Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that schools' core budgets in more deprived communities are not disproportionately used to meet the costs of providing free school meals.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
This department spends over £1.5 billion annually supporting the provision of free and nutritious meals to around 3.4 million children. We have also set aside over £1 billion over the multi-year spending review period to back our significant expansion of free meals support to all households on Universal Credit, taking effect from September 2026 and benefitting over half a million children.
As with all policies, we continue to keep free meals policy, including funding, under review to ensure that nutritious meals continue to be deliverable. Departmental officials meet regularly with the sector, including the school catering industry, and use these insights to inform our work.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of planned business rates reforms on the wholesale sector; and if she will consider extending retail-equivalent reliefs to wholesalers.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government currently provides a 40 per cent business rates relief for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, up to a cash cap of £110,0000 per business, in 2025-26. Eligibility for the RHL relief scheme is outlined in guidance published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, and is focused on RHL properties that are wholly or mainly open to visiting members of the public. This is to ensure that support is targeted at in-person RHL, thereby helping to rebalance the burden between online and high-street retailers. There are no plans to expand the scope of this relief.
From 2026/27, the Government is introducing permanently lower business rates multipliers for RHL properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000. Details on which RHL properties will qualify for these lower multipliers can be found online here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/business-rates-multipliers-qualifying-retail-hospitality-or-leisure.
To fund these lower RHL multipliers sustainably, from 2026/27, the Government is also introducing a higher multiplier on properties with RVs of £500,000 and above.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she made of the role of wholesalers in maintaining supply chain resilience when determining eligibility for business rates reliefs.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government currently provides a 40 per cent business rates relief for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, up to a cash cap of £110,0000 per business, in 2025-26. Eligibility for the RHL relief scheme is outlined in guidance published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, and is focused on RHL properties that are wholly or mainly open to visiting members of the public. This is to ensure that support is targeted at in-person RHL, thereby helping to rebalance the burden between online and high-street retailers. There are no plans to expand the scope of this relief.
From 2026/27, the Government is introducing permanently lower business rates multipliers for RHL properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000. Details on which RHL properties will qualify for these lower multipliers can be found online here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/business-rates-multipliers-qualifying-retail-hospitality-or-leisure.
To fund these lower RHL multipliers sustainably, from 2026/27, the Government is also introducing a higher multiplier on properties with RVs of £500,000 and above.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the target to include a women's health hub within every ICB area is not included in the document by NHS England entitled 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance, last updated on 22 August 2025.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A target on women’s health hubs was not needed in this year’s planning guidance because the target was met. We have moved away from central targets through the planning guidance and are supporting integrated care boards (ICBs) to continue improving their delivery of women’s health hubs. This is in line with their responsibility to decide which services they want to commission in order to meet the needs of their local populations and will therefore not be mandated. We have heard from ICBs on the positive impacts that women’s health hubs have on both women's access to care in the community and their experiences. The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and to support ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to moving towards a neighbourhood health service, with more care delivered in local communities, to identify and address problems earlier and closer to home. Women’s health hubs are an example of this approach and can play a key role in delivering the Government’s commitments on tackling long National Health Service waiting lists, as well as shifting care into the community.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
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 the removal of the mandatory target for the provision of women's health hubs in each ICB area in the 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance, last updated on 22 August 2025, on the availability of (a) conservative treatment and (b) pelvic floor physiotherapy for (i) stress incontinence and (ii) prolapse for women.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A target on women’s health hubs was not needed in this year’s planning guidance because the target was met. We have moved away from central targets through the planning guidance and are supporting integrated care boards (ICBs) to continue improving their delivery of women’s health hubs. This is in line with their responsibility to decide which services they want to commission in order to meet the needs of their local populations and will therefore not be mandated. We have heard from ICBs on the positive impacts that women’s health hubs have on both women's access to care in the community and their experiences. The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and to support ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to moving towards a neighbourhood health service, with more care delivered in local communities, to identify and address problems earlier and closer to home. Women’s health hubs are an example of this approach and can play a key role in delivering the Government’s commitments on tackling long National Health Service waiting lists, as well as shifting care into the community.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to make the provision of women's health hubs by ICBs mandatory.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A target on women’s health hubs was not needed in this year’s planning guidance because the target was met. We have moved away from central targets through the planning guidance and are supporting integrated care boards (ICBs) to continue improving their delivery of women’s health hubs. This is in line with their responsibility to decide which services they want to commission in order to meet the needs of their local populations and will therefore not be mandated. We have heard from ICBs on the positive impacts that women’s health hubs have on both women's access to care in the community and their experiences. The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and to support ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to moving towards a neighbourhood health service, with more care delivered in local communities, to identify and address problems earlier and closer to home. Women’s health hubs are an example of this approach and can play a key role in delivering the Government’s commitments on tackling long National Health Service waiting lists, as well as shifting care into the community.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, whether his Department has considered establishing one of the always on munitions factories in the North East; and when he expects to announce the locations of those factories.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Strategic Defence Review committed to build at least six new energetics and munitions factories in the UK. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently developing a plan to deliver this commitment alongside our wider Defence Industrial Strategy, delivering long-term investment to boost UK growth and generating skilled UK jobs and export opportunities. The MOD is carefully considering arrangements for those factories including potential locations, and more detail will be set out in due course. It is currently considered to be premature to discuss specific proposals or sites until the necessary preparatory work has concluded.
I can reassure the hon. Member that I am aware of lobbying by MPs from the North East looking to increase defence investment in the region and as this Government delivers defence being an engine for growth I believe there are opportunities for the region in the future. I would be happy meeting her and regional colleagues to discuss further.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in which year the NHS created a Hospital Episode Statistic Code for rectopexy mesh.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are a curated data product containing details about admissions, outpatient appointments and historical accident and emergency attendances at National Health Service hospitals in England. This includes data on rectopexy procedures.
Since 1 April 2020, rectopexy mesh procedures can be identified in the HES data product through a combination of codes. There are two codes that relate to rectopexy procedures, but will not specifically be limited to rectopexy using mesh:
There are four codes that specifically classify where mesh has been used in a procedure and should be used in addition to the above codes, which have been mandates since 1 April 2020. The combination of these two codes allows for the identification of where a rectopexy procedure has used mesh:
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence plans to publish updated guidance on the eight types of hernia mesh.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Topics for new or updated guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) are considered through the NICE prioritisation process. Decisions as to whether NICE will create new, or update existing, guidance are overseen by an integrated, cross-organisational prioritisation board, chaired by NICE’s Chief Medical Officer. NICE’s prioritisation board is considering the use of hernia mesh in the treatment of ventral and inguinal hernias as a potential topic for guidance, and a decision will be taken in due course.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the outcome was of the MHRA rectopexy review.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
At the end of 2024, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) completed its’ first stage review into the use of mesh in rectopexy procedures, which involved a comprehensive review of the mesh products available in Great Britian’s market, and a patient survey which was conducted in October 2024. As part of the review, the agency conducted a thorough evaluation of manufacturer data, including assessing what products are indicated for rectopexy or may be used for this purpose. Evaluation of the literature was undertaken to understand the range of mesh products used for rectopexy procedures, and this noted that the range of mesh used in patients were wider than those ‘indicated’ by manufacturers.
The survey identified that a small majority of patients experienced worsening symptoms after their rectopexy procedure, usually within the first-year post-surgery. The survey also indicated that there was relatively low awareness of the Yellow Card adverse incident reporting scheme among responders.
In December 2024 the MHRA presented a series of recommendations to the Interim Devices Work Group (IDWG) to address the issues identified in the review. These recommendations were endorsed by the group as documented in the meeting minutes, which are available at the following link:
The MHRA is currently working to implement the recommendations agreed by the IDWG. These recommendations include, for example, exploring what broader work can be conducted across the regulatory and healthcare environment and with manufacturers to address the off-label use of mesh products and the associated risks to patient safety. This project will also involve engagement with patient and healthcare stakeholder groups to bring about greater awareness of the issues. The MHRA expects the engagement to begin in spring 2026. There is also work currently ongoing in parallel, which will aid in addressing the recommendations. This includes the application of the new Post-market Surveillance Regulations for medical devices placed in Great Britian’s market, which came into force on the 16 June 2025 and enhances both the manufacturers' and the MHRA’s capacity to detect and monitor safety issues.
The MHRA continues to work with colleagues from across the health sector and international regulators, to monitor and examine evidence as it becomes available. The MHRA is committed to helping address the serious concerns raised by patients who have experienced complications and will take further action as appropriate to protect public health.