Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
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 manage conflicts of interest associated with alcohol industry involvement in public health policy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department already has established arrangements in place to manage conflicts of interest for both ministers and civil servants, including where these relate to the alcohol industry.
Ministerial conduct is governed by the Ministerial Code, which sets out requirements on the declaration and handling of ministers’ interests. Civil servants are bound by the Civil Service Code, and by departmental policies that set out how actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest must be identified, declared, and managed.
The Department keeps its internal guidance under regular review to ensure it remains aligned with cross-Government standards and supports transparent and accountable decision-making.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in response to Question tabled on 15 December 2025, UIN 99871, if the Government can outline what steps are being taken to ensure the needs of people with severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis are adequacy met.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The final delivery plan on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), published in July 2025, includes an action for the Department 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 severe ME/CFS. Officials from the Department have commenced discussions with NHS England on how best to take forward this action.
The third and final session in NHS England’s newly-developed ME/CFS e-learning series, Managing Severe ME/CFS, is now live on the NHS Learning Hub. This session provides practical, evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals to support people living with severe and very severe ME/CFS.
Additionally, as set out in the Plan for Change, we are committed to returning to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029. We exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million appointments, tests, and operations in our first year of government, having delivered 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and June 2025. This will help people with severe ME/CFS to get support sooner.
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out a transformed vision for elective care by 2035, where most interactions no longer take place in a hospital building, instead happening virtually or via neighbourhood services. We will empower patients by giving them greater choice and control and establishing expected standards for making their experience of planned NHS care as smooth, supportive and convenient as possible, including for people with severe ME/CFS.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what provision the National Cancer Plan will make for orphan drug pathways for patients with rare cancers requiring personalised treatment plans; and how those pathways will differ from existing commissioning arrangements.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 4 February 2026, NHS England and the Department published a National Cancer Plan for England. The National Cancer Plan is part of our work to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future and will make England a world-leader for cancer survival.
The orphan drug designation is assessed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and is granted at the same time as the marketing authorisation. It provides a period of market exclusivity during which similar competitor medicines cannot enter the United Kingdom market. The orphan drug regulations are designed to support the development of medicines to treat rare diseases including rare cancers.
All new licensed medicines, including orphan medicines, are evaluated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which makes recommendations for the NHS on whether they represent a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. NICE aims wherever possible to issue recommendations on new medicines close to the time of licensing, and the NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE. NICE has a strong track record in recommending orphan medicines for use on the NHS and many thousands of patients with rare diseases have benefitted from access to new medicines as a result.
The Rare Cancers Bill, currently going through the House of Lords, places a duty on the Government to publish a review of the law related to marketing authorisation for rare cancer drugs, for instance orphan drugs for cancer, comparing the UK’s approach to other approaches internationally. Through the National Cancer Plan the Government has committed to full implement of the Rare Cancers Bill to streamline trial pathways and review regulatory barriers that prevent access to promising new treatments.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
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 poor air quality in (a) ambient air and (b) indoor air on different age groups of people in England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Poor air quality is a major public health risk in the United Kingdom. An estimated 29,000 to 43,000 deaths were attributable to long-term exposure to ambient air pollution in the UK in 2019 among adults aged 30 years old and over.
Indoor residential exposure to damp and mould was associated with approximately 5,000 cases of asthma and 8,500 lower respiratory infections among children, those who are aged between zero to 14 years old, and adults, those who are aged between 15 to 49 years old, in England in 2019.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) contributed to a report by the Royal College of Physicians in 2025. This contained data on new cases of mortality, myocardial infarction, asthma, lung cancer, and other conditions, attributable to a range of air pollutants in 2019 and predicted for 2040, among children, those over 30 years old, over 60 years old, and at all ages. The report is available at the following link:
The Department’s 10-Year Health Plan sets out how the Government will act to reduce the health harms of air pollution. This includes action to reduce harm from ambient air pollution and tackling poor indoor air by improving the standard of rented homes with relation to damp and mould.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration has been given to the role of the generic and biosimilar medicines sector in shaping life sciences policy, in the context of it supplying around 85% of NHS prescription drugs by volume.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom’s world leading life sciences sector is central to our Industrial Strategy, driving growth, investment, and high-quality jobs. As set out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan, which we developed while working closely with the sector, there is an opportunity for the National Health Service to save £1 billion over five years through biosimilars uptake, delivering value for patients and the NHS. The Life Sciences Council is an important forum that brings together senior industry and Government leaders to shape the sector’s future. The Government remains committed to this partnership and is looking to convene the council in due course.
Medicines UK and its members are represented on the Single National Formulary Industry Task and Finish Group. In addition, the Government is working to convene further task and finish groups to drive forward defined areas of the Life Sciences Sector Plan, including in the generic and biosimilars space. These groups will direct focused ministerial and official attention toward a clear set of priorities and will work closely with industry to deliver tangible progress within a set timeframe.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
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 reinstating the Life Sciences Council with representation from the generic and biosimilar medicines industry.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom’s world leading life sciences sector is central to our Industrial Strategy, driving growth, investment, and high-quality jobs. As set out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan, which we developed while working closely with the sector, there is an opportunity for the National Health Service to save £1 billion over five years through biosimilars uptake, delivering value for patients and the NHS. The Life Sciences Council is an important forum that brings together senior industry and Government leaders to shape the sector’s future. The Government remains committed to this partnership and is looking to convene the council in due course.
Medicines UK and its members are represented on the Single National Formulary Industry Task and Finish Group. In addition, the Government is working to convene further task and finish groups to drive forward defined areas of the Life Sciences Sector Plan, including in the generic and biosimilars space. These groups will direct focused ministerial and official attention toward a clear set of priorities and will work closely with industry to deliver tangible progress within a set timeframe.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government plans to establish a task and finish group to oversee delivery of the Life Sciences Sector Plan as it relates to generic and biosimilar medicines.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom’s world leading life sciences sector is central to our Industrial Strategy, driving growth, investment, and high-quality jobs. As set out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan, which we developed while working closely with the sector, there is an opportunity for the National Health Service to save £1 billion over five years through biosimilars uptake, delivering value for patients and the NHS. The Life Sciences Council is an important forum that brings together senior industry and Government leaders to shape the sector’s future. The Government remains committed to this partnership and is looking to convene the council in due course.
Medicines UK and its members are represented on the Single National Formulary Industry Task and Finish Group. In addition, the Government is working to convene further task and finish groups to drive forward defined areas of the Life Sciences Sector Plan, including in the generic and biosimilars space. These groups will direct focused ministerial and official attention toward a clear set of priorities and will work closely with industry to deliver tangible progress within a set timeframe.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to reply to the email from the hon. Member for South Shropshire dated 24 October 2025 with case reference number SA36602.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has received the Hon. Member’s letter and I will respond shortly.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 the performance of AJM Healthcare in delivering wheelchair services to the NHS.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The safety of all patients, whether they are treated in the National Health Service or the independent sector, is a top priority for the Government. There are a range of providers of NHS wheelchair services across England. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for monitoring service provision and effectively managing contracts with their commissioned providers.
NHS England are aware there have been a number of separate complaints about the quality of services provided by AJM Healthcare, which are being dealt with on an individual basis by the Ombudsman’s office. NHS England has flagged this to the relevant ICBs, who are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair services. NHS England supports ICBs to make improvements and commission effective, efficient, and personalised wheelchair services. Actions taken include:
- establishing a national wheelchair dataset, where data has been collected quarterly from ICBs, formerly clinical commissioning groups, since July 2015 and which supports the drive for improvements in wheelchair services. This data looks at waiting times across the pathway to enable targeted action if improvement is required. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/national-wheelchair/
- the Wheelchair Quality Framework, which was published on the 9 April 2025, and which was co-produced with key stakeholders, including Whizz Kids. The framework sets out quality standards and statutory requirements for ICBs, such as offering personal wheelchair budgets, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/wheelchair-quality-framework/
- personal wheelchair budgets, with NHS England having introduced personal wheelchair budgets, including in legal rights, in 2019, providing a clear framework for ICBs to commission personalised wheelchair services which are outcomes focused and integrated. Personal wheelchair budgets give people greater choice over the wheelchair provided, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/guidance-on-the-legal-rights-to-have-personal-health-budgets-and-personal-wheelchair-budgets/
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to ensure that NHS organisations and contracted wheelchair service providers are subject to more rigorous, mandatory regulation.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair services, based on the needs of their local population. NHS England supports ICBs to commission effective, efficient, and personalised wheelchair services and to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment.
This includes publishing a Wheelchair Quality Framework on 9 April 2025, which sets out quality standards and statutory requirements for ICBs. The framework is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/wheelchair-quality-framework/
NHS England also introduced personal wheelchair budgets, including legal rights in 2019, providing a clear framework for ICBs to commission personalised wheelchair services which are outcomes focused and integrated. Personal wheelchair budgets give people greater choice over the wheelchair provided.
Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from ICBs on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required. The latest figures from the Quarter 2 2025/26 National Wheelchair Data Collection showed that 84% of adults and 78% of children received their equipment within 18 weeks. Further information on the National Wheelchair Data Collection is available at the following link:
The Medium-Term Planning Framework sets a requirement for all providers and ICBs to actively manage long waits for community health services reducing the proportion of all waits over 18 weeks. This will be monitored via the NHS’s usual regional and national assurance processes.
The Community Health Services Situation Report, which will be used to monitor ICB performance against waiting time targets in 2026/27, currently monitors waiting times for both children and young people, and adult waiting times under the ‘Wheelchair, Orthotics, Prosthetics and Equipment’ line. These targets will guide systems to reduce the longest waits, and improvement initiatives to meet these targets may affect waits that are over 18-weeks and 52-weeks.