Asked by: Lord Booth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to include specific actions on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of peripheral arterial disease in the delivery plans supporting the Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework, including in any future iterations of the framework.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recently published the Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF), which sets out priorities, challenge areas, and a future vision for the health and care system to accelerate progress on the ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within the next decade.
Many of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease also increase the risk of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and therefore action on the following priorities will also improve PAD outcomes:
improving smoking cessation;
finding people with undiagnosed atrial fibrillation, albuminuria, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, excess weight, and reduced kidney function; and
treating people with high blood pressure or cholesterol to evidence-based targets.
Alongside the priority actions, the CVD MSF sets out challenge areas where more evidence or innovations are needed to drive improvements. Further developing diagnostic capabilities to better detect and treat cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CVKM) risk, including for conditions like PAD, is named as one of these challenge areas.
Finally, the CVD MSF sets out a longer-term vision for more stratified, personalised, and holistic CVKM risk assessment. Subject to the evidence, resources, and agreement, this could include improving the detection and management of PAD.
Asked by: Lord Booth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework published on 7 July, how they intend to address peripheral arterial disease in their delivery plan due to be published later this year.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recently published the Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF), which sets out priorities, challenge areas, and a future vision for the health and care system to accelerate progress on the ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within the next decade.
Many of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease also increase the risk of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and therefore action on the following priorities will also improve PAD outcomes:
improving smoking cessation;
finding people with undiagnosed atrial fibrillation, albuminuria, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, excess weight, and reduced kidney function; and
treating people with high blood pressure or cholesterol to evidence-based targets.
Alongside the priority actions, the CVD MSF sets out challenge areas where more evidence or innovations are needed to drive improvements. Further developing diagnostic capabilities to better detect and treat cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CVKM) risk, including for conditions like PAD, is named as one of these challenge areas.
Finally, the CVD MSF sets out a longer-term vision for more stratified, personalised, and holistic CVKM risk assessment. Subject to the evidence, resources, and agreement, this could include improving the detection and management of PAD.
Asked by: Lord Booth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow competition for open access operators on the Great Western Railway route from Cornwall to London.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We are clear that there will continue to be a role for Open Access Operators in the reformed railway, providing innovation and choice for passengers. Access to the network is currently determined by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in accordance with its statutory duties, and the Department cannot direct ORR in its decision-making.
Under rail reform, this will change as Great British Railways (GBR) takes over responsibility for managing access to the network and ORR takes on a new role to hold GBR to account and ensure fairness and transparency for all operators. GBR’s role will include consideration of any future applications for Open Access services across the entire rail network, including on the Great Western Railway route.
Open Access Operators will continue to be able to propose new services, and, where these represent best use of the network and offer genuine benefits to passengers, we would expect GBR to grant access and enable competition.
Asked by: Lord Booth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government why some benefits applied for via an online application form still receive a reply by post.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP is committed to expanding its digital services enabling more customers to engage with us online. Although some benefits, such as Universal Credit, can be claimed online and any further communications can also be conducted digitally through the use of the customer journal, applying online does not automatically mean all subsequent communications will be digital.
DWP operates a multi-channel approach to ensure customers receive important information in a way that is accessible, secure and inclusive. In some cases, letters remain the formal method for notifying customers of a decision or providing information about their award and appeal rights. Postal notifications also support legal, policy and accessibility requirements for certain decisions and customer groups.
Our approach is to expand digital services while maintaining alternative channels so that no customer is excluded. We also remain committed to ensuring that customers have a choice of those alternative channels.
Asked by: Lord Booth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether ECO4 grants are still available to eligible individuals or bodies for solar panels and battery storage until December; and whether there is an obligation on energy companies to process new applications.
Answered by Baroness Curran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
ECO4 is not a grant scheme. Obligated energy suppliers fund and deliver measures to eligible households, recovering costs through energy bills. Battery storage is not eligible under ECO4.
ECO4 has been extended to 31 December 2026 to give suppliers more time to meet their targets, complete outstanding obligations, and carry out remediation. Whilst new applications are allowed, some energy suppliers may slow delivery of measures including solar panels or reduce supply-chain contracting, which could limit support for some households. The extension gives more time for existing commitments but does not create new obligations or increase targets.
Asked by: Lord Booth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the rule changes around GP appointment requests introduced in 2025, what percentage of GP practices in England are currently offering online bookings for GP appointments; and why the rule changes have not yet been fully actioned by some GP practices.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
General practices (GPs) are independent business that hold contracts with the National Health Service to perform essential services to the public. We require practices to provide online consultation tools. From 1 October 2025, GPs have been required to offer access to online services throughout core hours, 8:00am to 18:30pm, bringing online access in line with walk-in and phone access. This change aims to improve patient access, reduce long phone queues, and help GPs manage demand more effectively.
NHS England collects data on GP appointments, online consultation submissions, and cloud-based telephony. This data shows that 99% of practices have reported having an online consultation system in place. Where a practice does not comply with these contractual requirements, it may be in breach of contract. Patients who have concerns should contact their practice in the first instance, or raise the matter with their local integrated care board.
Asked by: Lord Booth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 10 June (HL543), whether those categories of patients now eligible to receive semaglutide by injection will also be eligible for orforglipron tablets on the same basis.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Orforglipron does not yet have a marketing authorisation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, so it cannot currently be marketed in the United Kingdom. Any future licence would set out the condition it can be used for, and the recommended dosage. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for making recommendations to the National Health Service on whether newly licensed medicines should be routinely funded, based on an assessment of their clinical and cost effectiveness. NICE has scheduled an appraisal of orforglipron for managing obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related co-morbidity, in anticipation of a UK marketing authorisation being granted. It will aim to publish guidance as close as possible to the expected licensing date, with final guidance currently expected in November 2026.
Asked by: Lord Booth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 29 April (HL16182), whether they will publish the final NICE guidance for the use of semaglutide.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published final technology appraisal guidance on the use of semaglutide for reducing the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in people with cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity on 7 May 2026.
Asked by: Lord Booth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the NICE guidelines on semaglutide for patients with cardiovascular disease will be published; and what plans they have to ensure that the guidance is implemented by GPs.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources.
NICE published final draft guidance on 1 April that recommends semaglutide as an option for reducing the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, such as cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or non-fatal stroke, in people with cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity. NICE currently expects to publish final guidance in May 2026.
If recommended in final NICE guidance, the NHS would be required to fund treatment within three months of publication. Integrated care boards are responsible for determining local delivery arrangements and for ensuring that clinicians are supported to prescribe in accordance with NICE recommendations.
Asked by: Lord Booth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 11 March (HL15021), how many patients are treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma by the NHS each year.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service provides a range of treatments for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, including chemotherapy as a first treatment, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapies, and stem cell transplantation for eligible patients.
Effectiveness of treatments is assessed by clinicians for individual patients using data on measures such as the responsiveness of the cancer to treatment, remission, overall survival, and quality of life. The most appropriate treatment depends on the type and stage of lymphoma and the patient’s individual circumstances, and decisions are made by specialist multidisciplinary teams.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has evaluated and recommended several Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell (CAR-T) Therapy treatments for use within the Cancer Drugs Fund for the treatment of various cancers, including for large B-cell lymphoma a sub type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which are now available to NHS patients in line with NICE’s recommendations. In November 2025, NHS England published commissioning guidance to support the implementation of CAR-T therapies for blood cancer.
Furthermore, the National Cancer Plan commits to ensuring rare cancer patients, including blood cancer, have improved access to targeted and personalised treatments where genomics identifies suitable options. The plan aims is to improve survival rates for rare cancers, including blood cancers by exploring novel procurement routes for diagnostics and treatments. Genomics will support the development of new treatments to improve outcomes for those with cancer.
The following table shows, from latest data available, the number of patients treated for non-Hodkin lymphoma receiving radiotherapy, systemic anti-cancer treatment (SACT), and tumour resections for their tumour, each year from 2019 to 2022:
Year | Patients treated with either radiotherapy, SACT, or surgery |
2019 | 8011 |
2020 | 7361 |
2021 | 7737 |
2022 | 7826 |