Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her Department's policy is on the future of the Rare Disease Collaborative Networks; and whether the NHS will to continue to support their work in improving access to specialist expertise and care for people living with rare diseases.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has completed its review of Rare Disease Collaborative Networks (RDCNs) and communicated the findings and next steps to existing networks. The review confirmed the important value of RDCNs in connecting specialist expertise and supporting improved pathways, earlier diagnosis, care coordination, and more equitable access to expert advice.

NHS England will continue to support the work of RDCNs, with a focus on supporting collaboration, promoting learning, increasing visibility, and use of data and registries.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the end of the EU Pet Travel Scheme on UK pet owners travelling to the EU; and whether the movement of pets will form part of discussions on strengthening the UK's trading relationship with the EU.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government remains committed to concluding the SPS agreement ahead of the next UK-EU Summit on 20 November 2026. Instead of getting an Animal Health Certificate each time they travel, pet owners will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria local authorities are expected to apply when assessing eligibility for overnight respite care for disabled children, and whether her Department holds data on regional variation in approval rates.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Local authorities are responsible for assessing the needs of disabled children in their area and deciding what services should be provided to meet those needs. There is no nationally prescribed set of eligibility criteria for overnight respite care. Decisions are made by local authorities based on an assessment of the individual child and family's needs and their statutory duties under the Children Act 1989.

The department’s guidance 'Short breaks for carers of disabled children' makes clear that local authorities should provide a range of short break services to meet local needs and publish information about the services available. Decisions about access to specific services, including overnight respite care, are for local authorities to make based on individual assessments. The department does not hold data on access to overnight respite care for disabled children and does not collect information on regional variation in access to such care.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the average waiting time for children with disabilities to receive an occupational therapy home safety assessment from local authority Children's Social Care teams.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has not made an estimate of the average waiting time for children with disabilities to receive an occupational therapy home safety assessment from local authority children's social care teams.

Responsibility for assessing and meeting the needs of disabled children rests with local authorities, which determine local arrangements for the provision of occupational therapy assessments and support. The department does not collect data on waiting times for occupational therapy home safety assessments delivered by local authority children's social care teams, NHS England publishes waiting-list and waiting-time data for community health services, including children's occupational therapy services. This data does not identify waiting times for local authority children's social care occupational therapy assessments specifically.

Statutory guidance is clear that children's social care assessments should be undertaken in a timely manner, with the pace of assessment determined by the child's individual needs and circumstances.