Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a national framework for action for creative health.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In Autumn 2025, the Department of Health and Social Care identified a policy lead for Creative Health. They are now working with partners including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Arts Council England, and the National Centre for Creative Health to understand and develop the evidence base and consider the policy implications. For this reason, no assessment has been made of the potential merits of establishing a national framework for action for creative health.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he has considered the potential merits of provision for cure to prevention workstreams and the role of social prescribing in formulating the 10 Year Workforce Plan.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to taking a preventive approach to improve health and address health inequalities. We are determined to improve people’s physical and mental health to support them to live longer and healthier lives, and we recognise the role that social prescribing can play in this.
The 10 Year Workforce Plan will put the National Health Service workforce on a sustainable footing so it can deliver the service model set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, including the shift to prevention which is central to our vision for neighbourhood health.
The plan will set out a sustainable approach to workforce planning, one which is responsive and agile to changes in how we deliver care and prevent ill-health, supporting the workforce and growing it where needed to deliver better prevention, better care, and better outcomes.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she will consider the potential merits of aligning biochar with other zero rated soil improvers for VAT classification.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
There is no specific VAT relief that applies to soil improvers.
VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s third largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26.
Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services and must represent value for money for the taxpayer. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve the enforceability of s106 agreements.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Section 106 agreements are legal agreements. Local planning authorities may take enforcement action in respect of any breach of the obligations contained within them. Enforcement is at the discretion of the local planning authority and it is therefore for them to determine whether enforcement action is appropriate in each case.
Enforcement action may include applying to the court for an injunction through section 106(5) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. This would allow the local planning authority to prevent the construction or occupation of further dwellings until certain infrastructure defined in the section 106 agreement has been delivered. Alternatively, the local planning authority may enter the land to complete the works and then seek to recover the costs.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Lifelong Learning Entitlement Loan will be extended to those studying chiropractic at a Masters Level Degree.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will replace and transform the existing student finance system for higher education at Levels 4 to 6. When launched, it will support individuals to learn, upskill and retrain across their working lives.
Those wishing to study Level 7 courses, will continue to be funded in the same way as they are now and there will continue to be a tailored loans package for Level 7.
The Postgraduate Master’s Loans administered by Student Finance England currently provides up to £13,206 for courses starting after 1 August 2026 to help fund tuition fees and living costs.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will set out a timeline for the implementation of regulations regarding cosmetic procedures.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In August 2025, the Government announced its plans to introduce legal restrictions which will ensure that the highest risk cosmetic procedures are brought into Care Quality Commission regulation and can only be performed by specified regulated healthcare professionals. In addition, the Government also committed to legislating to introduce a licensing scheme in England for lower risk procedures through powers granted through the Health and Care Act 2022. Under this scheme, which will be operated by local authorities, practitioners will be required to obtain a licence to perform specified cosmetic procedures, and the premises from which they operate will also need to be licensed.
The Government has prioritised work on restrictions on the performance of the highest risk procedures and has been working with a group of expert stakeholders in recent months to develop detailed proposals on which procedures should be subject to the restrictions, and which regulated healthcare professionals should be permitted to perform them. This will include the liquid Brazilian butt lift and other high-risk cosmetic procedures which have the potential to cause serious harm if improperly performed.
We are preparing a consultation on the draft legislation which would bring these proposals into effect.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if NHS England will launch a national procurement for the provision of digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is considering the most appropriate approach to supporting access to digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. Any future commercial activity will be undertaken in line with applicable procurement legislation and associated transparency obligations.
NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression offer low-intensity therapy which may include interventions around sleep hygiene. Individuals who are experiencing symptoms of anxiety and/or depression can be referred by their general practitioner, or can self-refer, to NHS Talking Therapies. People can also access helpful resources on sleep problems on the Every Mind Matters website at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-health-issues/sleep/
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
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 reduce waiting list times for mental health services.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government expects waiting times to reduce over time as reforms take effect. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, this will be supported by expanding the workforce, improving productivity, investing in digitally enabled therapies, and introducing new models of care in the community, including community mental health centres that bring together services to improve access and reduce delays.
The Department is working with NHS England to improve the measurement and consistency of waiting time data across mental health services, including through the development of measures that will consistently capture when a patient has received meaningful help and started treatment across different areas.
This work will support future decisions on the role of waiting time standards as part of wider service reform. We cannot comment on the specific policy detail in the final Mental Health Strategy at this time, as it will be informed by the Call for the Evidence, the Prevalence Review final report, and any relevant wider evidence.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to bring forward regulatory changes to allow homes and smaller businesses to buy power directly from local renewable energy schemes run by community co-operatives or other not-for-profit entities.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the role of community energy in delivering net zero and is working with Ofgem to address regulatory barriers, including routes to market. Through delivering on commitments in the Local Power Plan, we are working with Great British Energy to explore measures to make it easier for community energy groups to participate in local energy markets.
The department, Ofgem and wider energy industry has also been working to make changes to industry rules to support the local trade of energy. This includes work on rule P441, standardising the classification of local energy sites to provide a regulatory footing that will clarify the rules of setting them up. Further updates and outcomes from this work will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the updated School Food Standards reflect the latest scientific evidence on nutrition.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We are committed to raising the healthiest generation ever. The School Food Standards are being updated because they are over a decade old and no longer fully reflect the latest scientific advice on children’s diets. In summary, the changes we propose to make are related to increasing fibre, reducing sugar and further restricting foods higher in fat, sugar and salt, in line with the latest nutritional advice set by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition.
As part of ensuring the standards reflect the latest evidence in practice, our proposals have been developed through close consultation with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and were also informed by an advisory group and key stakeholders in the food, catering, nutrition, and health sectors. The public consultation now provides a further opportunity to assess the proposals.