Biography
Sir Iain Duncan Smith has engaged with health and social care topics primarily through debate speeches, with a particular focus on mental health in the context of welfare and work—notably questioning whether cost savings from returning mentally ill individuals to employment would be calculated and shared. He has also contributed to debates on end-of-life care, expressing concerns about mental capacity provisions in the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill and noting divisions among professional bodies on the legislation. His engagement on other listed topics (learning disability and autism, adult social care reform, heart disease and stroke, palliative care, and cancer) does not appear in the recent contributions provided.
Generated from their own Hansard record, below
“Yes, that is quite correct, and my right hon. Friend is exactly right to make the point now. We really must understand that, if the first priority of Government is defence of the realm, then the second priority is defence of those they send to fight to protect the realm.”
Record by topic
- Learning disability & autism221st of 89918.0
- Adult social care & reform39th of 37612.0
- Assisted dying116th of 3716.0
- Mental health481st of 8806.0
- Cancer365th of 6223.0
- Heart disease & stroke174th of 3983.0
- Palliative & end of life care329th of 5683.0
What they’ve said
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. [Laughter.] In those conversations, we decided that there was clearly no future for us in the Army. Now, I did stay on a bit longer, but many left who I knew were very competent and very good people, and it is difficult to fill those posts.”
Defence Spending and Readiness · 2026-06-23 · Read on Hansard ↗
“It is always a blessing to have you chairing a meeting, Mr Dowd. It is particularly a blessing today, as we would not have this debate were you not here, so thank you. I have been active on this subject for some time. I have been sanctioned by China because of the issues that we raised over modern-day slavery.”
Human Rights: Supply Chains · 2026-06-18 · Read on Hansard ↗
“The right hon. Gentleman knows that I have huge regard for him. We go back quite a long way, and I hope that what I am going to say now will be helpful to him and his Defence team. Poland is planning eventually to spend 9% of its GDP on defence. It is approaching 5% today from a standing start.”
Defence Readiness · 2026-05-20 · Read on Hansard ↗
“Parents in my constituency who have been in the SEND system are really fearful that we will have the White Paper and more change will be proposed, when the key element of delivery is local councils. The problem is that the situation is so patchy.”
SEND Provision and Reform · 2026-04-13 · Read on Hansard ↗
“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is responsible for the rise of antisemitism worldwide and here in the United Kingdom; for inciting extreme Islamist attacks; for attacking dissident Iranians and British citizens; and for fomenting all sorts of hate marches. I have a very simple question.”
Engagements · 2026-03-25 · Read on Hansard ↗
Contributions reproduced under the Open Parliament Licence.