce a rolling automatic calculation. However, former Armed Forces personnel can annually request a free forecast at any time by completing a Form 14, available on Gov.uk at the following link:

www.gov.uk/guidance/veterans-uk-armed-forces-pensions-forms

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) provides support for members of the Armed Forces Pension Schemes through the Joint Personnel Administration Centre (JPAC). Scheme members can access assistance via the following contact details:

Freephone (UK only): 0800 085 3600

Telephone (Overseas): +44 141 224 3600

Phone (Military): 94560 3600

Email: dbs-pensionshelp@dbspv.mod.uk

Mail Point 480
Kentigern House
65 Brown Street
Glasgow
G2 8EX

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on developing independently verified, modelled projections of the numbers of NHS staff needed to meet future population demand in the 10-Year Workforce Plan.

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

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. It will include modelling of the potential size and shape of the future workforce and population projections.

That updated workforce modelling and its underlying assumptions will be set out in and alongside the plan, when published in spring 2026. It will be supported by external independent scrutiny.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of permitting Abu Wadee to (a) enter and (b) remain in the United Kingdom on (i) national security and (ii) public safety; and what checks were undertaken on previous statements, associations and activities relating to antisemitism and extremist ideology before any decision was taken.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Home Office does not routinely comment on individual cases.

The first priority of government is protecting national security. All applications for UK immigration status, including asylum claims, are subject to comprehensive security checks. Where an individual is assessed as presenting a risk to our country, we take swift and robust action.

The Home Office uses various tools to detect and disrupt travel by individuals of national security interest and by individuals excluded from the UK; previously deported from the UK; or using lost, stolen or revoked documents and visas. This includes the use of domestic and international watchlists.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the Government of India on the protection of freedom of religion or belief for religious minority communities, including their ability to participate in civil society.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 25 November 2025 in response to Question 90911.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when local authorities will be informed of their indicative allocations of the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant for each consecutive financial year from 2026 to 2029.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Provisional allocations of the Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Domestic Abuse Grant have been published on gov.uk here. Final allocations will be published in due course.

Found: Deirdre Costigan Jen Craft Josh Fenton-Glynn Andrew George Paulette Hamilton Joe Robertson Gregory Stafford