Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions his Department has had with the Competition and Markets Authority on updating the designations under the Controlled Land Order to help promote fair competition in the grocery sector.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Competition and Markets Authority has a general duty to monitor the effectiveness of the Controlled Land Order. This includes regularly assessing whether any grocery retailers meet the criteria for designation that are outlined in the Order. The CMA is in the process of carrying out its latest assessment. Government will continue to work closely with the CMA following its assessment to determine the best way forward.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her department has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to Personal Independence Payment on people with Parkinson's disease.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

No assessment has been made.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.

Impacts of the proposed changes depend on many factors including how the mix of conditions among claimants evolves over time, and behavioural responses. These impacts are uncertain at an overall England and Wales level, and it would not be possible to make an informed assessment at such a granular level as individual primary medical conditions.

There will be no immediate changes. Changes to PIP eligibility aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval.

PIP changes will only apply at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis, but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.

We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of rail (a) capacity and (b) performance of Manchester Airport Station.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

I recognise that Manchester Airport station needs to be improved, both in terms of its capacity and its passenger experience. That is why Network Rail is working with TransPennine Express as the station operator and local stakeholders including Manchester Airports Group to extend the platforms to allow more trains to serve the station. At the same time, we are looking at how to improve the experience for passengers, including those from overseas, for whom this station is a major gateway to Manchester and the whole of the North.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for patients with Parkinson's disease to see a neurologist in (a) Stockport and (b) Greater Manchester in the latest period for which data is available.

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

The Department does not hold data at the required level of granularity to provide the average waiting time for a first neurology appointment for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for the British Transport Police.

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

The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. Set against a backdrop of wider public sector efficiencies and affordability by the rail industry it has agreed a budget increase for the financial year 2025/26 of 5.9%. BTP work closely with BTPA and industry operators to make final resourcing decisions with their agreed budget.

The cost of policing the rail network in Great Britain is primarily covered through the funding agreements that the British Transport Police Authority holds with Network Rail, the rail operators and Transport for London.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of improving diabetes care on reducing deaths from cardiovascular disease.

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

The relationship between diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is well known, as adults with diabetes are two to three times more likely to develop CVD and are nearly twice as likely to die from heart disease and stroke compared to those without.

We know that receiving all eight National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended care processes, such as monitoring blood pressure and cholesterol, significantly reduces mortality for all causes, and from CVD causes specifically, for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, compared to those who received five or less of these processes.

We continue to improve care for those with diabetes. For those who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and who are overweight or obese, the highly effective NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme is available.

We have committed to developing a 10-year plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. We will carefully be considering policies, including those that impact people with diabetes, as we develop the plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has allocated to medical research into Parkinson's disease in each of the last three financial years.

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

The Department delivers research into Parkinson’s disease via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Between the financial years 2022/23 and 2024/25, the NIHR has allocated over £24 million to medical research into Parkinson’s disease through its research programmes. The following table shows a breakdown of the allocated funding to medical research into Parkinson’s disease via the NIHR for the financial years 2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25:

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including Parkinson’s disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on Parkinson’s disease to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

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 availability of Produodopa treatment for people with Parkinson’s in (a) Stockport and (b) Greater Manchester.

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

The Department is not aware of a supply issue affecting Produodopa.

The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within Stockport and Greater Manchester is not held centrally.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of their costs and benefits.

NICE has recommended Produodopa, also known as foslevodopa–foscarbidopa, for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's with motor symptoms. This treatment should now be available to NHS patients in line with NICE’s recommendations.

Decisions about what medicines to prescribe are made by the doctor or healthcare professional responsible for that part of the patient’s care. Prescribers must always satisfy themselves that the medicines they consider appropriate for their patients can be safely prescribed and that they take account of appropriate national guidance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will review the medical exemption list for free prescriptions.

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

We have no plans to review the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate.

This inquiry will look into the health and wellbeing services available to those working in Parliament - exploring how existing services can be better communicated and supported, and identifying where some health and wellbeing needs are still not being met.