Every parliamentary written question tabled by Ian Lavery this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 81–100 of 158 · this parliament
Whether his Department plans to develop or adopt a UK list of hazardous medicinal products and to require safety data sheets for finished medicines; and if he will take steps to work with the Health and Safety Executive to make such a list publicly available to NHS employers.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84436.
If he will publish a new national strategy for palliative and end-of-life care.
The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England.The MSF will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life and will enable integrated care boards to address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care. This will be aligned with the ambitions set out in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan.Further information about the MSF is set out in the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1087, which I gave on 24 November 2025.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of renegotiating current private finance debt to reduce future payouts.
Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts are not held by the Department. Contracts are held between the local National Health Service trust and their respective private finance company. The contracts were let for a prescribed period of time, with the terms set at the outset and limited areas for renegotiation.The Department’s Private Finance Team together with the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority provides expert support and advice to NHS trusts with PFI contracts on a case-by-case basis, considering all options available whilst maintaining contractual compliance. This includes, but is not limited to, improving the performance of existing contracts, assessing the costs of existing contracts and where efficiencies and savings can be realised, and managing hand back of the assets at the end of the contract term. The Department’s Private Finance team also continues to assess opportunities to refinance debt where possible and where it would be value for money.
What estimate he has made of the impact of (a) changes in patient need, (b) drug prices, (c) inflation and (d) changes in the level of private finance debt on the budget for the NHS in each of the next ten years.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington on 1 December 2025 to Question 93637.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of funding neighbourhood health centres through alternative, non-private finance means.
At the Autumn Budget, we announced our commitment to deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. This will deliver NHCs through a mixture of refurbishments, to expand and improve sites over the next three years, and new-build sites opening in the medium term.The first 120 NHCs are due to be operational by 2030, delivered through public private partnerships (PPPs) and public capital. 50 NHCs will be completed through the repurposing of the existing estate with public sector funding, and 70 through new builds by 2030. 80% of the new builds will be PPPs, with a further 20% coming from public sector investment.The Spending Review has seen the Government provide £426 million over four years through the Utilisation and Modernisation Fund, upgrading general practice estates and supporting delivery of 40 to 50 neighbourhood health centres this Parliament through the refurbishment of existing buildings.
If he will publish his Department’s business case on new private finance in the NHS.
The Department has no plans to publish the Neighbourhood Health Centre (NHC) Public Private Partnership (PPP) Feasibility Programme Business Case. Publication is not standard practice for business cases outside of the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio. This was a strategic outline business case, the purpose of which was to scope and identify the preferred way forward for a new potential PPP model in line with the HM Treasury five case model.The Department and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) will continue to work with the market to further develop the new PPP model for NHCs, with further engagement next year. The final design and development of this new PPP model for NHCs will be led by NISTA and will be co-designed by the Department.
What steps he is taking to communicate concerns of potential harmful substances in Educational Colours Rainbow Sand.
UK regulators are in touch with counterparts in Australia regarding reports of chemical concerns related to rainbow-coloured sand products. There is no evidence these products are available on the UK market. Our product safety regulations require businesses to only place safe consumer products on the market, including toys or products aimed at children. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), in my Department, and Local Authority Trading Standards enforce the regulations, and have powers to remove products from sale and prevent imports where unsafe items are identified. The Government does not collect data on sales of individual products.
Whether she has issued guidance to (a) schools and (b) educational establishments to make them aware of potential concerns with Colours Play Sand.
UK regulators are in touch with counterparts in Australia regarding reports of chemical concerns related to rainbow-coloured sand products. There is no evidence these products are available on the UK market. Our product safety regulations require businesses to only place safe consumer products on the market, including toys or products aimed at children. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), in my Department, and Local Authority Trading Standards enforce the regulations, and have powers to remove products from sale and prevent imports where unsafe items are identified. The Government does not collect data on sales of individual products.
What data he holds on how many packs of educational colours rainbow sand was sold before it was no longer available.
UK regulators are in touch with counterparts in Australia regarding reports of chemical concerns related to rainbow-coloured sand products. There is no evidence these products are available on the UK market. Our product safety regulations require businesses to only place safe consumer products on the market, including toys or products aimed at children. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), in my Department, and Local Authority Trading Standards enforce the regulations, and have powers to remove products from sale and prevent imports where unsafe items are identified. The Government does not collect data on sales of individual products.
Whether they plan to increase or redistribute funding to schools in the North East.
The schools national funding formula (NFF) is used to allocate core funding for mainstream schools in England. We have now published the NFF for 2026/27, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-for-schools-and-high-needs-from-2025. Through the NFF, the North East is receiving £2,341 million in provisional funding for mainstream schools in the 2026/27 financial year. This represents an increase of £62 million compared to the 2025/26 financial year. These figures are based on pupil numbers from the 2025/26 dedicated schools grant (DSG). Final allocations will be based on updated pupil numbers in the 2026/27 DSG. In the North East, average per pupil funding through the schools NFF will be £6,852 in the 2026/27 financial year. This compares to £6,671 per pupil in the 2025/26 financial year. The 2025/26 comparison figure includes the schools budget support grant and National Insurance contributions grants that were paid outside the NFF in 2025/26, to ensure a fair comparison.
What measures are in place to ensure that children from low-income families in the North East have access to high-quality early years education; and what additional support is being provided to reduce disparities in readiness for primary school.
The government’s Plan for Change commits to giving children the best start in life. From age 2, children in low-income families, those with education, health and care plans, and looked-after children are eligible for 15 hours of funded early education.Disadvantaged children may also receive the early years pupil premium (EYPP). From April 2025, this was increased by 45%. From next year, we will provide additional funding to extend EYPP in areas most in need, and test different approaches to using this funding to understand how best to maximise its impact.As part of the Opportunity Mission, £37 million has been awarded to 300 primary schools to create or expand nurseries. The department is establishing Best Start Family Hubs to provide greater support for families. Local authorities are also developing ambitious Best Start local plans to meet the milestone to get a record number of children school ready every year by 2028.
What support is available to schools to tackle the challenges faced by pupils living in poverty, including access to (a) free school meals, (b) mental health services and (c) after-school programmes in the North East.
We are supporting schools to tackle the challenges faced by pupils in poverty. As part of this support, schools will receive pupil premium funding worth over £3 billion in the 2025/26 financial year to support the educational outcomes of disadvantaged pupils.The removal of the two-child limit will lift 450,000 children out of poverty, rising to around 550,000 alongside other measures announced this year, including the expansion of free school meals, which will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of this Parliament and put £500 back in families’ pockets. Further, we are delivering on our pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children.We are also providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding mental health support teams (MHSTs). As of April 2025, 57% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in the North East region were covered by an MHST.The department will also publish an Enrichment Framework, providing advice for schools on delivering a high-quality enrichment offer, including extra-curricular activities after school.Since September 2024, the department has invested over £180 million in the National Wraparound Programme, which has created over 50,000 additional childcare places.Support with costs for wraparound childcare is also available for eligible parents through the Tax-Free Childcare and the childcare element of Universal Credit.
Whether she is taking steps to promote the use of (a) biological safety cabinets, (b) closed‑system drug‑transfer devices and (c) engineering controls in healthcare settings; and whether she plans to provide funding for NHS trusts to implement these controls.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84144.
Whether she plans to require NHS employers to provide ongoing (a) training and (b) health surveillance for all staff who (i) handle and (ii) otherwise may be exposed to hazardous medicinal products; and how her Department monitors compliance with those standards.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84444.
If she will take steps to review the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations to ensure that hazardous medicinal products with reprotoxic effects are controlled to the same standard as (a) carcinogens and (b) mutagens.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84440.
Whether his Department has commissioned research into the potential impact of occupational exposure to hazardous medicinal products among nursing staff on (a) reproductive and (b) other long‑term health; and what assessment he has made of the cost to the NHS of sickness absence related to such exposure.
As per our response to questions PQ87515, PQ84145, and PQ84445 on 11 November 2025, the Government has not commissioned any research on the reproductive health outcomes or long-term health effects of the occupational exposure of nursing staff to hazardous medicinal products. No assessment has been made of the cost to the National Health Service of sickness absence related to this.
Innovation and Technology, how the cyber risk to Government has changed in the last 5 years; how his Department's approach to cyber security has changed in that time; and what assessment he has made of how the Government's level of cyber resilience has changed in that time.
Our approach to tackling Government cyber risk is driven by the 2022 Government Cyber Security Strategy which sets a clear target for critical functions to be hardened to cyber attack by 2025.We have made important steps in understanding and mitigating risk; GovAssure has dramatically improved our understanding of cyber resilience levels across government and the systemic issues preventing departments from achieving targets. The Government Cyber Coordination Centre enables us to respond as one government to cyber incidents, threats and vulnerabilities.However, the threat picture is the most sophisticated it has ever been and the UK's resilience picture is poorer than previously estimated. In January 2025, the NAO report into Government cyber resilience confirmed that Government since 2022 has not improved its cyber resilience quickly enough to meet its 2025 target. We welcome the report and are taking immediate action to address the recommendations.We are accelerating our response through the launch of a more interventionist approach, which will address the long-standing shortage of cyber skills, strengthen accountability for cyber risks, provide greater support for delivery in the form of cyber services, guidance, and hands-on technical support and bolster our response capabilities to fast-moving cyber incidents.
What plans she has to educate communities on the rise of far right extremism.
This Government takes extremism seriously and has been clear that we will tackle far right extremism head on. We make no apology for that. We are committed to ensuring we have the required tools and powers needed to address this issue. Efforts to counter extremism span a broad range of Government and law enforcement activity and we must persist in our efforts to challenge extremist narratives, disrupt the activity of radicalising groups, and directly tackle the causes of radicalisation.We work closely with frontline partners to tackle harmful ideologies, providing guidance and training on the threat from all extremist ideologies and how to spot the signs of radicalisation.Civil Society Organisations are vital partners in the delivery of targeted Prevent project work. They support local partners in building resilience to radicalisation and supporting early intervention within communities, including countering extreme right-wing narratives.
How many (a) race and (b) religious hate crimes took place in Blyth and Ashington constituency between September (i) 2024 and (ii) 2025.
The Home Office publishes official statistics on hate crimes at the Police Force Area level. The latest published information for the year ending March 2024, including for Northumbria Police, can be found here: Hate crime, England and Wales, year ending March 2024 - GOV.UKInformation on hate crimes recorded by the police in the year ending March 2025 is due to be published on the 9 October.
What steps he is taking to reduce the time taken for victims to wait for cases to be heard.
This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog. It is unacceptable that victims and witnesses are waiting years for justice. We are committed to creating a more sustainable justice system, in which victims and the public can have confidence.Upon taking office, the Deputy Prime Minister took immediate action to allocate additional Crown Court sitting days this financial year, taking the total to a record-high allocation of 111,250. We continue to build capacity in magistrates’ courts, with 14,636 magistrates in post as of April 2025 across England and Wales and we are uplifting our programme to bring in 2,000 new magistrates over the next 12 months. We will continue to recruit at high levels in future years, ensuring our benches reflect the diverse communities they serve. We also continue to recruit high levels of legal advisers, securing resilience for years to come.However, demand is currently so high, it is indisputable that fundamental reform is needed. That is why this Government commissioned the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, led by Sir Brian Leveson, to propose once-in-a-generation reform to improve timeliness in the courts and deliver swift justice for victims.We are carefully considering Sir Brian’s first report and will respond in due course. Work on Part 2 of the report, looking at how the criminal courts can operate as efficiently as possible, is underway and it is expected to be finalised later this year.