Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency Yellow Card reports on over‑the‑counter cough and cold medicines were received in each of the last five years.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) publishes information in the form of interactive Drug Analysis Profiles which can be accessed here on the Yellow Card website, at the following link:
https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/idaps
You will be able to access a complete listing of all suspected adverse drug reactions that have been reported to the MHRA via the Yellow Card scheme for all medicines, including medicines used to treat coughs and colds. This includes all reports received from healthcare professionals, members of the public, and pharmaceutical companies.
Please note information regarding whether a drug was prescribed or purchased over the counter is not mandatory to provide on a Yellow Card and as such we do not capture this information in a structured data field to be able to provide as part of this request.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the relevance of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to individuals harmed by sodium valproate.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has not had specific discussions with international counterparts regarding the relevance of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to individuals harmed by sodium valproate. Our focus remains on improving the safety of sodium valproate, so it is not used for women or girls of childbearing potential unless a pregnancy prevention plan is in place and other treatments are ineffective or not tolerated. The Government is also carefully considering the recommendations made by the Patient Safety Commissioner in The Hughes Report, which sets out options for redress for those harmed by valproate.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the answer of 10 September 2025 to Question 74317 on DESNZ: Social Media, which social media influencers have been paid to undertake advertising for his Department since July 2024.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Due to commercial confidentiality, we are unable to release this information.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
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 feasibility of establishing a dedicated, no-fault compensation scheme for individuals harmed by sodium valproate exposure, in the context of the recommendations of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review (2020).
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not yet undertaken an assessment of the feasibility of establishing a dedicated, no-fault compensation scheme for individuals harmed by sodium valproate exposure, in the context of the recommendations of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review (IMMDS).
The previous administration accepted seven of the nine recommendations of the IMMDS Review, whether in full, in part, or in principle, including issuing an unreserved apology on behalf of the healthcare system, appointing Dr Henrietta Hughes as the first Patient Safety Commissioner for England, and establishing nine specialist mesh centres now operating across the country.
This is a complex, cross-Government policy area involving multiple organisations. As set out in the Hughes Report, the Government is carefully considering the Patient Safety Commissioner’s recommendations, including the proposed approaches to redress for those harmed by sodium valproate. This work requires coordinated input from several departments, and we will provide a further update in due course.
I met with the Patient Safety Commissioner in December 2025, to discuss progress following the Hughes Report and made clear that the Department’s expectation of continued, proactive engagement with the Patient Safety Commissioner and key stakeholders.
Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Minister for Museums, Heritage and Gambling currently attends the Construction Skills Mission Board; and if not, whether she plans to do so in the future to ensure that heritage building craft skills are represented.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Minister for Museums, Heritage Gambling is not a member of the Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB). The CSMB is an industry-led group, consisting of construction senior leaders, small business representatives, and union representatives. Officials representing five supporting departments (the Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Business and Trade, Department for Education, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) observe meetings of the Board with relevant ministers joining when necessary. Historic England, Government advisors on the historic environment, advises the board on consideration on heritage skills via the CSMB sub committee on Repair, Maintenance and Infrastructure.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government records deaths where harm caused by sodium valproate exposure is listed as a contributing factor.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects and publishes mortality statistics for deaths registered in England and Wales. Deaths in which harm caused by sodium valproate exposure is a contributing factor are not captured as a distinct, searchable category in ONS mortality statistics. Further information on mortality statistics is available on the ONS website, at the following link:
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment is made of level of need for unmet trauma interventions for offenders (a) in prison and (b) on probation; and how these needs are being met.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made of the level of need for unmet trauma interventions for offenders in prison and on probation, or how these needs are being met.
NHS England commissions healthcare services in every prison in England to a level equivalent to community provision. The National Integrated Prison Mental Health Service Specification requires trauma‑informed care as a core part of mental health support, with teams equipped to recognise and respond to the effects of trauma through assessment, screening, care planning, risk management, and evidence‑based interventions.
NHS England is reviewing the National Integrated Prison Mental Health Service Specification to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the prison population.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of support available in mainstream state schools for pupils with dyspraxia who do not meet the threshold for an Education, Health and Care Plan in Surrey.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Every child in our country deserves the best possible educational experience, one that is academically stretching, where every child and young person feels like they belong, and that sets them up for life and work.
The department knows from our extensive engagement with parents, teachers, local authority staff and leaders, charities and others that there are significant challenges in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. They need to be addressed urgently. But we must ensure we do so in a way that builds trust and confidence in the system and leads to improved outcomes for children and young people.
The department will set out our proposals for reform in a Schools white paper and we will consult widely on these proposals and continue to work with a wide range of partners to refine and deliver them.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of unmet special educational needs relating to dyspraxia on pupil wellbeing, attainment and school attendance.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Where a pupil is not attending school due to unmet or additional needs, including dyspraxia, the ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance sets out clear expectations on how schools, local authorities and wider services work together to access and provide the right support to improve attendance.
We understand that early identification and intervention is critical in improving the outcomes of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, therefore we are supporting settings by strengthening the evidence base of what works. The government will set out proposals for reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities system through a Schools white paper in due course.
Asked by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether agreements between the United States and United Kingdom on the presence of US military forces in Britain place restrictions on the ability of the US to deploy nuclear weapons in Britain.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The terms, conditions and jurisdiction considerations that govern the US – and any other visiting NATO force permanently based in the UK – are enshrined in the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (1951), which is embedded into UK law by the Visiting Forces Act (1952). This is publicly available. It is longstanding UK policy to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons at any given location.