Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the reason that over 4,100 women from the poorest backgrounds in the UK have donated their eggs since 2011.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not undertaken an assessment, however, academic research in the United Kingdom has consistently found that donating eggs and sperm is driven by altruism.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) published data shows that egg and sperm donors in England from 2011 to 2020 lived in similar or more affluent socio-economic areas than the general population.
The following table shows the number of egg donors living in each of the multiple deprivation deciles in England at time of registration, between 2011 and 2020:
Multiple deprivation decile | Number of egg donors |
1 | 1,117 |
2 | 1,488 |
3 | 1,542 |
4 | 1,360 |
5 | 1,310 |
6 | 1,214 |
7 | 1,114 |
8 | 1,097 |
9 | 1,050 |
10 | 860 |
Source: the HFEA report, Trends in egg, sperm and embryo donation 2020.
Notes:
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of allowing young women to be solicited for egg donations by for-profit fertility clinics utilising adverts which do not list known health risks on their safety.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No such assessment has been made. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the United Kingdom’s fertility sector regulator, sets out strict requirements in its Licence Conditions and Code of Practice in relation to the recruitment of donors and the information that must be given to egg donors in advance of donating at United Kingdom licensed fertility clinics, which includes information about the potential immediate or longer-term health risks and the psychological consequences of being a donor, as well as offering counselling to everyone involved.
The HFEA’s Code of Practice states that advertising should be designed with regard to the sensitive issues involved in recruiting donors and should follow the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) codes. This includes that advertising or publicity aimed at recruiting gamete or embryo donors, or encouraging donation, should not refer to the possibility of financial gain or similar advantage, although it may refer to compensation permitted under relevant HFEA Directions.
The ASA and HFEA issued a joint enforcement notice in 2021 to ensure fertility clinics and others were aware of the advertising rules, which remains in place.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of £985 per cycle payments to egg donors on the level of incentive to women from the poorest backgrounds to donate eggs because of financial need.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The compensation rate for egg donation is set by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), as provided for in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The HFEA has advised that the donor compensation levels originally set in 2011 followed a thorough ethical review, which identified a set of principles that ensured altruism remained at the heart of donation and that there were not any unjustifiable barriers to donation. The HFEA has advised that the increase in donor compensation from 1 October 2024 to £985 per cycle reflects the rise in inflation since the compensation rates were first introduced in 2011.
Academic research in the United Kingdom has consistently found that donating eggs and sperm is driven by altruism, and HFEA published data shows that egg and sperm donors in England from 2011 to 2020 lived in similar or more affluent socio-economic areas than the general population.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of running long term studies in to the impact on women's bodies of egg retrieval.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)’s Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee (SCAAC) recently reviewed the published evidence of health outcomes for those having fertility treatment, including egg donors. The last 10 years of evidence were reviewed and the HFEA will update relevant information on its website as needed.
The HFEA also set out strict requirements in its Licence Conditions and Code of Practice relating to the information that must be given before egg retrieval takes place in United Kingdom licensed fertility clinics, whether for the patient’s own use or to donate to others. This includes information about the potential immediate or longer-term health risks and the psychological consequences of being a donor, as well as offering counselling to everyone involved.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
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 ensure newly qualified nurses are not prevented from accessing band 5 roles within the NHS due to (a) experience requirements and (b) such roles only being advertised internally.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care.
NHS England is working with employers, universities, and regional nursing leads to ensure support is in place to help graduating nurses find a role as soon as possible after qualification, aiding their transition into the workplace.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve the capacity of sexual health (a) drop in clinics and (b) services in Reigate constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities in England, including East Sussex County Council which covers Reigate, are funded through a ring-fenced Public Health Grant to commission comprehensive, open access sexual health services. Therefore, it is the responsibility of local authorities to decide on spending priorities, such as drop-in clinics and general services, based on the blend of services that best suits the needs of their population.
For 2025/26, we are increasing funding through the grant to £3.858 billion. This is a cash increase of £198 million compared to 2024/25, providing local authorities with an average 5.4% cash increase and 3.0% real terms increase. This represents a significant turning point for local public health services, marking the biggest real-terms increase after a period of reduced spending between 2016 and 2024.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help support GP practices to acquire larger premises.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
General practice (GP) contractors are responsible for securing the premises from which to deliver their contracted services. Should practice premises be deemed too small, GPs may make an application to integrated care boards for capital funding grants for repurposing existing underutilised space, or expansion of the existing site, or seek agreement for the GP practice to relocate to a different building.
One of the core objectives of the 10-Year Health Plan is enabling people to access care closer to home and in the community. In autumn 2024, we announced £102 million of additional capital funding for GP estates upgrades in 2025/26. This will support improved use of existing buildings and space, boosting productivity and enabling practices to deliver more patient appointments.
There may be revenue solutions to premises needs, dependent on the budgetary capacity of the local commissioner. Commissioners can work closely with local authorities, other system providers, and the One Public Estate Programme to identify existing premises for the potential delivery of healthcare services.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's response to the consultation on hub and spoke dispensing, last updated on 13 May 2024, what his planned timetable is for introducing the legislative amendments outlined in his Department's response.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The policy proposals, consultation, and response were published under the previous administration. Following the General Election, the Government has reviewed the proposals. The Department is working towards introducing legislation to enable hub and spoke dispensing between different legal entities this year. This change will be enabled via amendments to both primary and secondary legislation, and is subject to the usual Parliamentary processes.
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
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 October 2024 to Question 7682 on Cancer: Medical Treatments, when he plans to publish the updated NHS Commercial Framework for New Medicines.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England published its updated Commercial Framework for New Medicines on 29 January 2025. The publication can be found here: NHS England » NHS commercial framework for new medicines
Asked by: Rebecca Paul (Conservative - Reigate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any funding previously allocated to the Dental Recovery Plan has been withdrawn.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are currently reviewing the Dental Recovery Plan that was published on 7 February 2024 and the policies that can be taken forward effectively and within National Health Service budgets. It is clear the plan did not go far enough and so we are also working on further measures, prioritising initiatives that will see the biggest impact on access to NHS dental care.
Dental budgets remain ringfenced as per the 2024/25 revenue and contracting guidance, and integrated care boards should continue to seek to invest the full amount in dental activity.