Written questions by Smith.

What discussions he has had with local authorities on updating the adult social care funding formula in the local government finance settlement for the 2026-27 financial year.

MHCLG’s consultation on the principles and objectives of reform to the local government finance system, which was published alongside the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement on the 18 December 2024, included material on the approach to distributing adult social care funding.My officials have met with local authority representative bodies to discuss the options in the consultation. The Department is considering their feedback alongside the responses received from the consultation. We look forward to continuing working with the sector on what our priorities should be for distributing adult social care funding.

What support is provided to people with mental health issues who are serving IPP sentences.

NHS England Health and Justice commissioned healthcare providers deliver both primary and secondary care mental health services to all individuals within the custodial estate, irrespective of their detained status. Each individual will be assessed, their care formulation will be agreed, and appropriate clinical treatment, interventions, and support will be provided. If the individual requires transfer to hospital, the transfer to hospital process will be initiated.

What steps the NHS is taking to improve support for people suffering from long covid.

Since 2020, the National Health Service in England has invested significantly in supporting people with long COVID. This includes setting up specialist post-COVID services nationwide for adults, and children and young people, as well as investing in ensuring general practice teams are equipped to support people affected by the condition.As of 1 April 2024, there are more than 90 adult post-COVID services across England, along with an additional ten children and young people’s hubs. These services assess people with long COVID and direct them into care pathways which provide appropriate support and treatment. General practitioners will assess patients that have COVID-19 symptoms lasting longer than four weeks and refer them into a long COVID service where appropriate. Referral should be via a single point of access, which is managed by clinician-led triage.Over the last five years, the Government, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC), has invested more than £57 million in long COVID research, with almost £40 million of this through two specific research calls on long COVID. The NIHR specifically has invested £42.7 million towards research funding for long COVID. The projects funded aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate clinical care. Further information on the research into long COVID commissioned through the NIHR can be found at the following link:https://www.nihr.ac.uk/about-us/what-we-do/covid-19/long-COVIDThe NIHR and MRC are committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences and treatment of long COVID, and are actively exploring next steps for research in these areas.

What research his Department has commissioned on (a) the effects of and (b) treatment for long covid.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).Over the last five years, the Government, through NIHR and the Medical Research Council (MRC), has invested over £57 million in long COVID research, with almost £40 million of this through two specific research calls on long COVID. The NIHR specifically has invested £42.7 million towards research funding for long COVID. The projects funded aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate clinical care. Further information on the research into long COVID commissioned through the NIHR can be found at the following link:https://www.nihr.ac.uk/about-us/what-we-do/covid-19/long-COVIDThe NIHR and MRC are committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences and treatment of long COVID, and are actively exploring next steps for research in these areas.