Lords
Oral Questions
9 February 2026
Hospitals: Delayed Discharges
I reassure the noble Lord that the Department of Health recognises the issues that he raises. That is why £2 billion is being put into NHS digital transformation to modernise systems, expand the use of electronic patient records and improve productivity across the service. It simply is not good enou…
Lords
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Civil Service Pensions: Capita
The noble Lord is absolutely right and there are various mechanisms being put in place, not least the call centre, which people should be able to access. I want to touch on something explicitly because the noble Lord has raised an important point. Some of the most heartbreaking issues that have come…
Lords
Oral Questions
29 January 2026
Battery Shortage for NHS Hearing Aids
Well, it is of course a matter for local ICBs to decide what their best response is, depending on their local community. I should emphasise to your Lordships’ House that the reason for the increased demand is that there was a cyber attack on the alternative supply of batteries. That was an unpredict…
Lords
Committee Stage
28 January 2026
2 contributions
Medical Devices (Fees Amendment) Regulations 2026
I am grateful to the noble Lord for his interest in this important subject and for expressing his concerns, which I will address. I know that he is more than supportive of patient safety and taking a risk-proportionate and pro-innovation approach —I hope that is not putting words into his mouth, but…
My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Kamall, asked further questions about the timing of the full impact assessment and why it is not being done this year. The reason is that the full impact assessment will refer to 2027-28, when the fees will be paid in full. Currently, because they are being subsidised …
Lords
Debate
23 January 2026
9 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
I am sorry to interrupt. If I am correct, the noble Lord can speak again, but he cannot intervene on an intervention.
My Lords, this has been a long and comprehensive debate, and a number of points have been raised. I will try not to hasten it—
+7 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
20 January 2026
Maternal Mortality
I am glad to say that my noble friend Lady Amos will be very much focusing on this area. I referred earlier to the maternal care bundle, which focuses on the five main causes of maternal death and harm, as well as on setting up best practice. A number of the risk factors are particularly associated …
Lords
Debate
16 January 2026
4 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, this has been another rather long but interesting debate. It is important that noble Lords who wanted to speak had their voices heard. It touches on something we touched on very early. Noble Lords will remember when we debated another version of motivation and talked about coercion. A numb…
My Lords, I have been very clear throughout this debate that any noble Lord who wants to speak and participate should be allowed to do so.
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
16 January 2026
Rare Cancers Bill
My Lords, I am delighted to pledge the Government’s full support for this Bill. It is very much aligned with our commitments, it strengthens the research ecosystem and, most importantly—I agree with many comments today—it gives hope to patients and families affected by rare cancers. I am glad that t…
Lords
Debate
9 January 2026
2 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords—
My Lords, one reason I was reluctant to get up is that I believe very strongly that all who want to speak in these debates should be allowed to do so, but I ask noble Lords to please bear in mind that there are many others who may want to speak to the group, and we should not make Second Reading spe…
Lords
Oral Questions
8 January 2026
Vaccine Health Technology Assessment
My Lords, I am most grateful to my noble friend Lady Ritchie for her thorough introduction and for securing this debate. I am also grateful to all noble Lords for their considered contributions. The subject of today’s debate reflects my noble friend’s steadfast commitment to improving access to immu…
Lords
Oral Questions
7 January 2026
Computer-generated Child Sexual Abuse Material
The position is that Ofcom is the regulator for this area and that all child sexual abuse images et cetera are currently illegal. The question is about the use of powers to take them down and hold tech companies to account. That is what the consultation will be completed on and by April 2026 we will…
Lords
Oral Questions
5 January 2026
Sudden Cardiac Death: Screening for Young People
Comparisons of screening programmes with other health systems can be misleading. For example, the programme in Italy operates only in the area around Venice; it is not a national screening programme. The published data is unclear and we have requested further information. Of course, if any programme…
Lords
Proceedings
18 December 2025
2 contributions
Puberty Suppressants Trial
My Lords, I begin by thanking the Government for their sensitive language in handling this delicate issue. I recall the noble Baroness, Lady Cass, telling the House that puberty blockers are currently licensed only for much younger children with precocious puberty or older adults with certain cancer…
What assurance can be given so that any health developments under these trials are not irreversible?
Lords
Proceedings
16 December 2025
NHS: Winter Preparedness
My Lords, I want to ask the Minister about two cohorts in respect of which there are concerns about vaccination levels. The first is front-line health workers. Is the Minister aware of what percentage have been vaccinated and what action is being taken to improve the uptake of vaccinations, particul…
Lords
Oral Questions
16 December 2025
Women’s Health Strategy
This is a very important point. The 10-year health plan restated the aim of eliminating cervical cancer by 2040 through the improved uptake of cervical screening and HPV vaccination. To the specific point, which is such an important one, in June—not many months ago—we announced that screening provid…
Lords
Proceedings
15 December 2025
Resident Doctors: Industrial Action
My Lords, the announcement of further industrial action by resident doctors is obviously deeply concerning. These strikes, which we now know will go ahead after all, will have a serious impact on the capacity of our health service to function at precisely the time of year when demand is at its highe…
Lords
Debate
12 December 2025
3 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
As I set out last week and will repeat if noble Lords will forgive me, I completely agree with what the Government Chief Whip said about noble Lords ensuring that they speak to the amendments and do not give Second Reading speeches, but, at the same time, I think it is important that all noble Lords…
The question that a number of noble Lords are concerned about, when discussing this amendment, is that the Mental Capacity Act was passed in 2005. Of course, the guidance has been updated, but it might be helpful to those in the Committee who are concerned that this Act is 20 years out of date to ta…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
11 December 2025
Wheelchair and Community Equipment Strategy
My Lords, I am most grateful to my noble friend Lord Hunt, not just for securing this important debate on a vital issue, as the noble Lord, Lord Kamall, said, but for his campaigning, along with other noble Lords, groups and individuals outside your Lordships’ House over many years. I am also gratef…
Lords
Committee Stage
26 November 2025
2 contributions
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
My Lords, this group of amendments deals with the designation of vape-free places. As with the earlier debate on smoke-free places, they probe—I stress, probe—the Government on the powers they seek to extend the restriction of the use of vaping products, and whether those powers will be exercised pr…
My Lords, I thank the Minister for her response; I also thank all noble Lords who spoke on this group. I am grateful to the Minister for confirming that any further extension of the designation of vape-free places will be done via the affirmative procedure, which is very welcome.
I have a couple of…
Lords
Debate
24 November 2025
Mental Health Bill [HL]
My Lords, I thank noble Lords for the thank yous and the appreciation for the whole team, which, as noble Lords have said, is extensive. I also appreciate the welcome for the number of improvements that we have made to the Bill by being able to work together. I am grateful to noble Lords for their c…
Lords
Oral Questions
24 November 2025
Brain Tumours: Causes and Treatment
It is an important point, as the noble Lord, Lord Sharpe, raised. As I said, the national cancer plan will give that opportunity to address challenges and needs such as those the noble Lord raised. We are also establishing a brain tumour research consortium through the NIHR, which will bring togethe…
Lords
Oral Questions
24 November 2025
NHS: Wheelchair Services
The noble Lord is right, and his comments about buildings apply not just to NHS buildings either but to the whole range. I can assure the noble Lord that across government we have continuing discussions about this, because it is not, as the noble Lord says, just a matter of getting the right wheelch…
Lords
Committee Stage
17 November 2025
2 contributions
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
My Lords, Amendments 175 and 179 in my name and that of my noble friend Lord Howe propose restricting the Secretary of State’s power to designate smoke-free places to a clearly defined and limited set of locations: NHS property or hospitals, public playgrounds, and providers of early years education…
My Lords, I am grateful to the wide range of noble Lords who spoke on these amendments. These are clearly intended as probing amendments, at this stage, to understand—as the Minister herself agreed—these wide sweeping powers to designate additional spaces as smoke-free. We are grateful because we we…
Lords
Oral Questions
13 November 2025
Covid-19 Pandemic: Commemoration
The noble Lord raises a really important point. A number of noble Lords will be aware that I had the privilege to work on the response in London. People who I was working with, at the same time as they were leading that response, also lost loved ones. For example, when I went to the wall a couple of…
Lords
Oral Questions
13 November 2025
Goodmayes Hospital Mental Health Facility
That is absolutely at the core. I will just say, as an example on this particular tragic case, that NHS England still meets regularly with the trust, and the last meeting took place two weeks ago—it conducted a mid-year review. There is also a recommendation for a memorandum of understanding on inve…