Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to require a mandatory women's heath rotation in GP training, to improve awareness and management of women's health conditions including polycystic ovary syndrome.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
General practitioners (GPs) are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge, including on polycystic ovary syndrome, remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.
All United Kingdom-registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Good Medical Practice. The training curriculum for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and must meet the standards set by the GMC. Women's health, including the topic of polycystic ovary syndrome, is included in the RCGP curriculum for trainee GPs. This also includes gynaecology, menopause, sexual health, and breast health.
The Government has committed to training thousands more GPs. GP training takes place across a variety of settings, which may include a rotation in women’s health. The arrangements of training rotations are a local matter for the organisers of postgraduate education to enable delivery of the RCGP curriculum.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
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 ensure that women’s health is included in the Government's plans to reform the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future.
Our focus is on turning the commitments in the Women's Health Strategy into tangible action, such as: providing emergency hormonal contraception free of charge at pharmacies on the NHS from October 2025; setting out how we will eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 through the new cervical cancer plan; and taking urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan.
Through our 10-Year Health Plan, we are delivering our commitment that never again will women’s health be neglected. The three shifts will improve the care women receive. Hospital to community will mean women can access convenient, coordinated care closer to home through Neighbourhood Health Centres, by building on best practice examples such as Tower Hamlets women’s health hub. Analogue to digital will put more power and data in women’s hands and will make it easier to get more personalised support, book appointments and stay healthy. Treatment to prevention will mean faster and fairer access to life-saving prevention through human papilloma virus (HPV) self-sampling kits, and access to the HPV vaccine through community pharmacies.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington 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 waiting times for gynaecology treatment on women’s health outcomes; and what steps he is taking to improve access to timely care.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future. Our focus is on turning the commitments in the Women's Health Strategy into tangible action, such as providing emergency hormonal contraception free of charge at pharmacies on the NHS from October 2025; setting out how we will eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 through the new cervical cancer plan; and taking urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan.
As set out in the Plan for Change, we have committed to return to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including women waiting for gynaecological care, wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. We provided additional investment in the Autumn Budget that has enabled us to fulfil our pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments early. More than double that number, 4.9 million more appointments, have now been delivered.
The Elective Reform Plan, published in January, sets out the reform we will undertake to return to the 18-week standard, and to ensure patients have the best possible experience while they wait. This includes commitments to offer patients care closer to home, in the community, including piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres for patients with unscheduled bleeding on hormone replacement therapy. We have also committed to increasing the relative funding available to support gynaecology procedures with the largest waiting lists.
We know the vital role general practitioners (GPs) have to play in the Government’s mission to tackle NHS waiting lists. This is why we have expanded the Advice and Guidance scheme, investing £80 million to keep patients off the waiting list, with GPs working more closely with hospital specialists to access expert advice to make sure patients can access timely, high quality care.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support Sussex Integrated Care Board to implement the Women's Health Strategy recommendations on access to fertility services for LGBTQ+ people.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We expect integrated care boards to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.
NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service funded treatment are still appropriate.
In light of broader pressures on the NHS and on-going changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 advance sexual and reproductive health in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities across England are responsible for commissioning comprehensive, open access sexual and reproductive health services to meet local demand, and it is for them to decide on commissioning arrangements based on an assessment of local need.
These services are commissioned through the ring-fenced Public Health Grant (PHG). In 2025/26, we have increased the PHG funding to £3.884 billion. This represents a significant turning point for local health services and marks the biggest real-terms increase after nearly a decade of reduced spending between 2016 and 2024.
The Government remains committed to ensuring the public receive high quality sexual and reproductive health services across the country, including in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire. For example, as part of our commitment to end new HIV transmissions within England by 2030, we are developing a new HIV Action Plan which we aim to publish by the end of the year. We will also continue to work with NHS England on how to take forward the Women's Health Strategy, by aligning it to the Government's Missions and the 10-Year Health Plan.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking with his counterparts in multilateral organisations to (a) defend and (b) advance sexual and reproductive (i) health and (ii) rights.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK works with multilateral organisations including the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), World Health Organisation and the Global Financing Facility, alongside governments and civil society and provides targeted funding, technical partnership and diplomatic engagement to defend and advance sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
Earlier this year on International Women's Day, the Foreign Secretary appointed Baroness Harman as Special Envoy for Women and Girls, progressing our foreign policy and development objectives to protect women and girls' rights, including SRHR. In June 2026, she met with international counterparts and programme partners at Wilton Park, expressing the UK's commitment to defending and advancing SRHR.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet with women's rights campaigners to discuss the impact of egg donation on young women.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), as the regulator of the United Kingdom’s fertility sector, met with Surrogacy Concern and Stop Surrogacy Now in October and December 2024.
The HFEA provided information about the strict requirements in its Licence Conditions and Code of Practice relating to donor recruitment, the data published by the HFEA, and the information clinics must provide to patients and donors about the risks of any treatment prior to it taking place at HFEA licensed clinics.
The HFEA’s Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee recently reviewed the published evidence of health outcomes for those having fertility treatment, including egg donors. The last 10 years of evidence were reviewed and the HFEA will update the relevant information on its website as needed.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will commission research in to the long term effects of egg retrieval on women's bodies.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Reigate on 22 July 2025 to Question 68253.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps is he taking to help tackle (a) sexual and (b) gender-based violence in Sudan.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon. member to her previous question, 53517, to which our response outlined the UK's commitment to tackling gender-based violence in Sudan, and Ministerial engagement on the issue. Furthermore, through the Sudan Free of Female Genital Mutiliation programme, UK funding supports work on protection, prevention and care services for survivors of sexual violence. The UK funded Women's Integrated Sexual Health programme, has provided sexual and reproductive services to women, girls, men as well as persons living with disabilities, with UK aid delivered in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other contexts. We have also enhanced our atrocity risk monitoring, including monitoring of conflict-related sexual violence and are working with UN and non-governmental organisation partners to provide safe spaces, clinical treatment, dignity kits and psycho-social services for survivors.
Asked by: Leigh Ingham (Labour - Stafford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote (a) the sexual and reproductive health and rights and (b) other rights of women and girls globally.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are strongly committed to standing up for the rights of women and girls, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). We are proud of the UK's long history as an influential global leader on gender equality and SRHR. We will continue to use our diplomacy with partners to defend and champion these fundamental rights in international fora. We will also make strategic use of our funds and technical partnerships.
For example, in December 2024, the Prime Minister announced the Grassroots and Counter Rollback programme. This strengthens local and national civil society organisations' and movements' ability to expand access to SRHR and counter rollback. It focuses on neglected issues, including safe abortion, and marginalised groups whose rights and access to services are denied or being attacked. As the largest donor to the UNFPA Supplies Partnership (£60 million in 2024), the UK continues to ensure SRHR commodities reach where they are needed most.
On International Women's Day, I appointed Harriet Harman to be the new UK Special Envoy on Women and Girls, progressing our foreign policy and development objectives to protect women and girls' rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, access to education and freedom from gender-based violence. Following this appointment, she spoke at a UK co-hosted event at the Commission on the Status of Women to galvanise renewed action to end child marriage. She also launched a Signature Initiative to champion the vital role of women's rights organisations and drive a focus on supporting them across our policy and programming.