Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 adequacy of myalgic encephalomyelitis treatment in South West London.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We published the myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), final delivery plan on 22 July 2025. The plan focusses on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease, including those in South West London.
The ME/CFS final delivery plan includes an action for the Department and NHS England to explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for people with very severe ME/CFS across England. Officials from the Department have commenced discussions with NHS England on how best to take forward this action.
NHS England has also started its work on co-designing resources for systems to improve services for mild and moderate ME/CFS, including for patients in South West London. It will meet a group of key stakeholders to progress this in the coming weeks.
To support healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS, as set out in the final delivery plan, the Department has worked with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme on ME/CFS for healthcare professionals, with the aim of supporting staff to be able to provide better care and improve patient outcomes. All three sessions of the e-learning programme, with sessions one and two having universal access, whilst the third session is only available to healthcare professionals, are now available at the following link:
https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/mecfselearning?nodeId=7288
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 support people with myalgic encephalomyelitis in South West London.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We published the myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), final delivery plan on 22 July 2025. The plan focusses on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease, including those in South West London.
The ME/CFS final delivery plan includes an action for the Department and NHS England to explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for people with very severe ME/CFS across England. Officials from the Department have commenced discussions with NHS England on how best to take forward this action.
NHS England has also started its work on co-designing resources for systems to improve services for mild and moderate ME/CFS, including for patients in South West London. It will meet a group of key stakeholders to progress this in the coming weeks.
To support healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS, as set out in the final delivery plan, the Department has worked with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme on ME/CFS for healthcare professionals, with the aim of supporting staff to be able to provide better care and improve patient outcomes. All three sessions of the e-learning programme, with sessions one and two having universal access, whilst the third session is only available to healthcare professionals, are now available at the following link:
https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/mecfselearning?nodeId=7288
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring an Electrical Installation Condition Report at the point of sale of a property.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 6 October 2025, the government published two consultations outlining reform proposals to transform home buying and selling. They can be found on gov.uk here and here.
The consultations include proposals to mandate the provision of upfront property information.
Final decisions are subject to the outcome of these consultations.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to end temporary restrictions on the import of (a) meat, (b) dairy and (c) animal products from the European Union in the context of the World Organisation for Animal Health's recognition of all European Union member states as free from foot-and-mouth disease.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Restrictions on commercial imports of certain meat, dairy and animal products from Slovakia in response to foot and mouth disease (FMD) remain in place pending UK recognition of FMD freedom.
Restrictions on personal imports of certain meat, dairy and animal products from the EU will remain in place while the biosecurity risk remains. As well as FMD, these measures mitigate against incursions of other animal diseases circulating in the EU, including African swine fever, sheep pox and goat pox, peste des petits ruminants and lumpy skin disease.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2025 to Question 78382 on Members: Correspondence, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 24 June, 1 August and 15 September 2025 from the hon. Member for Tooting relating to case reference RA69084.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department of Business and Trade aims to respond to correspondence in 15 working days. The case from 24 June was transferred to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) to answer, who accepted in error. This case has now been passed back to DBT and I have asked my officials to investigate this. I apologise for the delay.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's timetable is for publishing the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department published the Post-16 education and skills white paper on 20 October 2025.
The white paper sets out comprehensive reforms to build a world-leading skills system that break down barriers to opportunity, meets student and employers’ needs, widens access to high quality education and training, supports innovation, research and development, and improves people’s lives.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 impact of the cost to the individual of a COVID-19 vaccination on (a) vaccination rates and (b) public health more widely.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
As with all vaccines offered as part of the national programme in England, there is no charge for COVID-19 vaccination for those who are eligible. There is therefore no cost to those individuals that might impact vaccination rates or public health.
As with other UK vaccination programmes, the JCVI advice on eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination carefully considers the evidence on the risk of illness, serious disease, or death as a consequence of infection, in specific groups, as well as cost-effectiveness analysis.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 maintain levels of (a) quality of care and (b) patient safety following cost improvement plans in the NHS.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Quality Board (NQB) published a Quality Impact Assessment (QIA) framework in June 2025. QIAs ensure that quality of care considerations, which incorporates patient safety, clinical effectiveness, and patient experience, are central to decision-making for the design and delivery of health and care services. The new framework is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/quality-impact-assessment-framework/
The new framework updates the guidance from the NQB published in 2012, a copy of which is attached. The updates from the framework recognise the need for QIAs to be carried out in a wider range of circumstances when any service change is proposed, not only those focused on financial efficiencies.
The new framework is intended to be used by commissioners and providers of health and care services to support the development of organisational policy and processes for undertaking QIAs. This may include National Health Service providers, independent sector providers, integrated care boards (ICBs), and local authorities.
The 2025/26 NHS priorities and operational planning guidance also asks ICBs to embed a robust quality and equality impact assessment process into financial and operational decision-making, test all changes with boards, and consider the appropriate involvement by the public, service users, staff, local authorities, and wider stakeholders. Further information on the 2025/26 NHS priorities and operational planning guidance is available at the following link:
In addition, a new Quality Strategy is being developed under the leadership of the NQB, to coordinate key commitments within the 10-Year Health Plan and to support the delivery of high quality care across the NHS, specifically care that is safe, effective, and that provides a positive experience for patients, parents, carers, and service users.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
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 impact of Oracle Cerner’s (a) pricing and (b) upgrade policies on (i) St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and (ii) other NHS trusts.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service trusts procure from suppliers on the Clinical Digital Health Solutions Framework, which is available at the following link:
The pricing and policies related to the Oracle Cerner system are based on the NHS frameworks for purchasing electronic patient record (EPR) systems. We are constantly reviewing the effectiveness of the system in the interests of our patients and staff.
The costs of specific trust EPR implementations are dealt with in the EPR business cases that trust boards themselves agree to, and which are submitted for approval. A key Business Case test will be whether trusts can afford both the capital and revenue costs of EPR implementation and upgrades.