Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will consider the potential merits of requiring the provision of publicly accessible bleed control kits as part of local authority regeneration plans.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The department has no plans to require local authorities to provide publicly accessible bleed control kits. The department believes local councils are best placed to make decisions about the priorities for local community safety.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of how many and what proportion of recent university graduates are employed in roles that make use of their degree-level skills.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not produce these estimates.
Graduate Outcome survey data published by HESA shows that around 70% of UK domiciled students who graduated with an undergraduate degree from a UK higher education provider during the 2022/23 academic year were in high-skilled employment fifteen months after graduation. This data was published in July 2025 and can be found in Table 12 here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/sb272/figure-12.
The Office for National Statistics have also published ad hoc statistics on employment in graduate roles. Available data for 2023 can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/adhocs/2492onslocalemploymentingraduateandnongraduaterolesbyqualificationandsectorbyukregion2023.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 ensure that patients have continued access to Mounjaro at an affordable price following the planned private price increase in September 2025.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As we shift the focus from treatment to prevention through our 10 Year Health Plan, we are determined to bring revolutionary modern treatments to everyone who needs them, not just those who can afford to pay.
NHS England has worked with Eli Lilly to ensure that the list price increase will not affect National Health Service commissioning of tirzepatide in England as a treatment for eligible patients, and we remain committed to the rollout of this medicine as a weight loss treatment based on clinical priority. This will enable 220,000 eligible people to access the medication over the first three years. Not everyone who wants tirzepatide will be able to access it at first, and the initial eligibility criteria will be for people with a body mass index of 40 or more in addition to four or more qualifying comorbidities.
Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have also entered equivalent agreements to maintain their current commissioning approaches.
Pricing in the private market is a matter for Eli Lilly and for private providers. Private patients who are impacted by price increases should discuss any concerns with their private provider. This includes their options regarding payment plans, alternative treatments, and/or stopping or tapering off their current medication. Eli Lilly is working with private providers to support continued patient access.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of patients seeking medication from unregulated sources on public health.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is responsible for the regulation of all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe. This also includes applying the legal controls on the retail sale, supply and advertising of medicines which are set out in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.
Sourcing any medicine from unregulated suppliers significantly increases the risk of getting a product which is either falsified or not authorised for use. Products purchased in this way will not meet the MHRA’s strict quality and safety standards, and can expose patients to incorrect dosages, or dangerous ingredients that can have serious health consequences.
Many legitimate medicinal products are prescription-only medicines, meaning that a consultation with a doctor or qualified healthcare professional is needed to assess the patient's suitability for the treatment and consider any potential risks. Usually, they should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy against a valid prescription.
Public safety is the number one priority for the MHRA and its Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU) works hard to prevent and investigate illegal activity involving medicines and medical devices.
This year, the CEU and its partners have seized millions of doses of illegally traded medicines. It also works closely with web-based sales platforms and the internet industry to identify and remove non-compliant medicines and medical devices where possible.
The MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme collects and monitors information on suspected safety concerns involving healthcare products, including side effects caused by medicines. These reports help the regulator gain a better understanding of medicine interactions and safeguard patients through vigilant monitoring.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans for the National Cancer Plan for England to include targets to improve the early diagnosis of blood cancers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.
To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.
We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancers earlier and treating it faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.
The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent analysis she has made of the potential impact on the economy of Lifetime ISA savers defering utilising the scheme for purchasing houses due to the house price restriction and withdrawal penalty.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The LISA encourages younger people to save towards later life at the same time as being able to save for their first home.
Data from the latest UK House Price Index shows that while the average price paid by first-time buyers has increased, it is still below the Lifetime ISA property price cap in all regions of the UK except for London, where the average price paid is affected by boroughs with very high property values.
As of 2023/24, there were over 1.3 million LISA accounts open and, since its introduction in 2017, the LISA has helped 227,600 people purchase their first property.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) help prevent the online sale of products containing asbestos; and whether the Health and Safety Executive has issued recent (i) enforcement actions and (ii) guidance to online marketplaces on this matter.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Product safety regulations require consumer products to be safe when placed on the market, whether sold online or offline. The Office for Product Safety and Standards has published three recalls for products containing asbestos in the last three years.
In the last 12 months, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has not received any concerns related to the supply of asbestos containing articles that were part of its workplace safety remit; should any be received, they would be investigated.
HSE regularly engages with online platforms on their restricted items policies and provides advice to Local Authorities on asbestos related products.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken for job seekers to receive appointments for improving CVs.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Customers have regular appointments with their Work Coach. For those in the Intensive Work Search regime, who are the most likely to be seeking work, these are usually weekly in the first 13 weeks of their claim. Where it is identified or requested that there is a need to create or improve their CV, their Work Coach is equipped to coach the customer to create or improve their CV which can be undertaken in these regular appointments. Where the customer requires additional support to this coaching, the work coach may refer the customer to other appropriate support or provision.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to provide employment support to young people not in education, employment or training.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Get Britain Working White Paper set out our cross-Government plan to get people into work and get on at work. A key focus is supporting young people into employment, education or training. We are planning to offer greater employment support in every part of the country to ensure that those who need it – including young people – can access opportunities to get into work and fulfil their potential.
As part of this, the government will launch a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work.
DWP already provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by Work Coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners.
In addition, Youth Hubs and Jobcentres across the country are increasing awareness of the Flexible Support Fund, which can help cover costs such as transport to job interviews, Jobcentres and training courses – removing practical barriers to employment.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is he taking to improve access to innovative treatments for patients diagnosed with rare cancers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with rare cancers, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.
The National Cancer Plan, which is due to be published later this year, will include details on how cancer research will be supported, ensuring all cancer patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, as well as speeding up diagnosis.
The Government also supports the Rare Cancers Bill and its ambitions to incentivise clinical trials and access to innovative treatments for rare cancers. The Department is working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes and accelerate the development of medicines and therapies of the future, including for rare cancers. DHSC invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.