The government has no current plans to amend the definition of overcrowding found in Part X of the Housing Act 1985.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment, treatment, and support services in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

The NICE ADHD guideline does not set out a timeframe within which medication should be provided, but it does explain the key considerations for clinicians when deciding whether to offer medication.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has issued guidance on prescribing and managing medicines to support general practitioners (GPs) in deciding whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors such as whether the proposed activity is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes the GP being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate. GP practices may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds.

If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician, and this applies to both National Health Service and private medical care.

The Government announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.

The final report, due in the summer, will make recommendations on how the Government, the health system, and wider public services can respond to increasing demand for support more fairly and effectively so that people receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment, treatment, and support services in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

The NICE ADHD guideline does not set out a timeframe within which medication should be provided, but it does explain the key considerations for clinicians when deciding whether to offer medication.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has issued guidance on prescribing and managing medicines to support general practitioners (GPs) in deciding whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors such as whether the proposed activity is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes the GP being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate. GP practices may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds.

If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician, and this applies to both National Health Service and private medical care.

The Government announced on 4 December 2025 the launch of an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism. This independent review will inform our approach to enabling people with ADHD and autistic people to have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.

The final report, due in the summer, will make recommendations on how the Government, the health system, and wider public services can respond to increasing demand for support more fairly and effectively so that people receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place.

We are committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment across all specialties, including cardiology. As a first step towards achieving this, we delivered on our interim target that 65% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks by March 2026.

Since coming into office, the Government has improved cardiology waiting times nationally, with a waiting list reduction of nearly 40,000 and an 8.2% improvement in the proportion of waits below 18 weeks. The South Yorkshire Integrated Care Bord (ICB) has particularly strong waiting time performance for cardiology, with 84.7% of the service’s waiting list below 18 weeks, the second strongest performing ICB nationally.

As set out in the Elective Reform Plan we are investing in modernisation, reforming and simplifying pathways, increasing surgical and diagnostic capacity, and empowering patients with faster and more convenient access to care. These actions will improve waiting times for all patients, and specifically cardiology as a priority speciality.

As required through the Public Sector Equality Duty, we consider equality impact assessments throughout the policy development process. Raising the 'standard of proof' for asylum claims that were made on or after 28 June 2022 when the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 came into force was no exception.

We are committed to ensuring that proposals are considered carefully so that they support creation of a system which is both fair and sustainable.

Decisions on recruitment and employment are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.

The new resident doctors’ deal will see significant expansion of training places by up to 4,500 over the next three years, including 1,000 next year, 250 of which will be starting in February. This expansion combined with the impact of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act is expected to bring competition ratios down and tackle specialty bottlenecks almost immediately.

The forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.

The Department has not held specific discussions with integrated care boards on the potential impact of women being on waiting lists for medical treatment on their decisions about when to have children.

We recognise that long waits for treatment can have a significant impact on patients' lives and future plans, including the decision to have children. We are committed to reducing waiting times, so that patients receive timely care and treatment.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning by March 2029 to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment across all specialties. We are on track, hitting our first interim target of 65% in March 2026.

Integrated care boards are responsible for planning and commissioning services to meet the needs of their local populations and for supporting the delivery of elective recovery in their areas.

No assessment has been made. We are committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment across all specialties, including cardiology. As a first step, we delivered on our interim target that 65% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks by March 2026.

The Government has improved cardiology waiting times nationally, with a waiting list reduction of nearly 40,000 and an 8.2% improvement in the proportion of waits below 18 weeks. The South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) has particularly strong waiting time performance for cardiology, with 84.7% of the service’s waiting list below 18 weeks, the second strongest performing ICB nationally.

As set out in the Elective Reform Plan we are investing in modernisation, reforming, and simplifying pathways, increasing surgical and diagnostic capacity, and empowering patients with faster and more convenient access to care. These actions will improve waiting times for all patients, and specifically cardiology as a priority speciality.

As a result of considering the recommendations in the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the Implications of Castration and Tail Docking for the Welfare of Lambs, the Government issued a UK-wide consultation on lamb castration and tail docking which launched on 12 January 2026 and closed on 9 March 2026. The Government is currently analysing consultation responses and will publish a formal response in due course.

Ensuring patients receive their diagnostic test results, including dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) results quickly is a priority for the Government.

NHS England guidance, published in August 2023, sets out that imaging reports must be provided within four weeks, or 28 days, of image acquisition. All National Health Service providers and imaging networks are expected to meet this. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/diagnostic-imaging-reporting-turnaround-times/

Achieving this relies on good digital connectivity, IT infrastructure, home working solutions, and approved insourcing models established across imaging departments and networks. That is why the Government is investing in digital diagnostic transformation through NHS England’s Diagnostics Digital Capability Programme which ensures networks have a core set of digital capabilities to improve the quality, safety, and productivity of care.

The Government announced in March 2026 that tens of thousands of patients at risk of osteoporosis and other bone conditions are getting faster access to vital bone scans, as the Government has invested in 20 new DEXA scanners across England. This builds on the first wave of 13 scanners announced last year.

The government is not currently proposing to introduce recall petition powers for councillors. Instead, we are committed to strengthening the local government standards regime through a comprehensive package of reforms. The government response to the ‘Strengthening the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England’ consultation, published in November 2025, states our intention to legislate for a clearer and more consistently applied conduct system that will help local elected members to hold themselves and their colleagues to account in meeting the high standards and conduct their roles demand and the public have a right to expect.

Restrictions on street works following substantial road works are provided for under section 58 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. The criteria for applying those restrictions, including the circumstances in which road works qualify as substantial road works, are set out in secondary legislation. The Government keeps the operation of the street works regime under review and works closely with local highway authorities and utility companies to ensure that works are carried out in a way that minimises disruption to road users.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 16 June in response to Question 7530, and I can assure her that we are continuing to monitor developments carefully, and discuss them with our international counterparts as necessary.