Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
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 5 June 2025 to Question 56598 on Restless Legs Syndrome: Medical Treatments, whether he plans to make such an assessment.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has no plans to make such an assessment. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has an established prioritisation process overseen by a prioritisation board, for the identification of priorities for guidance development. Anyone is able to suggest a topic through the NICE website, at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/forms/topic-suggestion
The licensed dopamine agonist medicines that are indicated for the treatment of restless leg syndrome are ropinirole, pramipexole, and rotigotine. Decisions about what medicines to prescribe are made by healthcare professionals and National Health Service commissioners, based on an assessment of the available evidence, taking into account national guidance and advice, such as Clinical Knowledge Summaries.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the safe passage of aid to Gaza; and what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the Madleen vessel.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are aware of the interception of the Madleen and the arrest of its passengers by Israeli Naval Forces on 09 June. We note that this happened without serious incident or injury to any passenger.
Over the weekend and last week, we pressed the Israeli authorities in advance of the ship's arrival to ensure that any action they took would resolve the situation safely, with restraint, and in line with International Law.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is appalling. The UK continues to demand that the Israeli government permits the full and unhindered resumption of aid into Gaza immediately. By far the most effective way to meet the desperate needs of the Gazan people at the speed and scale that is needed is via overland routes. We reiterate that Israel must immediately allow the United Nations and other agencies to deliver lifesaving aid to those in Gaza who so desperately need it.
Asked by: Henry Tufnell (Labour - Mid and South Pembrokeshire)
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 consult people with restless legs syndrome in the development of (a) policy and (b) clinical treatment guidelines.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Involving the relevant patient advocacy organisations, including people with lived experience of restless legs syndrome, is central to developing our policies for the National Health Service, to improve patients’ experience of services.
The consultation on our 10-Year Health Plan received over 270,000 contributions, including responses from NHS staff and patients. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention.
The Department has also convened a new United Kingdom wide neuro forum, which brings together the devolved administrations, health services, and Neurological Alliances of all four UK nations. The forum will share learnings across the UK, and will discuss important neurology service transformation and workforce challenges, as well as best practice examples and potential solutions.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has not developed any guidelines on the diagnosis and/or management of restless legs syndrome, but has commissioned a Clinical Knowledge Summary (CKS) on the diagnosis and clinical management of restless legs syndrome, updated in February 2025, which can be used as a source of information for healthcare professionals, and which is available at the following link:
https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/restless-legs-syndrome/
CKS topics are written by an expert multidisciplinary team with experience of primary care, supported by a network of specialist external reviewers.