Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to mark Play in Healthcare Week 2025.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise the importance of supporting children's right to play as games and play help build social-skills and support children’s wellbeing. In October 2025, the Starlight Children's Foundation will mark Play in Healthcare Week, celebrating 50 years of play and highlighting its importance for children in healthcare settings. Together with NHS England, Starlight co-published the Play Well Toolkit, which is designed to help services enhance the quality of health play provision.

The Department remains supportive of the Starlight Foundation and NHS England’s work to champion that toolkit and promote child-centred care across healthcare settings and encourages work to publicise its use during this week.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking to support the widest possible implementation of the Play Well Toolkit.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise the importance of supporting and maintaining children’s right to play, as games and active play in all settings build social skills and support children’s wellbeing. The Play Well toolkit that was recently jointly launched by NHS England and the charity Starlight helps services to identify opportunities to improve health play services.

While funding decisions for health play services remain the responsibility of local commissioners, the Department remains supportive of NHS England’s work to continue to champion the toolkit and the importance of child-centred care across healthcare settings.

To support implementation, NHS England is promoting the Play Well toolkit to managers of health play services across a wide range of settings, including community clinics, emergency departments, children’s hospices, and acute paediatric wards.

A range of communication channels have been used to raise awareness, including engagement with services via professional bodies, messaging via the Chief Nursing Officer, and a forthcoming blog post and press release in partnership with Starlight. Starlight will be co-leading a webinar with NHS England this month to raise awareness of the toolkit.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the Strategic Framework to End Violence against Women and Girls.

Answered by Matthew Patrick - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)

It is our collective shame that Northern Ireland has the highest rate of violence against women and girls in the UK.

This Government is committed to halving violence against women and girls in a decade, a commitment I feel very strongly about. I will work with the Executive and groups across Northern Ireland so that women, girls and children are safe.

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 regulation of cosmetic procedures; and what estimate he has made of the annual cost of treating complications from such procedures.

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

The Government is committed to addressing longstanding concerns around the safety of the cosmetics sector. On 7 August we announced our plans to introduce legal restrictions which will ensure that the highest risk cosmetic procedures are brought into Care Quality Commission regulation and can only be performed by specified regulated healthcare professionals.

In addition, the Government has also committed to legislating to introduce a licensing scheme for lower risk procedures through powers granted through the Health and Care Act 2022. Under the proposed scheme, which will be operated by local authorities, practitioners will be required to obtain a licence to perform specified cosmetic procedures, and the premises from which they operate will also need to be licensed. To protect children and young people, the Government is also committed to mandating age restrictions for cosmetic procedures.

Further details of the Government’s commitments are available in the Government’s response to the 2023 consultation on the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/licensing-of-non-surgical-cosmetic-procedures

The Department does not have data on the annual costs to the National Health Service of treating complications from cosmetic procedures. We are exploring ways to improve our understanding of the scale of the cost to the NHS.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has for the future of funding for School Games Organisers beyond 2026.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government has confirmed funding for the School Games Organisers until the end of the 2025/26 Academic Year. Funding beyond then will be confirmed in due course following departmental funding processes.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sir Mark Tami; Mr Clive Betts; Dr Rupa Huq; Leigh Ingham; Jessica

Submit Evidence (by 7 Nov 2025)

2026 marks 25 years since the establishment of the PSNI following the recommendations of the Patten review on policing. This inquiry will examine how far the objectives and aspirations of the Patten review have been realised, and explore the key challenges facing policing and security in Northern Ireland today—particularly in areas that remain under UK Government co-ordination and funding. Read our call for evidence [here] for more detail about the inquiry and how to contribute your views.