Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the benefits and complications of ablation surgery for endometriosis patients.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that develops authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on best practice in the care and management of patients with specific conditions based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness.
NICE has published a guideline on the diagnosis and management of endometriosis that includes recommendations on the use of ablation. The analysis underpinning NICE’s recommendations can be found in the full guideline that is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng73/evidence/full-guideline-pdf-4550371315
NICE is working with NHS systems to ensure adoption of this best practice endometriosis care, including access to approved medicines.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available to meet the travel costs of pensioners with cancer diagnoses.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of automating eligible claimants' entitlement to the disabled child addition to Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP’s digital application process uses automated prompts to identify where a claimant has a disabled child and guides them through the relevant eligibility criteria, helping ensure the correct addition is applied at the point of claim. This is currently the primary mechanism to identify likely eligibility and raise claimant awareness at the point of claiming UC.
The Department keeps all aspects of Universal Credit under review to ensure the system remains responsive, accurate and efficient. Our processes are dynamic, and we routinely explore opportunities to introduce further automation to streamline the process and further improve the claimant experience, including where claims to other benefits have been made.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what action his Department is taking to ensure (a) GPs and (b) GP nursing staff receive training on endometriosis.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
General practitioners (GPs) and nurses are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge, including on endometriosis and women’s health issues in general, remains up to date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development, within their scope of practice.
All United Kingdom registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s (GMC’s) Good Medical Practice. The training curriculum for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and has to meet the standards set by the GMC.
The GMC has introduced the Medical Licensing Assessment to encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the UK. The content map for this assessment includes several topics relating to women’s health including menstrual problems, endometriosis, menopause, and urinary incontinence. This will encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the UK. Endometriosis is also included in the core curriculum for trainee GPs, and for obstetricians and gynaecologists. The British Medical Journal and RCGP offer online courses on endometriosis designed for healthcare professionals, including practice nurses.
In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) updated their guideline on endometriosis which makes firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referral and investigations for women with suspected diagnosis, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG73
GPs and primary care networks have access to a regional Primary Care Training Hub, which brings together education and training resources from National Health Service organisations, community providers, as well as local authorities. Training hubs are usually run by a clinical leader and a manager supported by a network of primary care staff with education and training professionals based in the community. They work closely with primary care networks and integrated care systems to support workforce priorities and tackle health inequalities to help meet patient and population demand. Training hubs support all clinical staff, including nurses, to maintain their continuing professional development when new guidance, such as that from NICE, becomes available.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase production of domestic fruit, vegetables, pulses and legumes to strengthen the UK’s food security, in light of the findings of the National Security Assessment on Global Ecosystems report.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to the horticulture sector and its role in providing fresh home‑grown produce that helps to feed the nation.
In December 2025, the Secretary of State announced the Farming & Food Partnership Board in response to the independent Farming Profitability Review led by Baroness Minette Batters. The Board will bring together farming, food, retail, finance and Government to take a strategic farm‑to‑fork approach to improving farming profitability and strengthening UK food production. It will oversee sector plans aimed at boosting productivity, reducing costs and opening new markets in ways that support health and environmental goals, with the first plan focused on the horticulture sector.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a statutory right to paid leave for kinship carers.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government’s Parental Leave and Pay Review will conclude in early 2027 with a set of findings which outline next steps for implementing any reforms.
In addition to considering, all current and upcoming parental leave and pay entitlements, the Review is considering the needs of other working families who do not qualify for existing leave and pay entitlements, such as kinship carers.
The Government is also supporting kinship carers through other mechanisms and has recently launched a kinship pilot to support up to 5,000 kinship families by paying eligible carers an allowance equivalent to the Fostering National Minimum Allowance.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol 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 potential impact of a respiratory Modern Service Framework on NHS provision in Bristol East constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme. There has not, therefore, been a specific assessment made in relation to National Health Service provision in the Bristol East constituency.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the disabled child addition to Universal Credit among eligible claimants.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time is to process a Personal Independence Payment appeal in Bristol East constituency.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to enforce guidance around Working Time Regulations in maternity services to encourage safe working practices in maternity care.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides readily accessible guidance to all employers on the Working Time Regulations 1998 on its website and is responsible for the enforcement of the maximum weekly working time limit, night work limits, and health assessments for night work. Issues relating to rest periods and time off are a matter for an Employment Tribunal.
It is the duty of each individual NHS trust, or employing organisation, to ensure they have systems in place to comply with these regulations. HSE responds to all concerns related to working time in a proportionate way, which may include activities such as stakeholder engagement, inspections and investigations, and taking robust enforcement action if employers are not complying with legal requirements.