Mike Martin MP: written questions
4 Jul 2024–3 Jul 2025
How these years work
Our reporting years run from 4 July to 3 July, starting with the 2024 general election. They are not official parliamentary sessions. Office costs keep IPSA’s April–March financial years. Records may cover only part of a year; a missing record does not mean no work was done.
Read what this MP said, asked and contributed in Parliament.
38 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Dermatology: KentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61110More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information he holds on the number of patients waiting longer than the Kent Integrated Dermatology Service's four week deadline for issuing biopsy results, in each of the last six months.
Answer: The Department does not hold information on the number of patients waiting longer than four weeks for their biopsy results.The Government is spending £600 million of capital this year on diagnostics, including funding for the automation of histopathology ...
Answered 23 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAmbulance Services: Tunbridge WellsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 58819More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve ambulance response times in Tunbridge Wells.
Answer: The Government recognises the pressures on the National Health Service and the impact this is having on ambulance response times, including in Tunbridge Wells.We are determined to turn things around, and our 10-Year Health Plan will be published in the su...
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCoeliac Disease: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 May 2025AnsweredUIN 51665More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to review regional differences in the (a) diagnosis, (b) treatment and (c) ongoing care for people with coeliac disease across NHS services in England.
Answer: Most services for long-term conditions, including for people with coeliac disease, are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users, and patient groups, to develop local se...
Answered 15 May 2025
Original Parliament recordHearing Impairment: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48744More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve access to NHS services for deaf people.
Answer: Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services to meet the needs of their local population, including deaf people.Under the Equality Act (2010), health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabl...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordInjuries: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46442More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the quality of wound care, in the context of the disbandment of the National Wound Care Strategy Programme in March 2025.
Answer: The outcome of the National Wound Care Strategy Programme was to implement consistently high wound care across England by reducing unnecessary variation, improving safety, and optimising patient experience and outcomes.NHS England’s work on wound care has...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordIVF: LGBT+ PeopleDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 8 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45312More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has a planned timetable for removing self-funded artificial insemination for same sex couples before they can access NHS-funded in vitro fertilisation.
Answer: In the light of broader pressures on the National Health Service and on-going changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples. Ministers will be c...
Answered 24 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordShingles: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44363More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the eligibility for the shingles vaccination to people aged 65 or over.
Answer: In 2019, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that the shingles vaccination programme should switch to using a two-dose vaccine called Shingrix, to better protect individuals from the effects of shingles, provide better clini...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordRadiology: StaffDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 27 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42113More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of radiologists working in the NHS in (a) England and (b) Tunbridge Wells Hospital; and what steps he is taking to increase the number of radiologists workin
Answer: Data published by NHS England shows that as of December 2024, there are 3,998 full-time equivalent (FTE) consultants in the speciality of clinical radiology employed in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in England. Of these, ther...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: Disclosure of InformationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39316More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) strengthen protections for NHS whistleblowers and (b) prevent repercussions for those who raise patient safety concerns.
Answer: The Government has been clear that the silencing of whistleblowers will not be tolerated, and that National Health Service staff should have the confidence to speak out and come forward if they have concerns.There is a network of more than 1,200 local Fre...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMaidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust: PayDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35084More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential (a) merits of including Tunbridge Wells in the High Cost Area Allowance and (b) impact of these proposals on staff (i) recruitment and (ii) retention
Answer: It is part of the Pay Review Bodies’ remit to look at and, if necessary, make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements, and on the value of such supplements. As these provisions are reflected in staff terms and condi...
Answered 7 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHip Replacements: CompensationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 3 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 28360More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there are compensation schemes available for people made ill by defective hip replacements supplied by DePuy.
Answer: NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. NHSR has confirmed that there is no specific NHS compensation scheme for claims relating to defective hip replacements supplied by DePuy.Whi...
Answered 7 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordVaricose Veins: SurgeryDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 29 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 27410More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the criteria for removing varicose veins to include the level of pain experienced.
Answer: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance identifies several treatment options for those with symptoms or complications associated with varicose veins, including surgery to remove the veins.Pain that is more severe can often be asso...
Answered 25 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordMental Health Services: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 21 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25522More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what grants are available for (a) district and (b) borough councils to support mental health initiatives.
Answer: There are no grants available specifically to support mental health initiatives at this time; however, local authorities may decide to fund such initiatives from their Public Health Grant allocations.
Answered 29 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFractures: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25074More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress he has made with NHS England on rolling out the Fracture Liaison Service.
Answer: Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are a globally recognised care model, and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%.The Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragili...
Answered 29 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordCoronavirus and Influenza: VaccinationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24766More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the uptake is of (a) Covid-19 and (b) flu vaccinations in Tunbridge Wells constituency .
Answer: The information is not held in the format requested. Monthly data includes the numbers of those vaccinated, but the data is not extrapolated and is based on the response rate of those organisations responding to the monthly survey. NHS England and local a...
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPerinatal Mortality: CoronersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 24357More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the powers of Coroners to include the investigation of stillbirths.
Answer: The Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice jointly consulted on proposals to provide coroners with new powers to investigate term stillbirths in 2019. In 2023, a factual summary of responses to the consultation was published. The...
Answered 20 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordMedical Records: Information SharingDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23635More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that NHS patients who consent to have their data shared with UK medical institutions for research and development will not have their data shared overseas.
Answer: Research studies in which patients choose to share their data must adhere to strict legal and ethical standards, including compliance with the United Kingdom’s General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the common law duty of confidentiality. As par...
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAmbulance Services: Private SectorDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23634More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that private ambulance service personnel on NHS contracts receive (a) recognition and (b) honours.
Answer: Under the honours system of the United Kingdom, anyone can receive an award, and anyone can nominate someone if they demonstrate the exceptional contribution the person has made.Recognition for those working in the private sector is primarily a matter for...
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAutism: DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23631More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for an autism diagnosis in Kent in (a) 2025 and (b) 2020; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for receiving an autism diagnosis.
Answer: The information is not held centrally in the format requested, but may be held by individual providers or integrated care boards (ICBs). Some relevant information is available on autism assessment waiting times for the NHS Kent and Medway ICB.In the NHS K...
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHospitals: Telephone ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23628More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing guidance to hospitals on using withheld numbers to contact patients about appointments.
Answer: National Health Services may sometimes choose to use withheld numbers when contacting patients, including to protect patient privacy and confidentiality, but we appreciate the frustration that patients can feel when they are unable to contact clinical sta...
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordLong Covid: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 902075More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people with long covid are adequately supported.
Answer: I know firsthand how complex and debilitating long COVID can be.Since 2020, specialist long COVID services have been made available in England, and NHS England is now completing a stocktake of these services.This will provide an accurate national picture,...
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPancreatic Enzyme Replacement TherapyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20760More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a British supplier of Creon.
Answer: The Department has been working with suppliers to address current supply issues with Creon, which is a brand of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) used by patients with conditions such as cystic fibrosis and certain cancers, including pancreatic...
Answered 6 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPancreatic Enzyme Replacement TherapyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20534More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of supply chain issues surrounding the importing of Creon into the United Kingdom on patients with pancreatic diseases; and what steps he is taking to incr
Answer: The Department has been working with suppliers to address the current supply issues with Creon, which is a brand of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) used by patients with conditions such as cystic fibrosis and certain cancers, including pancre...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordNHS: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20533More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a Medicines Shortages Task Force.
Answer: While there are no plans to establish a Medicines Shortages Task Force, there is a team within the Department that deals specifically with medicine supply problems. They work closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the pharma...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: BeckenhamDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 4 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18007More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2024 to Question 15983 on General Practitioners: Kent, how much it cost to set up Bromleag Care Practice in 2019.
Answer: The Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) commenced the procurement process for an Enhanced Medical Support in Care Homes provider in May 2018.Following the completion of that process, on 10 January 2019, the Bromley CCG primary care committee gave a...
Answered 13 Dec 2024
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4 Jul 2024–3 Jul 2025. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
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