Written questions by Coyle.

Whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met with the Bring People Home from Psychiatric Hospital campaign to discuss the Mental Health Bill.

Engagement with stakeholders and people with lived experience is central to the progression of these reforms, and we will consult and engage as we move to implementation planning, including on revisions to the Mental Health Act Code of Practice. The Department recognises the important work of the Bring People Home from Psychiatric Hospital network. A meeting to discuss the Mental Health Bill has not taken place with this network to date.

How many people with autism have been sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983 in each of the last five years.

The following table shows the number of autistic people admitted to mental health inpatient care under the Mental Health Act 1983 within each year between 2020 and 2024, based on the Assuring Transformation data collection as of 28 February 2025:YearNumber of autistic people admitted to mental health inpatient care under the Mental Health Act 1983202063520217152022820202390520241,015Source: Assuring Transformation data collection, NHS England.Notes:counts are rounded to the nearest five, in line with the Assuring Transformation disclosure control rules, to protect patient confidentiality;this data includes people recorded as being autistic with no learning disability, and those with a learning disability who are also autistic, who were admitted to mental health inpatient care under the Mental Health Act 1983 within each year between 2020 and 2024. Where a person was admitted under the Mental Health Act more than once in the year, they are only counted once;this data excludes people recorded as detained under other acts, for instance the Criminal Procedure (Insanity) Act 1964, or the Mental Capacity Act, and those who are recorded as informal patients; andAssuring Transformation is a live data set and the information on a person’s stay in hospital, including legal status, may be updated in the record if the person’s status changes. These counts will reflect legal status, as defined by the Mental Health Act legal status classification code, and as it is recorded in the latest data cut, which for some patients may not reflect their status on admission.

Which stakeholders (a) he and (b) his officials have met with while (i) preparing, (ii) publishing and (iii) bringing forward the Mental Health Bill.

The reforms delivered by the Mental Health Bill reflect the recommendations made by the Independent Review into the Mental Health Act, which engaged widely with stakeholders, including people with lived experience. There was extensive consultation following this to develop the draft bill, most notably in the Government’s White Paper, Reforming the Mental Health Act. Since the initial draft bill, we have taken on board several recommendations from the pre-legislative scrutiny committee, which heard from a wide range of stakeholders and organisations representing service users, patients, and professionals.Soon after the Mental Health Bill’s introduction to the House of Lords on 6 November 2024, the Department held a ministerial roundtable to discuss the content of the bill’s reforms with stakeholder groups, and a wider virtual meeting to update a broader range of stakeholders. Engagement has continued throughout the bill’s passage.

Whether he is taking steps to support self-employed midwives.

Independent midwives make a valuable contribution to midwifery services across the country. As they are not employed by the National Health Service, we do not have any influence over their pay or terms and conditions, or how they access learning, development, and pastoral support. Many self-employed midwives are members of Independent Midwifery UK, which does offer support and mentoring.Local employers who work with self-employed midwives are best placed to determine what additional support they can offer, in the interests of delivering high quality services.

Whether he plans to facilitate access to professional indemnity insurance for self-employed midwives.

In England, most National Health Services are covered by the state indemnity schemes administered by NHS Resolution. Therefore, midwives working in NHS trusts, other member organisations, and general practices are covered by the state indemnity schemes, namely the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) and the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice, respectively. Where self-employed midwives are not covered by state schemes, they need to obtain independent cover which is mainly through regulated insurance or via discretionary indemnity offered primarily by medical defence organisations.In 2020, the difficulty in accessing indemnity was highlighted by self-employed midwives. Alternative arrangements were agreed via an NHS contract which enabled self-employed midwives to be covered by the state scheme, the CNST. A number use this model, although we understand some do not.The Department is currently considering policy measures to address gaps in the clinical indemnities system. We would be happy to take further evidence from self-employed midwives to determine issues specific to them and the scale of the problem.

If he will undertake a review of the (a) funding model and (b) role of community pharmacies.

Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system. The Government is committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.By 2026 all newly qualified pharmacists will have a prescribing qualification, with additional investment in upskilling the existing workforce to also become independent prescribers. NHS England is currently piloting how prescribing can work in community pharmacy in all integrated care boards, supporting a range of conditions. These pathfinders will then inform any future decisions about the service.We will shortly be resuming our consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding the funding arrangements for community pharmacy.

Whether he plans to maintain levels of mental health spending in line with planned increases in other NHS spending in (a) the next financial year and (b) the future.

The NHS Operational and Planning Guidance for 2024/25 makes clear that integrated care boards are expected to continue to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard by increasing their investment in mental health services in line with their overall increa...

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of people on NHS waiting lists.

Patients are waiting too long to access the care they need, with the total waiting list standing at over 7.5 million. Last week we saw the welcome news that waiting lists have fallen. Since we ended the strikes, we have been ramping up delivery of the 2 m...

What financial contribution the NHS makes to the tribunal service.

The HM Courts and Tribunals Service is funded primarily by the Ministry of Justice. Where the National Health Service is party to a tribunal where a fee is levied, for instance immigration and asylum, and other fee charging special tribunals, they will pa...

What his planned timetable is for bringing forward proposals to update and improve mental healthcare.

Our plans to update and improve mental healthcare will be shared in due course.The King’s speech confirmed our intention to bring forward a Mental Health Bill to give patients greater choice, autonomy, enhanced rights and support, and ensure everyone is treated with dignity and respect throughout treatment.We will also recruit 8,500 additional staff across children and adult mental health services and introduce a specialist mental health professional in every school.