Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
Members of the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology highlighted a loophole in the Human Tissue Act 2004 allowing human remains to be auctioned, often from indigenous communities.
I recently met members who raised concerns about the Human Tissue Act 2004's loophole allowing human remains to be sold at auctions and on social media. Does the Deputy Prime Minister agree it is abhorrent for such practices and will the Government take action?
I thank my hon. Friend for raising that sensitive issue. It is horrifying to hear her account, and I agree it is abhorrent. The Human Tissue Authority regulates public display but not sales or purchases. However, I will ensure a meeting with the appropriate Minister.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not specify action on sale of human remains through auctions and online platforms.
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The official Opposition highlighted previous inflation rates under Liz Truss.
What are the Government doing to bring down inflation?
I think it is astonishing that—first, may I welcome the hon. Member to his place? Many people might not know that he was the Minister with responsibility for growth when, under Liz Truss, inflation was at 11.1% and growth flatlined.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not provide information on current measures to reduce inflation; instead criticised previous government's performance.
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
The official Opposition referenced previous inflation rates under Liz Truss.
Does the right hon. Lady agree that this Government's decisions mean higher inflation for working people?
I ask the hon. Gentleman: 11.1% or 3%?
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Assessment & feedback
Did not provide agreement or disagreement on current government's impact on inflation.
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
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Context
Opposition Members spoke to farmers worried about their way of life due to the current government's policies.
What would the right hon. Lady like to say to farmers concerned about their livelihoods?
First of all, we are absolutely committed to our British farmers, and—[Interruption.] That is why we have committed £5 billion to the farming budget over the next two years. That is the largest ever amount for sustainable food production in the UK.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not fully address all concerns raised by farmers; focused on funding commitment only.
Response accuracy
Q5
Partial Answer
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Context
A typical mid-size family farm faces a new liability of half a million pounds due to inheritance tax.
Will the right hon. Lady commit to no further increases to inheritance tax or reductions in agricultural property relief?
The hon. Gentleman talks about the facts, and I absolutely stand by the figures that the Government have set out. The vast majority of estate owners will be totally unaffected.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not commit to no further increases or reductions as requested; focused on current figures only.
Response accuracy
Q6
Partial Answer
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Context
Opposition highlighted the impact of inheritance tax on family farms.
Why do the Government think that above-inflation pay rises for trade unions are worth so much more than reducing inheritance tax for farmers?
I think it is an audacity for the hon. Gentleman to stand at the Dispatch Box and suggest in some way that Labour broke promises or raised taxes. I will school the hon. Gentleman: it was his Government who raised taxes to their highest level for a generation.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not explain prioritization of union pay over farmer concerns; instead criticised previous government's performance.
Response accuracy
Q7
Partial Answer
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Context
The question follows criticisms that the government is punishing those who did not vote Labour.
Why does the government punish people who do not vote Labour, including parents sending children to private schools and pensioners unable to pay for fuel this winter?
The Government has been fixing the mess left by the Conservatives, taking difficult decisions to fix a £22 billion black hole. The faces may change but it is the same old Tory party: straight back to putting everything on the credit card.
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Assessment & feedback
Specifically asked about punishment towards non-Labour voters and was met with criticism of the Conservative party's actions.
Changed Subject
Response accuracy
Q8
Partial Answer
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Context
A new Human Rights Watch report details forced displacement in Gaza as a war crime.
Will the Government acknowledge that Israel has committed mass forced displacement in Gaza, and will they take concrete measures to comply with their duty to prevent genocide?
The Government is calling for an immediate ceasefire, urging Israel to ensure UNRWA can continue its work, imposing sanctions in response to settler violence, suspending export licences for arms following a review.
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Assessment & feedback
Specific actions on trade and Israeli officials not addressed.
General Principles
Response accuracy
Q9
Direct Answer
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Context
The Liberal Democrats warn that the increase in NICs will cost more to social care providers than money announced for the sector.
Will the Deputy Prime Minister speak with the Chancellor to ensure health and care providers are protected from taking a hit due to increased NICs?
Confirmed £600 million of new grant funding for social care next year, an uplift to local government spending and an £86 million increase to the disabled facilities grant. Also, the Employment Rights Bill will help deliver the first ever fair pay agreement for the social care sector.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q10
Partial Answer
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Context
A farmer in the constituency is distressed by proposed Government changes, which may force them to sell land.
Social care providers will be worse off due to increased NICs. Will Ministers look again at these issues?
Delivered £5 billion for farming over the next two years, a record amount. The plan is sensible, fair and proportionate, protecting smaller estates while fixing public services.
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Assessment & feedback
Specific measures to address concerns raised by farmers not fully addressed.
General Principles
Response accuracy
Q11
Partial Answer
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Context
There are only seven places in England where school funding per pupil is lower than in Aldershot and Farnborough.
Teachers forced to pay out of pocket for basic supplies, many leaving the profession. Will Ministers work with me to tackle this problem?
Increased core schools budget by £2.3 billion next year, increasing per-pupil funding in real terms. Also welcomed expansion of childcare support for service families deployed overseas.
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Assessment & feedback
Specific measures to address the problem of teachers having to pay out of pocket not fully addressed.
General Principles
Response accuracy
Q12
Partial Answer
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Context
Farmers are protesting against the inheritance tax, believing it to be detrimental to their livelihood. The previous government's decision has been criticized by farmers for being a mistake.
A few weeks ago, from that Dispatch Box, the Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs said he had been congratulated by a farmer on the introduction of the inheritance tax. I think that farmer must have been a cannabis farmer, because yesterday we had 10,000 farmers on Whitehall protesting against this madcap decision. Does the Deputy Prime Minister agree that the decision should be thrown in the trash can?
Free speech and our press are incredibly important—they are part of our democracy—but in direct response to my hon. Friend's question, the police are independent and it is a live investigation, so it would not be appropriate for me to comment on that.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific issue about throwing inheritance tax decision in trash can was not addressed
Changed Subject
Response accuracy
Q13
Partial Answer
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Context
The questioner is concerned about the treatment of journalists by the police, referencing a Stasi-like interview given to Allison Pearson.
My right hon. Friend has come under intense scrutiny from the press at different times, and she must have found it difficult. A press that is free to scrutinise politicians is vital in a free society and a democracy. Is she as concerned as I am by the Stasi-like interview that was given to Allison Pearson of a week last Sunday? Does she agree that the Essex police force and other police forces would be better trying to deal with shoplifting, burglaries and other crimes, rather than intimidating journalists?
Free speech and our press are incredibly important—they are part of our democracy—but in direct response to my hon. Friend's question, the police are independent and it is a live investigation, so it would not be appropriate for me to comment on that.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific issue about police focusing on crime rather than journalists was not addressed
Changed Subject
Response accuracy
Q14
Partial Answer
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Context
A constituent, Duncan Hawley, is concerned about the government's inheritance tax decision, which he believes to be damaging for British farmers.
Yesterday, I met three constituents in Parliament: Duncan Hawley, his wife Nicola and his 10-year-old daughter Hattie. Duncan is a sheep farmer, and he has stewarded his family farm for most of his life. He is outraged, hurt and worried about the Government's deeply damaging family farm tax. He is deeply worried about food security, food inflation and whether he will even be able to pass that farm on to future generations. My question to the Deputy Prime Minister is simple: why have this Labour Government declared war on British farmers?
I say to the hon. Gentleman and to Duncan and Nicola that this Government have not declared war on farmers. The vast majority of farms will not pay any inheritance tax. We have protected them. We have been as generous as we can.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific issue about declaring war on British farmers was not addressed directly
Changed Subject
Response accuracy
Q15
Partial Answer
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Context
The previous government's underfunding of maternity services has led to post-natal beds remaining closed for over two years at Stroud Maternity Hospital.
The previous Government failed countless women through chronic underfunding of maternity services. At Stroud maternity hospital, post-natal beds have remained closed for more than two years. Local, midwife-led units, such as Stroud, deliver fantastic quality of care for women, while having low intervention rates during birth. Can the Deputy Prime Minister outline what steps this Government will take to improve maternity services?
I am sorry to hear about the situation in Stroud, and I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important issue for women in his constituency. The Darzi report clearly set out that under the previous Government, the NHS was broken, with patients waiting too long for care.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific steps to improve maternity services were not detailed
Changed Subject
Response accuracy
Q16
Partial Answer
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Context
Cariad Care Homes in Porthmadog is struggling with additional costs imposed by the government's budget, which they believe pose a threat worse than covid to their business.
I know how much professional care work means to the Deputy Prime Minister. Cariad Care Homes in Porthmadog tells me that it will not be able to absorb the additional exorbitant costs imposed by her Government's Budget. It tells me that they pose a threat worse than covid to the business. Will she therefore personally intervene, so that her Government at least make care providers exempt from the rise in employers' national insurance contributions?
The right hon. Lady is right to say that I value the work of care providers and carers across the whole of the United Kingdom. That is why we have put in additional funding through the Budget.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific intervention for exemption from national insurance contributions was not addressed directly
Changed Subject
Response accuracy
Q17
Partial Answer
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Context
The Chancellor announced a £22.6 billion investment into the NHS to address under-investment by the previous government, but Derriford Hospital in Plymouth has suffered from these decisions.
Two weeks ago, the Chancellor announced a historic £22.6 billion investment into the NHS, because it is our duty to rescue this country's health service after 14 years of mismanagement, under-investment and, unfortunately, misleading announcements from the Conservative party. In Plymouth, Derriford hospital, which I represent, serves not just my constituency but 19 constituencies across the south-west—it is the only major trauma centre for adults in the south-west—but we have suffered from the decisions made by the Conservatives. Will the Deputy Prime Minister outline how that historic investment will make its way to Plymouth?
I thank my hon. Friend for being such a champion for Plymouth. As he knows, we are providing £25 billion extra over the next two years for the Department of Health and Social Care, including the largest real-terms capital budget since 2010.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific allocation to Plymouth was not detailed
Changed Subject
Response accuracy
Q18
Partial Answer
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Context
Cheshunt in Broxbourne constituency has no banks or building societies and is not eligible for a banking hub. The questioner seeks eligibility confirmation.
The town of Cheshunt in my constituency has no banks or building societies, and we have been told that we are not eligible for a banking hub. Does the Deputy Prime Minister agree that every town that wants a banking hub should be eligible for one, so that my residents have access to their hard-earned cash?
We have committed to 350 banking hubs through this Parliament. I am sure that the Minister will be happy to meet the hon. Member on that point. I hope he will thankful for the levelling-up fund round 2 money that we secured, with £14.3 million going to Waltham Cross renaissance project, to regenerate the town centre for his constituents.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not explicitly confirm eligibility but offered meeting and mentioned regeneration funding
Response accuracy
Q19
Direct Answer
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Context
Neighbourhood policing was reduced under the previous government, leaving towns with no visible police presence. The Labour Government has committed to rebuild neighbourhood policing.
I know better than most that, under the last Tory Government, neighbourhood policing was stripped away, leaving the police invisible in towns such as those I represent. As a former police inspector, I am delighted that the new Labour Government have committed to rebuild neighbourhood policing. Will the Deputy Prime Minister assure my constituents that Labour's neighbourhood policing guarantee will soon ensure that every town has a dedicated neighbourhood team?
I thank my hon. Friend for his expertise and his work before he came to this place. Tory austerity has decimated neighbourhood policing. We will put thousands more neighbourhood police and police community support officers back on our streets, to ensure that every community has a named local officer. We will tackle illegal drugs, halve knife crime, crack down on antisocial behaviour and go after the gangs who lure young people into violence.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q20
Partial Answer
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Context
The Scottish and Welsh Governments have banned new waste incinerator constructions due to health concerns, while the previous Government paused them. The current government continues approving them.
The Scottish and Welsh Governments have banned the construction of new waste incinerators because of health and pollution concerns. The previous Government paused them and committed to banning them. Why are this Government busy approving them?
As the right hon. Gentleman knows, we always follow the strict rules on planning, ensuring that safety and other factors are always taken into consideration, and we will continue to do so.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not address health concerns or reasons for approving incinerators
Response accuracy
Q21
Direct Answer
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Context
Residents in new-build developments face unfair property management charges, leading to issues with home ownership. The leasehold reform Bill aims to address these concerns.
Thousands of families in my constituency have moved into new-build developments in Shinfield, Loddon Park and beyond. But many have found their dreams of home ownership punctured by unfair and opaque property management charges. Can the Deputy Prime Minister reassure my constituents by setting out how the leasehold reform Bill will address those concerns, and will she meet me and affected constituents?
I welcome my hon. Friend to her place. Unjustified increases to service charges are completely unacceptable. The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 will provide homeowners with greater rights, powers and protections over their homes, including greater transparency over service charges. Leaseholders have been ripped off for too long. It is this Government who will sort it out.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q22
Partial Answer
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Context
Red Wednesday marks the remembrance of those persecuted for their beliefs. A recent report shows a 60% increase in persecution worldwide.
Today is Red Wednesday, when we remember all those worldwide who are persecuted for their belief. A recent report by Aid to the Church in Need shows that in the countries surveyed the persecution of minorities increased by 60%. In the light of that, will the Government commit to reappointing the Prime Minister's special envoy for freedom of religion and belief, a post that has remained vacant since July, as soon as possible and hopefully by Christmas, so that we in the United Kingdom can play our part in defending religious and belief minorities worldwide?
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his question. We are committed to championing human rights, including the right to freedom of religion and belief. I join him in marking Red Wednesday, an important moment to show support for all those persecuted around the world for their religion and belief. Today, we will light up Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office buildings in the UK in red in support of that. Envoy roles are under consideration and will be decided on in due course.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not commit to reappointing envoy by Christmas but mentioned considering envoy roles
Response accuracy
Q23
Partial Answer
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Context
Harshita Brella was killed in Corby. She had a domestic violence protection order that lasted only 28 days.
Harshita Brella was killed and found in the boot of her car as it was taken from her home in Corby on 14 November. This tragic murder left a community shocked and scared, and it is being investigated by the police. Harshita was protected by a domestic violence protection order that lasted 28 days. It was not renewed. Does the Deputy Prime Minister agree that all must be done to reassure the community and bring the perpetrator to justice? Further, does she agree that in some circumstances domestic violence protection orders should last longer than 28 days, when the victims are most vulnerable?
I thank my hon. Friend for raising this case. My thoughts are with Harshita's family in this horrifying set of circumstances, where Harshita should have been protected and felt protected. The Government are committed to halving violence against women and girls. We continue to do our work, hopefully across the House, to make sure that we can end the circumstances Harshita faced and we can stop this kind of barbaric action.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not explicitly agree on extending protection orders beyond 28 days but acknowledged victim's vulnerability
Response accuracy
Q24
Direct Answer
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Context
The Spelthorne Litter Pickers, a volunteer group of 1,000 members, was awarded the King's Award for Voluntary Service.
The Spelthorne Litter Pickers is an outstanding organisation of 1,000 volunteers who do great work up and down my constituency, come rain or shine. Last week, they were awarded the King's Award for Voluntary Service. Would the Deputy Prime Minister, the Government and indeed the whole House like to join me in congratulating the Spelthorne Litter Pickers and thank them for all they do?
Mr Speaker, what can I say? I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman—may I say my hon. Friend?—about the Spelthorne Litter Pickers. Those who come together to volunteer and help, in particular young people who do a lot of this, play an important role in all our constituencies. I think across the whole House we congratulate the Spelthorne Litter Pickers on their award, and all those who do voluntary work to support our communities.
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Assessment & feedback
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Q25
Partial Answer
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Context
The question follows up on the Labour Party's critique of the Conservative promise to deliver an employment Bill that was not fulfilled. The MP highlights her party's recent initiative, praising it as a significant upgrade for workers' rights.
I draw the attention of the House to my entry in the Register of Members' Financial Interests as a very proud trade union member. In 2019, the Conservative party promised to deliver an employment Bill that would protect and enhance workers' rights in the UK but never delivered. Does the Deputy Prime Minister agree with me that her Employment Rights Bill is the biggest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation?
I too declare an interest: my hon. Friend and I used to be convenors for Unison North West, and I champion the work that she has done on behalf of her constituents and for working people. The Government are delivering on their plan to make work pay, and to ensure that employment rights are fit for a modern economy. The Employment Rights Bill will benefit people in some of the most deprived areas in the country, and will save them up to £600 a year in replacing lost income from the hidden costs of insecure work.
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Assessment & feedback
The Deputy Prime Minister did not directly address whether her Employment Rights Bill is the biggest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation.
Changing Subject
General Praise
Response accuracy
Q26
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP questions the Deputy Prime Minister about recent cases of CV misrepresentation, suggesting that serious consequences are appropriate in such instances.
The whole House recognises the authenticity of the right hon. Lady's back story—her pride in being a carer and her recent elevation. In contrast, the chief constable of Northamptonshire was sacked for misrepresenting his CV, and just last month a nurse was imprisoned for doing the same. Does the right hon. Lady agree that such serious consequences are right and just in such cases?
I know where the right hon. Gentleman is trying to go with this. While it is tempting—[Interruption.] What I will say to the right hon. Gentleman is that in the last four months our Chancellor has shown more competence than the last four Chancellors that were appointed by his Government.
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Assessment & feedback
The Deputy Prime Minister did not address whether serious consequences are appropriate for CV misrepresentation.
Changing Subject
Criticizing Opposition
Response accuracy
Q27
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP highlights the low funding for Edinburgh despite it being Scotland's capital, attributing this to austerity measures imposed by the Scottish National Party. He asks if the Deputy Prime Minister will work with him to ensure that the Scottish Government uses the block grant properly.
Despite being its capital, my home city of Edinburgh is, per head, the lowest-funded local authority in Scotland owing to the austerity inflicted on us by the Scottish National party in Holyrood. Now that the Secretary of State for Scotland has secured the biggest block grant for Scotland in history, will the Deputy Prime Minister work with me to ensure that the Scottish Government use it to end austerity for my constituents?
I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend, who is entirely right to raise the subject of the impact of the SNP's irresponsible management of Scotland's finances and the austerity that it is inflicting on his constituents. Our Budget rejected a return to austerity. We delivered the largest real-terms funding settlement for Scotland since devolution, and the result of the Budget is clear: the SNP has the powers, it has the money, and it has no more excuses.
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Assessment & feedback
The Deputy Prime Minister did not specify if she would work with the MP to ensure proper use of the block grant.
Criticizing Opposition
Response accuracy
Q28
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP brings up a constituent's husband who received an unsuitable chemotherapy due to delays in receiving his cancer scan results. She asks when the Government will address this issue.
Last week I was contacted by a constituent whose husband has stage 4 bowel cancer. He had a routine scan but did not receive the results until early November, and during that period he received unsuitable chemotherapy and his cancer progressed. Given Shropshire's worst record for CT and MRI scan results in the country, may I ask when the Government will address this problem?
I am sincerely sorry to hear about the hon. Lady's constituent's husband, the terrible diagnosis at stage 4, and the delays leading up to that. We have explained before how difficult the inheritance was in respect of the cancer diagnosis waiting lists. People are waiting far too long for treatment, which is why the Chancellor put a record amount of money into our NHS so that we could catch cancer in time.
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Assessment & feedback
The Deputy Prime Minister did not specify when or how the Government would address delays in receiving scan results.
General Sympathy
Mentioning Funding Increase
Response accuracy