Written questions by Hunt.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of convening an emergency taskforce to address current medicine shortages.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the long-term patient safety impact of the Synnovis ransomware attack on NHS trusts in south-east London.

Awaiting answer.

What steps he is taking to clarify accountability for patient safety where care is delivered across multiple NHS organisations.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the implications for his policy of ending corridor care of the findings of the Healthcare Services Safety Investigation Body’s report entitled Patient care in tempora

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of taking legislative steps to allow pharmacists to make safe substitutions when a prescribed medicine is unavailable.

Awaiting answer.

Whether he plans to review the legal framework governing the care of people experiencing a mental health crisis in emergency departments.

Awaiting answer.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the investigation of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other mass atrocity crimes and egregious violations of human right

The UK remains deeply concerned by reports of human rights violations in Myanmar, involving a range of armed actors, and we continue to push for accountability for such abuses, wherever they occur. In April, we co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council res...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to refer the Arakan Army in Myanmar to international justice and accountability mechanisms, including via targeted financial sanctions, for poten

The UK remains deeply concerned by reports of human rights violations in Myanmar, involving a range of armed actors, and we continue to push for accountability for such abuses, wherever they occur. In April, we co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council res...

What progress he has made on implementing the recommendations of the report Reading the Signals: Maternity and Neonatal Services in East Kent since its publication.

Following publication of Dr Bill Kirkup’s report, Reading the Signals: Maternity and Neonatal Services in East Kent, Dr Kirkup was appointed by the Department to develop concrete actions to implement the report’s recommendations. In this work, Dr Kirkup c...

What progress he has made on implementing the 15 Immediate and Essential Actions set out in the final report of the Ockenden Review into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NH

The Ockenden review into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford hospital trust identified 15 Immediate and Essential Actions. Following its publication, NHS England wrote to all trusts and systems asking them to deliver the actions and report to...

What assessment he has made of the Mann Review (March 2026) as potential justification for retaining the General Medical Council’s section 40A appeal power in the Draft Order.

All of the proposals relating to the findings of the Williams Review and the Mann Review contained within the Reforming the General Medical Council legislative framework consultation, published 24 March 2026, are currently open for public consultation. We welcome stakeholder views on the consultation and responses will be carefully considered to help inform future policy decisions.

Whether his Department continues to support Recommendation 6.1 of the Williams Review on removing the General Medical Council’s right of appeal under section 40A of the Medical Act 1983.

All of the proposals relating to the findings of the Williams Review and the Mann Review contained within the Reforming the General Medical Council legislative framework consultation, published 24 March 2026, are currently open for public consultation. We welcome stakeholder views on the consultation and responses will be carefully considered to help inform future policy decisions.

What progress his Department has made on (a) developing and (b) publishing a national implementation plan for Fracture Liaison Services.

Our 10-Year Health Plan committed to rolling out Fracture Liaison Services across every part of the country by 2030. Integrated care boards (ICBs) remain well-placed to make decisions according to local need. The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy sets an expectation that ICBs prioritise community-based models when commissioning new fracture prevention services.

If he will require that healthcare professionals involved in the care of people with very severe ME complete condition-specific (a) training and (b) e-learning.

NHS England, with support from the Department, has developed an e-learning programme to support healthcare professionals in the care of people with myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), of all levels of severity. All four sessions of the e-learning programme are now available, with sessions one, two, and three having universal access, whilst the fourth session, which includes support and clinical management of severe ME/CFS, is only available to healthcare professionals. Further information can be found at the following link:https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/mecfselearning?nodeId=7288The Medical Schools Council will promote the e-learning programme to all United Kingdom medical schools and will encourage those medical schools to provide undergraduates with direct patient experience of ME/CFS.Additionally, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has developed guidance on the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS, including mental health support for people with ME/CFS and their families. NICE guidelines are evidence-based, informed by clinical expertise, and represent best practice, and although NICE guidelines are not mandatory, healthcare professionals are expected to take them fully into account.

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the (a) prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in Godalming and Ash constituency compared with national averages.

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the number of FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ for Godalming and Ash and England, for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and provisionally for 2025/26:Westminster Parliamentary Constituency of Residence2024/25 (August 2024 to March 2025)2025/26 (April 2025 to November 2025)Godalming and Ash935775England612,855511,558Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England. Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s Fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Surrey, which includes Godalming and Ash, can be found at the following link: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E10000030/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

How the functions of local Healthwatch will be delivered by ICBs and local authorities.

The abolition of local Healthwatch (LHW) and the transfer of its functions will require primary legislation. The timing of this is subject to the will of Parliament and will happen when parliamentary time allows.We are proposing to place responsibility for the health function of LHW with integrated care boards. Local authorities will be responsible for the social care LHW functions.

What steps she is taking to help improve the global competitiveness of the City of London.

The government’s Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy , co-designed with industry, sets out the government’s ten-year plan to make the UK the world’s centre of choice for financial services investment now and in 2035. Since July, the Government has been squarely focused on delivery the Strategy, including launching the Office for Investment: Financial Services to attract and support global firms to establish and grow in the UK and UK listings relief – exempting shares from Stamp Duty Reserve Tax for the first three years that a company is listed.The government will continue working at pace to deliver the reforms it has committed to.

When he plans to respond to emails sent by the Rt Hon. Member for Godalming and Ash dated 18 November 2025 and 20 January 2026 concerning a case relating to a Magistrate.

A response was sent on 24 February and the Department apologises for the significant delay in replying. We recognise that, on this occasion, the delay falls short of expected standards.

What steps he is taking to ensure that Cystic Fibrosis patients living in North London are not adversely impacted by the proposed removal of respiratory services from the Royal Brompton Hospital.

Any changes to services must follow established statutory processes, including full clinical engagement, consideration of patient impact, and public consultation where required. These processes are designed to ensure that any proposed reconfiguration maintains or improves the quality, safety, and accessibility of care for patients.The Department expects NHS England and local commissioners to demonstrate that any changes will not adversely affect patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and that services continue to meet the national service specifications for specialised respiratory and CF care. This includes ensuring that specialist multidisciplinary CF teams remain accessible, that transition and continuity of care are safeguarded, and that travel times and capacity implications are assessed and mitigated.Although the location of some services will change, there is no reduction in CF services capacity and no loss of specialist expertise as a result of this change. The full paediatric CF multidisciplinary team, including specialist clinicians, nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists and dietitians, will continue to care for patients as a single specialist service.

What steps he is taking to ensure that patients with suspected endometriosis can access clinicians with specialist expertise through the NHS online hospital.

NHS Online will be a new, optional online service allowing patients to digitally connect with clinicians across England. In January 2026, we announced the initial specialities and conditions that NHS Online will focus on. Menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis will be one of the first conditions available for referral to NHS Online when it launches in 2027. This pathway being developed for NHS Online incorporates a process for investigation, management, and onward referral to specialist services within a timely manner if clinically indicated.This means that when a patient goes to see their general practitioner, they will have the option of being referred, through their legal right to choice, to NHS Online for their care. Should a consultation be required, they will see the next available specialist, who may be anywhere in the country. Following an NHS Online assessment, if a patient requires or chooses a face-to-face consultation they will be referred to a local provider.Patient safety will not be compromised. Clinical oversight will be robust, keeping patient safety at the heart of the process.