Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, following the announcement in the Budget on 30th October 2025 and its requirement for both the National Minimum Wage and employer National Insurance contributions to be increased, whether assurances will be given to General Practices nationally that they will be reimbursed for these increased costs.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Funding for general practice (GP) is agreed annually through consultation on the GP Contract, which considers wider cost pressures facing practices as part of the overall settlement. These funding decisions are informed by a range of factors, including independent recommendations from the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration, where relevant, as well as affordability considerations. However, the GP Contract does not provide for automatic reimbursement of individual cost increases, including changes to National Insurance contributions or the National Minimum Wage.

In this context, we have uplifted the GP Contract by £601 million for 2026/27. This builds on last year’s £1.1 billion of investment, taking the two-year increase to £1.7 billion, or 13.8% in cash terms and 8.1% in real terms. Through consultation with stakeholders, we set these uplifts and changes to the contract with regard to the pressures faced by businesses. This includes the costs associated with the Government’s agreement to implement review body recommendations, including a 3.5% pay rise for GPs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2026 to Question 118875 on Hospices: Children, if he will publish the amount that each children and young people's hospice will receive in the 2026-27 financial year.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Children and young people’s hospices will receive at least £26 million, adjusted for inflation, in revenue funding for 2026/27. NHS England has recently communicated the details of this funding allocation and dissemination to 35 individual children and young people’s hospices, and their respective integrated care boards, although the Department is not yet in a position to share those individual allocations publicly.

Communication regarding future allocations, in 2027/28 and 2028/29, will be sent once the 2026/27 process is complete.

Additionally, we have supported the hospice sector in England with a £125 million capital funding boost for adult, and children and young people’s, hospices to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of low digital literacy on patients ability to access GP services.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Government is committed to delivering digital services that are accessible and inclusive throughout the National Health Service, including in primary care.

NHS England has published a framework for National Health Service action on digital inclusion to support practical action. The Digital Exclusion Risk Atlas (DERA) is an online location-based analytical tool designed to help health and care system teams understand and identify patterns of digital exclusion across England.

DERA provides a range of data indicators to highlight areas where people may face barriers to accessing and using digital health and care services. By improving visibility of these patterns, DERA aims to support more targeted interventions and contribute to efforts to reduce health inequalities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure patients prescribed topical corticosteroids are informed of potential risks, including withdrawal reactions.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

Clinicians are expected to work with patients to make decisions about their care and treatment as part of shared decision-making, including discussing risks, benefits, and possible consequences of different options through information-sharing. Further information on shared decision-making can be found on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s website:

https://www.nice.org.uk/about/what-we-do/our-programmes/nice-guidance/nice-guidelines/shared-decision-making

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has explored the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in electrocardiogram (ECG) diagnostics.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

Most modern electrocardiogram (ECG) machines already include algorithm-based decision support to assist with interpretation and to generate an automated report. As with all diagnostic tests, any automated output must be interpreted by a suitably qualified clinician in the context of the individual patient’s clinical presentation. The Government is engaging with partners developing enhanced ECG technologies, to support wider adoption as evidence and readiness allow.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Policy paper: Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025, what progress has he made in establishing a Health Data Research Service.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Health Data Research Service (HDRS) will deliver a single point of access to health data from multiple sources which will bring new treatments and cures to patients by safely enabling the use of patient data to super-charge research.

Over the past year a Department led team, with support from the Office for Life Science and NHS England colleagues, has been working to set up the service.

HDRS is being established as a Government Company, and Dr Melanie Ivarsson has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer and Baroness Nicola Blackwood as Chair. Work is now underway to incorporate and develop the service to ensure it is up and running as quickly as possible to deliver benefits for patients and researchers.

We are committed to the service being operational by December 2026, with new capabilities being progressively rolled out.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when self-referral to community audiologists will be enabled on the NHS app.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Government is committed to enabling patients to access digital health and care services to manage their health. As part of its work to support self-referral services for National Health Service patients in the musculoskeletal community, the Government is assessing how to develop these services for other communities, including those of audiologists. Work is expected to take place this financial year and will consider whether the NHS App is the best mechanism for self-referral.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking improve outcomes and survival rates after heart and lung transplants.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring timely and equitable access to heart and lung transplantation services and of improving patient outcomes.

Access to transplantation is based on nationally agreed clinical criteria, with organs allocated through a national system managed by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) to ensure equity according to clinical need. NHSBT publishes data annually on access and outcomes in its organ-specific reports, which are available at the following link:

https://www.odt.nhs.uk/statistics-and-reports/annual-activity-report/

This data shows good overall post-transplant survival rates, alongside some variation between centres. In addition, the data shows no evidence of geographical variation beyond chance for heart and lung transplantation rates, and some variation in lung registration rates. Further work is needed to understand and address unwarranted variation in access to transplantation.

Variation in patient outcomes, including longer‑term survival and listing outcomes, are reviewed through established NHSBT and NHS England clinical governance processes, including routine outcome review and centre‑specific follow‑up where indicated. The National Transplant Clinical Panel has been established to provide expert clinical interpretation of transplant outcome data to support oversight where issues of statistical variation are identified.

To improve access and outcomes, NHS England has established a national improvement programme, informed by the Implementation Steering Group for Organ Utilisation’s Cardiothoracic Information Collation Exercise. This programme, alongside NHS England’s commissioning structures, includes work to improve referral pathways, organ utilisation, and service consistency, through strengthened peer review processes, an audit of organ acceptance practices, and work with transplant centres to support consistent decision-making. Further information on NHS England’s national improvement programme and the Implementation Steering Group for Organ Utilisation’s Cardiothoracic Information Collation Exercise is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/blog/from-ambition-to-action-improving-heart-and-lung-transplant-services-in-england/

https://nhsbtdbe.blob.core.windows.net/umbraco-assets-corp/34815/report-on-uk-heart-and-lung-transplantation-services.pdf

While progress has been made, including increases in transplant activity and reductions in waiting lists, NHS England continues to work with partners to ensure services are consistent, resilient, and able to meet patient need across the country.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to GP services for patients with long-term conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We know that improving access to general practice (GP) services is key for all patients, including those with long-term conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

In England, we have invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of over 2,000 individual GPs into primary care networks (PCNs) across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. We are also introducing a practice-level GP reimbursement scheme using £292 million of repurposed funding from the current Capacity and Access Payment. This funding will be available to practices to hire additional GPs or fund more sessions with existing GPs to improve access in GPs

The Government will bring back the family doctor for those who would benefit from seeing the same clinician regularly, for example, those living with chronic illness, such as COPD. In the 2026/27 GP Contract we will make it a core requirement for PCNs to identify and prioritise cohorts for continuity of care using risk stratification tools as part of their core activities. This will make continuity a core expectation within primary care and support future work to embed more meaningful continuity models in subsequent contract reform.

As a result of all our measures, we've delivered 8.3 million more GP appointments, and Office for National Statistics data shows that nearly three quarters of patients now report a good experience with their GP.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients are waiting more than 52 weeks for treatment for Cataracts within the NHS.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

As of 12 April 2026, there are 1,124 patients waiting more than 52 weeks for treatment of cataracts within the National Health Service in England.

As set out in the Plan for Change and the Elective Reform Plan, we are committed to returning by March 2029 to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment. As part of this ambition, we are continuing to encourage and support providers to reduce waits for patients who have waited longest for treatment.

The Elective Reform Plan also provides a range of measures to improve the experience of care for patients, including those experiencing long waits. This includes engaging with patients and carers to publish a set of minimum standards that patients can expect to experience in elective care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of dietitians required to adequately support obesity, diabetes and malnutrition services in community healthcare settings in England.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the 10 Year Workforce Plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups. The plan will be published in spring 2026.

As of January 2026, there are 5,624 full time equivalent (FTE) dietitians in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. This is 220 (4.1%) more than last year, 1,040 (22.7%) than 2021, and 2,321 (70.3%) more than in 2010.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce updated clinical (a) guidance and (b) training for healthcare professionals on the identification and management of Topical Steroid Withdrawal.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

Topical corticosteroids are an important and effective treatment for inflammatory skin conditions, including eczema, when used appropriately. It is essential that healthcare professionals are aware of both the benefits and potential risks associated with their use, particularly where treatment is prolonged or involves higher‑potency products.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has taken steps to strengthen awareness of topical corticosteroid safety, including public drug safety updates and clearer product information to highlight the risk of adverse effects, including withdrawal reactions, when use has been prolonged or inappropriate. These measures are intended to support informed discussions between clinicians and patients and safer prescribing practice.

Clinical guidance for healthcare professionals is already in place through National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical knowledge summaries, which set out best practice on the appropriate potency, duration, and frequency of topical corticosteroid use, and emphasise the importance of regular review. Decisions about diagnosis and management, including recognition of adverse reactions, remain clinical matters for individual healthcare professionals, who are expected to apply this guidance alongside their clinical judgement and the patient’s circumstances.

The Department will keep emerging evidence under review and will work with regulators, the National Health Service, and professional bodies to support ongoing education, promote safe use of medicines, and improve awareness of potential adverse effects among clinicians, including general practitioners and dermatologists.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve awareness and clinical recognition of Topical Steroid Withdrawal among GPs, dermatologists and other healthcare professionals.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

Topical corticosteroids are an important and effective treatment for inflammatory skin conditions, including eczema, when used appropriately. It is essential that healthcare professionals are aware of both the benefits and potential risks associated with their use, particularly where treatment is prolonged or involves higher‑potency products.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has taken steps to strengthen awareness of topical corticosteroid safety, including public drug safety updates and clearer product information to highlight the risk of adverse effects, including withdrawal reactions, when use has been prolonged or inappropriate. These measures are intended to support informed discussions between clinicians and patients and safer prescribing practice.

Clinical guidance for healthcare professionals is already in place through National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical knowledge summaries, which set out best practice on the appropriate potency, duration, and frequency of topical corticosteroid use, and emphasise the importance of regular review. Decisions about diagnosis and management, including recognition of adverse reactions, remain clinical matters for individual healthcare professionals, who are expected to apply this guidance alongside their clinical judgement and the patient’s circumstances.

The Department will keep emerging evidence under review and will work with regulators, the National Health Service, and professional bodies to support ongoing education, promote safe use of medicines, and improve awareness of potential adverse effects among clinicians, including general practitioners and dermatologists.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure that people with adrenal insufficiency have timely access to appropriate emergency steroid treatment and (b) prevent avoidable adrenal crises when time‑critical medication is (i) unavailable and (ii) insufficient in the context of the discontinuation of hydrocortisone sodium phosphate.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Department is aware of the discontinuation of hydrocortisone sodium phosphate 100 milligram/one millilitre solution for injection, and we continue to work with industry to find a longer-term solution.

Hydrocortisone sodium succinate 100 milligram powder and solvent for solution for injection vials remains available for patients. We have issued comprehensive management guidance to healthcare professionals on how to manage patients while supply is disrupted. The guidance highlighted the differences between the two hydrocortisone injections. It also included resources for patients and healthcare professionals on how to administer the alternative hydrocortisone injection.

We also understand that The Addison’s Self Help Group have also published information on this discontinuation to keep patients informed along with resources for patients on how to administer the alternative hydrocortisone.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Research on the development of UK based research about (a) emerging drugs and (b) treatment options for patients with MND.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

Government responsibility for delivering motor neurone disease (MND) research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation, primarily by the Medical Research Council.

The Government is investing in MND research across a range of areas, including possible treatments. For example, the MND Translational Accelerator, supported by £6 million of Government funding, has twelve projects all aimed at speeding up the development of treatments for MND.

The NIHR has also invested £8 million into EXPERTS-ALS, a pre-clinical study which is designed to accelerate the identification and testing of the most promising treatment candidates for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common form of MND. This will connect to the later phase platform trial, MND SMART.

In August 2025, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency approved Tofersen to treat SOD1-ALS, a rare form of MND. Research into Tofersen was supported by NIHR’s Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, and all three trial phases were delivered by the NIHR’s Research Delivery Network, demonstrating tangible impact of NIHR funded research into MND.

The NIHR continues to welcome high quality applications for research into MND. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to the public and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Welcoming applications on MND to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Integrated Care Boards on policies on liothyronine, including requiring Exceptional/Individual Funding Requests and applying bans on new patients; and if he will issue guidance to prevent restrictions where NHS England guidance supports its use in some patients.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Department has not held any discussions with integrated care boards regarding their policies on liothyronine. NHS England regional teams have distributed the Items that should not be prescribed in primary care policy guidance to local healthcare systems. These systems are responsible for ensuring that prescribing practices follow the guidance provided.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that Integrated Care Boards follow NHS England guidance on liothyronine.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Department has not held any discussions with integrated care boards regarding their policies on liothyronine. NHS England regional teams have distributed the Items that should not be prescribed in primary care policy guidance to local healthcare systems. These systems are responsible for ensuring that prescribing practices follow the guidance provided.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that patients are offered a choice of five providers at the point of referral where appropriate.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Government is committed to giving patients greater control and choice over their care. Patients have a legal right to choose where they go for their first appointment when referred to consultant-led care as an outpatient.

The Elective Reform Plan, published January 2025, sets out plans to improve patient choice, empowering people to take control of their health by making the NHS App and Manage Your Referral website the default route for patients to choose their provider. We are improving the information available to patients, such as waiting times. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out a transformed vision for elective care, that will ensure the National Health Service is receptive and reactive to patient preference, voice, and choice.

In May 2023, NHS England asked all referrers to ensure they shortlist on average five choices from which the patient may choose, where this is practicable, clinically appropriate, and preferred by the patient. Integrated care boards have responsibility to ensure that their patients are aware of the choices available to them and are able to exercise their legal right to choose a provider following an elective care referral, and this is underpinned in Part 8 of the NHS Standing Rules, which are available at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/2996/part/8

NHS England has regulatory oversight responsibilities to ensure patient choice operates effectively in the NHS and has published Patient Choice Guidance, which includes guidance for referrers, and which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/patient-choice-guidance/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to maintain patient choice.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Government is committed to giving patients greater control and choice over their care. Patients have a legal right to choose where they go for their first appointment when referred to consultant-led care as an outpatient.

The Elective Reform Plan, published January 2025, sets out plans to improve patient choice, empowering people to take control of their health by making the NHS App and Manage Your Referral website the default route for patients to choose their provider. We are improving the information available to patients, such as waiting times. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out a transformed vision for elective care, that will ensure the National Health Service is receptive and reactive to patient preference, voice, and choice.

In May 2023, NHS England asked all referrers to ensure they shortlist on average five choices from which the patient may choose, where this is practicable, clinically appropriate, and preferred by the patient. Integrated care boards have responsibility to ensure that their patients are aware of the choices available to them and are able to exercise their legal right to choose a provider following an elective care referral, and this is underpinned in Part 8 of the NHS Standing Rules, which are available at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/2996/part/8

NHS England has regulatory oversight responsibilities to ensure patient choice operates effectively in the NHS and has published Patient Choice Guidance, which includes guidance for referrers, and which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/patient-choice-guidance/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his department has made in implementing the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommendation to reduce barriers to research into promising treatments for cluster headaches.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Department of Health and Social Care is working with officials in the Home Office to support the changes agreed to in the letter from the Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health from July 2025. The group has met with stakeholders from the clinical trials community who gave advice and assurance on the proposed changes to the legislation.

The Department is committed to turbocharging clinical research and delivering better patient care, to make the United Kingdom a world-leading destination for clinical research. We are working to fast-track clinical trials, reducing barriers and unnecessary bureaucracy to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of the medicines and therapies of the future, including treatments for cluster headaches. We expect these efforts to attract more commercial investment in clinical research and to yield a broad and diverse portfolio of clinical trials in the UK.

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with cluster headaches, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage more people to become blood donors in a) Stockport and b) Greater Manchester.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood services in England and is delivering initiatives to encourage more people to become blood donors nationally, including in Stockport and across Greater Manchester.

This includes targeted partnership work with local employers in Greater Manchester, such as Aon and Deloitte, to engage and support staff to donate at nearby donor centres.

NHSBT also funds Community Grants Programme projects in Greater Manchester, including projects delivered with organisations such as:

• the Sickle Cell Society, which works with universities and partners such as ACS Give Blood to raise awareness of sickle cell disorder and promote blood donation among Black students. Further information is available at the following link:
  https://www.sicklecellsociety.org/about-us/;
• Become United, which raises awareness of blood donation within Black African and Caribbean communities, particularly among people facing barriers linked to ethnicity, religion, or refugee status. Further information is available at the following link:
  https://www.becomeunited.org.uk/; and
• the Caribbean and African Health Network, which work with Black African and Caribbean communities to raise awareness of blood donation and address barriers to participation. Further information is available at the following link:
  https://www.cahn.org.uk/

Further information on the Community Grants Programme overall is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/how-you-can-help/get-involved/community-grants-programme/

Additionally, NHSBT has also delivered extensive outreach activity in Greater Manchester, including two mass blood‑typing events held at the Trafford Centre, a three day event, and the Arndale Centre, a seven day event, which are accessible to people living in Stockport and the wider Greater Manchester area.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the health and care needs of young people with SEND in Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove are identified and met in a timely and effective manner.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Government has published ambitious special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, supporting the treatment to prevention shift in the 10-Year Health Plan and its focus on early intervention, to prevent needs escalating. Close partnership working at all levels is crucial to delivering these reforms and transforming outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board works closely with the Staffordshire County Council, which Kidsgrove is in, and the Stoke-on-Trent City Council, alongside the National Health Service, and education and voluntary sector partners, to meet the wide range of assessed health and care needs of children and young people with SEND.

The system partnership continues to prioritise SEND and is working collaboratively to improve access, capacity, and the timeliness of support across the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB. This includes working closely with providers to understand pressures within existing services and current waiting times, targeted work to instigate improvements in specific services, and developing more effective joint commissioning across health, education, and local authorities, particularly in relation to speech and language therapy services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with integrated care boards and NHS England on ensuring that contracting decisions uphold the principles of patient choice.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Government is committed to giving patients greater control and choice over their care. Patients have a legal right to choose where they go for their first appointment when referred to consultant-led care as an outpatient.

Patients’ right to choose is set out in legislation. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population and to meet their statutory obligations to promote choice and enable patients' legal rights.

There is guidance for the use and implementation of the contractual levers available to ICBs, detailed in the NHS Standard Contract Technical Guidance. Use of these must not restrict patients' choice for provider.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds information on how many Care Quality Commission inspections of (a) hospitals, (b) nursing and care homes, (c) GP practices, (d) dentists, (e) hospitals and (f) local authorities took place (i) in person and (ii) remotely in each of the last three years.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The table attached shows how many Care Quality Commission inspections of hospitals, dental practices, general practices, nursing and residential care homes, and local authorities took place from 2023 to the year to date in 2026. The data cannot accurately be broken down by ‘in person’ or ‘remotely’ so figures may combine both types of regulatory activity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are required for vaccines for the prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections to obtain regulatory approval including an indicative timeline for licensing.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

For any new medicine to be introduced to the United Kingdom market an application to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is required. The MHRA is ready to support companies that are looking to introduce new medicines to the United Kingdom market, offering regulatory and scientific advice to help companies at any stage of the product development process. The MHRA has established procedures in place to review any applications we receive to evaluate the benefit risk of a product in relation to its quality, safety, and efficacy. The exact timeframe will depend on the type of submission the company makes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of regional disparities in England for access to and outcomes of heart and lung transplants.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring timely and equitable access to heart and lung transplantation services and of improving patient outcomes.

Access to transplantation is based on nationally agreed clinical criteria, with organs allocated through a national system managed by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) to ensure equity according to clinical need. NHSBT publishes data annually on access and outcomes in its organ-specific reports, which are available at the following link:

https://www.odt.nhs.uk/statistics-and-reports/annual-activity-report/

This data shows good overall post-transplant survival rates, alongside some variation between centres. In addition, the data shows no evidence of geographical variation beyond chance for heart and lung transplantation rates, and some variation in lung registration rates. Further work is needed to understand and address unwarranted variation in access to transplantation.

Variation in patient outcomes, including longer‑term survival and listing outcomes, are reviewed through established NHSBT and NHS England clinical governance processes, including routine outcome review and centre‑specific follow‑up where indicated. The National Transplant Clinical Panel has been established to provide expert clinical interpretation of transplant outcome data to support oversight where issues of statistical variation are identified.

To improve access and outcomes, NHS England has established a national improvement programme, informed by the Implementation Steering Group for Organ Utilisation’s Cardiothoracic Information Collation Exercise. This programme, alongside NHS England’s commissioning structures, includes work to improve referral pathways, organ utilisation, and service consistency, through strengthened peer review processes, an audit of organ acceptance practices, and work with transplant centres to support consistent decision-making. Further information on NHS England’s national improvement programme and the Implementation Steering Group for Organ Utilisation’s Cardiothoracic Information Collation Exercise is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/blog/from-ambition-to-action-improving-heart-and-lung-transplant-services-in-england/

https://nhsbtdbe.blob.core.windows.net/umbraco-assets-corp/34815/report-on-uk-heart-and-lung-transplantation-services.pdf

While progress has been made, including increases in transplant activity and reductions in waiting lists, NHS England continues to work with partners to ensure services are consistent, resilient, and able to meet patient need across the country.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to heart and lung transplants across England.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring timely and equitable access to heart and lung transplantation services and of improving patient outcomes.

Access to transplantation is based on nationally agreed clinical criteria, with organs allocated through a national system managed by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) to ensure equity according to clinical need. NHSBT publishes data annually on access and outcomes in its organ-specific reports, which are available at the following link:

https://www.odt.nhs.uk/statistics-and-reports/annual-activity-report/

This data shows good overall post-transplant survival rates, alongside some variation between centres. In addition, the data shows no evidence of geographical variation beyond chance for heart and lung transplantation rates, and some variation in lung registration rates. Further work is needed to understand and address unwarranted variation in access to transplantation.

Variation in patient outcomes, including longer‑term survival and listing outcomes, are reviewed through established NHSBT and NHS England clinical governance processes, including routine outcome review and centre‑specific follow‑up where indicated. The National Transplant Clinical Panel has been established to provide expert clinical interpretation of transplant outcome data to support oversight where issues of statistical variation are identified.

To improve access and outcomes, NHS England has established a national improvement programme, informed by the Implementation Steering Group for Organ Utilisation’s Cardiothoracic Information Collation Exercise. This programme, alongside NHS England’s commissioning structures, includes work to improve referral pathways, organ utilisation, and service consistency, through strengthened peer review processes, an audit of organ acceptance practices, and work with transplant centres to support consistent decision-making. Further information on NHS England’s national improvement programme and the Implementation Steering Group for Organ Utilisation’s Cardiothoracic Information Collation Exercise is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/blog/from-ambition-to-action-improving-heart-and-lung-transplant-services-in-england/

https://nhsbtdbe.blob.core.windows.net/umbraco-assets-corp/34815/report-on-uk-heart-and-lung-transplantation-services.pdf

While progress has been made, including increases in transplant activity and reductions in waiting lists, NHS England continues to work with partners to ensure services are consistent, resilient, and able to meet patient need across the country.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure patients with systemic conditions linked to poor oral health, like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, receive appropriate oral health education.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

A range of actions support the provision of appropriate oral health education to patients with systemic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. For example, the Delivering Better Oral Health guidance, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-prevention

This guidance is a key resource for the oral health profession to address risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and healthier eating. Oral health education should also be embedded in diabetes care pathways, to include educational programmes and oral health team members delivering patient education and motivation, alongside clinical management. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/commissioning-standard-dental-care-for-people-with-diabetes/

Within hospitals, the Mouth Care Matters programme supports the oral health of patients, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/oral-health

In addition to this existing support, the Government is committed to reforming the dental contract by the end of this Parliament, with a focus on promoting prevention, matching resources to need, improving access, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of support provided to patients before and after heart and lung transplants, including follow-up care and psychological support.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring timely and equitable access to heart and lung transplantation services and of improving patient outcomes.

Heart and lung transplant services provide multidisciplinary assessment, ongoing follow‑up, and access to psychological support where clinically indicated, ensuring that care addresses both physical and mental health needs across the patient pathway, before and after transplantation. The quality and effectiveness of care are monitored through national audit, service review, and patient feedback.

Evidence has identified variation in how aspects of service specifications and patient engagement are implemented across transplant services. This was highlighted in the Implementation Steering Group for Organ Utilisation’s Improving Patient Engagement in Organ Transplantation: Recommendations for Best Practice report, which sets out areas for improvement in consistency and patient experience. This report is available at the following link:

https://nhsbtdbe.blob.core.windows.net/umbraco-assets-corp/36473/improving-patient-engagement-in-organ-transplantation_recommendations-for-best-practice.pdf

NHS England is working with patient representatives, NHS Blood and Transplant, and transplant centres through a national improvement programme which includes work to address unwarranted variation and strengthen holistic, patient‑centred care before and after transplantation, in addition to wider work to improve access, workforce sustainability, and service resilience.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the findings of the World Cancer Research Fund’s report on dietary and lifestyle patterns for cancer prevention, particularly the evidence on alcohol as a risk factor for bowel cancer.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government and the National Health Service welcome the findings of the World Cancer Research Fund’s report and recognise that a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the biggest risk factors of bowel cancer.

The National Cancer Plan for England, published in February 2026, has patients at its heart and covers the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention and research and innovation. The plan sets out that every patient will receive personalised insights into their personal cancer risk, drawing on NHS, genomic, lifestyle, demographic and wearable data. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years.

The plan builds on the commitment made in ‘Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages, to raise awareness of associated risks of alcohol consumption.

It emphasises prevention by supporting the no- and low-alcohol market and exploring stricter regulations on these products to cut cancer-related deaths including those related to alcohol such as bowel cancer. The plan acknowledges that alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen, linked to several cancer types including bowel cancer and aims to build on a shift from "sickness to prevention" by addressing modifiable risk factors like alcohol.

The UK Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines outline how the risk of developing cancer rises with ongoing regular drinking. As outlined on the NHS page ‘Risks: Alcohol Misuse’, the long-term health conditions that are caused by alcohol consumption include cancers of the liver, mouth, head and neck, breast, and bowel.

From 2026, Cancer Alliances will receive funding and work proactively with local communities and providers to improve early diagnosis rates. They will focus on increasing awareness of cancer symptoms, supporting primary care to spot signs of cancer early, including bowel cancer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prevent bowel cancer by addressing key modifiable risk factors, including alcohol.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government and the National Health Service welcome the findings of the World Cancer Research Fund’s report and recognise that a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the biggest risk factors of bowel cancer.

The National Cancer Plan for England, published in February 2026, has patients at its heart and covers the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention and research and innovation. The plan sets out that every patient will receive personalised insights into their personal cancer risk, drawing on NHS, genomic, lifestyle, demographic and wearable data. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years.

The plan builds on the commitment made in ‘Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages, to raise awareness of associated risks of alcohol consumption.

It emphasises prevention by supporting the no- and low-alcohol market and exploring stricter regulations on these products to cut cancer-related deaths including those related to alcohol such as bowel cancer. The plan acknowledges that alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen, linked to several cancer types including bowel cancer and aims to build on a shift from "sickness to prevention" by addressing modifiable risk factors like alcohol.

The UK Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines outline how the risk of developing cancer rises with ongoing regular drinking. As outlined on the NHS page ‘Risks: Alcohol Misuse’, the long-term health conditions that are caused by alcohol consumption include cancers of the liver, mouth, head and neck, breast, and bowel.

From 2026, Cancer Alliances will receive funding and work proactively with local communities and providers to improve early diagnosis rates. They will focus on increasing awareness of cancer symptoms, supporting primary care to spot signs of cancer early, including bowel cancer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve public awareness of the bowel cancer risks associated with alcohol consumption.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government and the National Health Service welcome the findings of the World Cancer Research Fund’s report and recognise that a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the biggest risk factors of bowel cancer.

The National Cancer Plan for England, published in February 2026, has patients at its heart and covers the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention and research and innovation. The plan sets out that every patient will receive personalised insights into their personal cancer risk, drawing on NHS, genomic, lifestyle, demographic and wearable data. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years.

The plan builds on the commitment made in ‘Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages, to raise awareness of associated risks of alcohol consumption.

It emphasises prevention by supporting the no- and low-alcohol market and exploring stricter regulations on these products to cut cancer-related deaths including those related to alcohol such as bowel cancer. The plan acknowledges that alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen, linked to several cancer types including bowel cancer and aims to build on a shift from "sickness to prevention" by addressing modifiable risk factors like alcohol.

The UK Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines outline how the risk of developing cancer rises with ongoing regular drinking. As outlined on the NHS page ‘Risks: Alcohol Misuse’, the long-term health conditions that are caused by alcohol consumption include cancers of the liver, mouth, head and neck, breast, and bowel.

From 2026, Cancer Alliances will receive funding and work proactively with local communities and providers to improve early diagnosis rates. They will focus on increasing awareness of cancer symptoms, supporting primary care to spot signs of cancer early, including bowel cancer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the variation in diagnosis times and access to treatment for heart valve disease by (a) region and (b) demographic group in England and West Sussex.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department recognises that variation in the provision of heart valve disease (HVD) services exists across England is taking action to address this.

NHS England is strengthening consistency in the diagnosis and treatment to reduce variation in HVD diagnosis, including in West Sussex. This included echocardiography workforce initiatives to increase diagnostic capacity for HVD referrals for 2024/25. In 2025, the Getting It Right First Time programme published new and revised cardiology pathways to reduce delays and guide clinicians through diagnostic steps and treatment planning, and enhanced recovery protocols for Aortic Stenosis (advanced HVD).

In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the British Heart Foundation are partnering for the £50m Inequalities, which will fund a five-year consortium to generate research focused on tackling inequalities in ethnic minorities, deprived communities and unequal cardiovascular disease outcomes between women and men. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/new-50m-funding-to-tackle-inequalities-cardiovascular-disease

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of rolling out lateral flow tests to detect large-vessel occlusion (LVO) strokes nationally, particularly in rural areas such as Somerset.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There has not been a specific national assessment of the roll out of lateral flow tests to detect large-vessel-occlusion.

The Government is committed to achieving a 25% reduction in premature mortality due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke across England. To accelerate progress and tackle variation across the country, a new CVD Modern Service Framework will be published in 2026. This framework will support improvement, reduce inequalities and foster innovation where it is needed most.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Department can outline how many NHS outpatient services for ME/CFS are currently operational in England, and how many of these accept referrals for patients with severe or very severe ME/CFS.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Our ME/CFS Final Delivery Plan, published in July 2025, includes an action for the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for very severe myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

The third and final session in NHS England’s ME/CFS e-learning series, Managing Severe ME/CFS, is now live on the NHS Learning Hub. This session provides practical, evidence-based guidance to support people living with severe and very severe ME/CFS, and has universal access. There is also an additional version of this module, which is only available to healthcare professionals, and includes clinical guidance on severe and very severe ME/CFS.

NHS England has already started its work on co-designing resources, including a ‘template service specification’ for mild/moderate ME/CFS services, to support systems to improve services for mild and moderate ME/CFS. NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care have met with a group of key stakeholders to move this work on. This template will now include reference to severe ME/CFS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had since the publication of the Final Delivery Plan for ME/CFS regarding the commissioning of a specialised service for people with very severe ME/CFS.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Our ME/CFS Final Delivery Plan, published in July 2025, includes an action for the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for very severe myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

The third and final session in NHS England’s ME/CFS e-learning series, Managing Severe ME/CFS, is now live on the NHS Learning Hub. This session provides practical, evidence-based guidance to support people living with severe and very severe ME/CFS, and has universal access. There is also an additional version of this module, which is only available to healthcare professionals, and includes clinical guidance on severe and very severe ME/CFS.

NHS England has already started its work on co-designing resources, including a ‘template service specification’ for mild/moderate ME/CFS services, to support systems to improve services for mild and moderate ME/CFS. NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care have met with a group of key stakeholders to move this work on. This template will now include reference to severe ME/CFS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish the analysis of responses to the 2018 consultation on the Nutrient Profiling Model before any decision to adopt that model; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government published responses to the 2018 consultation on 27 January 2026 alongside the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) 2018 Review and Consultation Outcome and the associated NPM technical guidance.

The Government launched the consultation on applying the new NPM to the advertising and promotions restrictions on 25 March 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Respiratory registrars and Consultants are currently working in the NHS, and what steps his Department is taking to increase their number.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England publishes monthly information on the composition of the workforce employed by National Health Service trusts and integrated care boards in England.  This includes information on doctors grouped by their grade and the specialty area they are working in. The information is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics

The relevant data can be found in worksheet 4 of the file NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Trusts and core organisations – data tables, in the link above.

We set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts, with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.

The Government is committed to training the staff we need, including doctors, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the integration of (a) shared maintenance hubs, (b) fleet management, and (c) scheduling for (i) health and (ii) education services.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has recently announced its commitments to the rollout of new Neighbourhood Health Centres, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-to-double-down-on-drive-to-cut-nhs-waiting-times-and-rollout-of-new-neighbourhood-health-centres

Through this programme, there will likely be opportunities under the NHS Act 2006 for NHS England to work with local authorities to deliver joint developments alongside One Public Estate. Schemes will likely include the refurbishment and redevelopment of existing public assets, and such projects may provide a particular focus in areas of deprivation, where the National Health Service can act as an anchor tenant.

Furthermore, we are currently finalising the Department’s approach to its Public and Private Finance Partnership model for neighbourhood health centres, which could also act as a catalyst for projects and joint working across public bodies.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what conversations he has had with Business and Trade colleagues regarding improving employment conditions for those in the mental health sector.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, meets regularly with colleagues in the Department of Business and Trade to discuss a range of topics.

We are committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals, including those working in the mental health sector. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how we will deliver this change by making sure that staff are better treated, have more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future.

We are taking a number of steps to improve working conditions for NHS staff, including the development of a new set of staff standards for modern employment. The standards will focus on the areas that we know matter the most to staff, including: supporting line management; improving staff health and wellbeing; promoting flexible working; violence prevention and reduction; and tackling racism and sexual safety.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of a proposed reduction in community inpatient capacity at Zachary Merton Hospital on the level of (a) the use of virtual wards, (b) care at home, and (c) provision at other community hospital sites in West Sussex.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not received a notification under Schedule 10A of the National Health Service Act 2006 about changes to services at Zachary Merton Hospital and has not undertaken an assessment of potential impacts.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has been asked by the Hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton to intervene in this matter and will consider and respond to that request in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, further to the Answer of 13 March 2026 to Question 117218 on NHS, whether his Department assessed the potential merits of exercising the call-in power under Schedule 10A of the National Health Service Act 2006 for proposed changes to services at Zachary Merton Hospital.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not received a notification under Schedule 10A of the National Health Service Act 2006 about changes to services at Zachary Merton Hospital and has not undertaken an assessment of potential impacts.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has been asked by the Hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton to intervene in this matter and will consider and respond to that request in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of staffing levels on accident and emergency waiting times.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise the importance of ensuring that emergency departments operate safely and effectively. Decisions on staffing levels are matters for local National Health Service trusts, working with integrated care boards, who are best placed to assess and manage services in line with local needs and circumstances.

Nationally, NHS England sets standards for emergency care and provides guidance to support trusts in maintaining safe staffing.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2026 to Question 117219 on NHS, whether changes to services at Zachary Merton Hospital had been notified to his Department under Schedule 10A of the National Health Service Act 2006.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has not received a notification under Schedule 10A of the National Health Service Act 2006 about changes to services at Zachary Merton Hospital and has not undertaken an assessment of potential impacts.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has been asked by the Hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton to intervene in this matter and will consider and respond to that request in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the DHSC annual report and accounts 2024-25, HC1446, what the job titles were of the five civil servants who received exit payments over £200,000.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In the Department’s annual report and accounts for 2024/25, there were five civil servants who received exit payments over £200,000, all of whom were employees of the Department’s Executive Agency, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

During 2024/25 financial year, the UKHSA embarked on a restructure to streamline operations, optimise resources, enhance strategic decision-making capabilities, and respond to evolving priorities and demands within the health security landscape. The outcome being a more agile, lean, and effective organisation structured to fulfil its mission effectively.

The five roles were removed as part of the restructuring exercise, these included Directors General, Directors and Deputy Directors. More detailed role information, such as job titles, is information that could identify individuals and therefore is not routinely disclosed. All exit payments and approaches followed the Civil Service Compensation Scheme rules and were approved by the Department and Cabinet Office in line with standard approval processes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve access to menopause support and services in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service, and we acknowledge the impact that women suffering from symptoms of menopause has on their lives, relationships, and participation in the workplace.

In Buckinghamshire, a specialist menopause service was launched in August 2025 and was accessible to all Buckinghamshire women via referral from their general practitioner (GP), delivered by telephone as standard to ensure this holistic and patient centred specialist menopause care is delivered close to the patient, in their own home, with face to face provision available where required within GPs across the county.

As announced in October 2025, we will be asking local authorities across the country to include menopause in the NHS Health Check later this year. This will support eligible women across England to access high quality information on the menopause, including advice on managing symptoms, where to seek support, and a diagnosis.

Menopause and menstrual health conditions will be among the priorities for the NHS’s revolutionary new online hospital when it launches next year, providing faster access to specialist care.

On the 15 April 2026, we published the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy which identifies menopause as a core women’s health priority, recognising its impact on women’s health, wellbeing, work, and quality of life.

The strategy shifts menopause care into primary and community settings, including neighbourhood women’s health services and women’s health hubs, making care easier to access and closer to home.

The strategy commits to each region having a specialist centre to support group based approaches to high volume low complexity women’s health pathways such as menopause services, improving access, peer support, and consistency, with early rollout focused on areas of highest need.

The strategy recognises that menopause symptoms are often under recognised and poorly understood, and commits to improving information so women know their symptoms can be effectively managed, including through evidence-based treatments.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce waiting times for atrial fibrillation ablation procedures in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Catheter ablation for paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation for adults is a prescribed specialised service commissioned in accordance with a published national clinical commissioning policy. Consequently, NHS England’s regional specialised commissioning teams and integrated care boards (ICBs), including the Somerset ICB, are responsible for monitoring activity, reviewing equity of access for their populations, and addressing unwarranted variation through local oversight arrangements and clinical networks.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to mandate endometriosis and menstrual health training across GP and medical education in England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government acknowledges the importance of ensuring healthcare professionals are adequately trained and educated on women’s health conditions, including endometriosis, and we have taken action to address this.

The standard of undergraduate medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), the independent regulator of the medical profession, which set the outcomes and standards expected at undergraduate level. Medical schools are responsible for their curricula. The delivery of these undergraduate curricula must meet the standards set by the GMC, who then monitor and check to make sure that these standards are maintained.

The curriculum for specialty training is set by individual royal colleges and faculties. The GMC approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme. Curricula emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is responsible for publishing the postgraduate curriculum for general practitioners (GPs) and ensuring it remains up to date. The RCGP curriculum covers endometriosis as part of its gynaecology and breast health module.

GPs are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. The RCGP has worked with partners, including Endometriosis UK, to develop educational resources relating to endometriosis to support GPs and other healthcare professionals to deliver the best possible care for women, based on the latest evidence.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure The Renewed Women's Health Strategy for England, published April 2026, improves gynaecology care in regions with local shortages of gynaecologists.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy was published on 15 April 2026 and sets out a bold, long‑term plan to transform how the health and care system listens to, supports, and delivers for women and girls across all regions in England.

It puts women’s voices and choices at the centre of care, drives faster improvements in services and outcomes that matter most to women, and tackles long‑standing health inequalities across the life course. The strategy aligns with the 10-Year Health Plan to shift care into the community, harness digital innovation, and strengthen prevention so women can live healthier, more fulfilled lives.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce preventable admissions in A&E.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are significantly expanding urgent care across the country, including building and expanding 40 same day emergency care services and urgent treatment centres. This will mean patients are treated more quickly and in the most appropriate setting, while easing pressure on busy accident and emergency departments so they can focus on the most serious cases.

Alongside this, we are expanding urgent care outside hospital through new neighbourhood health services. Urgent community care enables people to receive timely, high‑quality care in their own homes or communities, helping to maintain independence and ensuring hospital attendance only where clinically necessary. The Neighbourhood Health model prioritises urgent community response, virtual wards, and coordinated multidisciplinary teams to support people with escalating or acute needs, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions and supporting care closer to home.

The Urgent and Emergency Care Delivery Plan 2025/26 also committed to scaling a new “Home First” approach, enabling ambulance services to prioritise the most critical cases while providing alternative pathways for those with less urgent needs. This includes “see and treat” and “hear and treat” approaches, supported by additional clinicians in emergency operations centres and single points of access.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration he has given to the potential merits of creating a requirement for NHS trusts to maintain chain-of-custody records for the handling of miscarriage tissue.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) has no plans to establish a single national protocol governing the handling or testing of miscarriage tissue, nor to establish a single national protocol for the communication of information regarding miscarriage tissue for parents beyond the current guidance.

However, the HTA guidance on the sensitive handling of pregnancy remains was updated following a recommendation of the Pregnancy Loss Review. It applies to any health service or organisation involved in managing pregnancy loss or termination of pregnancy, and should be used to inform policies and procedures governing the disposal of pregnancy remains resulting from pregnancy loss or termination of pregnancy. The HTA guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.hta.gov.uk/guidance-professionals/guidance-sector/post-mortem/guidance-disposal-pregnancy-remains-following

It includes information on developing a disposal policy, communicating information, staff training, and disposal options, including maintaining records of how and when the pregnancy remains were disposed of.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with health leaders on the arrangements in place across NHS Trusts for overseeing incidents involving the handling of miscarriage tissue.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) has no plans to establish a single national protocol governing the handling or testing of miscarriage tissue, nor to establish a single national protocol for the communication of information regarding miscarriage tissue for parents beyond the current guidance.

However, the HTA guidance on the sensitive handling of pregnancy remains was updated following a recommendation of the Pregnancy Loss Review. It applies to any health service or organisation involved in managing pregnancy loss or termination of pregnancy, and should be used to inform policies and procedures governing the disposal of pregnancy remains resulting from pregnancy loss or termination of pregnancy. The HTA guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.hta.gov.uk/guidance-professionals/guidance-sector/post-mortem/guidance-disposal-pregnancy-remains-following

It includes information on developing a disposal policy, communicating information, staff training, and disposal options, including maintaining records of how and when the pregnancy remains were disposed of.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS leaders regarding the mandatory training required for staff involved in the handling of miscarriage tissue.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) has no plans to establish a single national protocol governing the handling or testing of miscarriage tissue, nor to establish a single national protocol for the communication of information regarding miscarriage tissue for parents beyond the current guidance.

However, the HTA guidance on the sensitive handling of pregnancy remains was updated following a recommendation of the Pregnancy Loss Review. It applies to any health service or organisation involved in managing pregnancy loss or termination of pregnancy, and should be used to inform policies and procedures governing the disposal of pregnancy remains resulting from pregnancy loss or termination of pregnancy. The HTA guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.hta.gov.uk/guidance-professionals/guidance-sector/post-mortem/guidance-disposal-pregnancy-remains-following

It includes information on developing a disposal policy, communicating information, staff training, and disposal options, including maintaining records of how and when the pregnancy remains were disposed of.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help address variations in access to care for people with atrial fibrillation in England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England commissions the CVDPREVENT audit, which publishes routinely held general practice data to support planning and tackle unwarranted variation at national, regional, integrated care board, primary care network, and practice level. This includes information on atrial fibrillation treatment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government is working with regulators and professional bodies to strengthen endometriosis education.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government acknowledges the importance of ensuring healthcare professionals are adequately trained and educated on women’s health conditions, including endometriosis, and we have taken action to address this.

The standard of undergraduate medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), the independent regulator of the medical profession, which set the outcomes and standards expected at undergraduate level. Medical schools are responsible for their curricula. The delivery of these undergraduate curricula must meet the standards set by the GMC, who then monitor and check to make sure that these standards are maintained.

The curriculum for specialty training is set by individual royal colleges and faculties. The GMC approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme. Curricula emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is responsible for publishing the postgraduate curriculum for general practitioners (GPs) and ensuring it remains up to date. The RCGP curriculum covers endometriosis as part of its gynaecology and breast health module.

GPs are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. The RCGP has worked with partners, including Endometriosis UK, to develop educational resources relating to endometriosis to support GPs and other healthcare professionals to deliver the best possible care for women, based on the latest evidence.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the removal of Training Interface Group (TIG) fellowships on the provision of specialist cleft surgery training; and what steps he is taking to help ensure the continued development of cross-specialty expertise across ENT, maxillofacial and plastic surgery.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England made the decision in 2025 to discontinue central funding of the salary support component of the Training Interface Group programme, and to target financial resources more effectively to address regional workforce priorities. Regions or provider organisations that wish to continue developing these skills are still able to recruit, fund, and train staff using the curriculum set by the Joint Committee on Surgical Training.

NHS England is also working to understand where they can enhance and support smaller, highly specialised areas of practice.

NHS England has initiated a plan, working with clinical subject matter experts, to define the demand and future supply needed for the training of cleft lip and palate surgeons and to shape the future training and workforce investment needed in this area.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he intends to establish a single national protocol governing the communication of information regarding miscarriage tissue to parents.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) has no plans to establish a single national protocol governing the handling or testing of miscarriage tissue, nor to establish a single national protocol for the communication of information regarding miscarriage tissue for parents beyond the current guidance.

However, the HTA guidance on the sensitive handling of pregnancy remains was updated following a recommendation of the Pregnancy Loss Review. It applies to any health service or organisation involved in managing pregnancy loss or termination of pregnancy, and should be used to inform policies and procedures governing the disposal of pregnancy remains resulting from pregnancy loss or termination of pregnancy. The HTA guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.hta.gov.uk/guidance-professionals/guidance-sector/post-mortem/guidance-disposal-pregnancy-remains-following

It includes information on developing a disposal policy, communicating information, staff training, and disposal options, including maintaining records of how and when the pregnancy remains were disposed of.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he intends to establish a single national protocol governing the handling and testing of miscarriage tissue.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) has no plans to establish a single national protocol governing the handling or testing of miscarriage tissue, nor to establish a single national protocol for the communication of information regarding miscarriage tissue for parents beyond the current guidance.

However, the HTA guidance on the sensitive handling of pregnancy remains was updated following a recommendation of the Pregnancy Loss Review. It applies to any health service or organisation involved in managing pregnancy loss or termination of pregnancy, and should be used to inform policies and procedures governing the disposal of pregnancy remains resulting from pregnancy loss or termination of pregnancy. The HTA guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.hta.gov.uk/guidance-professionals/guidance-sector/post-mortem/guidance-disposal-pregnancy-remains-following

It includes information on developing a disposal policy, communicating information, staff training, and disposal options, including maintaining records of how and when the pregnancy remains were disposed of.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to women’s health services in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency under the renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy was published on 15 April 2026 and women’s access to care is a key theme. We will support integrated care board to introduce a single point of access for all non-urgent referrals to gynaecology and women's health services to speed up access to better treatment

We will redesign clinical pathways for the most common pathways including heavy periods, menopause, and uro-gynaecology. This will standardise care pathways and remove unnecessary procedural delays.

We will fund a specialist centre in each region for group-based approaches to high volume low complexity women’s health pathways. This will improve productivity and empower women in common clinical areas, helping to reduce waiting lists and supporting self-management.

We will accelerate the deployment and spread of innovations that benefit women’s health, launching a FemTech healthcare challenge within two years with a pot of £1.5 million.

Funded by £5.25 million, we will expand access to Musculoskeletal (MSK) Hubs in the community by leveraging the leisure and fitness workforce to deliver evidence-based physical activity for people with MSK conditions.

Buckinghamshire delivers specialist gynaecology care to women through both community and secondary care, or hospital, services, with community services delivered from general practices across the county, including in Aylesbury. To further improve access to women's health services, the Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust and FedBucks are working together to expand community services, increasing clinic sites and aligning to neighbourhoods including North Bucks, to ensure more women can be seen for specialist gynaecology care more quickly and closer to home in the community service, thereby increasing capacity within the secondary care service to support waiting list reductions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of data collection on women’s health outcomes in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

A women's health data dashboard is available on the NHS Futures website and is available to anyone working within health and care sector who requires insight into women's health.

The dashboard is intended to provide national and local insight into the key aims of women's health aligned with the priorities of NHS England’s Women’s Health Programme and highlight potential unmet need, unwarranted variation, and health inequalities.

The Government will make the data dashboard publicly available with the next year, as set out in the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy published on 15 April 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of need to improve access to mechanical thrombectomy for stroke patients, particularly in rural areas such as Somerset.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England continues to support the improvement of stroke pathways through Integrated Stroke Delivery Networks, including strengthening pre-hospital triage, inter-hospital transfer pathways, and emergency referral arrangements.

These actions are intended to reduce unwarranted variation and improve equitable access to mechanical thrombectomy for stroke patients, including those living in rural areas such as Somerset, while ensuring services remain clinically safe and sustainable.

Mechanical thrombectomy is an evidence-based treatment for eligible patients with large vessel occlusion stroke and is recognised as a national clinical priority.

The service is commissioned by NHS England as a specialised service, with aspects of planning and delivery supported locally through specialised commissioning delegated arrangements, working closely with integrated care boards and systems.

NHS England has assessed the need to improve access to mechanical thrombectomy through national clinical policy, audit, and service monitoring. NHS England routinely monitors access and outcomes through the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme, which has demonstrated variation in access across England, including challenges related to geography and travel times.

In response to this assessed need, work continues to develop and strengthen services. In addition to NHS England’s aforementioned improvement of stroke pathways through Integrated Stroke Delivery Networks, work is also ongoing to support the expansion and sustainability of thrombectomy capable services where clinically and operationally appropriate, within the framework of specialised commissioning delegated services. For instance, 24/7 services to serve stroke patients are available at Bristol and Plymouth.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who will have lead responsibility in co ordination and organising the four Nation Steering Group in examining the role of the Multi Speciality Recruitment Assessment process.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In Autumn 2025, the Postgraduate National Recruitment Programme Board stood up a project to identify future delivery solutions for the selection assessments used across all recruitment pathways, including the Multi Specialty Recruitment Assessment. The project is overseen by a four-nation selection assessment steering group that will shape and make recommendations to the programme board.

The programme board has overall accountability for recruitment and selection processes into postgraduate medical, dental, foundation pharmacy, and healthcare science training programmes in the United Kingdom. The board is convened by NHS England, includes representatives from each of the four UK statutory education bodies, and is accountable to the executives of each of these bodies.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of the time taken and (b) effectiveness of the General Optical Council's action in cases of malpractice.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has regular discussions with the General Optical Council (GOC) on regulatory matters.

While the GOC is an independent regulator responsible for managing its fitness to practise processes, the Government expects the GOC to take steps to improve the efficiency and timeliness of case handling.

In March 2026, the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) published its 2024/25 performance review of the GOC, concluding that that it met all 18 Standards of Good Regulation, including those relating to fitness to practise. The PSA found that most fitness to practise investigations were timely and adequate, with risks managed appropriately. However, the PSA identified some areas for improvement which the GOC is addressing through an action plan. The PSA will monitor the progress of this plan as part of its continuous oversight of GOC’s performance.

In parallel, the Department is progressing wider, longer-term reforms to the regulatory frameworks of the healthcare professional regulators. These will enable them to be more responsive to changes in the health and care workforce and give them the flexibility to modernise their fitness to practise processes whilst maintaining public protection.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce regional variation in IVF provision following publication of the updated NICE fertility guidelines.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their local population.

On 31 March, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its updated fertility guideline, which recommends that women under 40 years old who meet the clinical eligibility criteria should be offered up to three full cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

There are no plans to introduce statutory duties on ICBs to deliver NICE fertility guidelines on IVF cycles. We expect ICBs to consider and reflect the updated NICE fertility guideline in their commissioning decisions, and we are working with NHS England to support greater consistency in provision.

The Government published the Women's Health Strategy on 15 April which commits to ensuring that every woman can easily access fertility services, and we are currently working to assess the current provision of National Health Service commissioned fertility services as a baseline to inform supporting material for every ICB to implement the new NICE guidelines in full.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce statutory duties on Integrated Care Boards to deliver NICE fertility guidelines on IVF cycles.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their local population.

On 31 March, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its updated fertility guideline, which recommends that women under 40 years old who meet the clinical eligibility criteria should be offered up to three full cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

There are no plans to introduce statutory duties on ICBs to deliver NICE fertility guidelines on IVF cycles. We expect ICBs to consider and reflect the updated NICE fertility guideline in their commissioning decisions, and we are working with NHS England to support greater consistency in provision.

The Government published the Women's Health Strategy on 15 April which commits to ensuring that every woman can easily access fertility services, and we are currently working to assess the current provision of National Health Service commissioned fertility services as a baseline to inform supporting material for every ICB to implement the new NICE guidelines in full.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2026 to Question 124547 on Medical Treatments: Costs, what plans he has to update the 2009 guidance.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has no plans to update the guidance at this current time.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to health visitors for families in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Families in England must receive at least five health visits, with additional support provided according to need. Health visiting service delivery data is available, and published annually, for upper tiers of local government, such as the Staffordshire County Council, but not lower tiers, such as the Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.

The relevant dataset and statistical commentary for Staffordshire is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/health-visitor-service-delivery-data-for-2024-to-2025

In line with the Government’s commitment to strengthening health visiting, we have recently refreshed the guidance for the Healthy Child Programme, which specifies requirements for health visiting services, to promote national consistency in service delivery. We are working closely with regional colleagues to support the implementation of this guidance across the country.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of health visitors in England.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The child health workforce, including health visiting teams, is central to how we support families to give their children the best start in life. Health visitors’ contact with parents, carers, and children of all ages is a source of vital advice and support, helping to ensure that health, development, and safeguarding needs are identified early. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan and Best Start in Life Strategy, the Government has committed to strengthening health visiting services to ensure that all families have access to high-quality, personalised support.

In the 10-Year Health Plan, we committed to a Professional Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery. Due for publication following the 10 Year Workforce Plan, this strategy will set out a professional direction of travel, up to 2040, for all nurses, including health visitors, midwives, and nursing associates in England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department is carrying out work alongside other Government departments to address health and employment impacts of migraines.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise the substantial economic and National Health Service burden of migraines, and there are an estimated 16,500 emergency admissions per year for migraines that could be avoided, costing the NHS £11.5 million.

The Department for Health and Social Care and the Department for Work and Pensions are committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including migraines, and have a range of support available so individuals can stay in work and get back into work. Measures include Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and WorkWell, as well as support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants.

At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with migraine such as the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology, the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit, and the Neurology Transformation Programme. The GIRFT Programme is also working to standardise care, promote better use of preventive treatments, and reduce reliance on accident and emergency for migraine crises by empowering general practices to manage headache disorders effectively.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions the UK Neuro Forum has had on (a) care pathways, (b) treatment options and (c) access to drugs for patients with motor neurone disease.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK Neuro Forum brings key stakeholders together to share learnings across the system and to discuss challenges, best practice examples, and potential solutions for improving the care of people with neurological conditions, including motor neurone disease (MND).

At the second meeting of the UK Neuro Forum on 10 September 2025, one of the key areas of discussion was cross-border care. The forum met again most recently on 18 March and discussed workforce challenges.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the consistency and effectiveness of (a) antenatal screening in detecting fetal cardiac conditions and (b) the efficacy of the Fetal anomaly screening programme handbook guidance in supporting early identification and treatment pathways for foetuses with cardiac abnormalities.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises how worrying heart health can be for the families of babies and children. The NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme (FASP) recommends the offer of an ultrasound scan which is performed between 18+0 to 20+6 weeks to screen for 11 physical conditions, including serious cardiac anomalies.

Coverage of the foetal anomaly ultrasound for the 2024/25 screening year was high, at 98%. As of 2020/21, the proportion of women who had an unexpected finding suspected or confirmed in the baby at the 20-week screening scan and who were then referred within the timeline was 76.8% for local referrals, those seen within three days of screening scan, and 85.2% for tertiary referrals, those seen with five days of screening scan. This ensures women with a suspected or confirmed unexpected finding are referred in a timely manner and receive timely intervention where appropriate. Minimum screening standards data is collected against the 20-week scan, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fetal-anomaly-screening-programme-standards/fetal-anomaly-screening-standards-valid-for-data-collected-from-1-april-2022

NHS England is aware that there is geographical variation in antenatal cardiac detections and it is working with The National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Diseases Registration Services and the Screening Quality Assurance Service to address the variation, with further information about both services available at the following two links:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/about/ncardrs

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-population-screening-quality-assurance

NHS England also has a task and finish group looking at quality improvement in this area.

The NHS FASP handbook is a recommended guidance document for providers offering NHS FASP screening with the main aim of supporting healthcare professionals in delivering NHS FASP screening. This includes early identification of screened for conditions. NHS England FASP do not cover treatment pathways.

Additionally, NHS FASP provides an e-learning package with recommended timescales for completion for relevant healthcare professionals involved in the offer of NHS FASP screening, once every 24 months for ultrasound practitioners. This e-learning package is available at the following link:

https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/Catalogue/Index?HierarchyId=0_37210&programmeId=37210

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support people with myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As part of the final delivery plan for myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), that was published in July 2025, the Government committed to supporting people with ME/CFS. The plan focuses on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.

We are developing a template service specification for mild and moderate ME/CFS, in conjunction with NHS England. The template will set out examples of best practice for the commissioning of services for ME/CFS to ensure consistent and high-quality care across integrated care boards. The Department, together with ForwardME, is developing a Language Matters Guide to accompany this to ensure that terminology is consistent and well understood.

To help support healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS, the Department has worked with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme for healthcare professionals. All sessions of the e-learning programme, with sessions one, two, and three having universal access, whilst the final session on managing severe ME/CFS being only available to healthcare professionals, are now available at the following link:

https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/mecfselearning?nodeId=7288.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to people living with Multiple Sclerosis in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

At the national level, initiatives such as NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme and the NHS RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions toolkit both aim to reduce unwarranted variation in services and improve equity of care for people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

At the local level, the West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s neurology department provides care to patients with MS in the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency. The team consists of consultant neurologists, a consultant neurophysiologist, and two specialist nurses. All consultants hold joint appointments with University College London Hospitals or the Royal Free Hospital, giving access to specialised neurological care.

The Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust provides the community neurological rehabilitation service for adults in the Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency. The service provides specialist therapy to patients with long term neurological conditions, including those with MS. Specialist advice and oversight is available from a consultant neurologist where clinically appropriate. The service offers complex care, needs-led intervention, specialist equipment, and self-management support according to intensity of clinical needs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to expand screening programmes for early detection of Cervical Cancer.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to improving cancer screening services in line with the National Cancer Plan and as part of the 10-Year Health Plan’s shift from sickness to prevention.

Later this year, we will start to offer self-testing for human papilloma virus to women who have missed their cervical screening appointments by at least six months. This expansion aims to overcome barriers that stop women from taking up cervical screening which can both prevent and catch cervical cancer early.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department has plans to strengthen national policy recognition of migraine as a serious neurological condition.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises that migraine is a serious and often debilitating neurological condition, with a wide range of symptoms that go far beyond a headache. Migraine attacks can be a whole-body experience that can make it very difficult to function normally.

At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with migraine such as the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit. NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme also developed a new model of integrated care for neurology services, to support integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including for those with migraine.

The GIRFT programme for Neurology published a National Speciality Report, which makes several recommendations in relation to improving recognition and diagnosis of migraine. Additionally, the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit set out key priorities for improving care for patients with migraine, which includes correct identification and diagnosis of headache disorders.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline, Headaches in over 12s: diagnosis and management, sets out best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment, and support of people who suffer from headaches, including migraine. It aims to improve the recognition and management of headaches and migraine.

In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines a number of minimum service requirements for key specialties, including complex headache services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of Hansen's Disease have been diagnosed in the last ten years; and what steps his Department is taking to support people infected by this disease.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Hansen's Disease, or leprosy, is a statutorily notifiable disease in England and Wales. Data supplied by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is published by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and is available at the following link:

https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/number-of-new-leprosy-cases.

There were 56 cases of Hansen's Disease diagnosed between 2015 and 2024 in the United Kingdom. Annual case numbers ranged from two to 12 cases per year. UK Data for 2025 is due to be published on the WHO website in the coming months. There has been no documented transmission of leprosy in the UK in the last 10 years.

Direct patient care is provided by the National Health Service, by specialist clinical leprosy advisors based in London, Liverpool, and Birmingham, and this is in line with UKHSA's Leprosy Memorandum, which covers diagnosis, treatment with multi-drug therapy, and long-term support for those living with disability caused by the disease. The memorandum is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/leprosy-memorandum/memorandum-on-leprosy-2023#introduction

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support patients with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (A1AT).

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (A1AT) is a rare inherited condition which can affect the lungs and liver. The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, including work to improve diagnosis and the use of genomics in rare disease care. NHS England’s National Genomic Test Directory includes testing for A1AT, where clinically appropriate.

The Government also supports patients with A1AT through wider action to improve care for people living with rare conditions and long-term respiratory disease.

NHS England’s respiratory disease programme is focused on earlier and more accurate diagnosis, reducing inequalities, and improving treatment and support. This includes support for diagnostic testing such as spirometry, expansion of pulmonary rehabilitation, and improvements in medicines optimisation and personalised care. NHS England has also published commissioning standards for spirometry, and community diagnostic centres are providing respiratory diagnostic tests to improve access closer to home.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase early diagnosis rates for prostate cancer.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has committed to meeting the cancer waiting time standards in England by the end of this Parliament, by modernising the whole cancer pathway so that patients are diagnosed and treated more quickly.

The National Cancer Plan for England was published in February 2026. Patients across England will benefit from faster and more convenient tests, checks, and scans. By expanding diagnostic capacity, using real‑time data to spot delays, and rolling out technologies like robotic surgery, genomic testing, and faster, less invasive diagnostics, this will benefit all patients, including prostate cancer patients.

The plan is backed by significant funding committed by the Government at the Spending Review, including £200 million next year for local Cancer Alliances. Alliances are encouraged to allocate a proportion of this funding to the delivery of local early diagnosis plans, to drive progress on data-led priorities. This can include work to support the diagnosis of prostate cancer, but it will vary by alliance depending on local need. In 2025/26, several alliances have undertaken work to support awareness and earlier diagnosis of prostate cancer.

To increase knowledge of cancer symptoms, and address barriers to acting on them, the National Health Service in England has run Help Us Help You campaigns. These campaigns focused on recognising a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers, including prostate cancer, at an earlier stage.

Through the Cancer Programme Innovation Open Call, the Department is piloting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist radiologists using magnetic resonance imaging to detect clinically significant prostate cancer.

Cancer will be a priority for NHS Online, which goes live in England from 2027, bringing the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS. Virtual cancer care will be a priority, beginning with virtual hospital pathways for men with raised prostate-specific antigen levels at risk of prostate cancer.

The Department continues to collaborate with Prostate Cancer UK on the TRANSFORM trial to answer the outstanding questions on screening effectiveness, particularly for black men and men with a family history of prostate cancer. 12,500 men are being recruited in phase 1 in sites across the UK, with inclusion into four groups looking at four different prostate health checks. Research phase 1 is expected to last between one to four years, and phase 2 is planned to be five to nine years. Currently, the Government, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, has agreed to contribute support to phases 1 and 2. Further details can be sought from Prostate Cancer UK who are running the trial. The UK National Screening Committee will be reviewing the evidence that is published by this study, and this will help to inform any future recommendation on creating a national screening programme for prostate cancer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase public participation in the bowel cancer screening programme in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Bowel screening uptake in Berkhamsted and Harpenden is currently between 84% and 87%. The NHS Central East Integrated Care Board (ICB) works closely with general practices (GPs) to encourage promotion of bowel screening through a ‘making every contact count’ approach when they are informed which of their patients have not returned their faecal immunochemical test (FIT).

The ICB has also used regional innovation screening funding to support cancer screening projects in Hertfordshire, including some specifically for bowel cancer. In 2025/26, the programme included:

• delivering outreach to people on the Serious Mental Illness Register who face barriers to screening because of their mental ill health;
• targeting non-responders from communities who find National Health Services hard-to-reach, including traveller and asylum seeker communities;
• supporting screening uptake within the learning disability population, with a particular focus on bowel screening;
• providing public education on cancer awareness to specific postcodes with low uptake of screening, delivered by the patient-led ‘Cancel out Cancer’ group;
• reviewing 130,000 bowel screening non-responders to identify themes in order to understand potential barriers; and
• reaching out to patients who are eligible for screening but who haven’t taken up the opportunity to answer any questions they have and book in appointments for people as needed, via Cancer Care Co-ordinators who form part of the GP teams across Hertfordshire.

In England, coverage of bowel cancer screening has been increasing in recent years. In 2019, 60.5% of people took the offer up, while now it is 71.8%. To further increase coverage across England, NHS England is doing the following:

• delivering new approaches to communicating with people about screening through the NHS App;
• incorporating the reasonable adjustment flag into screening to ensure that people get information in the way they want, and that adjustments are made to support people at appointments;
• has recently updated the bowel cancer screening leaflets and is updating the bowel cancer screening letters to improve accessibility; and
• has made the bowel cancer screening FIT kit more accessible for people who are blind or partially sighted.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of social care support available to those diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In October 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, including acquired brain injury, with the reference code NG252. This guidance includes functional neurological disorder (FND) within its scope.

NHS England’s updated Specialised Neurology Service Specification, published in August 2025, includes specific reference to FND. It states that all specialised neurology centres must include access to treatment services for FND. Service specifications are important in clearly defining the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care.

There are a number of other national-level initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with neurological conditions, including FND, such as the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the recently completed Neurology Transformation Programme, which aim to improve care for people by reducing variation and delivering care more equitably across England.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, they are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. In doing so, they should use local population and market data to inform commissioning decisions and encourage a wide range of service provision to ensure that people have a choice of appropriate and high-quality care services in their local area, including for conditions such as FND.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of Functional Neurological Disorder.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In October 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders, including acquired brain injury, with the reference code NG252. This guidance includes functional neurological disorder (FND) within its scope.

NHS England’s updated Specialised Neurology Service Specification, published in August 2025, includes specific reference to FND. It states that all specialised neurology centres must include access to treatment services for FND. Service specifications are important in clearly defining the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care.

There are a number of other national-level initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with neurological conditions, including FND, such as the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the recently completed Neurology Transformation Programme, which aim to improve care for people by reducing variation and delivering care more equitably across England.

Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the needs of their population, which is why, under the Care Act 2014, they are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. In doing so, they should use local population and market data to inform commissioning decisions and encourage a wide range of service provision to ensure that people have a choice of appropriate and high-quality care services in their local area, including for conditions such as FND.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of missed appointments in (i) Warwickshire and (ii) nationally; and what steps he is taking to reduce the number of missed appointments.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has made no formal estimate of the cost of missed appointments in Warwickshire or nationally.

However, we’re clear that reducing missed appointments is an important part of improving elective care and making best use of National Health Service capacity to cut waiting times. The Government has committed, in the Elective Reform Plan, to focussed action to reduce missed appointments, including enhancing two-way communication between hospitals and patients, and to use artificial intelligence to predict who will miss appointments, to save up to one million missed appointments. NHS England continues to support the validation of waiting lists, as part of the Government's plans for a more productive and improved approach to elective care which is better for patients. Effective validation helps trusts to understand the true size of their waiting list for better planning and can help avoid missed appointments to reduce overall waiting times.

Locally, trusts are also using data‑led approaches to prioritise proactive appointment reminders, making greater use of the NHS App and patient portals, and targeting specialties with higher non‑attendance rates through outpatient improvement work.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding is being allocated to upgrade legacy IT systems in a) the NHS b) individual integrated care boards and c) local authorities responsible for delivering adult social care services.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England invests approximately £1 billion per year centrally to operate, support, and upgrade nationally managed technology systems, including the NHS App and core data services.

In addition, over the current Spending Review period, NHS England plans to invest approximately £2 billion with care provider organisations through the Frontline Productivity Programme, supporting the use of technology to improve productivity and make better use of existing digital infrastructure. This includes targeted investment where providers choose to converge on common platforms to support local system working and the priorities of the 10‑Year Health Plan.

Funding allocations for technology investment by individual integrated care boards and local systems will be determined by NHS England regions and systems in due course, in line with local priorities and national guidance.

We have no funding allocated specifically to local authorities to update their legacy social care systems, and responsibility for procuring and updating their own systems lies with them.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England and Integrated Care Board commissioners on the (a) fairness and (b) transparency of Indicative Activity Plans.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Indicative Activity Plans (IAPs) are non-binding, forecasted schedules under the NHS Standard Contract that define expected service volumes between commissioners for integrated care boards (ICBs) and providers. In setting these volumes, ICBs and providers are responsible for ensuring they do so with fairness and transparency.

ICBs have contractual powers to manage activity by providers, which were enhanced in 2025/26 with central support for setting and managing activity. The NHS Standard Contract includes the ability to set IAPs to help providers and commissioners plan demand, capacity, and expenditure. While not binding, if activity exceeds, or falls short of the agreed plan, and therefore the funding agreed, an Activity Management Plan can be agreed to bring activity back in line.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on proposals to reduce reliance on resident doctors in response to industrial action.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government has committed to create a new model of care, fit for the future. In spring we will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver that transformed service.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan has been developed and is informed by regular discussions with NHS England and will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate changes for different professional groups.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an estimate of the number of NHS appointments and procedures postponed due to the resident doctors’ strike beginning on 7 April 2026.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England routinely publishes information on postponed inpatient and outpatient appointments during periods of industrial action, and this information will be published in due course. Further information will be available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/preparedness-for-potential-industrial-action-in-the-nhs/#heading-3

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on improving the recognition of overseas qualifications and reducing barriers to employment in the NHS.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The statutory regulation of healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom is designed to protect patients and the public by ensuring that registered practitioners are appropriately trained, competent, and fit to practise.

The UK’s healthcare professional regulators are independent bodies responsible for setting standards of education, training, and professional conduct. They are also responsible for setting registration routes, including for overseas‑qualified applicants, to ensure UK standards of safe and effective practice are met. Only those who meet these requirements can legally practise in regulated healthcare professions.

National Health Service employers are responsible for ensuring that individuals appointed to specific roles meet the requirements of those posts in line with service needs, patient safety requirements, and relevant NHS frameworks.

The Government is committed to maintaining robust regulatory frameworks that support public safety, professional standards, and confidence in the healthcare system. Through its programme of regulatory reform, the Government will bring forward legislation to modernise the legislative frameworks of the regulators to ensure that they have the powers they require to protect the public while supporting an effective and flexible workforce. In the meantime, we continue to engage with regulators to support the effective use of their existing powers and frameworks to facilitate efficient registration pathways for both UK and overseas‑qualified applicants, consistent with public protection.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how the Government will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of regulatory and accreditation barriers on the level of NHS workforce.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The statutory regulation of healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom is designed to protect patients and the public by ensuring that registered practitioners are appropriately trained, competent, and fit to practise.

The UK’s healthcare professional regulators are independent bodies responsible for setting standards of education, training, and professional conduct. They are also responsible for setting registration routes, including for overseas‑qualified applicants, to ensure UK standards of safe and effective practice are met. Only those who meet these requirements can legally practise in regulated healthcare professions.

National Health Service employers are responsible for ensuring that individuals appointed to specific roles meet the requirements of those posts in line with service needs, patient safety requirements, and relevant NHS frameworks.

The Government is committed to maintaining robust regulatory frameworks that support public safety, professional standards, and confidence in the healthcare system. Through its programme of regulatory reform, the Government will bring forward legislation to modernise the legislative frameworks of the regulators to ensure that they have the powers they require to protect the public while supporting an effective and flexible workforce. In the meantime, we continue to engage with regulators to support the effective use of their existing powers and frameworks to facilitate efficient registration pathways for both UK and overseas‑qualified applicants, consistent with public protection.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how the Government will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help (a) reduce regional disparities in access in access to left atrial appendage closure and (b) the potential impact of such disparities on Yeovil constituents.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has not undertaken a formal national assessment of regional variation in access to left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO).

LAAO is a prescribed specialised service and is commissioned in accordance with NHS England’s published national clinical commissioning policy, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/clinical-commissioning-policy-left-atrial-appendage-occlusion-for-patients-with-atrial-fibrillation-and-relative-or-absolute-contraindications-to-anticoagulation-adults/

NHS England’s regional specialised commissioners and integrated care boards are responsible for the monitoring of activity, the reviewing of equity of access for their populations, and for addressing variation through local oversight and clinical networks.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish departmental spending data for the financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25 on (a) non-NHS entities part of the NHS Workforce Alliance; (b) providing consultancy and advice; (c) providing advice on managing agency supply; and (d) providing data analysis.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold the information requested.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish spending data for the financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25 on approved non-NHS entities providing NHS patient care as part of the Insourced Services framework.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold the information requested.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the final report of the Independent Review into Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism will assess whether framing rising diagnostic rates primarily as a demand management problem may compound existing inequalities in neurodevelopmental identification and support.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Independent Review into Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism is examining changes in population prevalence, levels of psychological distress, recorded diagnosis and referral, and perceived need for support. A key aim of the review is to understand how these relate to one another. The review is also considering how current support systems work in practice. This includes whether diagnosis has too often become the only gateway to help, and how earlier intervention and preventative support are best offered within and beyond the National Health Service. The review is independent of the Government, and it is for the chair and vice chairs to determine the specific issues the review considers.

The review’s interim report, published at the end of March, sets out the evidence reviewed so far on prevalence, describes the impact of rising demand for diagnosis and support, identifies where the evidence is uncertain, and outlines the key questions for the next phase. It does not offer final conclusions or recommendations.

The final report, due in the summer, will make recommendations on how the Government, the health system, and wider public services can respond to increasing demand for support more fairly and effectively so that people receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place.

A central concern of the review is that access to recognition, diagnosis, and support is uneven. The next phase will examine inequalities in prevalence, diagnosis, support, and outcomes in more detail, including variation by ethnicity, age, sex, deprivation, and other characteristics.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the interim report of the Independent Review into Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism, published on 31 March, whether the final report of the Review will address the evidence on Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and the neurodevelopmental consequences of prenatal exposure to alcohol and other substances, including the misidentification of these conditions as ADHD or autism; and if not, why not.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Independent Review into Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism is examining changes in population prevalence, levels of psychological distress, recorded diagnosis and referral, and perceived need for support. A key aim of the review is to understand how these relate to one another. The review is also considering how current support systems work in practice. This includes whether diagnosis has too often become the only gateway to help, and how earlier intervention and preventative support are best offered within and beyond the National Health Service. The review is independent of the Government, and it is for the chair and vice chairs to determine the specific issues the review considers.

The review’s interim report, published at the end of March, sets out the evidence reviewed so far on prevalence, describes the impact of rising demand for diagnosis and support, identifies where the evidence is uncertain, and outlines the key questions for the next phase. It does not offer final conclusions or recommendations.

The final report, due in the summer, will make recommendations on how the Government, the health system, and wider public services can respond to increasing demand for support more fairly and effectively so that people receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place.

A central concern of the review is that access to recognition, diagnosis, and support is uneven. The next phase will examine inequalities in prevalence, diagnosis, support, and outcomes in more detail, including variation by ethnicity, age, sex, deprivation, and other characteristics.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the interim report of the Independent Review into Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism, published on 31 March, what steps they are taking to ensure that the final report addresses race as a structural determinant of neurodevelopmental diagnosis and access to support, as distinct from ethnicity as a self-reported cultural category.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Independent Review into Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism is examining changes in population prevalence, levels of psychological distress, recorded diagnosis and referral, and perceived need for support. A key aim of the review is to understand how these relate to one another. The review is also considering how current support systems work in practice. This includes whether diagnosis has too often become the only gateway to help, and how earlier intervention and preventative support are best offered within and beyond the National Health Service. The review is independent of the Government, and it is for the chair and vice chairs to determine the specific issues the review considers.

The review’s interim report, published at the end of March, sets out the evidence reviewed so far on prevalence, describes the impact of rising demand for diagnosis and support, identifies where the evidence is uncertain, and outlines the key questions for the next phase. It does not offer final conclusions or recommendations.

The final report, due in the summer, will make recommendations on how the Government, the health system, and wider public services can respond to increasing demand for support more fairly and effectively so that people receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place.

A central concern of the review is that access to recognition, diagnosis, and support is uneven. The next phase will examine inequalities in prevalence, diagnosis, support, and outcomes in more detail, including variation by ethnicity, age, sex, deprivation, and other characteristics.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the final report of the Independent Review into Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism examines the relationship between neurodevelopmental under-identification and long-term disengagement from education and employment.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Young People and Work independent investigation, led by Alan Milburn, considers the drivers of the rise in young people who are out of employment, education, and training (NEET). Increased reporting of ill health as a primary reason for being NEET among young people since 2015 is driven primarily by mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions.

The Independent Review into Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism has been investigating changes in the diagnosis of these conditions and will be cross-referenced in the forthcoming first report of the Young People and Work review. The two reviews will need to continue to work together to consider the effects of under-diagnosis on employment and educational outcomes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will undertake a review of eligibility criteria for non-emergency patient transport services; and if he will make it his policy to expand eligibility to include transport of patients receiving haemodialysis to dialysis or transplant assessment and follow-up appointments when those services are not commissioned locally.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Non-Emergency Patient Transport Schemes (NEPTS) often provide funded transport where a medical condition means that a patient would struggle to safely attend their treatment independently.  NEPTS can be provided by ambulance trusts or other providers depending on local arrangements.

In May 2022, NHS England set out eligibility criteria, which includes disability criteria, available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/B1244-nepts-eligibility-criteria.pdf

NHS England has worked closely with a range of kidney patient groups, renal professionals, integrated care boards (ICBs), and other stakeholders to develop a dialysis transport support framework which has been made directly available to ICBs. The 2022 updates to the eligibility criteria included where patients are travelling to or returning from in-centre haemodialysis, in which case specialist transport, non-specialist transport, or upfront/reimbursement costs for private travel will be made available.

NEPTS in England is an operational matter for the National Health Service, and how the NEPTS guidance is implemented at a local level is determined by ICBs and their partners, including local ambulance trusts. There are no current plans to update the eligibility criteria further.

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Found: capacity of this workforce and implore the Department for Education to work with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Transfer to Welsh Government for Economic Inactivity Trailblazers-8=C31+D31(Section A) Transfer to DHSC

Found: This year we are already: • Working with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to

Found: The UEC plan for 2025/26 (DHSC, 2025) seems to be having a partial but real impact, with the clearest

Found: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/additional-actions-to-virtually- eliminate-corridor-care/ 9 DHSC

Found: College of Paramedics has provided detailed evidence and proposed solutions to the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Cover Transfer (MHCLG) relating to Creative Places Growth-24.575-24.575-16.667Budget Cover Transfer (DHSC

Found: In parallel, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) should commission an immediate audit of

Found: NHS England and DHSC should adopt a capital quality assessment framework at procurement level — scoring

Found: (DHSC) BCT Out to DHSC - Healthy food scheme - Fruit and Veg 0.0 (9.0) (

Found: with digital technology suppliers HC 640 26th Tackling Violence against Women and Girls HC 644 25th DHSC

Found: With the absorption of NHS England into the Department of Health and Social Care, DHSC should lead the

Found: Recommendations: For Government / Department of Health and Social Care: 1.

Found: release of medical colleagues for the purposes for carrying out work for the wider health system, DHSC

Found: Vaccine Launch Pad: https://www.england.nhs.uk/cancer/nhs-cancer-vaccine- launch-pad/ v Department of Health and Social Care

Found: critical that the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology work with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: infrastructure replacement, maintenance, critical safety and the wider Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC

Found: abolition of NHS England and re- Date April 28, 2026 Page 01 | integration into the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: were made concrete, but this should not be read as blanket permission.[5][6] ● 1.10 By end 2026, DHSC

Found: genomic tests in 2025, including over 40,000 whole genome equivalents. [7][10]Key recommendations ● DHSC

Found: We engaged with ministers and co-hosted a roundtable with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: legislation that is owned by the Home Office as well as some that is led by the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Development Office Chair, Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research (Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero DfE Department for Education DfT Department for Transport DHSC

Found: The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) organises and attends a number of regular meetings with

Found: with digital technology suppliers HC 640 26th Tackling Violence against Women and Girls HC 644 25th DHSC

Found: One question DHSC has entirely 1 Page 9 of the consultation 2 If we were writing this later in the summer

Found: www.parliament.uk/lords Baroness Merron Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Department of Health and Social Care

Found: of the Home Office, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Department of Health and Social Care

Found: the moment I think the ammonia issue is very much within DEFRA, but if we had the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: health effects studies, and I have been an adviser to DEFRA and its predecessor Departments and to DHSC

Found: cross-departmental collaboration between the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: Aligning NEET responsibilities across DfE–DWP–DHSC This mirrors the view that fragmentation and variable

Found: for the new hospitals ranges from 1% to 34%, an average increase of 12%.40 34 Q 47 35 Letter from DHSC

Found: Fund, jointly governed by the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: As the Chief Medical Officer (Department of Health and Social Care and MoJ, 2025) identifies: ‘a core

Found: central co-ordination is probably going to be a conclusion when the covid inquiry comes out, with DHSC

Found: the education and training that is eventually commissioned and contracted by the 9 Department of Health and Social Care

Found: My research is funded by the NIHR, which is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Found: We heard from the DHSC and NHS England that it is in development and these ancillary services such

Found: We have not seen any kind of workforce plan from DHSC to try to support this.

Found: We have not seen any kind of workforce plan from DHSC to try to support this.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the salary of the DHSC Permanent Secretary was approved by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The salary for the DHSC Permanent Secretary was approved as per the rules outlined in the senior pay guidance.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to item 105 of the letter sent from Lord Strathclyde, Chair of the Constitution Committee to Stephen Doughty MP, Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories regarding the UK-Overseas Joint Declaration, published 17 April 2026, which Ministers have (a) designated responsibility for Overseas Territories matters and (b) attend the cross-governmental Ministerial group on the Territories by Department.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Ministers who currently hold designated responsibility for Overseas Territories matters are: the Cabinet Office Minister of State; Economic Secretary to the Treasury; Ministry of Justice Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sentencing, Youth Justice and International; Home Office Minister of State (House of Lords); Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Climate); Ministry of Defence Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for the Armed Forces); Department of Business and Trade Minister of State (Minister for Trade); Department for Culture Media and Sport Minister of State (Minister for Creative Industries, Media and Arts); Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Minister of State (Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear); Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Nature); Department of Health and Social Care Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation and Safety; Department for Transport Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation); Solicitor General; Department for Education Minister of State (Minister for Skills); Secretary of State for Scotland and one of the Wales Office Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State.

All these Ministers are invited to attend the cross-governmental Ministerial Group on the Overseas Territories.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the potential impact of climate change-driven food inflation on food security.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is taking action to reduce this impact and support the continued production and supply of food for UK citizens. For example, we are actively implementing the third National Adaptation Programme which sets out a range of measures to improve resilience and adaptation to climate change across the food supply and farming sector.

Defra works across Government to improve understanding of the drivers of food prices and their impact on households. This includes analysis of food inflation trends, engagement with industry to improve transparency where possible, and close collaboration with HM Treasury, the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health and Social Care to mitigate cost pressures on consumers, particularly those most affected by the cost of living. Defra also works to reduce unnecessary regulatory costs that can feed through to consumer prices.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of climate change on food prices.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra works across Government to improve understanding of the drivers of food prices and their impact on households. This includes analysis of food inflation trends, engagement with industry to improve transparency where possible, and close collaboration with HM Treasury, DBT, DWP and DHSC to mitigate cost pressures on consumers, particularly those most affected by the cost of living.

Defra is implementing the third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3), which sets out a range of measures to improve resilience and adaptation to climate change across the food supply and farming sector.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had recent discussions with Ofgem regarding the adequacy of the support offered by energy companies to people living with brain injuries, including conditions such as aphasia, and registered on the Priority Services Register.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with the industry regulator Ofgem on a range of issues.

DESNZ is working closely with other Government Departments, including the Department of Health and Social Care, on the National Data Library household income ‘Kickstarter’ project to test how public sector data can be better joined up to improve access to government programmes. This will pave the way for better targeted help, ensuring those who are struggling to pay their bills get the support they need.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of developing a joint workforce plan with the Department for Health and Social Care to support sustainability of Experts at Hand service.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms, including delivery of the Experts at Hand offer, strengthening joint workforce planning and commissioning at a local level between education and health partners.

We are investing around £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and integrated care boards to develop a new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer, strengthening mainstream education through access to health and specialist education support.

To support delivery, we are investing over £40 million in the specialist workforce, including £26 million to increase educational psychologists and £15 million to grow the speech and language therapy workforce.

Local area partnerships will develop and deliver their own Experts at Hand, tailored to local population needs and supported by strong national oversight. The government will set the overall framework, provide guidance and tools, and work closely with local areas to ensure consistent quality.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is responsible for reforming the regulation of funeral directors.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones

The Department of Health and Social Care will lead on co-ordinating cross‑government work to raise standards in relation to the care and treatment of the deceased, supported by the Department of Business and Trade, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to improve enforcement against (a) people and (b) businesses supplying nitrous oxide unlawfully.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Nitrous oxide has been controlled as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 since 2023. It is an offence to produce, supply, possess or import nitrous oxide, regardless of canister size, except for activities explicitly exempt under the 1971 Act.

Under the 1971 Act, nitrous oxide carries penalties of up to two years’ imprisonment for illicit possession and up to 14 years for illicit supply. Exemptions for legitimate use are applicable where there is no intention of wrongful inhalation. The police and other law enforcement agencies are operationally independent, but we expect them to prioritise resources towards tackling crime, including drug related crime.

The Government also works to reduce harm through public information campaigns, including the 'Talk to FRANK' website. The Home Office works closely with the Department of Health and Social Care ('DHSC') to promote awareness. DHSC have worked with the PSHE Association to develop lesson plans on drugs, alcohol and tobacco which include specific references to the dangers of nitrous oxide. Data shows that recreational use of nitrous oxide among 16 to 24‑year‑olds has fallen to its lowest level since records began.

Online sale of illegal drugs is further addressed through the Online Safety Act 2023. Under the 2023 Act, Ofcom can audit systems, require remedial action, and impose strong penalties on companies who fail to address criminality on their platforms - including fines of up to £18m or 10% of global turnover.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to establish joint commissioning arrangements between the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care to ensure that there are a sufficient number of occupational therapists to deliver the Experts at Hand SEND service set out in the Every child achieving and thriving white paper.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to support the delivery of the Experts at Hand offer, strengthening joint planning and commissioning at a local level between education and health partners.

Over the next three years, £1.8 billion will be made available to local area partnerships to develop and roll out the Experts at Hand offer.

Local area partnerships will design and implement their own Experts at Hand models, tailored to local population needs, existing workforce capacity, and the specific challenges each area faces. As a result, workforce requirements, including for occupational therapists, will vary across the country.

The department recognises that continuing to build the occupational therapy workforce pipeline is essential and is working with DHSC and NHS England to support workforce planning and improve access to community health services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, including occupational therapy input, as part of longer‑term system planning, including through the development of the NHS England 10‑year workforce plan.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2025, to Question 52906, on Department of Health and Social Care: Permanent Secretaries, what was the benchmark used to set the salary of the new DHSC Permanent Secretary.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The salary of the DHSC Permanent Secretary was approved in line with the senior pay control process.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the closure of Rutherford Health facilities on local businesses and levels of employment.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the impact of the closure of Rutherford Health facilities on local businesses. Responsibility for healthcare service provision sits with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS bodies.

The Government’s priority is to ensure that affected workers are supported, and the Department for Work and Pensions stands ready to provide assistance through Jobcentre Plus and its Rapid Response Service where required. The Government continues to work with local partners to understand and mitigate any wider impacts on employment in affected areas.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has the Department made of the potential merits of funeral directors becoming a a) licensable or b) inspectable activity under existing environmental health frameworks.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government offers its deepest sympathies to all those affected by the events referred to in these questions.

Local authorities are independent employers, responsible for the recruitment and management of Environmental Health Officers to fulfil their statutory obligations. Environmental Health Officers have no statutory role relating to funeral homes.

The Department has not made an assessment or collected data on regulatory gaps, environmental health standards, or the merits of inspection relating to funeral directors, but are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) who are leading the government response to the Fuller Inquiry. An interim update on the Inquiry’s Phase 2 recommendations was published in December 2025, and DHSC has committed to publishing the Government’s full response in summer 2026. That response will set out the Government’s position on any potential future changes to oversight or regulation of the funeral sector.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has the department made of the adequacy of environmental health inspections with regard to the case of Elkin & Bell Funeral Directors, Portsmouth Crown Court 2026.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government offers its deepest sympathies to all those affected by the events referred to in these questions.

Local authorities are independent employers, responsible for the recruitment and management of Environmental Health Officers to fulfil their statutory obligations. Environmental Health Officers have no statutory role relating to funeral homes.

The Department has not made an assessment or collected data on regulatory gaps, environmental health standards, or the merits of inspection relating to funeral directors, but are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) who are leading the government response to the Fuller Inquiry. An interim update on the Inquiry’s Phase 2 recommendations was published in December 2025, and DHSC has committed to publishing the Government’s full response in summer 2026. That response will set out the Government’s position on any potential future changes to oversight or regulation of the funeral sector.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what data does the department collect on environmental health breaches associated with a) poor hygiene, b) storage of bodies or c) handling practices in funeral premises.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government offers its deepest sympathies to all those affected by the events referred to in these questions.

Local authorities are independent employers, responsible for the recruitment and management of Environmental Health Officers to fulfil their statutory obligations. Environmental Health Officers have no statutory role relating to funeral homes.

The Department has not made an assessment or collected data on regulatory gaps, environmental health standards, or the merits of inspection relating to funeral directors, but are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) who are leading the government response to the Fuller Inquiry. An interim update on the Inquiry’s Phase 2 recommendations was published in December 2025, and DHSC has committed to publishing the Government’s full response in summer 2026. That response will set out the Government’s position on any potential future changes to oversight or regulation of the funeral sector.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has the department made of possible regulatory gaps concerning funeral directors with particular regard to a) environmental health and b) public safety.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government offers its deepest sympathies to all those affected by the events referred to in these questions.

Local authorities are independent employers, responsible for the recruitment and management of Environmental Health Officers to fulfil their statutory obligations. Environmental Health Officers have no statutory role relating to funeral homes.

The Department has not made an assessment or collected data on regulatory gaps, environmental health standards, or the merits of inspection relating to funeral directors, but are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) who are leading the government response to the Fuller Inquiry. An interim update on the Inquiry’s Phase 2 recommendations was published in December 2025, and DHSC has committed to publishing the Government’s full response in summer 2026. That response will set out the Government’s position on any potential future changes to oversight or regulation of the funeral sector.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of standards of environmental health particular to funeral directors as settings which could impact public health.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government offers its deepest sympathies to all those affected by the events referred to in these questions.

Local authorities are independent employers, responsible for the recruitment and management of Environmental Health Officers to fulfil their statutory obligations. Environmental Health Officers have no statutory role relating to funeral homes.

The Department has not made an assessment or collected data on regulatory gaps, environmental health standards, or the merits of inspection relating to funeral directors, but are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) who are leading the government response to the Fuller Inquiry. An interim update on the Inquiry’s Phase 2 recommendations was published in December 2025, and DHSC has committed to publishing the Government’s full response in summer 2026. That response will set out the Government’s position on any potential future changes to oversight or regulation of the funeral sector.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder on SEND provision.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government is prioritising early, local support for families by strengthening family services and access to high quality early education for children with additional needs. Officials from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education are working together through the 10 Year Health Plan, Best Start Family Hubs, Healthy Babies and neighbourhood health. New clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment released in November includes guidance on supporting mothers to reduce alcohol use to improve maternal outcomes.

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