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 reduce waiting times in urology departments in (a) Nottinghamshire, (b) the East Midlands and (c) nationwide.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are committed to putting patients first, ensuring that they are seen on time and that they have the best possible experience of care.

We set a national ambition that by March 2026, 65% of patients would wait no longer than 18 weeks. Thanks to our record investment, modernisation, and the remarkable efforts of National Health Service staff across the country, we have met this ambition, meaning patients are getting treated faster, getting back to work, and no longer waiting in pain or uncertainty.

For urology services in England, the urology waiting list in England has fallen by almost 37,000 since the Government entered office, to 377,265 in March 2026. Over this same period, performance against the 18-week standard has improved by 9.3%, from 57% to 66.3%.

Urology services across the East Midlands have also seen improvements in performance. All three integrated care boards (ICBs) in the East Midlands were performing better than the Midlands average, at 65.1%, against the 18-week standard as of the end of March 2026. The following table shows 18 week performance across the East Midland ICBs in June 2024 and March 2026:

Source: Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times Data 2025-26, available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/
Note: the above table excludes missing estimates for non-reporting trusts.

The NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB, the NHS Lincolnshire ICB, and the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB have implemented a comprehensive programme of actions to reduce urology waiting times, including increased surgical and outpatient capacity, expanded diagnostic provision, pathway redesign, workforce growth, and strengthened cross system coordination. These measures are already improving patient flow and are expected to continue reducing waiting lists and waiting times over the coming months.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce veteran homelessness.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Prime Minister announced an ambition to house all veterans in housing need in September 2024. The government made changes to social housing allocations regulations to exempt all veterans of the Regular Armed Forces from local connection and residency tests to facilitate their access to social housing in England.

In November 2025, we committed an additional £12 million to vital homelessness services through the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme. Op FORTITUDE has also been extended, putting the service that has already housed over 1,100 veterans on a sustainable footing. These programmes will deliver support services across the UK for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness, fulfilling the Prime Minister’s pledge that homes will be there for heroes.

The Government launched VALOUR, which aims to improve coordination of and access to services for veterans, develop veterans' support centres and gather timely data to ensure veterans' needs are being met.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to hold a public consultation on the introduction of mandatory eyesight testing for drivers aged 70 and over at each three-year licence renewal.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

A public consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers was launched on 7 January and closed on 11 May.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps she has taken to ensure police officers are safe in the workplace.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government recognises the vital role that police officers play in keeping our communities safe and is committed to supporting their safety and wellbeing in the workplace.

Through the measures set out in the Government’s Police Reform White Paper, we are taking steps to strengthen support for the policing workforce, including improving wellbeing provision, embedding consistent wellbeing standards across policing and strengthening the delivery of the Police Covenant to ensure officers receive the support they need throughout their careers.

We are working closely with police forces and the National Police Wellbeing Service to ensure officers are properly supported and looked after in the workplace.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) accessibility and (b) suitability of Specsavers DVLA-mandated vision testing.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Drivers who notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) of an underlying medical condition that may affect their vision are required to have a visual field test conducted.

Examinations by Specsavers are carried out to the exact specifications required to enable the DVLA to assess whether the visual field requirements for driving can be met.

If drivers choose to get your eyesight test from somewhere else, you can submit the results of an eyesight test done by another optician as long as it includes an ‘Esterman visual test’. DVLA do not guarantee they will accept an eyesight test done by other opticians.

Information about driving eyesight rules can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/driving-eyesight-rules.

The DVLA’s contract with Specsavers for vision testing services provides coverage across Great Britain. Specsavers is working to increase the number of stores available to carry out eyesight tests. In the meantime Specsavers may also utilise local opticians for customers who live more than 25 miles from their nearest Specsavers branch, for example those living in rural or semi-rural areas.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure people living in social housing receive sufficient decoration allowance following home repairs carried out by a local authority.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

All registered providers of social housing are obliged by law to maintain the structure and exterior of their properties, and to keep in repair and proper working order sanitation, water, gas, and electricity installations.

Where decoration allowances are inadequate to repair damage to homes, tenants can make a complaint to their landlord. If tenants are unhappy with the way in which their landlord has dealt with their complaint they can escalate matters to the Housing Ombudsman.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether their department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the amount offered in decoration allowance following repairs to social housing being carried out by a local authority.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

All registered providers of social housing are obliged by law to maintain the structure and exterior of their properties, and to keep in repair and proper working order sanitation, water, gas, and electricity installations.

Where decoration allowances are inadequate to repair damage to homes, tenants can make a complaint to their landlord. If tenants are unhappy with the way in which their landlord has dealt with their complaint they can escalate matters to the Housing Ombudsman.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce new powers to allow local authorities to address illegal Traveller encampments.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to traveller sites and enforcement.

We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to introduce stricter enforcement on the size of Traveller encampments.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to traveller sites and enforcement.

We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

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 increase domestic production of quetiapine.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is aware of ongoing intermittent supply issues with several brands of quetiapine modified-release tablets. The disruption has been caused by manufacturing capacity constraints limiting the volumes needed to meet United Kingdom demand. We continue to work with the affected manufacturers to increase supply to the UK and several suppliers have now completed deliveries. Working with National Health Service specialists we have provided management advice for these supply issues, advising healthcare professionals on how to manage patients during this time.

The resilience of UK supply chains is a key priority, and the Department and NHS England are committed to helping to build long term supply chain resilience for medicines. We are continually learning and seeking to further improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues and avoid shortages. The Department, working closely with NHS England, is taking forward a range of actions to improve our ability to mitigate and manage shortages and strengthen our resilience. As part of that work, we continue to engage with industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and other colleagues across the supply chain as we progress work to co-design and deliver solutions. However, medicine shortages are a complex and global issue and everyone in the supply chain has a role to play in addressing them, and any action will require a collaborative approach.

The Government is enhancing domestic manufacturing capability alongside strengthening international partnerships to build long-term supply resilience and help ensure patients can access the medical products they need.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) wellbeing and (b) working conditions for prison officers.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Staff Wellbeing Support – Prisons 

The Department recognises the unique challenges faced by prison staff and is improving wellbeing through a structured support framework that enables timely access to support, early intervention, and effective wellbeing management by line managers.

Following critical incidents, trained Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) practitioners, care teams, Mental Health Allies, and the Critical Incident Support Service provide structured debriefs and targeted follow-up support. Preventative support is available through wellbeing workshops, reflective practice sessions, extensive mental health support, and wellbeing resources.

All staff have access to a confidential Employee Assistance Programme, available 24/7, alongside Occupational Health services that provide independent clinical assessments, advice on workplace adjustments and fitness for work, and access to specialist therapies, for example Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), where clinically appropriate.

This approach ensures that staff are supported through a combination of managerial, peer, and professional interventions, reflecting our commitment to embedding wellbeing as a core operational priority.

Working conditions for prison officers

Staff must be able to expect a safe and decent work environment. We are investing around £15 million in protective equipment to help keep frontline staff working in prisons safe, including expanding the use of tasers and providing more protective body armour. Body Worn Video Cameras are available in adult public sector prisons, and staff in the adult male estate also have batons, rigid-bar hand cuffs and synthetic pepper spray (PAVA).

We recognise prison officers deserve a fair reward for their challenging work. The Government has accepted all 12 of the independent recommendations put forward by the PSPRB for 2026/27. The pay award delivers a 3.5% increase to all frontline prison staff. Following the 2026/27 Prison Service pay award, the starting salary for an entry level officer has risen from £35,875 to £37,131 (national rate, 39 hours with unsocial hours).

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of prison officers.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) continues to recruit across all prisons where vacancies exist or are anticipated, including those undergoing expansion.

Recruitment processes are being strengthened to ensure candidates have the skills and attributes required for the Prison Officer role, aligned to the Enable Programme. Assessment tools are designed, wherever possible, to provide a realistic job preview and to filter out unsuitable applicants early, allowing the strongest candidates to progress.

A range of national and local interventions support recruitment, including the Advance into Justice (AiJ) scheme for Armed Forces leavers and veterans, and initiatives such as the Prison Officer Alumni Network and National Returners Scheme, which encourage former officers to re-join the service.

The ‘Extraordinary Jobs’ campaign aims to increase awareness of Prison Officer roles, challenge misconceptions, and highlight the positive impact of the work, encouraging more applications.

Prisons are also supported to improve onboarding by taking greater ownership of applicant pipelines, including offering local familiarisation visits prior to start dates.

HMPPS is taking a comprehensive approach to retention across both Prison and Probation Services. A new employee experience and retention framework is due later in 2026, supported by a retention toolkit based on analysis of attrition drivers. This enables targeted interventions at local, regional and national levels.

Structured exit interviews and a retention oversight process identify issues at high-attrition sites, with deep dives led by occupational psychologists. National activity is coordinated through the Retention Delivery Committee to ensure alignment and minimise operational disruption.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) violence and (b) drug use in prisons.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Government is committed to improving prison safety and we are working hard to make prisons as safe as possible for those who live and work in them. Reducing violence is a key priority and we are continuing our efforts on a range of measures, including having specialist staff and equipment to stop the smuggling of contraband such as drugs, weapons and mobile phones, supporting those identified as posing a raised risk of violence through a case management approach addressing underlying causes, and rolling out Body Worn Video Cameras across the estate to support prosecutions and ensure incidents are dealt with fairly.

We work closely with health partners to support prisoners with a drug misuse need into treatment and recovery, and we have funded Incentivised Substance Free Living Units in 88 prisons, where prisoners sign a behaviour compact, agree to be regularly drug tested and can access enhanced opportunities compared to a standard wing. Findings from our randomised control trial indicate that prisoners on ISFL units are over 30% less likely to be involved in violence, self-harm, or disorder compared to those elsewhere in the prison. We have introduced Drug Strategy Leads in key prisons and Group Drug and Alcohol Leads at Prison Group level to coordinate activity, and we are expanding access to mutual aid and lived experience services. We have also rolled out lifesaving Naloxone across prisons with training embedded as a requirement for new prison officers.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of overcrowding in prisons on (a) prisoner violence and (b) attacks on prison staff.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We recognise that crowding can make it harder to deliver safe, stable regimes and places additional pressure on staff. Analysis published by the department shows that prisoners in crowded cells are more likely to be involved in assaults than those not in crowded conditions. That is why we continually monitor prison conditions and take places on and offline depending on safety, stability, staffing levels and maintenance needs.

As set out in the December 2024 10-Year Prison Capacity Strategy, we have committed to delivering an additional 14,000 prison places and aim to do so by 2031. We are investing £4.7 billion over the spending review period (2026/27 to 2029/30) towards the delivery of these additional prison places, and we have already delivered c.3,100 since taking office. Alongside increasing capacity at record rates, our Sentencing Act 2026 will place the prison population on a more sustainable footing and pave the way for further reforms.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase prison capacity.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We recognise that crowding can make it harder to deliver safe, stable regimes and places additional pressure on staff. Analysis published by the department shows that prisoners in crowded cells are more likely to be involved in assaults than those not in crowded conditions. That is why we continually monitor prison conditions and take places on and offline depending on safety, stability, staffing levels and maintenance needs.

As set out in the December 2024 10-Year Prison Capacity Strategy, we have committed to delivering an additional 14,000 prison places and aim to do so by 2031. We are investing £4.7 billion over the spending review period (2026/27 to 2029/30) towards the delivery of these additional prison places, and we have already delivered c.3,100 since taking office. Alongside increasing capacity at record rates, our Sentencing Act 2026 will place the prison population on a more sustainable footing and pave the way for further reforms.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps his Department has taken to tackle overcrowding in prisons.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We recognise that crowding can make it harder to deliver safe, stable regimes and places additional pressure on staff. Analysis published by the department shows that prisoners in crowded cells are more likely to be involved in assaults than those not in crowded conditions. That is why we continually monitor prison conditions and take places on and offline depending on safety, stability, staffing levels and maintenance needs.

As set out in the December 2024 10-Year Prison Capacity Strategy, we have committed to delivering an additional 14,000 prison places and aim to do so by 2031. We are investing £4.7 billion over the spending review period (2026/27 to 2029/30) towards the delivery of these additional prison places, and we have already delivered c.3,100 since taking office. Alongside increasing capacity at record rates, our Sentencing Act 2026 will place the prison population on a more sustainable footing and pave the way for further reforms.

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