Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of endometriosis on school attendance and attainment among girls and young women.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government recognises that endometriosis can affect a pupil’s health, wellbeing and ability to attend school and participate fully in education. Regular attendance is important for pupils’ attainment, wellbeing and wider development, and schools should work with pupils and families to understand and address health-related barriers to attendance.
Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions, which would include endometriosis. Schools must have regard to the department’s statutory guidance about support for pupils at school with medical conditions, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.
This guidance makes clear that pupils with medical conditions should be properly supported so that they can play a full and active role in school life, remain healthy and achieve their academic potential.
The statutory guidance regarding collaboration between schools, academy trusts, governing bodies and local authorities is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance. This guidance promotes a 'support first' approach and expects schools to be particularly mindful of absent pupils because of physical or mental ill health. Schools should work in partnership with families to understand the individual barriers a pupil faces, put appropriate support in place and consider reasonable adjustments where relevant.
In March, the department consulted on revised guidance on supporting children and young people with medical conditions, and this will be published in due course.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to schools on recognising and accommodating the impact of endometriosis and related conditions on pupils' education and attendance.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government recognises that endometriosis can affect a pupil’s health, wellbeing and ability to attend school and participate fully in education. Regular attendance is important for pupils’ attainment, wellbeing and wider development, and schools should work with pupils and families to understand and address health-related barriers to attendance.
Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions, which would include endometriosis. Schools must have regard to the department’s statutory guidance about support for pupils at school with medical conditions, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.
This guidance makes clear that pupils with medical conditions should be properly supported so that they can play a full and active role in school life, remain healthy and achieve their academic potential.
The statutory guidance regarding collaboration between schools, academy trusts, governing bodies and local authorities is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance. This guidance promotes a 'support first' approach and expects schools to be particularly mindful of absent pupils because of physical or mental ill health. Schools should work in partnership with families to understand the individual barriers a pupil faces, put appropriate support in place and consider reasonable adjustments where relevant.
In March, the department consulted on revised guidance on supporting children and young people with medical conditions, and this will be published in due course.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
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 review the current criteria for medical exemption certificates for prescription charges to include endometriosis.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 August 2026 in response to Question 18253.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
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 merits of offering electrocardiogram screening to under 35s.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Government recognises how worrying heart health can be for the families of young people. The National Health Service already offers cardiac tests for young people who present with symptoms that could indicate a cardiac issue.
In considering whether any screening programme should be introduced, the Government is guided by the independent scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process. Where the committee is confident that offering screening provides more good than harm, they recommend a screening programme.
In 2019, the UK NSC reviewed screening for the conditions associated with sudden cardiac death in people under the age of 39 years old. The conclusion of that review was that population screening should not be offered, as research showed that current tests are not accurate enough to use on young people with no symptoms.
Last month the UK NSC opened a public consultation to seek comments from members of the public and stakeholders on screening for the conditions associated with sudden cardiac death. The consultation is open till 31 August, and we encourage those with an interest to contribute, at the following link:
https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/sudden-cardiac-death/
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
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 implications for her policies of Greenpeace's report entitled Our Poisoned Land and its calls for the Government to help farmers to (a) reduce agricultural chemical use by 50% by 2030 and (b) reduce agricultural chemical use by 80% by 2040.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Last year the Government published the UK Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP). It sets out how all four UK Governments will support farmers, growers and other land managers to increase their use of sustainable farming practices to reduce the potential harm from pesticides. The NAP introduces a UK domestic target to reduce the potential pressures from pesticides on the environment by 10% by 2030.
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) also pays farmers and land managers to carry out actions that support the sustainable production of food and boost farm productivity and resilience, while protecting and enhancing the environment.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will commit to ending the use of the neonicotinoid acetamiprid.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government remains committed to ending the use in England of the three neonicotinoid pesticides (thiamethoxam, clothianidin, imidacloprid) that threaten vital pollinators, including through emergency authorisations.
Acetamiprid does not pose the same risk to pollinators and is authorised for use on sugar beet and other crops both in Great Britain and the European Union. The Health and Safety Executive recently approved an emergency authorisation for a second spray - only when specific conditions are met - due to the exceptionally high pressure from aphids being faced by sugar beet farmers this year.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women's health hubs have been established in NHS Greater Manchester ICB.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board has established nine women’s health hubs.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the estimated total cost to the NHS was of providing free NHS dental treatment in England under maternity exemption rules in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
The cost of treatment is an estimated total of how much patients with an exemption would have paid if they were not exempt. This cost has not been collected from patients.
The data is published by the NHS Business Services Authority and is available at the following link:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202425
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS Low Income Scheme certificates (HC2 and HC3) were used to access free or reduced NHS dental treatment in England in each of the last five years; and the associated cost of these exemptions.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
Data on NHS Low Income Scheme certificates is published by the NHS Business Services Authority and is available at the following link:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202425
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she intends to publish a consultation on phasing out the use of farrowing crates for sows.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare Strategy sets out that ending the use of cages and crates is a key priority for this Government. We will be consulting on the transition away from the use of farrowing crates to alternative systems, in due course.