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 potential implications for his policies of reports that patients at Pilgrim Hospital outpatients department are being left for extended periods without access to beds due to lack of bed availability; and what steps he is taking to ensure timely access to inpatient care in Lincolnshire.

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

The Government is clear that patients should expect and receive the highest standard of care and accepts that urgent and emergency care performance has been below the high standards that patients should expect in recent years. Providing care in corridors, and other inappropriate settings, is completely unacceptable.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out the steps we are taking to ensure at least 78% of patients in A&E departments are seen within four hours, to reduce the number of patients waiting over 12 hours for admission or discharge from an emergency department, and to reduce ambulance handover times to a maximum of 45 minutes.

NHS England has been working with trusts to put in place new reporting arrangements related to the use of temporary escalation spaces, to drive improvement. Subject to a review of data quality, this information will be published shortly, and we will consider how this data could be published on a more regular basis.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report by Sands entitled Lost in the system, published in July 2025, what steps his Department is taking to ensure equitable access across England to specialist psychological support services for parents who experience pregnancy or baby loss.

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

Experiencing pregnancy or baby loss can be extremely difficult and traumatic. The Government is determined to make sure all bereaved parents, regardless of where they live, have access to specialist psychological support.

As of June 2025, Maternal Mental Health Services are now available in all areas of England. These services provide specialist psychological support for women with moderate/severe or complex mental health difficulties arising from birth trauma or baby loss.

All trusts in England are also signed up to the National Bereavement Care Pathway. This pathway is designed to improve the quality and consistency of bereavement care for parents and families experiencing pregnancy or baby loss.

We also recognise the importance of maternity bereavement services being available at all times. ‘7 days a week’ bereavement services are in the process of being set up in every area in England to support women and families who experience pregnancy loss or neonatal death.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will hold discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority on the steps it is taking to ensure that all consumers who were mis-sold car finance are fully compensated.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Supreme Court has now clarified the law in relation to commission practices in the motor finance sector. The government respects the Supreme Court’s judgment and is working closely with the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority to understand the impact for both firms and consumers.

The government notes the recent statement by the Financial Conduct Authority that it will be consulting on a consumer redress scheme in October. The FCA propose that the scheme covers discretionary commission arrangements - a practice banned in 2021 that allowed dealers to vary interest rates for higher commissions. The FCA will also consult on which non-discretionary commission agreements should be included.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the additional costs to breweries arising from alcohol labelling and packaging regulations; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of those costs on brewery closures in the next financial year.

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

The Government has worked closely with industry, including the brewing and hospitality sectors, throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not split the assessment by sector.

Defra has not made any recent changes to alcohol labelling regulations within its remit.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Patient Safety Commissioner's report entitled The Hughes Report: Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the number of families affected, (b) the total cost of interim payments and (c) the projected cost of a main payment and care plan as outlined in that report; and if he will publish his Department’s analysis of those figures.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her Report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s Report.

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 help ensure that (a) NHS Lincolnshire and (b) other Integrated Care Boards implement the NICE Fertility Guideline recommending (i) three full cycles of IVF for eligible women under 40 and (ii) one full cycle for women aged 40 to 42; and if he will take steps to improve access to NHS-funded fertility treatment.

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

The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues between the Department and NHS England to improve NHS-funded fertility services.

We expect integrated care boards (ICBs) to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.

NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to NHS-funded treatment are still appropriate. A consultation on revised guidelines was published on 10 September.

In light of broader pressures on the National Health Service and on on-going changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.

Found: It is notable that when Richard Tice was leader Reform UK had a manifesto that gave a page to climate

Found: It is notable that when Richard Tice was leader Reform UK had a manifesto that gave a page to climate