Every parliamentary written question tabled by Luke Evans this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 521–540 of 868 · this parliament
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the food and drink sector on food labelling in advance of the consultation on that issue.
The Department is engaging with a range of key food and drink stakeholders as part of the development of the food strategy. We will provide further information by the summer.
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the need for food labelling which allows people with medical needs to effectively monitor their condition.
All food sold on the UK must comply with food labelling rules, which include the requirement for specific information to be presented in a specific way. Information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food. The United Kingdom maintains high standards on the information provided on food labelling to ensure consumer confidence. Defra works with other government departments, including both the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to provide consumers with information to assist with medical needs and ensure that food safety standards are maintained. This includes improving the provision of information for people with allergies and working with food businesses to increase allergen training in the sector. The FSA’s programme on food hypersensitivity is focused on policy, research and evidence to support enforcement and engaging with consumers and businesses. It is mandatory for food and drinks packaging to include a Nutrition Declaration on the back-of-food packaging. At a minimum, this must include information on energy plus the amounts of fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt. It can also provide information on other nutrients on a voluntary basis including other fats and vitamins and minerals. This label will help individuals with medical conditions, who need to manage their diets.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2025 to Question 47799 on Social Services: Complaints, when she plans to publish his response to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s recommendations.
We are considering the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s Triennial Review and will respond in due course.
Pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 54377 on Veterans: Housing, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using data from Op Fortitude to undertake a review of the supply and demand of single occupancy housing for veterans.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 June 2025 to Question 57385.
If she will release land previously allocated to the eastern leg of HS2 (Phase 2b) for local needs.
The Department is thoroughly reviewing the position we have inherited on HS2 Phase 2b East, before setting out more detailed plans in the near future, including futureplans for HS2 Phase 2b safeguarding and a disposal programme for land and property acquired for HS2 that is no longer required. We expect to be able to provide further detail of our intended approach for Phase 2b safeguarding during the summer. Any land acquired for Phase 2 that is no longer required will be sold in line with Treasury rules through a disposal programme.
Whether he is taking steps to support people who received help from NHS and Care Volunteer Responders.
The NHS and Care Volunteer Responders (NHSCVR) programme was first established as part of the COVID-19 response and then adapted to respond to other organisational pressures. Most patients were referred into the programme by a health professional for short-term support through the NHSCVR programme. However, a model that worked well in a national crisis is no longer the most cost-effective way of facilitating the important contribution of our much-valued volunteers. Referrers have been informed of the change in service, so that they can source alternative support for their patients if needed, and those that used the Pick up and Deliver service most frequently have been offered support from the NHS England team to identify alternative forms of support.The NHSCVR programme is just one part of a volunteering system that supports people’s health and care needs, and there are many local voluntary sector organisations that provide other forms of support. Whilst the NHSCVR service is ending, volunteers are being redirected to other National Health Service and voluntary sector organisations to ensure patients continue to be supported.The NHS Volunteer recruitment portal is already available, with 70 health and care organisations advertising opportunities. As the service grows, every NHS or voluntary organisation in health will be able to post opportunities and recruit volunteers to support their local communities, with a full launch of the service planned for later this year.In addition, there are over 72,000 volunteers who continue to support NHS trusts directly in over 300 different volunteer roles, which are unaffected by the closure of the NHSCVR.The decision to close the NHSCVR was based on NHS England’s assessment that the programme was not delivering value for money. The Department will continue to work with NHS England colleagues following the closure of the programme to mitigate risks to national health volunteer resilience.
Whether he has had recent discussions with NHS England on the discontinuation of the NHS and Care Volunteer Responders.
The NHS and Care Volunteer Responders (NHSCVR) programme was first established as part of the COVID-19 response and then adapted to respond to other organisational pressures. Most patients were referred into the programme by a health professional for short-term support through the NHSCVR programme. However, a model that worked well in a national crisis is no longer the most cost-effective way of facilitating the important contribution of our much-valued volunteers. Referrers have been informed of the change in service, so that they can source alternative support for their patients if needed, and those that used the Pick up and Deliver service most frequently have been offered support from the NHS England team to identify alternative forms of support.The NHSCVR programme is just one part of a volunteering system that supports people’s health and care needs, and there are many local voluntary sector organisations that provide other forms of support. Whilst the NHSCVR service is ending, volunteers are being redirected to other National Health Service and voluntary sector organisations to ensure patients continue to be supported.The NHS Volunteer recruitment portal is already available, with 70 health and care organisations advertising opportunities. As the service grows, every NHS or voluntary organisation in health will be able to post opportunities and recruit volunteers to support their local communities, with a full launch of the service planned for later this year.In addition, there are over 72,000 volunteers who continue to support NHS trusts directly in over 300 different volunteer roles, which are unaffected by the closure of the NHSCVR.The decision to close the NHSCVR was based on NHS England’s assessment that the programme was not delivering value for money. The Department will continue to work with NHS England colleagues following the closure of the programme to mitigate risks to national health volunteer resilience.
Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the discontinuation of the NHS and Care Volunteer Responders on other parts of the NHS.
The NHS and Care Volunteer Responders (NHSCVR) programme was first established as part of the COVID-19 response and then adapted to respond to other organisational pressures. Most patients were referred into the programme by a health professional for short-term support through the NHSCVR programme. However, a model that worked well in a national crisis is no longer the most cost-effective way of facilitating the important contribution of our much-valued volunteers. Referrers have been informed of the change in service, so that they can source alternative support for their patients if needed, and those that used the Pick up and Deliver service most frequently have been offered support from the NHS England team to identify alternative forms of support.The NHSCVR programme is just one part of a volunteering system that supports people’s health and care needs, and there are many local voluntary sector organisations that provide other forms of support. Whilst the NHSCVR service is ending, volunteers are being redirected to other National Health Service and voluntary sector organisations to ensure patients continue to be supported.The NHS Volunteer recruitment portal is already available, with 70 health and care organisations advertising opportunities. As the service grows, every NHS or voluntary organisation in health will be able to post opportunities and recruit volunteers to support their local communities, with a full launch of the service planned for later this year.In addition, there are over 72,000 volunteers who continue to support NHS trusts directly in over 300 different volunteer roles, which are unaffected by the closure of the NHSCVR.The decision to close the NHSCVR was based on NHS England’s assessment that the programme was not delivering value for money. The Department will continue to work with NHS England colleagues following the closure of the programme to mitigate risks to national health volunteer resilience.
Pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 45881 on NHS England: Redundancy Pay, what his planned timetable is for providing further details on the (a) costs and (b) benefits of abolishing NHS England.
Detailed plans are being formulated by a joint Department and NHS England programme team. Work is progressing to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and to plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilities. The remit of work includes formulation of the relevant costs.Further detail on the costs and funding mechanisms will be provided as this work develops.
Whether his Department conducted an impact assessment on the discontinuation of the NHS and Care Volunteer Responders.
The NHS and Care Volunteer Responders (NHSCVR) programme was first established as part of the COVID-19 response and then adapted to respond to other organisational pressures. Most patients were referred into the programme by a health professional for short-term support through the NHSCVR programme. However, a model that worked well in a national crisis is no longer the most cost-effective way of facilitating the important contribution of our much-valued volunteers. Referrers have been informed of the change in service, so that they can source alternative support for their patients if needed, and those that used the Pick up and Deliver service most frequently have been offered support from the NHS England team to identify alternative forms of support.The NHSCVR programme is just one part of a volunteering system that supports people’s health and care needs, and there are many local voluntary sector organisations that provide other forms of support. Whilst the NHSCVR service is ending, volunteers are being redirected to other National Health Service and voluntary sector organisations to ensure patients continue to be supported.The NHS Volunteer recruitment portal is already available, with 70 health and care organisations advertising opportunities. As the service grows, every NHS or voluntary organisation in health will be able to post opportunities and recruit volunteers to support their local communities, with a full launch of the service planned for later this year.In addition, there are over 72,000 volunteers who continue to support NHS trusts directly in over 300 different volunteer roles, which are unaffected by the closure of the NHSCVR.The decision to close the NHSCVR was based on NHS England’s assessment that the programme was not delivering value for money. The Department will continue to work with NHS England colleagues following the closure of the programme to mitigate risks to national health volunteer resilience.
If he will publish a list of meetings held by the Casey Commission.
Given that the commission is independent, the Department will not publish a list of its meetings. It is for the commission to determine its approach, but we expect it will engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including people with lived experience and unpaid carers, as well as building cross-party consensus.
Pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 47803 on Mental Health Services: Recruitment, what his planned timetable is for recruiting 8,500 mental health workers.
As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, we are recruiting 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services to help ease the pressure on busy services.We continue to work with NHS England to consider options to deliver this commitment alongside publishing a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade. There are a wide range of factors that will affect this future growth of the NHS mental health workforce, and we will provide an update in due course.
Pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 43598 on Mental Health Services: Out of Area Treatment, what his planned timetable is for the reduction of at least 580 out-of-area placements.
NHS England has advised that it expects the reduction of at least 580 placements which are out of area, far from home, or outside of natural clinical flow for adult forensic, and children and young people’s mental health inpatient services to be achieved over the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years.
If his Department will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the Quality Standards for Care and Rehabilitation of Cardiac Arrest Survivors and Key Supporters, published by the Resuscitation Council UK.
NHS England welcomes the recent publication on the quality standards for care and rehabilitation of cardiac arrest survivors and their key supporters.We recognise the importance of this work and will take it into account as part of our ongoing review of all prescribed specialised service specifications. Specifically, the service specification will be reviewed in due course, and this publication will be considered as part of that process. The specification is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Cardiology-primary-percutaneous-cortonary-intervention-adult.pdf
Whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of follow up care for survivors of sudden cardiac arrest (a) nationally and (b) regionally.
The NHS Long Term Plan committed to improving community first response and building defibrillator networks to help save 4,000 lives by 2028. This is being supported with education for the general public, including young people of school age, about how to recognise and respond to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. NHS England is also working with partners such as the British Heart Foundation to harness new technology and to ensure the public and emergency services are able to rapidly locate this life saving equipment in an emergency. Patients who survive cardiac arrest and their families are supported through referral to local National Health Services, and this will include rehabilitation, such as cardiac and neurological rehabilitation, and mental health services for psychological support. There are different pathways for cardiac arrest survivors, depending on the severity of the damage caused by the cardiac arrest. For people being discharged from secondary care and those with ischemic heart disease, also known as myocardial infarction, cardiac rehabilitation services are available in every region. In December 2024, to support local systems to commission high quality cardiac rehabilitation, NHS England published Commissioning standards for cardiac rehabilitation, which is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/commissioning-standards-for-cardiovascular-rehabilitation/ These standards of care complement the British Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation’s Standards and Core Components document, published in 2023, to support the delivery of high-quality care and the adherence to evidenced-based practice. This document is available at the following link: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/66cc563eecc7a22020c7da6c/t/66ffa8f20aef5d0b272c6b0e/1728030962905/BACPR+Standards+and+Core+Components+2023.pdf
Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of recommending the Quality Standards for Care and Rehabilitation of Cardiac Arrest Survivors and Key Supporters from the Resuscitation Council UK to (a) Integrated Care Boards and (b) NHS trusts.
NHS England welcomes the recent publication on the quality standards for care and rehabilitation of cardiac arrest survivors and their key supporters.We recognise the importance of this work and will take it into account as part of our ongoing review of all prescribed specialised service specifications. Specifically, the service specification will be reviewed in due course, and this publication will be considered as part of that process. The specification is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Cardiology-primary-percutaneous-cortonary-intervention-adult.pdf
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the Chagos deal is funded by his Department's budget.
The costs associated with the deal will be split between the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Whether there would be any circumstances in which the UK could opt out from informing Mauritius of an armed attack on a third state.
An agreement to inform a host nation about military action from their territory is standard practice in basing arrangements. Additionally, the UN Charter has a requirement to notify the UN of military action taken in self-defence. Any notification will take place after the event and will not require the UK to divulge sensitive information.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the United Kingdom's agreement to expeditiously inform Mauritius of any armed attack on a third State directly emanating from the Base on Diego Garcia on UK security.
An agreement to inform a host nation about military action from their territory is standard practice in basing arrangements. Additionally, the UN Charter has a requirement to notify the UN of military action taken in self-defence. Any notification will take place after the event and will not require the UK to divulge sensitive information.
What proportion of the 2.5% increase to defence spending on 25 February 2025 will fund the Chagos deal.
The costs of the Chagos Archipelago Treaty will be met from within the FCDO and MOD budgets set out at the spending review. The NATO qualifying status of these costs will be considered in the usual way.