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 integration between (a) NHS services and (b) social care provision in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

The Department is committed to improving integration between health and social care services nationally and locally. Our vision for neighbourhood health will see local government and the National Health Service working more closely together, with a revitalised role for health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) and reform of the Better Care Fund (BCF).

Through the BCF, around £9 billion is being invested in 2025/26 to enable NHS bodies and local authorities to pool budgets and deliver joined-up care. This includes setting shared goals to reduce delayed discharges, avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, and support people to live independently at home.

Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the impact of closer NHS-social care integration on reducing hospital discharge delays in Surrey Heath constituency, local HWBs are required to agree plans under the BCF framework to provide timely and coordinated support for people with complex needs. These plans prioritise effective discharge from hospital and recovery in the community.

Starting in the financial year 2026/27, we will reform the BCF to provide a sharper focus on ensuring consistent joint NHS and local authority funding for those services that are essential for integrated health and social care, such as hospital discharge, intermediate care, rehabilitation and reablement. We will set out further details in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether access metrics will be reviewed to ensure they support relationship-based care.

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

This Government values continuity in general practice (GP) and there is an incentive to identify those who would benefit from continuity in the GP contract, but this isn't inconsistent with efforts to improve access, such as via the 24 hour access target where urgent treatment is required.

We are investing an additional £1.1 billion in general practice to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest cash increase in over a decade. The 8.9% boost to the GP contract in 2025/26 is greater than the 5.8% growth to the NHS budget as a whole.

Over ten million more GP appointments have been delivered in the 12 months to September 2025 compared to the same period last year, building capacity for continuity of care and improving access so that patients can be seen when they need to be in primary care.

In the 2025/26 GP contract, a new domain was introduced into the Capacity and Access Improvement Payment which incentivises primary care networks to risk stratify their patients in accordance with need including to identify those that would benefit most from continuity of care.

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 commissioning model for adult social care.

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

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care.

The Care Quality Commission is assessing how local authorities in England are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including those related to commissioning. The assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has met with Kidney Research UK campaigners to discuss potential improvements for the treatment of kidney disease.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department and NHS England regularly engage with Kidney Research UK and other experts to consider potential improvements around prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney disease.

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 whether Trading Standards services currently have sufficient a) staffing, b) technical capability, and c) funding to enforce the new i) registration and ii) testing regime for vaping products proposed in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill from the point of commencement.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In 2025/26, we are investing £30 million of new funding for enforcement agencies, including Trading Standards, Border Force, and HM Revenue and Customs, to tackle the illicit and underage sale of tobacco and vapes and help enforce the law. As part of this, the Government is investing £10 million of new funding in 2025/26 in Trading Standards. This funding is being used to boost the Trading Standards workforce by hiring 94 new apprentices across England. This will build a workforce tailored to our requirements and increase Trading Standards’ capacity to enforce the new measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Once established, the new product registration system will support enforcement agencies, giving Trading Standards better information to help them remove non-compliant products from the shelves quickly and efficiently. This will also give retailers greater confidence that the products they stock and sell are lawful.

We launched a call for evidence in October 2025 which sought further detail on the existing product notification schemes and where registration could go further than current requirements, including testing requirements and fees. The call for evidence closed on 3 December 2025, and we are in the process of analysing the responses. We will consult on policy proposals based on the evidence provided in due course.

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 the a) registration scheme and b) testing regime enabled by the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be applied effectively to i) online and ii) distance sales of vaping products, including those supplied by overseas sellers.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The future registration scheme will apply to all products sold in the United Kingdom, including distance sales and those sold online, regardless of their origin. The scheme will be designed to ensure the highest level of consumer safety and to reassure retailers that they are selling legitimate products. This will support enforcement and build an evidence base on the types of products entering the UK market.

The details of the registration scheme and testing requirements will be subject to consultation. We launched a call for evidence in October 2025 which sought further detail on the existing product notification schemes and where registration could go further than current requirements, including testing requirements. The call for evidence closed on 3 December 2025, and we are in the process of analysing the responses. We will consult on policy proposals based on the evidence provided in due course.

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 Cabinet colleagues to ensure that enforcement against non-compliant vaping products will be effectively coordinated once the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is enacted.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Officials in the Department of Health and Social Care regularly meet with officials from other departments, including HM Treasury, HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, the Office for Product Safety and Standards, Border Force, and the Home Office, as well as National Trading Standards, to share intelligence and ensure a coordinated approach to the enforcement of our rules on vaping products. This coordinated approach to enforcement will continue once the Tobacco and Vapes Bill becomes law.

Furthermore, in 2025/26, we are investing £30 million of new funding in total for enforcement agencies including Trading Standards, Border Force, and HM Revenue and Customs, to tackle the illicit and underage sale of tobacco and vapes, and to help enforce the law. As part of this, the Government is investing £10 million of new funding in 2025/26 in Trading Standards. This funding is being used to boost the Trading Standards workforce by hiring 94 apprentices across England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department have taken to improve the health outcomes for patients being treated with kidney disease.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has established a renal Clinical Reference Group to deliver change across the NHS to accelerate improvements in diagnosis and treatment for people living with kidney disease.

NHS England’s regional renal clinical networks, of which there are eight commissioned across England, have established workstreams. These workstreams work with commissioned providers to develop transformation programmes, to reduce the number of patients progressing through the stages of chronic kidney disease, supporting improved patient outcomes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department have taken to help encourage earlier diagnosis of kidney disease.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has established a renal Clinical Reference Group to deliver change across the NHS to accelerate improvements in diagnosis and treatment for people living with kidney disease.

NHS England’s regional renal clinical networks, of which there are eight commissioned across England, have established workstreams. These workstreams work with commissioned providers to develop transformation programmes, to reduce the number of patients progressing through the stages of chronic kidney disease, supporting improved patient outcomes.

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 the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of kidney disease.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has established a renal Clinical Reference Group to deliver change across the NHS to accelerate improvements in diagnosis and treatment for people living with kidney disease.

NHS England’s regional renal clinical networks, of which there are eight commissioned across England, have established workstreams. These workstreams work with commissioned providers to develop transformation programmes, to reduce the number of patients progressing through the stages of chronic kidney disease, supporting improved patient outcomes.

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 a) all women who are eligible take up breast screening in West Sussex and b) his Department tracks and follows up on non-attendance appointments.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

All eligible individuals, including in East and West Sussex, are given a timed appointment to attend the screening location closest to their registered general practice address, with the option to change the appointment time or location given by contacting the service. Research has shown that timed appointments are more effective in encouraging attendance. The service sends text reminders two and seven days before appointments.

Should an individual not attend their appointment, they are automatically given a new timed appointment at the same location and the same text reminder process occurs. If the individual does not attend the second timed appointment, they are offered an open invitation. This means that the individual can contact the service to book their own appointment. Since implementation of text reminders, the service has seen an improvement in appointment attendance, in line with expectations based on research.

Regular “do not attend” audits are undertaken by the service. The processes involved with these audits help identify any common rationales for non-attendance that can inform service improvement strategies.

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 (a) ensure all women who are eligible take up breast screening in East Sussex and (b) track and follow up on non-attendance appointments.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

All eligible individuals, including in East and West Sussex, are given a timed appointment to attend the screening location closest to their registered general practice address, with the option to change the appointment time or location given by contacting the service. Research has shown that timed appointments are more effective in encouraging attendance. The service sends text reminders two and seven days before appointments.

Should an individual not attend their appointment, they are automatically given a new timed appointment at the same location and the same text reminder process occurs. If the individual does not attend the second timed appointment, they are offered an open invitation. This means that the individual can contact the service to book their own appointment. Since implementation of text reminders, the service has seen an improvement in appointment attendance, in line with expectations based on research.

Regular “do not attend” audits are undertaken by the service. The processes involved with these audits help identify any common rationales for non-attendance that can inform service improvement strategies.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what targeted interventions are in place to increase physical activity among adults in constituencies such as South Basildon and East Thurrock with below-average participation rates.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department produces local authority estimates of physical activity among adults aged 19 years old and over. Data is not available for parliamentary constituencies. The following table shows the proportion of physically active adults, those aged 19 years old and over, for the Thurrock and Basildon local authority districts, as well as for England, for the last two years where data is available:

The comparisons between the local authority and England estimates take into account the confidence intervals around each estimate. The confidence interval gives a range of values in which the true value is likely to lie if data was available for all adult residents rather than just the sample who took part in the survey. If the confidence intervals do not overlap, then the values are considered to be different and can be described as “higher” or “lower”. If the confidence intervals do overlap, then the values are described as “similar”.

Information on the interventions to increase physical activity among adults in these areas can be found in the Active Essex: Find Your Active Lifestyle partnership and their ‘Fit for the future’ 10 year strategy, from 2021 to 2031, as well as the implementation plan for 2025/26, which includes additional support to six key areas, including Basildon and Thurrock, focusing on reducing inequalities for residents facing the greatest barriers to physical activity and sport. Further information on the Active Essex: Find Your Active Lifestyle partnership and their ‘Fit for the future’ 10 year strategy is avaiable, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.activeessex.org/

https://www.activeessex.org/about-us/our-strategy/

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 levels of physical activity among adults in South Basildon and East Thurrock compared with national averages.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department produces local authority estimates of physical activity among adults aged 19 years old and over. Data is not available for parliamentary constituencies. The following table shows the proportion of physically active adults, those aged 19 years old and over, for the Thurrock and Basildon local authority districts, as well as for England, for the last two years where data is available:

The comparisons between the local authority and England estimates take into account the confidence intervals around each estimate. The confidence interval gives a range of values in which the true value is likely to lie if data was available for all adult residents rather than just the sample who took part in the survey. If the confidence intervals do not overlap, then the values are considered to be different and can be described as “higher” or “lower”. If the confidence intervals do overlap, then the values are described as “similar”.

Information on the interventions to increase physical activity among adults in these areas can be found in the Active Essex: Find Your Active Lifestyle partnership and their ‘Fit for the future’ 10 year strategy, from 2021 to 2031, as well as the implementation plan for 2025/26, which includes additional support to six key areas, including Basildon and Thurrock, focusing on reducing inequalities for residents facing the greatest barriers to physical activity and sport. Further information on the Active Essex: Find Your Active Lifestyle partnership and their ‘Fit for the future’ 10 year strategy is avaiable, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.activeessex.org/

https://www.activeessex.org/about-us/our-strategy/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department provides to Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust in Chelmsford to meet cancer waiting times and ensure people with cancer receive timely care.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Improving cancer waiting times for patients is a high priority for the Government.

We are seeking to achieve this goal through the increased use of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) which will increase the available capacity and bring healthcare closer to the community. CDCs are now delivering additional tests and checks on 170 sites across the country, with 103 of these being open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, offering at least one test in expanded hours, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around their busy working lives.

The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is the local provider for cancer services in Chelmsford, has been awarded funding for a replacement radiotherapy machine.

The National Cancer Plan, which is due to be published soon, will set out how we will increase performance against our standards, speed up diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately provide better outcomes for cancer patients. It will ensure patients, including those in Chelmsford, have access to the latest treatments and technology and improve patient experience and outcomes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England will take to ensure Integrated Care Boards comply with Regulation 6(4) of the NHS (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013, particularly where chemist premises are removed following a consolidation application, but no Supplementary Statement is publicly published to confirm that the relevant Health and Wellbeing Board is satisfied that no gap in service provision was created.

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

If two pharmacies are consolidated onto one site, the relevant Local Authority Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) must publish a supplementary statement to their Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment if, in their view, the consolidation has not created a gap in service provision. This requirement is set out in Regulation 6(4) of the NHS (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013. Whilst it is not the responsibility of NHS England to ensure HWBs comply with this requirement, integrated care boards (ICBs) must seek assurance that a closure of a pharmacy would not create a gap when considering consolidation applications. This includes seeking the view of the HWB. Any representations received from the HWB are considered when reviewing an application from a contractor to open a pharmacy in the area. NHS England oversees the performance of ICBs through the NHS Oversight Framework 2025/26 and the Strategic Commissioning Framework.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of co-designing adult social care to meet community needs.

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

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning social care. As part of this, local authorities should pursue the principle that market shaping and commissioning should be shared endeavours, with commissioners working alongside people with care and support needs, carers, family members, care providers, representatives of care workers, relevant voluntary, user and other support organisations, and the public to find shared and agreed solutions.

To support this aim, the Department funds Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) as part of its national improvement and support offer to the sector. Co-design of services is facilitated by local adoption of TLAP’s ‘Making it Real’ framework and principles, which ensure that people who draw on care and support are involved in shaping services. TLAP also helps with practical models of self-directed support and advice on the personalisation of services to areas that request it.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dentists are on the NHS register that specialise in treating children with special needs.

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

Community dental services (CDS) are commissioned on a local basis by integrated care boards and provide care to adults and children who may have difficulty accessing high street dental services due to their social, medical, or dental needs. This may include children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

NHS England published findings from its December 2024 dental workforce data collection on 17 July 2025, including a community dental subset. Approximately 640 dentists working within CDS services in England submitted a return. However, not all CDS provision is covered by the General Dental Services contracts or Personal Dental Services agreements in scope of the data collection. Consequently, this does not constitute a full picture of staff providing CDS in the National Health Service in England.

Children and young people with SEND may not require care in CDS and some will instead be seen in high street dental practices.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will extend Business Rates reimbursements to Community Pharmacies.

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

In the 2025 Autumn Budget, the Government took the hard choices to protect the National Health Service in England and continue prioritising reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion support package.

This year, we have also increased funding to community pharmacies to almost £3.1 billion, the largest uplift in funding for any part of the NHS across 2024/25 and 2025/26.

The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the places intended to be filled by the Government's Golden Hello Scheme for NHS dentists have been, and what work the Government will be doing with local ICBs to ensure that they hit more of their targets.

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

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are continuing to recruit dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. The scheme offers a £20,000 recruitment incentive payment to dentists to work in those areas that need them most. The scheme remains a national priority.

Golden Hello data will be published this year and will consist of data showing the regional distribution of the original allocation of posts and the number of posts recruited to at both a national and regional level.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS dentists per capita are there in England; and how many there were in January 2021.

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

In 2024/25, there were 41.9 dentists per 100,000 people in England who performed some National Health Service work. This equates to 0.00042 dentists per person, or per capita. For January 2021, there were 42.1 dentists per 100,000 people who performed some NHS work, which also rounds to 0.00042 dentists per person, or per capita.

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 disparities in physical activity levels within individual constituencies, and how these disparities are addressed in national health policy.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data on the percentage of physically active adults is published in the Public Health Outcomes Framework. The data is not published at constituency level, but rather at a national level and for local authorities. Further information is available at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework/data

As committed to in the 10-Year Health Plan, we aim to address physically inactivity and help build movement into everyday lives through investing in grassroots sports, developing a new Physical Education and school sports partnership network to support children to reap the benefits of movement, and supporting cycling and walking infrastructure.

The NHS Better Health Campaign promotes ways for people of all ages to move more, and signposts to digital support like the NHS Couch to 5k and the NHS Active 10 walking app, providing free and accessible ways of building movement into everyday life.

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 public is aware of the safe upper limit for daily vitamin D supplementation.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Food supplements, including vitamin D supplements, are regulated in the United Kingdom under the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003, as well as other applicable food law, along with equivalent legislation for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Department is responsible for this legislation in England, working closely with the Food Standards Agency and local authorities, who lead on enforcement. Further information on the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1387/made/data.pdf

The regulations have specific labelling requirements to support consumers to make informed choices. Food supplements legislation requires manufacturers to include the recommended dose and a warning not to exceed the stated dose on the label. The Department has published guidance to businesses on complying with the regulations, which is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/food-supplements-guidance-and-faqs

Although food supplements legislation does not set statutory maximum levels for vitamins and minerals, industry is encouraged to follow voluntary guidelines for safe upper levels, which for vitamin D is 100 micrograms, or 4,000 International Units, daily. The Department does not currently have plans to review labelling requirements for vitamin D or other supplements.

The National Health Service website provides clear public advice on the daily recommended intake for vitamin D and warns of the potential harmful effects of taking too much vitamin D through food supplements. Further information is avaiable on the NHS website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

The Department always advises consumers to follow NHS guidance and consult a health professional if in doubt. The Department does not systematically collect data for people with health issues owing to excess vitamin D consumption.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department have taken to ensure that renal treatment service providers (a) train, support and supervise all staff to identify patients’ psychosocial needs, (b) work in psychologically‑informed ways, and (c) provide low‑level support with rapid onward referral where more intensive intervention is required.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has already taken significant steps to stabilise and improve mental health services within the National Health Service but there is much more to do. NHS Talking Therapies - Long Term Conditions services have been established across the country to support integrated pathways between Talking Therapies services and physical health pathways for people with long term conditions, including kidney disease.

As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we are expanding NHS Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029, with improved effectiveness and quality of services.

Mental health and psychosocial support for people living with kidney disease is a key priority within NHS England’s programme to improve renal care. The Renal Service Transformation Programme (RSTP), published in 2023, provides a national framework for raising standards across the renal pathway, including a strengthened focus on supporting the emotional and psychological needs of patients. Renal clinical networks are working with a stakeholders, i.e. professional societies and renal charities, to support implementation of the RSTP.

NHS England is revising the specialised renal service specification to ensure alignment with the RSTP and to support commissioning across the full renal pathway. Published renal service specifications already set expectations for providers to address the psychosocial needs of people with kidney disease. The revised specification reinforces this requirement and strengthens the overall direction for services to deliver holistic, person-centred care that recognises the importance of psychosocial support throughout the renal journey.

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 the time taken for patients with Parkinson’s disease to receive a diagnosis.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department recognises the importance of a timely diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and the impact that early identification has on people’s long‑term outcomes. We remain committed to delivering the National Health Service constitutional standard for 92% of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring lists and waiting times down. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard.

National programmes like NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) supports faster diagnosis by using clinically‑led, data‑driven reviews to identify delays and unwarranted variation in neurology services. GIRFT provides evidence‑based recommendations to streamline referral and outpatient pathways, improve data quality, and share best practice between trusts. This helps increase specialist capacity, reduce waiting times for assessment, and ensure more timely access to diagnosis for people with suspected Parkinson’s disease.

Additionally, by delivering the shifts outlined in the 10‑Year Health Plan, we can free up specialist capacity by increasing community‑based provision, reducing administrative burden through digital tools, and supporting earlier identification and management of neurological conditions like Parkinson’s. This will allow neurologists and geriatricians to focus on more complex cases and improve diagnostic timeliness.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the level of mental health support available for people with kidney disease.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government has already taken significant steps to stabilise and improve mental health services within the National Health Service but there is much more to do. NHS Talking Therapies - Long Term Conditions services have been established across the country to support integrated pathways between Talking Therapies services and physical health pathways for people with long term conditions, including kidney disease.

As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we are expanding NHS Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people complete a course of treatment by March 2029, with improved effectiveness and quality of services.

Mental health and psychosocial support for people living with kidney disease is a key priority within NHS England’s programme to improve renal care. The Renal Service Transformation Programme (RSTP), published in 2023, provides a national framework for raising standards across the renal pathway, including a strengthened focus on supporting the emotional and psychological needs of patients. Renal clinical networks are working with a stakeholders, i.e. professional societies and renal charities, to support implementation of the RSTP.

NHS England is revising the specialised renal service specification to ensure alignment with the RSTP and to support commissioning across the full renal pathway. Published renal service specifications already set expectations for providers to address the psychosocial needs of people with kidney disease. The revised specification reinforces this requirement and strengthens the overall direction for services to deliver holistic, person-centred care that recognises the importance of psychosocial support throughout the renal journey.

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 business rate increases on the community pharmacy network.

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

In the Autumn Budget 2025, the Government took the hard choices to protect the National Health Service in England and continue to prioritise reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion support package.

This year, we have also increased funding to community pharmacies to almost £3.1 billion, the largest uplift in funding for any part of the NHS across 2024/25 and 2025/26.

The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) review and (b) reform the current community pharmacy contract.

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

In the Autumn Budget 2025, the Government took the hard choices to protect the National Health Service in England and continue to prioritise reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion support package.

This year, we have also increased funding to community pharmacies to almost £3.1 billion, the largest uplift in funding for any part of the NHS across 2024/25 and 2025/26.

The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department have made of the number of people with health issues related to excessive consumption of vitamin D supplements in each of the last five years.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Food supplements, including vitamin D supplements, are regulated in the United Kingdom under the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003, as well as other applicable food law, along with equivalent legislation for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Department is responsible for this legislation in England, working closely with the Food Standards Agency and local authorities, who lead on enforcement. Further information on the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1387/made/data.pdf

The regulations have specific labelling requirements to support consumers to make informed choices. Food supplements legislation requires manufacturers to include the recommended dose and a warning not to exceed the stated dose on the label. The Department has published guidance to businesses on complying with the regulations, which is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/food-supplements-guidance-and-faqs

Although food supplements legislation does not set statutory maximum levels for vitamins and minerals, industry is encouraged to follow voluntary guidelines for safe upper levels, which for vitamin D is 100 micrograms, or 4,000 International Units, daily. The Department does not currently have plans to review labelling requirements for vitamin D or other supplements.

The National Health Service website provides clear public advice on the daily recommended intake for vitamin D and warns of the potential harmful effects of taking too much vitamin D through food supplements. Further information is avaiable on the NHS website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

The Department always advises consumers to follow NHS guidance and consult a health professional if in doubt. The Department does not systematically collect data for people with health issues owing to excess vitamin D consumption.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to review labelling requirements for vitamin D supplements to ensure clearer communication of dosage strength.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Food supplements, including vitamin D supplements, are regulated in the United Kingdom under the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003, as well as other applicable food law, along with equivalent legislation for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Department is responsible for this legislation in England, working closely with the Food Standards Agency and local authorities, who lead on enforcement. Further information on the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1387/made/data.pdf

The regulations have specific labelling requirements to support consumers to make informed choices. Food supplements legislation requires manufacturers to include the recommended dose and a warning not to exceed the stated dose on the label. The Department has published guidance to businesses on complying with the regulations, which is avaiable at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/food-supplements-guidance-and-faqs

Although food supplements legislation does not set statutory maximum levels for vitamins and minerals, industry is encouraged to follow voluntary guidelines for safe upper levels, which for vitamin D is 100 micrograms, or 4,000 International Units, daily. The Department does not currently have plans to review labelling requirements for vitamin D or other supplements.

The National Health Service website provides clear public advice on the daily recommended intake for vitamin D and warns of the potential harmful effects of taking too much vitamin D through food supplements. Further information is avaiable on the NHS website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

The Department always advises consumers to follow NHS guidance and consult a health professional if in doubt. The Department does not systematically collect data for people with health issues owing to excess vitamin D consumption.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department provides to Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust in Chelmsford to recruit and retain specialist cancer nurses and cancer workforce.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government and NHS England are acting to ensure that we train the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it including at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT).

In 2024/25, an estimated 8,000 people received training to either enter the cancer and diagnostics workforce or develop in their roles.

NHS England has also been expanding specialty training places in key professions, including histopathology, clinical radiology, and gastroenterology. Targeted national campaigns and outreach activities, for example in clinical oncology, also promote cancer career pathways, with a focus on increasing applications.

Additionally, NHS England Workforce, Training and Education and the East of England Cancer Alliance work closely with MSEFT to understand local training needs. Together, they coordinate and allocate funding to ensure the cancer nursing workforce has access to the development pathways it requires, supporting both recruitment and long-term retention.

MSEFT is preparing to launch an oncology nursing rotation across oncology wards, the chemotherapy unit and clinical nurse specialist (CNS) teams. Many of these CNS roles sit within the cancer division, supporting the development of competencies, and enable structured career progression for nurses alongside programmes of reform for workforce.

To improve retention, NHS England is investing in structured career development and education support. The Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development programme provides a nationally agreed framework for capability, career development, and education for nurses, allied health professionals, and the support workforce working in cancer care.

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 the transition for NHS patients between paediatric and adult care in the NHS.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. This includes ensuring that children receive the appropriate care and support whenever they need it.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how the Government aims to support children and young people as they navigate the National Health Service, ensuring they feel comfortable and confident in managing their own health and care from 16 years old where appropriate. This includes supporting young people as they move from child to adolescent and adult services, making sure that care is developmentally appropriate throughout.

NHS England has developed guidance for integrated care boards and healthcare providers to aid the design of transition pathways that improve health outcomes for all young people. This guidance will be published in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many awards had been made under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme for claims arising from Covid-19 vaccines as at 31 December 2025.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data from the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), shows that as of 31 December 2025, 246 VDPS awards have been made for claims relating to COVID-19 vaccinations.

Information on COVID-19 claims to the VDPS is published on a quarterly basis by the NHS Business Service Authority. Further information is available at the following link:

https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/vdps-covid-19

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 raising the age threshold for eligibility for the Covid-19 vaccine to 75 on clinically vulnerable groups.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government’s policy on the groups eligible for vaccination programmes is based on the advice of the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The JCVI and the JCVI COVID-19 sub-committee carefully considered the evidence on the risk of illness, serious disease, and death as a consequence of COVID-19, as well as modelling and cost-effectiveness analysis, during their meetings of 2024, with the minutes available on the GOV.UK website. Evidence indicated that whilst the risk from COVID-19 is now much lower for most people, adults aged 75 years old and over, residents in care homes for older adults, and those who are immunosuppressed are at highest risk of serious COVID-19 disease.

Therefore, a more targeted vaccination programme, aimed at the individuals with a higher risk of developing serious disease, and where vaccination was considered potentially cost-effective, was advised for autumn 2025.

The JCVI continues to keep the COVID-19 vaccination programme under review and, through their published list of research recommendations, has actively encouraged further research on the impact of COVID-19 in individuals with underlying medical conditions in the current epidemiological context.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the National Cancer Plan tackles identity-based disparities in cancer care, including for people from (a) ethnic minority backgrounds, (b) disabled people and (c) LGBTQ+ communities.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, research, and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experiences and outcomes for all people with cancer.

Reducing inequalities is also a key priority for the National Cancer Plan. The plan will look at the targeted improvements needed across different cancer types to reduce disparities in cancer survival and will develop interventions to tackle these. This includes looking at protected characteristics such as disability, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, as well as inequalities related to socioeconomic status, and geographic location.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he is drawing on lived experience in shaping the strategy for adult social care.

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

We are progressing towards a National Care Service with around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. We are already putting the core foundations of a National Care Service in place, aligned with the Government’s three objectives for adult social care:

• improving the quality of care by valuing and supporting our vital care workforce, legislating for a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million of funding;
• strengthening join-up between health and social care services by developing neighbourhood health services and reforming the Better Care Fund; and
• enabling people to have more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments.

In December 2025, the department launched a new publication 'Adult social care priorities for local authorities: 2026 to 2027', which sets out priority outcomes and expectations for local authority delivery of adult social care from 2026/27.

The Government recognises the vital importance of coproduction and is committed to working with people who draw on care and support, and those with professional experience of care to design and develop a National Care Service that is shaped by what matters most to people. But we know that meaningful, lasting reform of adult social care cannot be delivered overnight. Phase 1 of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care will report this year, making recommendations to address immediate priorities for adult social care, laying the groundwork for long-term reform. We will consider and respond to the recommendations when Baroness Casey reports and work will then begin on implementing phase 1 recommendations, alongside ongoing reforms in the Department.

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 potential impact of closer NHS–social care integration on reducing hospital discharge delays in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

The Department is committed to improving integration between health and social care services nationally and locally. Our vision for neighbourhood health will see local government and the National Health Service working more closely together, with a revitalised role for health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) and reform of the Better Care Fund (BCF).

Through the BCF, around £9 billion is being invested in 2025/26 to enable NHS bodies and local authorities to pool budgets and deliver joined-up care. This includes setting shared goals to reduce delayed discharges, avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, and support people to live independently at home.

Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the impact of closer NHS-social care integration on reducing hospital discharge delays in Surrey Heath constituency, local HWBs are required to agree plans under the BCF framework to provide timely and coordinated support for people with complex needs. These plans prioritise effective discharge from hospital and recovery in the community.

Starting in the financial year 2026/27, we will reform the BCF to provide a sharper focus on ensuring consistent joint NHS and local authority funding for those services that are essential for integrated health and social care, such as hospital discharge, intermediate care, rehabilitation and reablement. We will set out further details in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many prescriptions for (1) finasteride, and (2) dutasteride, have been issued in the NHS in each year since 2014.

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

The following table shows the requested information in each calendar year between 2014 and 2024, as well as between January and November 2025, and that has been dispensed in England regardless of where prescribed:

Source: NHS Business Services Authority, Prescription Costs Analysis (PCA)

Notes:

1. This is based on the information within the PCA for the British National Formulary (BNF) chemical substance of Finasteride and Dutasteride.
2. The PCA provides total number of prescription items of each medicine dispensed in the community in England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that patients with rare cancers are not without access to potentially life extending treatments while national appraisal and commissioning processes are ongoing.

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

The Government wants to ensure that all National Health Service patients, including patients with rare cancers, are able to benefit from rapid access to effective new medicines in a way that represents value to the taxpayer.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) aims wherever possible to issue recommendations for the NHS on new medicines close to the time of licensing so that patients have rapid access to clinically and cost-effective medicines. The NHS is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE within three months of the publication of final guidance. NHS England funds NICE-recommended cancer medicines through the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point of positive draft NICE guidance, bringing forward patient access by approximately five months than would otherwise be the case.

The measures that we announced in the Life Sciences Sector Plan will further streamline the licensing and NICE appraisal processes reducing the time between marketing authorisation and national funding decisions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the new National Institute for Health and Care Excellence cost-effectiveness thresholds for assessing medicines will apply to other medical technologies.

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

The Government’s intention is that the increased cost-effectiveness threshold will apply to any technology, including medicines and medical technologies, evaluated through the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisals programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of medical schools to ensure more doctors are trained in the UK.

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

In England, the Office for Students (OfS) sets the maximum fundable limit for medical school places on an annual basis.

For the 2025/26 academic year, the OfS has published the maximum fundable limit at 8,126 for medical school places, with further information available on the OfS website, in an online only format. OfS will publish the limit for the 2026/27 academic year 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. International staff, including doctors, remain an important part of our workforce but we are committed to building and increasing our domestic home-grown talent from across all of our communities.

The Government is committed to publishing 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, what elements of the Adult Social Care strategy does he intend to publish this year as the first phase of the strategy.

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

We are progressing towards a National Care Service with around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. We are already putting the core foundations of a National Care Service in place, aligned with the Government’s three objectives for adult social care:

• improving the quality of care by valuing and supporting our vital care workforce, legislating for a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million of funding;
• strengthening join-up between health and social care services by developing neighbourhood health services and reforming the Better Care Fund; and
• enabling people to have more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments.

In December 2025, the department launched a new publication 'Adult social care priorities for local authorities: 2026 to 2027', which sets out priority outcomes and expectations for local authority delivery of adult social care from 2026/27.

The Government recognises the vital importance of coproduction and is committed to working with people who draw on care and support, and those with professional experience of care to design and develop a National Care Service that is shaped by what matters most to people. But we know that meaningful, lasting reform of adult social care cannot be delivered overnight. Phase 1 of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care will report this year, making recommendations to address immediate priorities for adult social care, laying the groundwork for long-term reform. We will consider and respond to the recommendations when Baroness Casey reports and work will then begin on implementing phase 1 recommendations, alongside ongoing reforms in the Department.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how he is drawing on professional experience of those working in adult social care for developing the strategy.

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

We are progressing towards a National Care Service with around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. We are already putting the core foundations of a National Care Service in place, aligned with the Government’s three objectives for adult social care:

• improving the quality of care by valuing and supporting our vital care workforce, legislating for a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million of funding;
• strengthening join-up between health and social care services by developing neighbourhood health services and reforming the Better Care Fund; and
• enabling people to have more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments.

In December 2025, the department launched a new publication 'Adult social care priorities for local authorities: 2026 to 2027', which sets out priority outcomes and expectations for local authority delivery of adult social care from 2026/27.

The Government recognises the vital importance of coproduction and is committed to working with people who draw on care and support, and those with professional experience of care to design and develop a National Care Service that is shaped by what matters most to people. But we know that meaningful, lasting reform of adult social care cannot be delivered overnight. Phase 1 of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care will report this year, making recommendations to address immediate priorities for adult social care, laying the groundwork for long-term reform. We will consider and respond to the recommendations when Baroness Casey reports and work will then begin on implementing phase 1 recommendations, alongside ongoing reforms in the Department.

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 proposals in the Autumn Budget 2025 on community pharmacies in Yeovil constituency.

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

The 2026/27 national community pharmacy funding arrangements will be subject to consultation with Community Pharmacy England, which will commence shortly.

Funding for the core community pharmacy contractual framework increased to £3.073 billion for 2025/2026. This represented the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows a first step in delivering stability for the future and a commitment to rebuilding the sector.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 5 January (HL13176), what safeguards they plan to put in place to ensure that integrated care boards are subject to proper scrutiny, particularly in relation to the incorporation of patient engagement work into the commissioning of services.

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

Integrated care boards currently have a statutory duty in relation to public involvement and consultation and are subject to an annual assessment by NHS England of their functions.

The abolition of Healthwatch England and Local HealthWatch arrangements will require primary legislation and is subject to the will of Parliament.

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 the accessibility of other Sickle Cell Day units in the context of the closure of the Whitechapel unit.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many sickle cell day centres have closed in the last 5 years; and how many sickle cell day centres remain operational.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the Sickle Cell day unit in Whitechapel was closed.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of adjusting the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence cost-effectiveness thresholds for highly specialised technology in line with the new single technology appraisal cost-effectiveness thresholds due to come into effect from April.

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

We have reached a landmark agreement with the United States of America that secures a preferential tariff rate of 0% for all pharmaceuticals exports to the US for at least three years, and preferential terms for the United Kingdom’s medical technology exports, meaning no additional new tariffs on medical technology. This means that, unlike anywhere else in the world, life sciences companies exporting medicines from the UK to the US will face no tariffs to do so, protecting jobs and investment in the UK.

The agreement will see the National Health Service invest approximately 25% more in innovative treatments which will be achieved through an increase to the standard cost-effectiveness threshold that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) uses and a change to the way in which NICE values health benefits to better reflect societal preferences.

There are currently no plans to increase the cost‑effectiveness threshold for the highly specialised technologies (HST) programme. The HST programme already operates at a much higher threshold than standard NICE technology appraisals, reflecting the challenges of bringing treatments for very rare conditions to market, and NICE has been able to recommend nearly all the treatments that have been evaluated through the HST programme for NHS use.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increasing the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence highly specialised technology cost-effectiveness threshold on patient access to rare disease medicines.

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

We have reached a landmark agreement with the United States of America that secures a preferential tariff rate of 0% for all pharmaceuticals exports to the US for at least three years, and preferential terms for the United Kingdom’s medical technology exports, meaning no additional new tariffs on medical technology. This means that, unlike anywhere else in the world, life sciences companies exporting medicines from the UK to the US will face no tariffs to do so, protecting jobs and investment in the UK.

The agreement will see the National Health Service invest approximately 25% more in innovative treatments which will be achieved through an increase to the standard cost-effectiveness threshold that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) uses and a change to the way in which NICE values health benefits to better reflect societal preferences.

There are currently no plans to increase the cost‑effectiveness threshold for the highly specialised technologies (HST) programme. The HST programme already operates at a much higher threshold than standard NICE technology appraisals, reflecting the challenges of bringing treatments for very rare conditions to market, and NICE has been able to recommend nearly all the treatments that have been evaluated through the HST programme for NHS use.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what their rationale is for increasing the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) cost-effectiveness thresholds for assessing new medicines to £25–30,000 per quality-adjusted life year; and whether they plan to apply the same proportionate increases to the NICE cost-effectiveness thresholds for highly specialised technologies.

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

We have reached a landmark agreement with the United States of America that secures a preferential tariff rate of 0% for all pharmaceuticals exports to the US for at least three years, and preferential terms for the United Kingdom’s medical technology exports, meaning no additional new tariffs on medical technology. This means that, unlike anywhere else in the world, life sciences companies exporting medicines from the UK to the US will face no tariffs to do so, protecting jobs and investment in the UK.

The agreement will see the National Health Service invest approximately 25% more in innovative treatments which will be achieved through an increase to the standard cost-effectiveness threshold that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) uses and a change to the way in which NICE values health benefits to better reflect societal preferences.

There are currently no plans to increase the cost‑effectiveness threshold for the highly specialised technologies (HST) programme. The HST programme already operates at a much higher threshold than standard NICE technology appraisals, reflecting the challenges of bringing treatments for very rare conditions to market, and NICE has been able to recommend nearly all the treatments that have been evaluated through the HST programme for NHS use.

Found: reflected in the National Partnership Agreement on Health and Social Care in England between MoJ, DHSC

Found: and its predecessors have examined the issue of clinical negligence many times, the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: As an example, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) often receives questions on GP practice

Found: Department 2024 WPQs Ranking 2025 WPQs Ranking Increase (y-o-y) DHSC 7,155 1 14,088 1 97% MHCLG 3,587

Found: Parliamentary Questions (WPQs) and ministerial correspondence, particularly from the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The issue about which the HFEA has made recommendations to DHSC is that direct-to-consumer genetic testing

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: research into the long-term effects of egg retrieval on women’s health, and neither the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: 2002, http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0%2C6903%2C636020%2C00.html 7 UK Department of Health and Social Care

Found: The DHSC, the fertility sector regulator the HFEA, and fertility clinics do not track egg donors in

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: Neither the DHSC (Department for Health and Social Care), HFEA (the UK’s fertility regulator) nor fertility

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: child will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: accelerate homelessness among Black households. 8.4 The Committee may wish to ask the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: will be raised by people unknown to her, and the wider context that neither clinics, the HFEA or DHSC

Found: Owner and timeline: HFEA and DHSC; establish by 2027.

Found: These include DEFRA, DBT, DHSC and DESNZ.

Found: There is a useful example of this in DHSC, which has a specific group that works with the overseas

Found: Committee should invite the Financial Conduct Authority; the Association of British Insurers; and DHSC

Found: We wrote a letter last August to DSIT, the Department of Health and Social Care and the DVLA—I cannot

Found: The Home Office acknowledged that further work is required with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: have done some exemptions for temporary appointments for restructuring within the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: DHSC High Level Risk Register: The departmental risk register is regularly scrutinised in senior governance

Found: It does feel and look a bit different to, for example, the electives waiting list in DHSC, because by

Found: It does feel and look a bit different to, for example, the electives waiting list in DHSC, because

Found: evidence alongside Baroness Finlay and Professor Murtagh, and before such a distinguished panel of DHSC

Found: Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts Samantha Jones OBE Permanent Secretary Department of Health and Social Care

Found: They will need hospitals and health services, and so the Department of Health and Social Care has a

Found: the work goes on, and the reforms are happening; NHS England is combining with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: work goes on , and the reforms are happening ; NHS England is combining with the Department of Health and Social Care

Found: process from FCDO, where we spoke to DSIT, DEFRA, DESNZ, the Home Office and the Department of Health and Social Care

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the Road Safety Strategy, published on 7 January, what steps they will take to secure the linkage of police-recorded collision data and healthcare data between the Department for Transport, NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care; and what the timescale is for that work.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The DfT, together with NHS England, and DHSC are piloting the secure linkage of police collision and healthcare data to better understand the causes and impacts of road traffic incidents. Using the Pre-hospital Research and Audit Network (PRANA) framework, this initiative will enhance analysis of injury severity, collision outcomes, and NHS burden. This work started in 2025 and the department has published an initial feasibility study which can be found on the government website with further updates expected over the next year.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to designate the Trawsfynydd nuclear power station site as a nuclear research site for developing and producing radioisotopes for medical purposes.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) through Nuclear Restoration Services, are decommissioning the legacy facility and own the land at Trawsfynydd. The NDA engages parties to explore maximising national and local value with the land that it owns.

The responsibility for the supply of medical radioisotopes sites with the Department of Health and Social Care. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero provides support to other government department’s exploring nuclear medicine projects.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether Young Futures Hubs will be co-located with, or work with, Family Hubs.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is delivering a network of 50 Young Futures Hubs by March 2029. This is a cross-government priority, coordinated with the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care.

While local authorities will decide on precise locations based on community needs, we expect co-location to be a key consideration where it improves accessibility and strengthens local support for young people.

Eight early adopters have been announced. The early adopter phase will look at how Young Futures Hubs interact with existing services, including Family Hubs.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a list of organisations represented at his Department's conference on food poverty on 14 and 15 January 2026.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The DWP Food Poverty Conference took place at the Abbey Centre on 15 January 2026.

Our aim was to bring together a range of local authorities, other government departments, charities and academics to share and discuss a range of good practice happening on the ground to respond to increasing need in relation to food poverty.

We received a high level of interest in the conference. Due to venue capacity, places were offered on a first come first served basis.

We saw over 30 local authorities represented from different regions across England. Examples include the Greater London Authority, Medway Council, Bristol City Council, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, North Yorkshire Council, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk and East Lindsey District Council. Local government sat alongside over a dozen national third sector organisations – such as Trussell, Feeding Britain, Sustain and Community Shop – as well as officials from across five government departments, including DWP, DfE, Defra, DHSC and MHCLG.

We’ve been encouraged by the positive feedback on the conference and the strong engagement shown across sectors. As a result, we are exploring the possibility of hosting a second conference online later in the year to enable more organisations to participate. We will provide further details as plans materialise.

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 Housing, Communities and Local Government on special measures for local authorities not meeting statutory requirements for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department publishes annual SEN2 data on education, health and care (EHC) plans and assessments, including timeliness. This informs performance monitoring and targeted support. Where a council does not meet its duties, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement, including through issuing improvement notices or statutory directions to drive urgent improvements.

The department works with NHS England, to support and intervene in areas of poor performance following inspection.

Recent changes to the Area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) framework conducted by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission, in consultation with the department and the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, include specifying which member of the partnership should take forward areas for improvement or areas for priority action. This would include areas for improvement and priority action being directed specifically to health where appropriate.

We will work together with all stakeholders to understand the impact of any SEND reforms on Area SEND inspections and changes needed as a result of these reforms.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that young disabled people can enter and stay in work.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 set out how we will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity, backed by £240 million investment, for which the Northern Ireland executive received consequential funding in the usual way.

Disabled people and people with health conditions, including young disabled people can face a wide range of unique, yet intersecting barriers, relating to not just their health, but their employment and circumstance (Work aspirations and support needs of health and disability customers: Final findings report - GOV.UK). We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres in Great Britain.

DWP set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and we are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits in Great Britain. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding for the UK by the end of the decade, the Northern Ireland executive will receive their share of this funding in the usual way. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out in Great Britain, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.

In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review across the UK. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC, we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action.

Additionally, the Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) has developed a digital information service for employers and continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme in Great Britain where we have recently announced plans to make the scheme more robust.

Alan Milburn will author an independent report to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun. It will make recommendations for policy response to help young people access work, training or education, ensuring they are supported to thrive and are not sidelined.

In Northern Ireland, health, skills, careers and employment support are transferred matters. My officials work closely with those in the Northern Ireland Executive, sharing best practice in regard to providing employment support to disabled people.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support disabled people who face the greatest barriers to work.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 set out how we will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity, backed by £240 million investment, for which the Northern Ireland executive received consequential funding in the usual way.

Disabled people and people with health conditions, including young disabled people can face a wide range of unique, yet intersecting barriers, relating to not just their health, but their employment and circumstance (Work aspirations and support needs of health and disability customers: Final findings report - GOV.UK). We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres in Great Britain.

DWP set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and we are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits in Great Britain. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding for the UK by the end of the decade, the Northern Ireland executive will receive their share of this funding in the usual way. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out in Great Britain, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.

In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review across the UK. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC, we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action.

Additionally, the Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) has developed a digital information service for employers and continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme in Great Britain where we have recently announced plans to make the scheme more robust.

Alan Milburn will author an independent report to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun. It will make recommendations for policy response to help young people access work, training or education, ensuring they are supported to thrive and are not sidelined.

In Northern Ireland, health, skills, careers and employment support are transferred matters. My officials work closely with those in the Northern Ireland Executive, sharing best practice in regard to providing employment support to disabled people.

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