Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care what recent discussions he has had with the mental health sector on diagnoses of mental health conditions.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism will appoint an advisory working group. This will be a multidisciplinary group of leading academics, clinicians, epidemiological experts, charities and people with lived experience to directly shape the recommendations and scrutinise the evidence.
Ahead of launching the independent review, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, held discussions with a range of mental health, ADHD, and autism stakeholders on the scope of the review.
As this is an independent review, it is therefore for the Chair and vice-chairs to consider who to consult and the relevant forums for engagement, that are relevant to deliver the terms of reference set by the Department.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 publish the Terms of Reference for any review into the prevalence and overdiagnosis of mental health conditions and neurodivergence.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 4 December 2025, we launched an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism. The review will look to understand the similarities and differences between mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism. It will look at the prevalence, early intervention and treatment, and the current challenges facing clinical services. It will also examine the extent to which diagnosis, medicalisation, and treatment improve outcomes for individuals. This will include exploring the evidence around clinical practice and the risks and benefits of medicalisation.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 trends in the level of diagnosis rates for mental health conditions in England.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 4 December 2025, we launched an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism. The review will look to understand the similarities and differences between mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism. It will look at the prevalence, early intervention and treatment, and the current challenges facing clinical services. It will also examine the extent to which diagnosis, medicalisation, and treatment improve outcomes for individuals. This will include exploring the evidence around clinical practice and the risks and benefits of medicalisation.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the scope and timeframe is of any planned review into the overdiagnosis of mental health conditions and neurodivergence.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 4 December 2025, we launched an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism. The review will look to understand the similarities and differences between mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism. It will look at the prevalence, early intervention and treatment, and the current challenges facing clinical services. It will also examine the extent to which diagnosis, medicalisation, and treatment improve outcomes for individuals. This will include exploring the evidence around clinical practice and the risks and benefits of medicalisation.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is undertaking a review into the prevalence and overdiagnosis of mental health conditions and neurodivergence.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 4 December 2025, we launched an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism. The review will look to understand the similarities and differences between mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism. It will look at the prevalence, early intervention and treatment, and the current challenges facing clinical services. It will also examine the extent to which diagnosis, medicalisation, and treatment improve outcomes for individuals. This will include exploring the evidence around clinical practice and the risks and benefits of medicalisation.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the impact of the 2025 Autumn Budget on business rates for pubs and hospitality venues; and whether she plans to review the business rates settlement for community-based pubs facing significant cost increases despite transitional relief.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.
At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years to protect ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. Government support also means that most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.
More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto. The Government is doing this by introducing permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, including grassroots music venues, while ensuring that warehouses used by online giants will pay more. The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since Covid.
Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.
Without this support, pubs would have faced a 45% increase in the total bills they pay next year. However, because of the support the Government has put in place, this has fallen to just 4%.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide financial support to redress schemes relating to pelvic mesh and valproate proposed by devolved governments.
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. To progress this, I met with the patient safety commissioner late last year and we continue to work closely together.
Should a decision be made for any United Kingdom-wide scheme, appropriate steps would also be taken to engage across the UK at the earliest opportunity. I am also in contact with ministers within the devolved administrations, with engagement between officials across the UK occurring regularly.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the July 2019 implementation date of the Contingent Reimbursement Model Code on victims of authorised push payment scams that occurred before that date; and whether she plans to review redress mechanisms to ensure consistent treatment of victims regardless of when losses occurred.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government takes the issue of fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this appalling crime. To protect consumers, under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has introduced a mandatory reimbursement regime for Authorised Push Payment (APP) scams taking place over the Faster Payment system. This came into force on 7 October 2024. The details of the APP reimbursement regime are a matter for the independent PSR.
Transactions that occurred before 7 October 2024, may be governed by the Contingent Reimbursement Model (CRM), a voluntary code signed by the UK’s largest banks and building societies that came into force in May 2019. However, it is important to note that not all banks or building societies are party to the CRM code. The CRM code is overseen by the Lending Standards Board and more information can be found on their website.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Cancer Plan will include measures to improve cancer research capacity in hospitals in the North of England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is a major area of NIHR spending at £141.6 million in 2024/25, reflecting its high priority. Research is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. The plan will seek to ensure advances in cancer research benefit patients across the country, including the North of England.
The Department is committed to funding health and care research via the NIHR across England, to ensure that the research we support is inclusive and representative of the populations we serve.
NIHR research infrastructure has national coverage across the whole of England across all geographies and settings. Our infrastructure schemes aim to build research capacity and capability across the country across all geographies and settings. In line with prior commitments, the Department has increased funding for research infrastructure schemes delivering cancer research in northern regions, including Biomedical Research Centres, Clinical Research Facilities, and HealthTech Research Centres.
Through the NIHR Research Delivery Network, the NIHR provides funding and support to the National Health Service and other providers to deliver research, operating across 12 regions throughout the country. The North West, North East and North Cumbria, and Yorkshire and Humber Regional Research Delivery Networks operate in all NHS trusts that span the north of England, giving researchers and delivery teams the practical support they need locally so that more research can take place, and more people can take part.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 NHS policies on private access for patients with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome seeking faster access to specialist care.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) is diagnosed by a combination of general practitioners (GPs) and specialist clinicians. GPs can diagnose PoTS in many cases but, if they are unsure of symptoms or if symptoms are complex, they will refer patients to specialists for diagnosis, or where patients do not respond to initial treatment, patients may be referred to specialised cardiology or neurology services. The Royal College of General Practitioners’ Syncope Toolkit provides information to GPs, including the use of the active stand test, to rule out other conditions and potentially diagnose PoTS more quickly. Management of PoTS typically involves lifestyle changes and medications to help control symptoms, and can involve support from a multidisciplinary team.
Where patients are referred to secondary care for diagnosis, we are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring waiting lists and times down. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard, that 92% of patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, by March 2029.
By expanding community-based services for routine monitoring and follow up, employing artificial intelligence for productivity, and investing in digital tools and data, as outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan, we can ensure that consultants’ time is reserved for complex cases of PoTS, including specialist diagnostic assessments.
Integrated care boards (ICBs), with oversight from NHS England, have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local populations, including for those with PoTS. It is the responsibility of ICBs to work with clinicians, service users, and patient groups to develop services and care pathways that meet the needs of patients with PoTS. While the Department recognises the significant challenges of PoTS diagnoses, responsibility for specific clinical pathways and specialist training rests with local National Health Service bodies.
The Department has made no assessment of the impact of NHS policies on private access for patients with PoTS seeking faster access to specialist care.