Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she expects to provide a response to the letter sent by the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough on 12th November 2025.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department attaches great importance to the handling of correspondence from parliamentarians. Correspondence often raises complex and serious concerns, as it has in this instance, and as a department we aim to provide high quality, tailored responses to the points raised. I can confirm that a response to the correspondence of 12 November 2025 from my hon. Friend, the Member for Ellesmere Port and Bromborough was sent on 17 March 2026.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information is being provided to his Department by NHS England on the progress on insourcing previously outsourced services within the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We do not routinely collect data on outsourcing or insourcing arrangements. Outsourcing transactions which involve the creation of new subsidiaries or material changes to existing subsidiaries are reportable to NHS England for review in line with its published subsidiary transaction guidance.
As set out on 26 September 2025, NHS England will shortly consult on updating the subsidiary transaction guidance to confirm that subsidiaries involving the transfer of National Health Service staff will now only be approved in a limited number of circumstances, and only where there is clear local union support and protection of NHS terms and conditions, including pension access.
Subsidiary transaction proposals involving the transfer of NHS staff are paused while NHS England undertakes this consultation, unless they are supported by local unions.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department has made representations outlining concerns to NHS England about multiple Trusts and FTs in the North West engaging in activities around the proposed formation of or changes to subcos without following the guidance provided by NHS England in February 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Outsourcing transactions which involve the creation of new subsidiaries, or material changes to existing subsidiaries, including any proposals in the North West, are reportable to NHS England for review in line with its published subsidiary transaction guidance.
NHS England wrote to the sector on 26 September 2025 to highlight a change in national policy on subsidiaries given concerns about transferring National Health Service staff into new organisations, which is seen as undermining the concept of a single NHS workforce.
NHS England will shortly consult on updating the subsidiary transaction guidance to confirm that subsidiaries involving the transfer of NHS staff will now only be approved in a limited number of circumstances, and only where there is clear local union support and protection of NHS terms and conditions, including pension access.
All subsidiary transaction proposals involving the transfer of NHS staff are paused while NHS England undertakes this consultation, unless they are supported by local unions. This includes any proposals in the North West.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what action will be taken against NHS Trusts that do not follow guidance from NHS England around proposals to consider the formation of a subco.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Outsourcing transactions which involve the creation of new subsidiaries, or material changes to existing subsidiaries, including any proposals in the North West, are reportable to NHS England for review in line with its published subsidiary transaction guidance.
NHS England wrote to the sector on 26 September 2025 to highlight a change in national policy on subsidiaries given concerns about transferring National Health Service staff into new organisations, which is seen as undermining the concept of a single NHS workforce.
NHS England will shortly consult on updating the subsidiary transaction guidance to confirm that subsidiaries involving the transfer of NHS staff will now only be approved in a limited number of circumstances, and only where there is clear local union support and protection of NHS terms and conditions, including pension access.
All subsidiary transaction proposals involving the transfer of NHS staff are paused while NHS England undertakes this consultation, unless they are supported by local unions. This includes any proposals in the North West.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps have been taken to ensure NHS England enforces the guidance around the formation of subcos.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Outsourcing transactions which involve the creation of new subsidiaries, or material changes to existing subsidiaries, including any proposals in the North West, are reportable to NHS England for review in line with its published subsidiary transaction guidance.
NHS England wrote to the sector on 26 September 2025 to highlight a change in national policy on subsidiaries given concerns about transferring National Health Service staff into new organisations, which is seen as undermining the concept of a single NHS workforce.
NHS England will shortly consult on updating the subsidiary transaction guidance to confirm that subsidiaries involving the transfer of NHS staff will now only be approved in a limited number of circumstances, and only where there is clear local union support and protection of NHS terms and conditions, including pension access.
All subsidiary transaction proposals involving the transfer of NHS staff are paused while NHS England undertakes this consultation, unless they are supported by local unions. This includes any proposals in the North West.