Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people on NHS waiting lists have been removed (a) in total, (b) because they were a duplicate appointment, (c) because the person had deceased or (d) for any other reason other than receiving a consultation.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes monthly Referral to Treatment (RTT) data, including information on completed pathways and overall changes to the waiting list.
In 2025/26, 21.8 million pathways were removed from the waiting list. Of these, 18.6 million were completed pathways, an increase of 2.8% compared to 2024/25, the highest ever recorded. The remaining 3.18 million were recorded as “unreported removals”.
On average, over 85% of removals from the RTT waiting list are completed pathways. This can include patients starting their first definitive treatment, a period of active monitoring, a clinical decision not to treat, or a patient declining a treatment.
Validation is a routine part of providers’ waiting list management which ensures that patients are on the best pathway to meet their needs, that they still need their appointments and that patient records are accurate. This includes checking for duplicate appointments. Validation is not the same as unreported removals.
The Department does not hold data on the number of patient pathways removed from the elective waiting list in all the ways requested, including identification of duplicate appointments.
However, data on instances where a patient died before treatment is collected through the Waiting List Minimum Data Set (WLMDS). The WLMDS is unpublished management information, subject to less validation than the monthly official statistics and totals do not match between the two sources.
In 2025, there were 77,874 removals from the waiting list where the patient died before treatment. The cause of death is unknown and, in many cases, will not relate to the condition for which the patient was awaiting treatment.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Office for Students has taken enforcement action or opened up investigations into any higher education institutions relating to the E6 regulation since it came into force.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Office for Students (OfS) operates independently of the government, and is responsible for regulating higher education (HE) providers in England, including compliance with the Harassment and Sexual Misconduct registration condition E6.
The department does not hold information on the number or proportion of notifications received by the OfS. Decisions on investigations and enforcement are taken wholly by the OfS. It is for the OfS to determine what it publishes about its regulatory activity. To date it has not published any information about notifications, enforcement or investigations relating to registration condition E6.
The OfS has powers to require and publish information from HE providers, and any decisions about introducing additional public data reporting are a matter for the OfS.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Office for Students will consider requiring public data reporting from higher education institutions to support enforcement of E6.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Office for Students (OfS) operates independently of the government, and is responsible for regulating higher education (HE) providers in England, including compliance with the Harassment and Sexual Misconduct registration condition E6.
The department does not hold information on the number or proportion of notifications received by the OfS. Decisions on investigations and enforcement are taken wholly by the OfS. It is for the OfS to determine what it publishes about its regulatory activity. To date it has not published any information about notifications, enforcement or investigations relating to registration condition E6.
The OfS has powers to require and publish information from HE providers, and any decisions about introducing additional public data reporting are a matter for the OfS.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many notifications has the Office for Students received relating to harassment and sexual misconduct since Condition E6 came into effect; what proportion of the total number of notifications this is; and what actions the Office for Students has taken in relation to these notifications.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Office for Students (OfS) operates independently of the government, and is responsible for regulating higher education (HE) providers in England, including compliance with the Harassment and Sexual Misconduct registration condition E6.
The department does not hold information on the number or proportion of notifications received by the OfS. Decisions on investigations and enforcement are taken wholly by the OfS. It is for the OfS to determine what it publishes about its regulatory activity. To date it has not published any information about notifications, enforcement or investigations relating to registration condition E6.
The OfS has powers to require and publish information from HE providers, and any decisions about introducing additional public data reporting are a matter for the OfS.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the evidential basis used by the Office for Students when deciding when to use its regulatory powers.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Office for Students (OfS) is an independent regulator with autonomy to decide how and when to use its regulatory powers, including the gathering and use of evidence. The department does not therefore hold information on the evidential basis used by the OfS when exercising those powers.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what support is being provided to local authorities to retrofit existing housing stock to improve climate resilience, in the context of the Climate Change Committee’s Well Adapted UK report.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
For low income and social households, the Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund provides funding to support the installation of technologies including heat pumps alongside solar PV, batteries and insulation. From 2027/2028 we plan to integrate these schemes into a single low-income scheme.
Over the course of this Parliament, we also intend to introduce the most appropriate and cost-effective passive cooling measures within our capital funded schemes focused on improving the homes of fuel poor consumers and social housing. We will prioritise higher impact, lower cost and lower regret measures to ensure best value for money.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 improve the resilience of the NHS to (a) heatwaves, (b) flooding and (c) other climate-related risks.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Climate change poses a growing risk to population health and to the National Health Service’s ability to deliver services, including through heatwaves, flooding, and other adverse weather events. Following the publication of the 2025 Health and Climate Adaptation Report, NHS England has published the NHS Climate Change Risk Assessment Tool and the Climate Adaptation Framework to support trusts in minimising climate-related risks to patients, staff, and services. The 2025 Health and Climate Adaptation Report, the NHS Climate Change Risk Assessment Tool, and the Climate Adaptation Framework are all available, respectively, at the following three links:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/health-and-climate-adaptation-reports/
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/climate-adaptation-resources/
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/climate-adaptation-resources/
In addition, all NHS trusts have Green Plans, with adaptation planning strengthened in the 2025 Green Plan Guidance, and NHS organisations are required to have effective arrangements in place for adverse weather as part of the NHS Core Standards for Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response. The 2025 Green Plan Guidance and the NHS Core Standards for Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response are available at the following two links:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/green-plan-guidance/
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if providers do not wish to engage with Palantir's FDP, what steps is he taking to ensure that they can procure alternative services.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) safely connects information across the National Health Service from different systems, into a single secure environment. This integration improves care coordination, expands treatment options, and leads to enhanced clinical outcomes. The capabilities it provides to local organisations will help deliver the National Health Service of the future as part of the Government's 10-Year Health Plan for England.
To date, 24 integrated care board clusters and 168 NHS trusts have signed up to the NHS FDP, including York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. NHS England publishes quarterly information on the benefits realised from the NHS FDP at the following link:
The NHS FDP is delivering for the NHS, helping people get the care they need quicker and more efficiently. Since March 2024, more than a 100,000 additional patients have been supported to undergo procedures in theatres partly by increasing theatre utilisation, nearly 94,000 people have been supported on their cancer journey, with 7% seeing a reduction in the time it took to diagnose their cancer, and there has been a 14% decrease in delays discharging patients staying in hospital for more than seven days, freeing up beds for those who need them.
However, where NHS organisations would like to use alternative solutions, they retain the ability to procure locally, provided solutions meet applicable standards and support the delivery of national priorities. NHS England continues to support providers in ensuring that their digital estate aligns with national standards and delivers value for money for taxpayers.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are required under the Palantir Federated Data Platform contract to end the contract.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) safely connects information from different systems across the National Health Service into a single, secure environment. This allows staff to co-ordinate care to improve outcomes for patients.
To date, 24 integrated care board clusters and 168 NHS trusts have signed up to the NHS FDP, including York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. NHS England publishes quarterly information on the benefits realised from the NHS FDP at the following link:
The NHS FDP has allowed trusts to make better use of their operating theatres, reduce waiting times for diagnoses, including for cancer, and supported trusts to discharge people more quickly from hospital.
The NHS FDP and Associated Services contract contains clear terms and processes associated with Exit Management, as set out in Schedule 8.5 of the contract. The technical process relating to contract term and extension is set out in the published version of the contract which is available at the following link:
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/0f8a65b5-23a2-4294-abb1-a7fd8efb3ad0
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) wetland restoration, (b) tree planting and (c) other nature-based solutions to mitigate (i) flood and (ii) heat risks.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Nature-based solutions offer sustainable approaches to environmental challenges, delivering benefits for nature, communities, water security, water quality, and flood resilience, including measures such as tree planting and wetland restoration. The Environment Agency’s (EA) position statement (published in July 2025) reinforces the Government’s commitment to working with natural processes alongside traditional infrastructure. The EA is funding 35 projects to test Natural Flood Management (NFM) approaches, now being mainstreamed through flood funding reform, with a commitment to invest 3% of the programme in NFM, rising to 4%.
The Government has set a legal target to restore or create over 500,000 hectares of a range of wildlife-rich habitat outside protected sites by 2042 in England. As of March 2026, since 30 January 2023, action to create or restore approximately 8,300 hectares of wetland habitat has been reported to be underway in England.
We are investing £1 billion in tree planting and support to the forestry sector over this parliament including our England Woodland Creation Offer which provides financial support for tree planting, and investing £300m in standalone NFM schemes by 2036.