Cat Smith MP: written questions 2025
86 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Autism and Foetal Valproate Spectrum DisorderDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60058More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children who are diagnosed with having an Autistic Spectrum Disorders also have a diagnosis of Foetal Valproate Syndrome.
Answer: Everyone who has been harmed from sodium valproate has our deepest sympathies. Information about the number of children diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder and a diagnosis of foetal valproate syndrome is not collected centrally.
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPregnancy: Sodium ValproateDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60057More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) GPs and (b) other healthcare professionals to distribute the pregnancy prevention program for people prescribed Sodium Valproate.
Answer: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), taking advice from the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM), has worked to raise awareness among healthcare professionals and patients of the risks of valproate when taken during pregnancy thr...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPregnancy: Sodium ValproateDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60056More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if (a) he and (b) the Minister for Public Health and Prevention will meet the hon. Member for Lancaster and Wyre to discuss further safety issues to prevent avoidable harm from Sodium Valproate in
Answer: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is taking proactive steps to inform the public on the very latest safety issues relating to sodium valproate in pregnancy. The MHRA has, most recently in May 2025, approved updated safety and ...
Answered 20 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSodium Valproate: CompensationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60055More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has allocated funding for Valproate (a) financial redress and (b) interim payments.
Answer: The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departme...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSodium Valproate: CompensationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60054More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is he taking to ensure that people harmed by the drug Valproate in pregnancy will be fully compensated.
Answer: The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departme...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSodium Valproate: CompensationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 60053More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of providing interim payments for people avoidably harmed by Sodium Valproate.
Answer: The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departme...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCancerDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57262More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the four out of 10 cases of cancer which are preventable.
Answer: The Government recognises the importance of primary and secondary prevention, to reduce the number of people with cancer.There are significant national programmes across vaccination, screening, and education, which have the potential to support both reduc...
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: LabellingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57261More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of introducing mandatory health labelling on alcoholic drinks on public health.
Answer: In ‘Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England’, the Government has committed to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutrit...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAlcoholic Drinks: LabellingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57260More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to consult on the potential merits of introducing mandatory standards for the labelling of alcohol products to include information on the risk of (a) drinking during pr
Answer: In ‘Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England’, the Government has committed to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutrit...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCancer: Alcoholic DrinksDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57259More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Cancer Plan will place a priority on (a) recognising and (b) addressing the cancer risks associated with alcohol.
Answer: Alcohol has been identified as a causal factor in more than 200 medical conditions, including mouth, throat, stomach, liver and breast cancers. The Government is committed to reversing the trend on alcohol-specific deaths and shortening the amount of time...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCancer: Alcoholic DrinksDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57258More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) recognise and (b) address the increased risk of developing cancer associated with alcohol consumption.
Answer: Alcohol has been identified as a causal factor in more than 200 medical conditions, including mouth, throat, stomach, liver and breast cancers. The Government is committed to reversing the trend on alcohol-specific deaths and shortening the amount of time...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: Remote WorkingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56259More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the announcement of 60% office-based attendance on staff wellbeing in her Department.
Answer: Civil Service Heads of Departments across government have agreed that the Civil Service is best able to deliver for the people it serves by taking a consistent approach to in office working. Heads of Departments agreed that 60% minimum office attendance f...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: Flexible WorkingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56258More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make assessment of the potential merits of flexible working in her Department.
Answer: DWP recognises the potential merits of flexible working and has experience over decades of offering and allowing a variety of flexibilities. Flexible working hours, compressed hours, part-time hours, part-year working and partial retirement are firmly est...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDriving under InfluenceDepartment for TransportTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54854More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the use of alcohol-interlocks on vehicles of people convicted of drink driving.
Answer: In 2021, the Government commissioned PACTS (Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety) to publish a report on alcohol interlocks. www.pacts,org.uk/locking-out-the-drink-driver-using-alcohol-interlocks-to-reduce-drink-driving-in-the-uk/ Governmen...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordRoads: SafetyDepartment for TransportTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54853More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to publish a new road safety strategy.
Answer: Improving road safety is one of my key priorities. Too many people are killed and seriously injured in road traffic collisions, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. That is why we are developing our Road Safety...
Answered 4 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSodium Valproate: CompensationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53082More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2025 to Question 51501 on Sodium Valproate: Compensation, which Government departments he is having discussions with on developing a timetable for implementation of
Answer: The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and the resulting Hughes Report, which set out options for financial and non-financial redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. Department offi...
Answered 28 May 2025
Original Parliament recordConversion TherapyWomen and EqualitiesTabled 1 May 2025AnsweredUIN 904022More
Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to ban conversion practices.
Answer: Conversion practices are abuse, and I can assure my honourable friend that this Government is absolutely committed to introducing a fully trans inclusive ban on conversion practices.This is a complex issue, and it is imperative that we get this right. We ...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordMulti-sport Grassroots Facilities Programme: TennisDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 17 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38612More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much and what proportion of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme she plans to spend on (a) tennis and (b) padel facilities in each of the next three years.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.The majority of funding for grassroots sport is provided through Sport England, our a...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMulti-sport Grassroots Facilities Programme: WomenDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 14 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38365More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to support (a) sports with higher levels of female participation, (b) tennis and (c) netball through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.
Answer: The Government is dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and committed to ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality facilities. On Friday 21 March, we confirmed that DCMS is investing £100 million...
Answered 21 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEpilepsy: WomenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 903269More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support women with epilepsy.
Answer: The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, placing women’s equality at the heart of our agenda and ensuring women’s health is never again neglected.At a national level, there are several initiatives supporting service improvement and bett...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSports: WomenDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 13 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 38035More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many women and girls will be impacted by the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.
Answer: The Government is dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and committed to ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality facilities. On Friday 21 March, we confirmed that DCMS is investing £100 million...
Answered 21 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCremationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34859More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of delays to the Environment Agency’s guidance on the operation of crematoria on relevant stakeholders.
Answer: The final updated Process Guidance Note 5/2 (24) is currently being reviewed by Ministers.
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCremationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 34858More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Environment Agency’s guidance on the operation of crematoria will be (a) published and (b) brought into effect.
Answer: The final updated Process Guidance Note 5/2 (24) is under review.
Answered 11 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrescription DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31499More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 27 January 2021 to Question 137239 on Prescription Drugs, what information his Department holds on the number of patients who have been prescribed drugs categorised
Answer: The following table shows the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, covering the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:Drug groupFinancial yearTotal number of itemsClonazepa...
Answered 24 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordPrescription DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 31498More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many prescriptions were issued for each drug categorised under the (a) (i) clonazepam and (ii) other benzodiazepines, (b) z-drugs, (c) antidepressants, (d) opioids, (e) pregabalin and (f) gabap
Answer: The following table shows the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, covering the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:Drug groupFinancial yearTotal number of itemsClonazepa...
Answered 24 Feb 2025
Original Parliament record
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