Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2025 to Question 94707 on Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England: Flags, if he will list each flag, for flying from buildings that his Department hold.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department holds a range of flags including the National Health Service flag and the commonwealth flag that are flown when instructed to by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Union flag is flown the majority of the year.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2025 to Question 98794 on Mission Boards, who the internal and external members are of the Health Mission Board.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Mission boards have been reformed to become delivery-focused forums benefitting from external and industry expertise, led by the relevant Secretary of State.
The 10-Year Health Plan, published in July 2025, is delivering our Health Mission. Ministers and external stakeholders are involved in a variety of forums to take forward the various elements of the 10-Year Health Plan.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the answer of 20 May 20213, Official Report, House of Lords, Column WA22, on Government Departments: Fax Machines, whether his Department has operational fax machines or faxing facilities.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not have any operational fax machines or faxing facilities.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) he and (b) the Permanent Secretary approved the use of paid facility time for trade union activities in NHS England in the 2024-25 NHS England annual report and accounts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The use of paid facility time for trade union duties and activities is a matter for NHS England as the employer. Trade union representatives are entitled to paid time for trade union duties and unpaid time for trade union activities by law under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULCRA), with local agreements with trade unions determining specifics. Section 25 of the National Health Service staff terms and conditions of service, the Agenda for Change, handbook gives NHS employers the flexibility to determine what union activities are paid. Approval for these payments is not required by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, or the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Care.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any leadership and promotion schemes run by the Care Equality Commission are restricted to ethnic minorities and other protected characteristics.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has interpreted the question as referring to the Care Quality Commission (CQC), as there is no public body called the ‘Care Equality Commission’.
The CQC operates a positive action development programme aimed at addressing barriers to career progression, aligning with the ambitions set out in the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, to support colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds and disabled colleagues.
Participation in the programme does not guarantee promotion, as all appointments are made through fair and open competition in accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance has been issued by (a) his Department and (b) NHS England on expenditure on flags.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department follows general Government guidance on flying flags, which is available at the following link:
Neither the Department nor NHS England has issued guidance regarding expenditure on flags.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2025 to Question 73327 on Alan Milburn, if he will list which other areas of health policy Mr Milburn has recused himself from.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Prior to appointment, non-executive candidates are required to declare all relevant interests. Appropriate mitigations are then put in place and approved by the Department.
This process was carried out for the Rt Hon. Alan Milburn, whose interests, and any updates to them, are available in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts and on the GOV.UK website in alignment with Government policy.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to allow trade union representatives to access NHS buildings on strike days.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has no current plans to introduce new provisions regarding trade union access to National Health Service premises on strike days. Under existing legislation, including the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 and the Employment Rights Act 1996, lawful picketing and trade union activity are permitted, provided they comply with statutory requirements and do not disrupt services or compromise safety.
Responsibility for managing access to NHS buildings during industrial action rests with individual NHS employers. They are best placed to assess local circumstances and ensure arrangements align with operational needs and legal obligations, including the Code of Practice on Picketing.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 September 2025 to Question 75037 on NHS: Workplace Pensions, why the 9.4% pension contribution for NHS staff is made by NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Currently, National Health Service employees who are a member of the NHS pension scheme pay between 5.2% and 12.5% of earnings as an employee contribution. In addition, the current employer's contribution rate is 23.78%. As set out in the NHS Pension Scheme Consultancy, the Government Actuary's Department increased the employer contribution rate by 6.3% in 2019, from 14.38%, and this increased further by 3.1% from 2024 as a result of the 2016 and 2020 actuarial valuations. To alleviate cost pressures on employers and efficiently implement the increases, NHS England transacts the 9.4% increase in employer pensions contribution. This means whilst the full 23.78% rate is paid, 14.38% continues to be paid by employers and 9.4% by NHS England, which is supported by an increase in the NHS England Mandate. This arrangement will be reviewed with each subsequent revaluation. Further information on the NHS Pension Scheme Consultancy is available at the following link:
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 11 September 2025 to Question 73326 on NHS: Strikes, whether more detailed guidance has been provided by (a) NHS England and (b) his Department on this matter.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Further guidance is provided for employers by NHS Employers and doctors should reference the Good Medical Practice Guide outlined by the General Medical Council (GMC) when making decisions about working during periods of strike action.
Information for employers can be found here:
https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/industrial-action-guidance-resources-and-faqs
Information for doctors can be found here:
https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/ethical-hub/industrial-action
The GMC guidance states that if a doctor is due to work but is not attending due to strike action, it is advised that the doctor still prepares and remains available during their scheduled working hours to respond appropriately if circumstances change during a period of industrial action.