The Government is committed to making pregnancy and maternity and neonatal care safer, supporting families through every stage of that journey, and giving every child the best possible start in life.

The findings of both Baroness Amos’ independent investigation into maternity and neonatal services, and Donna Ockenden’s review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust underline the scale and urgency of the challenge we face. Too many women, babies, and families have experienced unacceptable care, and too many families continue to live with the devastating consequences when services fail.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has made this issue a personal priority, and is chairing the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to develop a single, national action plan – reflecting the recommendations from the Amos and Ockenden reviews – that will drive systemic and sustained improvement across maternity and neonatal care, and deliver lasting change for women, families, and their babies.

We recognise the importance of ensuring that the experiences of families affected by maternity and neonatal harm are reflected in the Taskforce’s work. The Taskforce is supported by three family expert reference groups made up of individuals with lived experience of maternity and neonatal care, including women and families who have experienced harm, parents and families caring for children affected by maternity and neonatal harm, and families who have experienced bereavement. The chairs of these groups sit on the Taskforce and represent the views and priorities raised by their members.

The Taskforce is also considering as a matter of urgency the full scope and role of the Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner prior to the appointment of that post.

The Government is committed to making pregnancy and maternity and neonatal care safer, supporting families through every stage of that journey, and giving every child the best possible start in life.

The findings of both Baroness Amos’ independent investigation into maternity and neonatal services, and Donna Ockenden’s review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust underline the scale and urgency of the challenge we face. Too many women, babies, and families have experienced unacceptable care, and too many families continue to live with the devastating consequences when services fail.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has made this issue a personal priority, and is chairing the Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce to develop a single, national action plan – reflecting the recommendations from the Amos and Ockenden reviews – that will drive systemic and sustained improvement across maternity and neonatal care, and deliver lasting change for women, families, and their babies.

We recognise the importance of ensuring that the experiences of families affected by maternity and neonatal harm are reflected in the Taskforce’s work. The Taskforce is supported by three family expert reference groups made up of individuals with lived experience of maternity and neonatal care, including women and families who have experienced harm, parents and families caring for children affected by maternity and neonatal harm, and families who have experienced bereavement. The chairs of these groups sit on the Taskforce and represent the views and priorities raised by their members.

The Taskforce is also considering as a matter of urgency the full scope and role of the Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner prior to the appointment of that post.

I absolutely recognise the right hon. Gentleman’s concerns. As I have said, the projected programme should be with him by November. He will appreciate that there are important value for money considerations, and we also need to ensure we get the project right. It is expected to be a year long once it commences—by January 2027—but if he still requires a meeting, I would of course be happy to facilitate one.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The right hon. Gentleman, himself a former Prisons Minister and a highly regarded former shadow Secretary of State, has raised this issue assiduously on behalf of his constituents. The project to replace a water main serving the Onley Park estate is progressing through design and development, with a projected programme expected in November.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to the Hon Member for Southport on 3 July 2026 in response to Question 12297.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to the Hon Member for Southport on 3 July 2026 in response to Question 12297.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to the Hon Member for Southport on 3 July 2026 in response to Question 12297.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to the Hon Member for Southport on 3 July 2026 in response to Question 12297.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to the Hon Member for Southport on 3 July 2026 in response to Question 12297.

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer provided on 28 July in response to Question HL2548.

I will ensure a response is sent as soon as possible.

The Government is committed to making pregnancy and maternity and neonatal care safer, supporting families through every stage of that journey, and giving every child the best possible start in life.

The Department, NHS England and the Nursing Midwifery Council are urgently working to ensure that midwifery training consistently delivers modern maternity care that respects a woman’s choice and individual circumstances.

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, which is comprised of family representatives, clinicians and other experts, and chaired by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will oversee the development of a single, national action plan to drive systemic and sustained improvement across maternity and neonatal care. We will publish the action plan by the end of the year. Once published, the taskforce will hold the system to account for implementing the action plan and improving outcomes and experiences for women, babies and families, as well as staff.

The Department recognises the issue of children’s screen use and social media exposure, and the role National Health Service professionals can play.

Screen use guidance forms a core part of the Government’s response to online harms, complementing regulatory action by providing clear, practical advice to parents on supporting safe, balanced, and developmentally appropriate use of digital technologies.

On 27 March 2026, the Government published advice for parents and carers on screen use for children aged zero to five years old on the Best Start in Life website, at the following link:

https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/screen-time-under-5s

This advice offers practical, non-judgemental support to help families balance screen use with other activities. The Children of the 2020s study found that children with the highest screen use at age two, around five hours daily, can say significantly fewer words than those with lower use, although this does not necessarily mean that one causes the other. We are taking a precautionary approach to screen use for younger children, especially where screen time may be replacing activities like moving, sleeping, and playing, which are all important for children’s health and development.

Building on the guidance for zero to five year olds, the Department of Health and Social Care is now working closely with the Department for Education to develop further parent and carer facing guidance for five to 16-year-olds to promote safe and healthy engagement with the digital world. Following the closure of our call for evidence on 29 June, we are reviewing the evidence received to inform the guidance, due to be published this autumn. This work is also being informed by an independent Expert Advisory Group, co-chaired by Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza and Professor Russell Viner.

The Department of Health and Social Care is also working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on the Government’s media literacy action plan, and we will explore how we can distribute useful information about screen use and social media to relevant clinical and public health networks.

The NHS does not currently have a specific requirement for NHS clinicians to routinely ask about children’s screen use or social media exposure. Clinicians, including speech and language therapists, take a holistic developmental history, considering a range of environmental factors where clinically relevant in order to determine a course of treatment. Clinicians are expected to draw on existing evidence, professional training, and clinical judgement in the assessment of healthcare needs.

The Department and the NHS Business Services Authority have not received a request from the General Medical Council for data relating to named services or individual prescribers of cannabis-based products for medicinal use. NHS England routinely liaises with relevant regulators and shares information to support the safe management and use of controlled drugs. In June 2026, NHS England met the General Medical Council to discuss prescribing of cannabis-based products for medicinal use and subsequently shared information, including details of named medical prescribers.

NHS England has also provided information relating to Care Quality Commission-registered services to the Care Quality Commission, as the regulator of health and social care services in England.

Unlicensed medicines, including unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use in humans may be supplied, according to Regulation 167 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, when there is a special clinical need that cannot be met by licensed available medicines. The special need, clinical in nature, is determined by the prescriber responsible for the care of the individual patient. According to Regulation 167 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, the prescriber is a person who is a doctor, dentist, nurse independent prescriber, pharmacist independent prescriber, or supplementary prescriber.

Clinical-need justifications submitted during the course of notifications to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to import unlicensed medicines is part of normal clinical practice, which is monitored by the relevant professional healthcare regulator and the royal colleges.

The Department and the NHS Business Services Authority have not received a request from the General Medical Council for data relating to named services or individual prescribers of cannabis-based products for medicinal use. NHS England routinely liaises with relevant regulators and shares information to support the safe management and use of controlled drugs. In June 2026, NHS England met the General Medical Council to discuss prescribing of cannabis-based products for medicinal use and subsequently shared information, including details of named medical prescribers.

NHS England has also provided information relating to Care Quality Commission-registered services to the Care Quality Commission, as the regulator of health and social care services in England.

Unlicensed medicines, including unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use in humans may be supplied, according to Regulation 167 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, when there is a special clinical need that cannot be met by licensed available medicines. The special need, clinical in nature, is determined by the prescriber responsible for the care of the individual patient. According to Regulation 167 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, the prescriber is a person who is a doctor, dentist, nurse independent prescriber, pharmacist independent prescriber, or supplementary prescriber.

Clinical-need justifications submitted during the course of notifications to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to import unlicensed medicines is part of normal clinical practice, which is monitored by the relevant professional healthcare regulator and the royal colleges.

The allocation of reserve list applicants to foundation schools is still on-going. The UK Foundation Programme Office published an update on 3 July detailing two further reserve-list allocation rounds which will take place on 15 July and 29 July respectively. The update on the reserve-list allocations is available at the following link:

https://foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/ukfp-2026-reserve-allocation-update/

The Government keeps the evidence on the health impacts of children’s exposure to harmful online content under close review and is committed to ensuring that children’s lives online are safe and enriching.

Following a national consultation, the Government will ban social media companies from offering their services to those under the age of 16. This is in line with the approach taken by Australia, and will include platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. The ban will restrict under 16s from accessing harmful functions, including livestreaming and stranger communications. These restrictions will apply to a wider range of online services, including on gaming sites. Regulations to enforce the ban will be laid this year, and the aim is for them to be in effect by Spring 2027. The ban will be implemented with stringent age assurance measures.

With regards to specific evidence reviews, in 2019, the UK Chief Medical Officers published a review of the evidence on screen-based activities and mental health. Since then, the government has continued to work closely with academic experts to review emerging evidence, including studies funded through the National Institute for Health and Care Research. In January 2026, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology published a research report titled ‘Understanding the impact of smartphones and social media on children and young people’.

In addition, screen use guidance forms a core part of the Government’s wider response to online harms, complementing regulatory action by providing clear, practical advice to parents on supporting safe, balanced and developmentally appropriate use of digital technologies. Building on the publication of evidence‑based guidance for parents and carers of zero to five-year-olds in March 2026, we are now working across government to develop further parent facing guidance for five to 16-year-olds to promote safe and healthy engagement with the digital world.

The Government is also monitoring the recently announced ‘IRL Trial’, led by Professor Amy Orben, which is the first large-scale randomised controlled trial to examine how limiting access to social media may affect adolescent mental health.

We will continue to work closely with the University of Cambridge, the Wellcome Trust and wider organisations and researchers to study the impact of any interventions put in place to mitigate online harms.

I am proud of the fact that the waiting list for NHS services is more than 340,000 less than when we took office two years ago. People are being treated faster than ever before, satisfaction with GP services is increasing and we are making progress for people across this country. There is a lot more work to do, but we have laid the right foundations and are moving in the right direction.

The vast majority of people who come off the waiting list do so because they are receiving the care they need. I am confused: is the right hon. Gentleman advocating that people should stay on the waiting lists when they no longer need NHS care? Are the Opposition advocating that we should spend NHS resources chasing people who no longer need care, or should we keep the waiting lists up to date, as previous Governments have done, and ensure that everyone who needs care gets it?