Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the change in the proportion of NHS GP's that are female between 2015 and 2025.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The following table shows the proportion of female full-time equivalent (FTE) general practitioners (GPs) between September 2015 and September 2025, broken down by GP role:

Notes:

1. data includes estimates for practices that did not provide fully valid staff records;
2. data does not include doctors employed by primary care networks;
3. FTE refers to the proportion of full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. One would indicate they work a full set of hours, 37.5 hours, and 0.5 that they worked half time. For GPs in training grade contracts, one FTE equals 40 hours, and in this table these FTEs have been converted to the standard Workforce Minimum Data Set measure of one FTE being equal to 37.5 hours for consistency; and
4. figures shown do not include staff working in prisons, army bases, educational establishments, specialist care centres, including drug rehabilitation centres, walk-in centres, and other alternative settings outside of traditional practice, such as urgent treatment centres and minor injury units.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when does he expect the next phase of the review of the UK Foundation programme to be concluded.

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

The first phase of The Medical Training Review has concluded. Phase 1 identified key challenges and areas for improvement across postgraduate medical training, including for foundation training, alongside what currently works well. The Phase 1 diagnostic report can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/the-medical-training-review-phase-1-diagnostic-report/

Phase 2, which is already underway, will involve working with a wide range of stakeholders across the system to design a package of reform.

NHS England is also conducting a review of the Preference Informed Allocation (PIA) method, which was introduced in 2024 as the process for allocating applicants to the UK Foundation Programme to foundation schools.

Timelines for Phase 2 of the postgraduate medical training review and the PIA review will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to ensure that in instances where serious injury or death results from the distribution of illegal substances, the distribution itself is made an offence directly linked to the injury or death.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government has no plans to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (“the 1971 Act”) in this way. The maximum sentences for unlawful supply of controlled drugs under the 1971 Act are life imprisonment, a fine or both for Class A drugs, and 14 years’ imprisonment, a fine or both for Class B and C drugs. The classification of drugs under the 1971 Act is broadly based on harm, so longer sentences are available for those drugs considered the most harmful.

When considering the appropriate sentence for a person who has been convicted for supply offences under the 1971 Act, in addition to any statutory aggravating factors, judges may consider a range of factors. In England and Wales these are set out in sentencing guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council. These can be found at this link:

https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/guidelines/supplying-or-offering-to-supply-a-controlled-drug-possession-of-a-controlled-drug-with-intent-to-supply-it-to-another/

Factors increasing the seriousness of an offence, which may result in a longer sentence, include exposing a drug user to the risk of serious harm over and above that expected by the user, exposing those involved in drug dealing to the risk of serious harm and exposing third parties to the risk of serious harm. These factors are not exhaustive and judges may consider other factors, including those raised in victim personal statements.

In Northern Ireland judges rely on caselaw when considering sentencing in the Crown Court. Relevant caselaw can be found here: https://www.judiciaryni.uk/judiciary-decision-types/type/drug-offences-39.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when does he expect to be able to reply to WPQ 117245 tabled on 3rd March 2026.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 March 2026 to Question 117245.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has been made of the potential benefits derived to Northern Ireland people and businesses from the Belfast Office operational since December 2024.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

HM Treasury has not made a standalone assessment of the benefits of the HMRC Belfast office, but having an operational presence in Belfast supports access to HMRC services, engagement with local businesses and stakeholders, and the effective administration of the tax system in Northern Ireland.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Credit Union Movement representative groups in Northern Ireland responded to the call for evidence on Credit Union Common Bond Reform proposals.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

On 18 March, the government announced plans to reform the credit union common bond in Great Britain. Full details of the government’s plans have been published in a call for evidence response available on GOV.UK.

The call for evidence only sought views on the common bond for credit unions in England, Wales, and Scotland. This is because responsibility for credit unions in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. The Northern Ireland Executive launched its own consultation in 2025 to gather views on proposed reforms to modernise and strengthen the credit union sector in Northern Ireland.

The government is a strong supporter of the mutual sector, including credit unions, and is working to support its growth in line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the co‑operative and mutual sector. In line with devolution arrangements, this includes legislating for reforms in Great Britain while continuing to engage with the Northern Ireland Executive on credit union policy in Northern Ireland.

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 (a) fund research into and (b) help reduce the number of live births with at least one congenital condition.

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

The Department, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), commissions a range of research to improve neonatal health outcomes.

For example, The NIHR recently funded a project which investigated whether artificial intelligence (AI) could help to identify heart conditions in babies, before birth. The study found that AI assistance in the routine foetal anomaly ultrasound scan results in significant time savings, and a reduction in sonographer cognitive load, without a reduction in diagnostic performance.

In addition, the NIHR is currently funding a £2.68 million study to improve maternal and infant outcomes in pregnant women with epilepsy through early identification of women and their babies at risk of complications and ensuring timely specialist epilepsy input with evidence-based information on the risks-benefits of their treatment. This study will therefore assess the longer-term effects of newer anti-epileptic drugs on children’s development to inform pregnant women and promote safe anti-epileptic drug use.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including research on congenital conditions.

The 10-Year Health Plan addresses common causes of congenital anomalies including plans to address smoking, end the obesity epidemic, and tackle harmful alcohol consumption. The 10-Year Health Plan is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future

The plan includes proposals for universal newborn genomic testing, subject to evidence from the Generation Study. This study is assessing the use of whole genome sequencing to screen 100,000 newborns for over 200 rare genetic conditions, with more than 15,000 families enrolled so far. Sequencing will complete by summer 2027, after which the findings will be evaluated and considered by the UK National Screening Committee. Subject to evidence and funding, genomic testing could be available to all newborns by 2035. The Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle includes evidence-based interventions to address common causes of congenital anomalies such as smoking, fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, and management of diabetes in pregnancy. Further information on the bundle is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/saving-babies-lives-version-3-2/

In addition, from December 2026, non-wholemeal wheat flour will be fortified with folic acid. It is estimated that this will reduce neural tube defect rates by approximately 20% in the United Kingdom. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/folic-acid

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of new artificial intelligence models on the risk of financial market manipulation.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government’s ambition is to make the UK a global leader in AI. Encouraging safe adoption is an essential part of realising that ambition. We will continue to work closely with regulators and industry to ensure innovation proceeds safely and responsibly and that any risks to financial markets are identified and mitigated.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will ensure that HMRC approved software required for sole traders to make returns under the Making Tax Digital framework remains at no cost to the user for the remainder of this Parliament.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government has worked closely with the software industry to ensure the availability of a broad range of MTD-compatible products to suit different needs and budgets.

This includes free products supporting those with the simplest affairs, low-cost bridging software for those who prefer to continue using spreadsheets and more sophisticated products that integrate with other business software.

Currently, there are more than 15 free products (excluding free trials) covering a range of different scenarios including bookkeeping, quarterly updates and end-of-year submissions.

Campbell College’s rugby and football double

MS Awareness Week 2026

MS Awareness Week 2026 (No. 2)

Introduction of reforms to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief

Support for hospitality businesses

First anniversary of the For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers ruling

Women and heart disease

Anniversary of the formation of the Ulster Defence Regiment

Back-to-back Masters champion, Grand Slam winner and six time Major champion