Geographic Disparities in Contraception Access

#58 —

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: In response to this report, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office should set out the extent to which the announced cuts to the UK’s aid budget will affect overseas development assistance for family planning and reproductive healthcare. We recommend that …

Gov response: Supporting people in their reproductive choices, including through the provision of voluntary family planning, may have a positive impact on the conservation of nature over the long term given the role this plays in empowering …

Not Addressed

#57 —

Environmental Audit Committee

Recommendation: Professor Dasgupta has emphasised that family planning and sexual and reproductive healthcare is a neglected feature of public policy. The unmet demand for family planning is huge and addressing human population numbers is also key to reducing our demands on …

Gov response: Supporting people in their reproductive choices, including through the provision of voluntary family planning, may have a positive impact on the conservation of nature over the long term given the role this plays in empowering …

Not Addressed

#46 — Develop funding and training strategy to address insufficient LARC provision in general practice.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The Government should develop a funding and training strategy to address the lack of LARC provision in general practice, particularly in those areas not covered by a women’s health hub. This should include an assessment of whether the current fee …

Gov response: Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), as one of the most effective and cost-effective forms of contraception, plays a crucial role in supporting women’s reproductive health by: • enabling women to make decisions on if and when …

Not Addressed

#45 — Postcode lottery in primary care access to long-acting reversible contraception creates delays and burdens.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: There remains a postcode lottery of access in primary care to long-acting reversible contraception. As a result, some women are having to seek care from secondary or community services, leading to delays in treatment and an unnecessary burden on secondary …

Gov response: Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), as one of the most effective and cost-effective forms of contraception, plays a crucial role in supporting women’s reproductive health by: • enabling women to make decisions on if and when …

Not Addressed

#45 — Significantly increase BFI funded short film schemes in the nations and regions.

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that the BFI significantly increase the number of funded short film schemes in the nations and regions. This could be rapidly delivered though BFI Skills Clusters by targeting funding to schemes giving the next generation of filmmakers the …

Gov response: We welcome the Committee’s recognition of the importance of short filmmaking, which is often the vital early step in the progression pipeline, and we strongly agree that public funding should support the next generation of …

Accepted

#24 — Split British Film Commission and Film London CEO roles to address London-centric bias.

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Recommendation: To address the industry’s perceptions of organisational London-centric bias, the Government should split the roles of British Film Commission CEO and Film London CEO the next time that the existing contracts are negotiated or the roles advertised. (Recommendation, Paragraph 88)

Gov response: It is vital that the British Film Commission (BFC) represents and promotes the full breadth of what the UK has to offer, and the government is supportive of the current CEO’s delivery of this role. …

Not Accepted

#2 — Inconsistent FGM survivor services and poor referral pathways create postcode lottery

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Services for FGM survivors and access to them remains inconsistent across the UK. While some variation in access to services may be expected in line with local prevalence, there is a lack of effective referral pathways. This has created a …

Gov response: Integrated Care Boards and NHS Trusts commission FGM support clinics which offer a range of services to support women affected by FGM including physical treatment, counselling and further referrals to urology, gynaecology etc. depending on …

Accepted

#20 — Significant regional disparities exist in family court case durations, particularly in London.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: In some regions, particularly London, children have to wait much longer than in other areas to have their cases concluded.41 In December 2024, the average duration for public law cases was 24 weeks in Wales but 53 weeks in London; …

No Published Response

#32 — Concerns remain that \

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: We asked whether choices labelled “local” are genuinely relevant to smaller communities, particularly in radio and local news. We underlined that local radio remains a “lifeline” for older audiences, and emphasised that, for example, “in Sheffield, local means Sheffield” rather …

Gov response: 6. PAC conclusion: The BBC is a trusted institution but its relevance across the UK is under pressure. 6. PAC recommendation: As part of its response to this report, and in its Annual Report and …

Under Consideration

#13 —

International Development Committee

Recommendation: Access to sexual and reproductive health services is an essential element of healthcare, providing lifesaving services to women and girls and empowering them to make choices about their futures. The FCDO should publish an assessment of the effectiveness of current …

Gov response: We regularly review all UK-funded programmes, including sexual and reproductive health and rights programmes, and make annual reviews available publicly via the Development Tracker website. FCDO takes an integrated approach to our programming on sexual …

Under Consideration

#16 —

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: We asked DHSC if it had created a postcode lottery of support, and if people with certain conditions in some areas, would have different support to people in other areas with the same conditions.32 DHSC told us that it did …

Gov response: 3.2 Whilst the government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation, it does not agree with the conclusion that there was huge local variation. NHS Digital and DHSC have already written to the Committee with an initial …

Not Addressed

#65 —

Scottish Affairs Committee

Recommendation: Policy in Practice submitted written evidence outlining how there are practical issues for claimants to address in accessing job centres and their services in the more rural areas of Scotland. In their research, Policy in Practice found that uptake of …

Gov response: DWP and the Social Security Scotland have recently established a regular Operational Reference Group to look at ways of continuously improving the benefits experience of DWP and Social Security Scotland’s shared customers. The Group will …

Not Addressed

#25 —

International Development Committee

Recommendation: The FCDO should continue its work on family planning in Pakistan and reconsider cuts to UK aid programmes in this area.

Gov response: Response: Family planning is recognised as one of the ‘best buy’ investments in development, providing a highly cost-effective way of giving women agency and control over their reproductive health. Increasing family planning has a direct …

Partially Accepted

#24 —

International Development Committee

Recommendation: UK aid in Pakistan has funded vital family planning projects. However, despite its own statements reiterating the importance of family planning in Pakistan, UK aid spending has been cut in this area, leading to worse outcomes for women and girls …

Gov response: Family planning is recognised as one of the ‘best buy’ investments in development, providing a highly cost-effective way of giving women agency and control over their reproductive health. Increasing family planning has a direct correlation …

Not Addressed

#41 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The renewed Women’s Health Strategy should include a refreshed national commitment to women’s health hubs across England. We recommend the Government invest at least the same amount as in 2023–25 (£25 million) in ringfenced Integrated Care Board funding for women’s …

Response Pending

#40 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: We are concerned that women’s health hubs have not been specified in the 2025/6 operational planning guidance. There is a high risk that without a central requirement to deliver women’s health hubs, and with Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) required to …

Response Pending

#38 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: A key success of women’s health hubs is that they have facilitated co- commissioning of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) by public authority sexual health services and NHS services. This can be an effective workaround for a dysfunctional LARC commissioning system …

Response Pending

#37 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The renewed Women’s Health Strategy must include increasing access to long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) as a top priority. There must be a shift across the healthcare system to view LARC as a tool for menstrual health management, not only for …

Response Pending

#36 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The fragmented commissioning system for long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is preventing many women from accessing LARC, which can be an effective treatment for menstrual problems. The current system results in many women being added unnecessarily to huge elective gynaecology waiting …

Response Pending

#19 — Embed comprehensive age-appropriate sex education into FCDO ODA-funded education programmes.

International Development Committee

Recommendation: Access to SRHR services and comprehensive sex education is vital to adolescents; however, adolescents may often face barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services. Ensuring that women and girls are fully educated on sexual and reproductive health can empower …

Gov response: Agree 70. The FCDO is supporting several programmes that work with governments, civil society and community groups to provide comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) across our girls’ education, health, child marriage and ending violence work. 71. …

Accepted

#13 — Integrate female genital schistosomiasis care into UK SRHR programming with education and WASH.

International Development Committee

Recommendation: Female genital schistosomiasis is a painful and debilitating but treatable condition affecting up to 56 million women. FGS is best tackled through an integrated approach with wider SRHR programming, as well as with other areas of programming such as education, …

Gov response: Partially Agree 45. The FCDO recognises the impact of Female Genital Schistosomiasis on women globally. We are supporting research and development into schistosomiasis through the funding for the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). This …

Partially Accepted

#12 — Incorporate gynaecological disease care and HPV vaccine provision into FCDO SRHR programming.

International Development Committee

Recommendation: The FCDO has not sufficiently addressed the threat of gynaecological disease in its SRHR programming, despite the risk it poses to the SRH of women and girls. The prevalence of cervical cancer among women and girls in lower-income countries is …

Gov response: Agree 39. The FCDO acknowledges the severe morbidity women face from gynaecological conditions and the distress these conditions can cause. 40. The FCDO’s programmes in this area include support for the rollout of the Human …

Accepted

#11 — Support menstrual health by providing WASH services, menstrual products, and age-appropriate education on menstruation.

International Development Committee

Recommendation: The FCDO should support menstrual health by supporting the provision of WASH services and infrastructure and access to menstrual products. In particular, the FCDO should ensure that its work in the education and WASH sectors complement its SRHR work in …

Gov response: Agree 35. The FCDO agrees with the Committee’s conclusion/recommendation on the importance of WASH infrastructure, menstrual hygiene products and menstrual health management education. The FCDO is supporting girls in several countries including Nepal and Ethiopia …

Accepted

#10 — Inadequate menstrual health information and WASH services hinder women and girls in low-income countries.

International Development Committee

Recommendation: To meet menstrual health needs, women and girls must be able to access accurate, timely and age-appropriate information about menstruation. In addition, they need access to WASH services and inclusive infrastructure. Without adequate services and facilities, managing menstruation can be …

Gov response: Agree 34. The FCDO believes in enabling all girls and women to manage their periods safely, hygienically and with dignity, allowing them to stay in school and fully participate in society. Lack of adequate access …

Not Addressed

#26 — Collect comprehensive data on reproductive health delays, referrals, and treatment outcomes to address inequalities

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Data and analysis must improve. The NHS should collect data on where there are delays in the system, where women are being referred from, which could highlight areas where community provision is lacking, which groups of women are most affected …

Gov response: We recognise the opportunities for making every contact count across the health system, in line with best practice. The suggested contact points are delivered in a range of settings by a range of healthcare professionals. …

Under Consideration

#25 — Prioritise longest elective surgery waiting lists and provide financial support for women's travel

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Measures to reduce waiting lists for elective surgery should prioritise areas where waiting lists are longest and disparities greatest. The NHS should provide financial support to women to allow them to travel further to access care earlier.

Gov response: It is important that healthcare professionals receive the necessary training to provide the best care possible for women with reproductive health conditions. GMC is the regulator of all medical doctors practising in the UK. GMC …

Under Consideration

#21 — Commission women's health hubs to include mental health support in core specification in underserved areas

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Women’s health hubs situated in areas where access to appropriate mental health services is lacking should be commissioned to include mental health support as part of their core specification.

Gov response: As the report highlights, some reproductive health conditions are not always straightforward to diagnose. Nonetheless, it is not good enough that women with reproductive health conditions often experience a delayed diagnosis, which can lead to …

Under Consideration

#15 — Mandate NHS practitioners to stay updated and address regional disparities in reproductive health treatments.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The NHS must take steps to ensure healthcare practitioners keep up to date with the full range of diagnostic and treatment options available for reproductive health conditions. Those options, as well as waiting times and potential outcomes of surgical procedures …

Gov response: The government recognises the harm that can come from the use of the word ‘benign’ to describe some gynaecological conditions. In clinical terminology, the term ‘benign’ is commonly used across medical specialties to distinguish between …

Under Consideration

#17 — NHS funding mechanisms create perverse incentives, disadvantaging deprived areas for childhood vaccinations.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: We asked about the equity of NHS funding mechanisms and the risk of perverse incentives, using as an example the distribution of money for childhood inoculations. GP surgeries receive a payment for every child that gets a vaccine.29 In our …

Gov response: 4.2 NHS funding allocations (including for primary care) already take account of deprivation and health inequalities. Areas with populations of relatively greater deprivation and higher premature mortality receive a relatively higher level of funding to …

Accepted

#4 — Ensure all FGM survivors access timely, essential support and specialist care nationwide

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The Government should ensure that all FGM survivors can access the essential support and care they need in a timely manner. While some variation in service provision may be necessary to reflect local prevalence rates, higher-prevalence areas should offer funded …

Gov response: Response: Integrated Care Boards and NHS Trusts commission FGM support clinics which offer a range of services to support women affected by FGM including physical treatment, counselling and further referrals to urology, gynaecology etc. depending …

Accepted

#28 — Provide a timeline for place-based business case pilot projects and national rollout, ensuring Green Book reforms benefit all …

Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

Recommendation: In response to this Report, the Government must provide a timeline for when it will launch its pilot projects using place-based business cases, and when the new model will be rolled out nationally. It must also set out how it …

Gov response: 67. Initial engagement across Government and local government on the early adopter programme has already begun. Government will be agreeing an ambitious timeline for the delivery of the early adopter programme and wider rollout of …

No Published Response

#8 — Rural bus service recovery remains challenging, requiring LTA-led improvements

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: We asked the Department what action it is taking to support rural areas which have seen significant cuts to bus services and poor performance, leaving would-be passengers stranded.13 The Department acknowledged that the recovery in bus usage was particularly challenging …

Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. vaccine availability outlines a strategic framework for cross-sector action. VMD is continuing cross-sector engagement to identify ways to improve supply and enable future innovation (involving government, pharmaceutical manufacturers, …

Accepted

#13 —

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: The Catholic Education Service wrote to tell us that families in remote, isolated communities struggled to find an appropriate shop from which to purchase food, due to the limited number of supermarket chains taking part in the scheme.23 In its …

Not Addressed

#3 —

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: Huge local variation strongly suggests that GPs were inconsistent when judging who was clinically extremely vulnerable and should therefore be advised to shield and be eligible for support. As well as NHS Digital using national data to identify clinically vulnerable …

Gov response: agree with the conclusion that there was huge local variation. NHS Digital and DHSC have already written to the Committee with an initial analysis of the local variation in growth of the Shielded Patient List …

Under Consideration

#124 —

Scottish Affairs Committee

Recommendation: Other criticisms of UKRI funding brought to our attention included, from Dr Vicky Johnson, University of the Highlands, that its “money tends to go to the older universities, and not the post-1992s or the very new universities”.290 Also, from Professor …

Not Addressed

#123 —

Scottish Affairs Committee

Recommendation: On the subject of regional disparities in UKRI funding, Iain Stewart MP said to us “I don’t think there is a problem there to be solved. I don’t think we should get into the position of allocating money purely on …

Not Addressed

#11 —

Education Committee

Recommendation: We need a better solution to geographic disparities in education. The Government must acknowledge the diversity of challenges facing disadvantaged White communities and develop better ways to target support. We understand that Opportunity Areas are a relatively recent policy and …

Gov response: The [...truncated...]

Under Consideration

#14 —

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Recommendation: The Government and UKRI should, in response to this report, and on an annual basis thereafter, set out how the R&D budget will be allocated by sector, region and cluster. The Government should also, in its response to this report, …

Response Pending

#13 —

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Recommendation: Future disclosures of departmental R&D spending should include breakdowns by region and cluster. The Government and UKRI should also develop a framework for tracking impact and publish annual regionally disaggregated reports that set out how public R&D funding supports innovation …

Response Pending

#6 —

Health and Social Care Committee

Recommendation: It is unacceptable that access to 24/7 palliative and end of life care services remains patchy throughout England. Individuals nearing the end of life should be able to access the right care, advice and medication, wherever they are and regardless …

Response Pending

#39 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: We strongly disagree with the Minister’s argument that further ringfenced funding to support NHS Integrated Care Boards to maintain and develop women’s health hubs is unnecessary. The implementation of women’s health hubs is not complete. There are inconsistencies in provision, …

Response Pending

#17 — Variations in local drug treatment funding and services hinder access for many in need.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: DHSC has allocated strategy funding for drug treatment and recovery to local authorities on a phased basis over three years, with the areas suffering greatest harm receiving priority.52 Mr Trace told us there is no national system, with variations in …

Gov response: 4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: March 2025 4.2 The JCDU gave local areas the flexibility they need to shape their Combating Drugs Partnerships, reflecting their varying levels of maturity …

Accepted

#1 — Place of residence significantly impacts health, driving preventable health inequalities in disadvantaged areas.

Health and Social Care Committee

Recommendation: The places where people live—homes, communities and neighbourhoods—affect their health and wellbeing substantially. Place, health inequalities and the likelihood of developing preventable health conditions are inextricably linked. People from less well-off groups, and those who live in less well-off neighbourhoods, …

Gov response: Everyone has the right to a safe and decent home and since 2001 the Decent Homes Standard (DHS) has played a key role in providing a minimum quality standard that social homes should meet. The …

Accepted

#4 —

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: The Department did not do enough to assess how far families had to travel to supermarkets in the scheme and whether coverage was adequate to meet needs. The Department worked with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs to …

Gov response: 5. PAC conclusion: HM Treasury breached its Capital Annually Managed Expenditure total by £32 million. 2 4

Under Consideration

#22 —

Health and Social Care Committee

Recommendation: Cancer Alliances have had a positive impact on transforming cancer services and sharing best practice, and enjoy strong support from the sector. However, it is clear that while they are having some success, there is still significant unwarranted variation across …

Gov response: Cancer Alliances already lead the planning and delivery of cancer services and their improvement across their local systems. We recognise it makes sense for Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), when legally and operationally established, to look …

Accepted

#3 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: It is unacceptable that there are parts of the country where women cannot access the specialist menopause services they need. By 2024, there should be a menopause specialist or specialist service in every Clinical Commissioning Group area. The Menopause Taskforce, …

Gov response: 35. Whilst supporting the ambitions behind this recommendation, the government does not accept this recommendation. 36. It is the government’s ambition, as set out in the Women’s Health Strategy, that all women can access high-quality, …

Under Consideration

#22 —

Health and Social Care Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that the Government moves towards sustainable and predictable models of funding for hospices, financing their running as well as investment costs, which reflects the increasingly central role they will play in delivering end of life care. This funding …

Response Pending

#20 — Provide detailed statement on NHS funding allocation formula for rural mental health needs.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Recommendation: We welcome the Government’s commitment to provide more funding for mental health and to ensure local mental health spending increases by the same proportion as overall increases in local health funding. Despite this, we are concerned by the possibility that …

Gov response: In order to address health inequalities, NHS England (NHSE) allocates funding to each Integrated Care System using a weighted capitation formula based on the size of the local population and its needs. The formula takes …

Not Addressed

#17 — Department's current levelling up target definition is imprecise, encompassing all areas outside London/South East.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: For 2022–23, the Department has introduced a new target to support investment in projects that contribute to levelling up.40 We asked the Department how it defines projects that contribute to levelling up.41 It told us that it counts everything that …

Gov response: 4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2023 4.2 Levelling Up is a key priority for the department and the department already directs its efforts to encourage investment across the …

Accepted

#36 — Significant geographical disparities persist in school building conditions across England, impacting deprived areas.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: We asked DfE about the geographical divide in the condition of schools which manifests itself in two main ways: schools in the north of England appear to generally be in worse condition than those in the south; and schools in …

Gov response: 9.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: March 2025 9.2 This government introduced the Condition Data Collection (CDC), the first ever comprehensive survey of the school estate and one of the …

Not Addressed