Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many instances of cars being illegally unclamped have been reported to the Police by the DVLA since 1st March 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency does not hold a record of instances reported to the police. However, since 1 March 2025, just under 28,000 immobilisation devices were unlawfully removed from a vehicle before the wheelclamping company returned to impound it and the vehicle was no longer present.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether discussions have taken place between his Department and (a) NHS England, (b) the British Association of Prosthetics and Orthotics and (c) universities on the sustainability of prosthetics and orthotics training programmes.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Education to support the availability of a diverse range of training routes into health and care careers including prosthetics and orthotics. While the Government is committed to ensuring sustainable training pathways for the future supply of prosthetics and orthotists, higher education institutions are independent providers and are responsible for making their own decisions about course delivery and viability.
The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England remain committed to working with stakeholders through NHS England’s small and vulnerable professions programme, to help maintain and strengthen training and education pathways for pre-registration learners. This work has been supported recently with a meeting between myself and the British Association of Prosthetics and Orthotics to discuss strengthening a sustainable training and workforce pipeline.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department or NHS England has undertaken a risk assessment on the potential closure of prosthetics and orthotics pre-registration programmes.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Education to support the availability of a diverse range of training routes into health and care careers including prosthetics and orthotics. While the Government is committed to ensuring sustainable training pathways for the future supply of prosthetics and orthotists, higher education institutions are independent providers and are responsible for making their own decisions about course delivery and viability.
The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England remain committed to working with stakeholders through NHS England’s small and vulnerable professions programme, to help maintain and strengthen training and education pathways for pre-registration learners. This work has been supported recently with a meeting between myself and the British Association of Prosthetics and Orthotics to discuss strengthening a sustainable training and workforce pipeline.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure compliance with International Law with reference to cross-border military actions in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 11 March to Question 116086.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with international allies to help reduce tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 11 March to Question 116086.
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what has been the average length of time to decide an application under the Portfolio Pathway route for each of the last five years for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made by the Department of the effectiveness of the Portfolio Pathway route to professional registration for overseas qualified specialist medical practitioners and general practitioners or the availability of portfolio assessors. The Department does not hold application or qualification data about this route.
The General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator of medical practitioners, or doctors, in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for setting standards that must be met by both domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to their registers to ensure registrants are safe to practise.
As the independent regulator, it is for the GMC to monitor the operational effectiveness of its routes to registration, and to determine the qualifications and experience that it will accept. The GMC publishes data on applications to its Portfolio Pathway at the following link:
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many doctors have applied to qualify as consultants under the Portfolio Pathway route over the last five years for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made by the Department of the effectiveness of the Portfolio Pathway route to professional registration for overseas qualified specialist medical practitioners and general practitioners or the availability of portfolio assessors. The Department does not hold application or qualification data about this route.
The General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator of medical practitioners, or doctors, in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for setting standards that must be met by both domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to their registers to ensure registrants are safe to practise.
As the independent regulator, it is for the GMC to monitor the operational effectiveness of its routes to registration, and to determine the qualifications and experience that it will accept. The GMC publishes data on applications to its Portfolio Pathway at the following link:
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many doctors have qualified as consultants under the Portfolio Pathway route over the last five years for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made by the Department of the effectiveness of the Portfolio Pathway route to professional registration for overseas qualified specialist medical practitioners and general practitioners or the availability of portfolio assessors. The Department does not hold application or qualification data about this route.
The General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator of medical practitioners, or doctors, in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for setting standards that must be met by both domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to their registers to ensure registrants are safe to practise.
As the independent regulator, it is for the GMC to monitor the operational effectiveness of its routes to registration, and to determine the qualifications and experience that it will accept. The GMC publishes data on applications to its Portfolio Pathway at the following link:
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
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 adequacy of the availability of sufficiently qualified assessors to review portfolios under the Portfolio Pathway system.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made by the Department of the effectiveness of the Portfolio Pathway route to professional registration for overseas qualified specialist medical practitioners and general practitioners or the availability of portfolio assessors. The Department does not hold application or qualification data about this route.
The General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator of medical practitioners, or doctors, in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for setting standards that must be met by both domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to their registers to ensure registrants are safe to practise.
As the independent regulator, it is for the GMC to monitor the operational effectiveness of its routes to registration, and to determine the qualifications and experience that it will accept. The GMC publishes data on applications to its Portfolio Pathway at the following link:
Asked by: John Grady (Labour - Glasgow East)
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 effectiveness of the Portfolio Pathway system for qualification as consultants.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made by the Department of the effectiveness of the Portfolio Pathway route to professional registration for overseas qualified specialist medical practitioners and general practitioners or the availability of portfolio assessors. The Department does not hold application or qualification data about this route.
The General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator of medical practitioners, or doctors, in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for setting standards that must be met by both domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to their registers to ensure registrants are safe to practise.
As the independent regulator, it is for the GMC to monitor the operational effectiveness of its routes to registration, and to determine the qualifications and experience that it will accept. The GMC publishes data on applications to its Portfolio Pathway at the following link: