Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of awareness that those who have capital or assets above £23,250 must pay the full cost of any adult social care; and what plans they have to increase awareness that adult social care is not free at the point of use for all.

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

The Department has not made a specific assessment of the awareness of the £23,250 upper capital limit.

The Government is committed to reforming adult social care and has established an independent commission, chaired by the Noble Baroness, Casey of Blackstock, to lead a national conversation on the future of adult social care. The Government has no current plans to undertake a specific awareness campaign on adult social care charging. However, the commission's terms of reference are sufficiently broad to enable it to consider how to build a system that is fair, affordable, and fit for the future, including issues relating to the understanding of the adult social care system. Phase 1 will report later this year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 19 June (HL946), given that access to independent investigation is not available to antepartum stillbirths or stillbirths before 37 weeks’ gestation, and depends upon estimated gestational age or retrospective clinical classification as antepartum or intrapartum, what safeguards exist to ensure that parents of stillborn babies are not denied access to independent investigation as a result of uncertainty or error in those assessments.

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

All bereaved parents have the option to be involved in a high-quality review of the death of their baby, from 22 weeks' gestation up to 28 days post birth, through a perinatal mortality review. While this is carried out by the hospital or hospitals where the mother and baby were looked after, a national tool is in place, namely the national Perinatal Mortality Review Tool, to ensure such reviews are objective, robust, and standardised.

There are a range of views on how stillbirths should be investigated, and it is important that the Government’s conclusions on coronial investigations of stillbirths reflect the recommendations Baroness Amos has made through the final report of her independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care, and supports the most effective model for maternity investigations.

As recommended in Baroness Amos’ report, we will publish the Government’s response to the 2019 consultation, jointly with the Ministry of Justice, in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the protocols under evaluation by the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group since 2024 were deferred to consideration in a future year; why any such deferrals were necessary; and what steps they are taking to ensure sufficient funding is allocated from existing budgets to support access to treatments for patients impacted by any such deferrals, including through the Innovative Medicines Fund.

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

There were eight policy propositions at the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) Prioritisation Meeting in May 2024 that were not commissioned due to insufficient resource, with further information available at the NHS.UK website.

CPAG makes recommendations on the relative priority of treatments, and funding decisions are taken against a defined budget which is set annually based on affordability.

The CPAG process aims to ensure that investment targets the treatments offering the greatest clinical benefit and value for money for patients and taxpayers. Treatments that are not prioritised for funding remain eligible for reconsideration in subsequent CPAG prioritisation rounds in line with the published process.

The Innovative Medicines Fund is reserved for medicines that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has concluded are plausibly cost-effective and for which additional evidence is required to address resolvable clinical uncertainty.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the EuroQol 5-dimension questionnaire is the most appropriate tool for assessing the impact on caregivers of caring for people with Alzheimer's disease.

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

The Department has not separately assessed the use of EQ-5D-5L for measuring the impact on carers of people with Alzheimer’s disease. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recently consulted on proposals to adopt EQ-5D-5L into its health technology evaluation manual and is considering the responses.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential merits of establishing a structured, funded commissioning pathway for treatments that have not yet been made available through the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group process, where unmet need has been identified by NHS Clinical Reference Groups.

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

No assessment has been made of establishing a separate, funded pathway for treatments that have not been prioritised for funding.

The National Health Service has established processes in place to assess the clinical and cost effectiveness of new treatments through the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Where NICE is unable to assess a treatment, for example because a medicine is being used outside its licensed indication, the treatment may be considered through NHS England’s Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) annual prioritisation process.

CPAG makes recommendations on the relative priority of treatments, and funding decisions are taken against a defined budget which is set annually based on affordability.

The CPAG process aims to ensure that investment targets the treatments that are offering the greatest clinical benefit and value for money for patients and taxpayers. Treatments that are not prioritised for funding remain eligible for reconsideration in subsequent CPAG prioritisation rounds in line with the published process.

Treatments that have not been assessed by NICE or prioritised through successive CPAG rounds are unlikely to represent the highest relative benefit or value for money when compared with competing priorities for investment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Merron on 1 July (HL Deb cols 1032–34), what data the Department of Health and Social Care collects on the reasons for pharmacy closures.

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

Pharmacies are private businesses and may open or close for a range of reasons. Therefore, while the Department monitors closures within the sector, there is no reliable source of data on the specific reasons for pharmacy closures.

However, access to pharmaceutical services remains good, with 80% of patients able to access a pharmacy within a 20-minute walk. Additionally, there are processes in place to monitor openings and closures, and any reductions and increases in opening hours and their impact.

Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served and they must keep these assessments under review. Integrated care boards have regard to the PNAs when reviewing applications from new contractors. Contractors can also apply to open a new pharmacy to offer benefits to patients that were not foreseen by the PNA. Options are available to patients to access alternative pharmacies or distance selling pharmacies.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 22 June (HL816), how the "similar functionality" commitment applies to (1) the "native code and native interfaces" re-implementation of the NHS app with any new minimal compatibility requirements; (2) services in the current NHS app; and (3) future updates to the NHS app which will not be compatible with older devices which remain in active use by patients.

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

The Government is fully committed to developing the NHS App for the benefit of patients and services in the National Health Service, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

We have consistently minimised any divergence between code bases and will continue to do so in the future as we develop the NHS App. This helps to optimise the service for patients.

We are continuing to fully develop the NHS App for users as an iOS app, an Android app, and as a website. Where there are any differences between these formats, this can be due to natural differences in design due to different operating systems and conventions or it can also occur as new features are rolled out across formats, one at a time. In the case of the latter, this means any differences may only be temporary.

We are committed to making the NHS App as accessible as possible, whilst at the same time ensuring the software remains safe and secure for use by patients. We review the operating system and browser version policy annually, to determine how best to strike this balance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost of their proposal to maintain a fully iOS native, a fully Android native, and a computer/web browser version of the NHS app, by comparison to the current arrangements.

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

NHS England routinely assesses options for the future technological development of the NHS App. This includes due regard to cost, appropriate use of artificial intelligence, and most importantly how changes will best enhance the service for patients.

A roadmap of future developments is available at the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce disparities in timely access to diagnostic testing at community-based facilities.

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

Community diagnostic centres (CDCs) offer patients a wide range of diagnostic tests closer to home and greater choice on where and how they are undertaken, reducing the need for hospital visits and potentially speeding up the start of treatment. CDCs are part of the Government’s aim to shift care out of hospitals and into communities.

NHS England publishes guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) on CDCs. The 2026 version of the guidance will be published imminently. The guidance sets out the core tests for a CDC. The following table shows the overall type of core diagnostic tests available, as well as the individual modalities:

In addition, the following table shows the overall type of optional diagnostic tests available, as well as the individual modalities:

Data is not collected on timely access to diagnostic services for those from underrepresented groups including women, and those from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds.

One of the central priorities for CDCs is to offer tests for underserved populations. That is why the vast majority of CDCs are located in, or within easy public transport access from, the areas with the most deprivation and health inequalities in each ICB.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government which diagnostic tests they require to be available at individual community diagnosis centres.

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

Community diagnostic centres (CDCs) offer patients a wide range of diagnostic tests closer to home and greater choice on where and how they are undertaken, reducing the need for hospital visits and potentially speeding up the start of treatment. CDCs are part of the Government’s aim to shift care out of hospitals and into communities.

NHS England publishes guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) on CDCs. The 2026 version of the guidance will be published imminently. The guidance sets out the core tests for a CDC. The following table shows the overall type of core diagnostic tests available, as well as the individual modalities:

In addition, the following table shows the overall type of optional diagnostic tests available, as well as the individual modalities:

Data is not collected on timely access to diagnostic services for those from underrepresented groups including women, and those from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds.

One of the central priorities for CDCs is to offer tests for underserved populations. That is why the vast majority of CDCs are located in, or within easy public transport access from, the areas with the most deprivation and health inequalities in each ICB.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether directions issued by the Secretary of State to Integrated Care Boards will include measurable outcomes for vaccination programmes such as internationally recognised WHO benchmarks; and how commissioning performance against those outcomes will be assessed.

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

From April 2027, integrated care boards (ICBs) will take on responsibility and accountability for commissioning vaccination services. This includes taking on responsibility for improving uptake towards the targets for vaccination coverage which are currently set out as key performance indicators in the National Health Service public health functions agreement 2026 to 2027. These targets will be maintained through delegation.

The NHS Oversight Framework provides a consistent approach to assessing how well providers and ICBs are delivering for patients and supporting improvement. Uptake of the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine and healthcare worker flu vaccine are included in the metrics used to assess ICB performance. The Department is continuing to develop the detail of our approach to oversight and accountability of the system as part of the transformation to merge NHS England into the Department.

Throughout this period and beyond we will continue to support new vaccination programmes with clear, time-bound delivery plans working with national partners, including the UK Health Security Agency, and partners throughout the system including, from April 2027, offices for pan-ICB commissioning and ICBs.

We will also continue to support commissioners to arrange high-quality vaccination services including supporting a strong core offer through general practice and school-age immunisation services as well as the arrangement of effective supplementary and targeted outreach services that drive uptake where needed and appropriate for population health needs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how the function currently undertaken by NHS England in collecting and disseminating best practice in vaccination delivery will be maintained under the proposed new commissioning arrangements.

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

From April 2027, integrated care boards (ICBs) will take on responsibility and accountability for commissioning vaccination services. This includes taking on responsibility for improving uptake towards the targets for vaccination coverage which are currently set out as key performance indicators in the National Health Service public health functions agreement 2026 to 2027. These targets will be maintained through delegation.

The NHS Oversight Framework provides a consistent approach to assessing how well providers and ICBs are delivering for patients and supporting improvement. Uptake of the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine and healthcare worker flu vaccine are included in the metrics used to assess ICB performance. The Department is continuing to develop the detail of our approach to oversight and accountability of the system as part of the transformation to merge NHS England into the Department.

Throughout this period and beyond we will continue to support new vaccination programmes with clear, time-bound delivery plans working with national partners, including the UK Health Security Agency, and partners throughout the system including, from April 2027, offices for pan-ICB commissioning and ICBs.

We will also continue to support commissioners to arrange high-quality vaccination services including supporting a strong core offer through general practice and school-age immunisation services as well as the arrangement of effective supplementary and targeted outreach services that drive uptake where needed and appropriate for population health needs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that newly introduced vaccination programmes are supported by clear, time-bound delivery expectations to enable timely and equitable uptake.

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

From April 2027, integrated care boards (ICBs) will take on responsibility and accountability for commissioning vaccination services. This includes taking on responsibility for improving uptake towards the targets for vaccination coverage which are currently set out as key performance indicators in the National Health Service public health functions agreement 2026 to 2027. These targets will be maintained through delegation.

The NHS Oversight Framework provides a consistent approach to assessing how well providers and ICBs are delivering for patients and supporting improvement. Uptake of the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine and healthcare worker flu vaccine are included in the metrics used to assess ICB performance. The Department is continuing to develop the detail of our approach to oversight and accountability of the system as part of the transformation to merge NHS England into the Department.

Throughout this period and beyond we will continue to support new vaccination programmes with clear, time-bound delivery plans working with national partners, including the UK Health Security Agency, and partners throughout the system including, from April 2027, offices for pan-ICB commissioning and ICBs.

We will also continue to support commissioners to arrange high-quality vaccination services including supporting a strong core offer through general practice and school-age immunisation services as well as the arrangement of effective supplementary and targeted outreach services that drive uptake where needed and appropriate for population health needs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the 2025 Highly Specialised Technologies routing criteria updates on the number of orphan medicines being diverted to the Standard Technology Appraisal (STA) pathway; and what steps they are taking to ensure that medicines for populations of 300 to 500 patients are not unfairly penalised by lower cost-effectiveness thresholds under the STA route.

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

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) highly specialised technologies programme (HST) is reserved for the evaluation of a small number of medicines licensed for the treatment of very rare, very severe diseases. Decisions on whether medicines are routed to the HST programme are taken against a set of published criteria that were updated in April 2025 following public and stakeholder engagement. The purpose of the new criteria is not to change the number or nature of the topics evaluated through the HST programme, but to ensure that the criteria are sufficiently clear and predictable for companies and patient groups and are aligned to the HST vision.

The Government has recently announced a number of pilots and projects following the United States and Untied Kingdom partnership on pharmaceuticals that will shape a commercial environment that actively encourages innovation and improves patient access. As part of that work, NICE will review the approach to valuing rare disease medicines through its Health Technology Assessment Innovation Laboratory. This research will consider both technology appraisal and highly specialised technologies routes. The review will assess a range of both radical and incremental options to improve the current framework.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure clear accountability for vaccination commissioning and delivery following the withdrawal of Section 7A of the National Health Service Act 2006 and the abolition of NHS England; and what role the Department of Health and Social Care will play in independently evaluating performance across Integrated Care Boards.

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

From April 2027, integrated care boards (ICBs) will take on responsibility and accountability for commissioning vaccination services. This includes taking on responsibility for improving uptake towards the targets for vaccination coverage which are currently set out as key performance indicators in the National Health Service public health functions agreement 2026 to 2027. These targets will be maintained through delegation.

The NHS Oversight Framework provides a consistent approach to assessing how well providers and ICBs are delivering for patients and supporting improvement. Uptake of the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine and healthcare worker flu vaccine are included in the metrics used to assess ICB performance. The Department is continuing to develop the detail of our approach to oversight and accountability of the system as part of the transformation to merge NHS England into the Department.

Throughout this period and beyond we will continue to support new vaccination programmes with clear, time-bound delivery plans working with national partners, including the UK Health Security Agency, and partners throughout the system including, from April 2027, offices for pan-ICB commissioning and ICBs.

We will also continue to support commissioners to arrange high-quality vaccination services including supporting a strong core offer through general practice and school-age immunisation services as well as the arrangement of effective supplementary and targeted outreach services that drive uptake where needed and appropriate for population health needs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria would trigger the use of powers available to the Secretary of State to intervene in cases of persistent underperformance by Integrated Care Boards; and whether variation in vaccination coverage would form part of that assessment.

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

From April 2027, integrated care boards (ICBs) will take on responsibility and accountability for commissioning vaccination services. This includes taking on responsibility for improving uptake towards the targets for vaccination coverage which are currently set out as key performance indicators in the National Health Service public health functions agreement 2026 to 2027. These targets will be maintained through delegation.

The NHS Oversight Framework provides a consistent approach to assessing how well providers and ICBs are delivering for patients and supporting improvement. Uptake of the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine and healthcare worker flu vaccine are included in the metrics used to assess ICB performance. The Department is continuing to develop the detail of our approach to oversight and accountability of the system as part of the transformation to merge NHS England into the Department.

Throughout this period and beyond we will continue to support new vaccination programmes with clear, time-bound delivery plans working with national partners, including the UK Health Security Agency, and partners throughout the system including, from April 2027, offices for pan-ICB commissioning and ICBs.

We will also continue to support commissioners to arrange high-quality vaccination services including supporting a strong core offer through general practice and school-age immunisation services as well as the arrangement of effective supplementary and targeted outreach services that drive uptake where needed and appropriate for population health needs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Merron on 15 April (HL Deb, cols 27GC-28GC), what consideration they have given to exempting the provision of treatment to those in the performing arts, elite athletes, and their teams, from the list of regulated activities for the purposes of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

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

The Government has heard from a range of industry and medical stakeholders and will consider the range of views provided in relation to potential exemptions. There will be close liaison with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ensure that everyone either participating in or attending cultural or sporting events receive safe and effective care. The CQC continues to engage with providers to ensure minimal impact on them whilst achieving those aims.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's fall in ranking from fifth to eleventh between 2020 and 2025 in the EFPIA Waiting to Access Innovative Therapies Indicator for orphan medicine availability; and what steps they are taking to ensure the UK remains a priority 'first-launch' market for global biotechnology firms.

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

No specific assessment has been made. The Government recognises how important it is that patients with rare diseases are able to benefit from access to effective new medicines. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has a strong track record in supporting access to new medicines for patients with rare diseases with 89% of the rare disease medicines that it has appraised since March 2024 recommended for some or all of the eligible patient population.

Through the Life Sciences Sector Plan and the 10-Year Health Plan, we are taking steps to make the United Kingdom a faster place to approve and adopt new medicines. This includes wider use of real-world evidence, more flexible commercial deals, faster NICE guidance, and a new joint NICE and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency pathway to shorten the time from approval to National Health Service use.

We recognise that there is more to do to improve and accelerate access to new medicines for NHS patients and the steps that we are taking as part of the pharmaceuticals partnership with the United States are already resulting in medicines, including medicines for patients with rare diseases, becoming available to NHS patients that may not otherwise have been recommended.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Merron on 15 April (HL Deb, cols 27GC–28GC), whether they intend the provision of treatment by foreign medical teams to those in the performing arts, elite athletes, and their teams, temporarily visiting the UK to constitute a “regulated activity” for the purposes of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 upon the coming into force of regulation two of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/495); and if not, what assessment they have made of the implications of any difference in requirements for foreign and domestic medical staff.

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

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the regulator for health and social care in England. Providers of health and adult social care who are wholly based outside England would typically not register with the CQC.

This is because the CQC does not hold jurisdiction to regulate providers outside England and therefore cannot inspect and take enforcement action against them if the service being provided fails to meet the necessary standards as set out in the regulations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Merron on 15 April (HL Deb, cols 27GC–28GC), whether they consider that the Care Quality Commission has the requisite (1) knowledge, and (2) financial resources, to regulate the provision of treatment to those in the performing arts, elite athletes, and their teams.

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

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates the treatment of disease, disorder, and injury across a range of industries, which includes pre-hospital care. The CQC continues to engage with providers of event healthcare directly, and has worked with the Government to meet with industry and medical leaders. This engagement continues.

In accordance with its normal ways of working, the CQC will recruit a team of specialist advisors who are experts in their field to join the inspections of providers. The purpose of that inclusion is to ensure that all regulatory decisions are based upon current best practice. The CQC continues to monitor the implementation of the review of regulations to ensure that financial matters have due attention.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what data they collect on timely access to diagnostic services for those from underrepresented groups including (1) women, and (2) those from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds.

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

Community diagnostic centres (CDCs) offer patients a wide range of diagnostic tests closer to home and greater choice on where and how they are undertaken, reducing the need for hospital visits and potentially speeding up the start of treatment. CDCs are part of the Government’s aim to shift care out of hospitals and into communities.

NHS England publishes guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) on CDCs. The 2026 version of the guidance will be published imminently. The guidance sets out the core tests for a CDC. The following table shows the overall type of core diagnostic tests available, as well as the individual modalities:

In addition, the following table shows the overall type of optional diagnostic tests available, as well as the individual modalities:

Data is not collected on timely access to diagnostic services for those from underrepresented groups including women, and those from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds.

One of the central priorities for CDCs is to offer tests for underserved populations. That is why the vast majority of CDCs are located in, or within easy public transport access from, the areas with the most deprivation and health inequalities in each ICB.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what safeguards they will put in place to ensure that decisions relating to public health functions continue to be informed by appropriate expert consultation following the removal of the statutory duty previously held by NHS England.

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

Following the abolition of NHS England, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will continue, where appropriate, to obtain public health expert advice and to utilise the best evidence to inform decisions, in accordance with the Ministerial Code. This will include seeking expert advice from committees, such as the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, organisations including the UK Health Security Agency, or individuals such as the Chief Medical Officer.

Integrated care boards’ existing duty to obtain appropriate advice on the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of illness and the protection or improvement of the public’s health will be retained.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many cyber incidents the NHS Cyber Security Operations Centre (1) detected and prevented, (2) detected but failed to prevent, and (3) initially detected but subsequently found to be a false alarm, in (a) the first half of 2025, (b) the second half of 2025, and (c) the first half of 2026.

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

The following figures are from the NHS England Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) incident ticketing systems, namely aggregating data from security tooling that monitors cyber security incidents detected by, or reported to, the CSOC. The following table shows the number of security incidents detected by the CSOC where the impact to National Health Services has been prevented:

There are no recorded cyber security incidents that were initially detected by the CSOC which were subsequently not prevented.

The following table shows the number of security incidents initially detected by CSOC security tooling, but which were subsequently found to be a false alarm via either automated mechanisms or manual activity:

As these are false positives, the data surrounding them is only retained for 12 months, making a response to 2025H1 not possible.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to recognise waste-to-energy with carbon capture and storage as an eligible route for engineered greenhouse gas removals in future carbon removals policy frameworks.

Answered by Lord Whitehead

Greenhouse Gas Removals are important for reaching net zero, by balancing residual emissions from hard-to-decarbonise sectors while providing new economic opportunities.

A range of removal technologies will be needed to deliver net zero, including Energy from Waste with Carbon Capture and Storage projects which have the potential to deliver removals by capturing the biogenic CO₂ from their waste feedstock.

The Government remains committed to ensuring that removals delivered under future policy frameworks are measurable, verifiable and represent high-integrity carbon removals.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential contribution of waste-to-energy with carbon capture and storage to the delivery of high-integrity carbon removals in the UK.

Answered by Lord Whitehead

Energy from Waste with Carbon Capture and Storage projects have the potential to deliver Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGRs). Subject to robust monitoring, reporting and lifecycle assessment arrangements, these projects could contribute to the delivery of high-integrity carbon removals in the UK.

The Carbon Budget Delivery Growth Plan set out projected emissions savings of 0.7Mtpa by 2030, increasing to 21.8Mtpa by 2035, but did not break this down by technology. Modelling is reviewed as evidence emerges.

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 June (HL108), what steps they are taking to ensure that delivery of NHS Health Checks is better incentivised across primary care and local systems.

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

The NHS Health Check (NHS HC) programme is commissioned by local authorities who are responsible for offering 100% of their eligible resident population a check every five years.

The Government's Public Health Grant to local authorities is used to enable the programme's provision and allows local authorities to ensure that delivery of the NHS HC is aligned with local public health services and fits their local population.

The programme's Best Practice Guidance provides commissioners and their providers with information on how to deliver the programme effectively, and how to adopt a proportionate universalist approach to ensure that checks are delivered in a way that prioritises resources and effort towards engaging people at higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

Department officials are considering options to improve the NHS HC programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether data from cholesterol and lipid testing undertaken through the NHS Health Check Online pilot will be recorded in patient records and used to support follow-up care, including lipid optimisation where clinically indicated.

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

The NHS Health Check Online (NHSHC-O) is in the private Beta testing phase and is being piloted in 11 local authorities across England. As part of the NHSHC-O, users receive a self-sampling capillary blood testing kit, delivered to their home, to measure cholesterol, and, if appropriate, HbA1c. Samples are then sent to a United Kingdom Accreditation Service accredited laboratory for assessment.

All results from the NHSHC-O are automatically written back into the patient's electronic health record. General practices are notified if a patient's results indicate that further assessment is necessary and, if required, undertake further clinical investigation and treatment where appropriate, in line with existing clinical pathways.

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 June (HL108), what steps they are taking to ensure that improvements to the NHS Health Check programme are targeted towards communities experiencing the greatest health inequalities.

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

The NHS Health Check (NHS HC) aims to improve the health and wellbeing of adults aged 40 to 74 years old through the promotion of early awareness, assessment, and management of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), risk factors that are associated with premature death, disability, and health inequalities in England. Improving uptake of the programme, including for people at the highest risk and experiencing inequalities, is a priority for the programme.

The NHS Health Check Online is currently being tested in 11 local authorities across England and aims to increase access and engagement with the programme for all population groups, by allowing people to undertake their NHS Health Check at home, at a time and place convenient to them, freeing up in-person NHS HCs for those who want or need more support.

The recently published Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) sets out the 10-year ambition to systematically identify individuals with established or emerging cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic risk factors, including via the NHS HC, whilst reducing the variation in the number of people receiving a check between the best and worst performing areas nationally. A delivery plan will be published later this year to support local implementation of the CVD MSF.

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 June (HL108), what steps they are taking to strengthen lipid management pathways, including diagnosis, referral, treatment optimisation and long-term monitoring, for people at risk of cardiovascular disease.

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

The NHS Health Check programme, a core component of England's cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme, assesses the top risk factors for CVD, including raised cholesterol, in eligible people and refers them to further support through behavioural interventions, clinical assessment, and treatment where appropriate. For every 1.4 million NHS Health Checks delivered annually, 900,000 people are found to have raised cholesterol level. We are also developing the NHS Health Check Online to improve access and help more people understand and act on their risk factors.

Furthermore, NHS England is strengthening lipid management by improving identification of people at risk of CVD through risk assessment, case finding, and community-based initiatives, including pharmacy-led approaches and cholesterol point of care testing.

The Government recently published the Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework, which sets out priorities 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. Identifying people with high cholesterol and optimising lipid management for people with high cholesterol are amongst the priorities for the health and care system.

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