Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of AI tools in supporting the treatment and management of cancer in the NHS; and what steps they are taking to ensure that those tools improve patient outcomes while maintaining safety and data protection standards.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the significant potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to support the treatment and management of cancer across the National Health Service, particularly through improving diagnostic accuracy, supporting clinical decision making, and helping clinicians prioritise care more effectively.
The Department is focusing the £21 million AI Diagnostic Fund on the deployment of technologies in key, high-demand areas, such as chest X-Ray and chest computed tomography scans, to enable faster diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in over half of acute trusts in England.
The Government and NHS England are committed to the safe, ethical, and evidence-based adoption of AI. All AI technologies used in the NHS must meet robust regulatory requirements, including approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulation Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Health Research Authority, and the Care Quality Commission, as well as UK General Data Protection Regulations, and the Data Protection Act 2018.
NHS organisations remain responsible for deciding whether to deploy AI technologies locally, based on clinical need, safety, value for money, and alignment with national standards. The Government will continue to work closely with NHS England, regulators, and clinicians to ensure AI is used in ways that improve cancer outcomes while maintaining the highest standards of safety, transparency, and data protection.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reliability of AI systems in supporting medical diagnosis, particularly in cases where patient data is incomplete; and what steps they are taking to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect patient safety and support clinical decision-making.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to support clinicians in medical diagnosis, while being clear that such technologies must be safe, effective, and used appropriately.
AI systems in healthcare are intended to support, not replace, clinical judgement. Their reliability depends in part on the quality and completeness of patient data, and the Government is clear that a qualified healthcare professional must remain involved in decision‑making. Managing risks associated with incomplete data requires both robust system design and wider improvements in how patient information is accessed and shared across the health and care system.
All AI technologies used for medical diagnosis in the National Health Service must comply with medical device regulations and clinical safety standards. These should specifically consider risks such as false positives, false negatives, and performance degradation where data are incomplete.
The Government is also improving data foundations through the development of a Single Patient Record, which aims to provide a clear, unified view of a patient’s history wherever they have received care. This will support safer, faster, and better‑informed clinical decision‑making by enabling seamless access across care settings, while building on existing systems such as Electronic Patient Records, Shared Care Records, and the Federated Data Platform.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of AI tools in supporting the early detection and diagnosis of cardiovascular conditions; and what steps they are taking to support the safe and effective adoption of those technologies in the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is actively deploying artificial intelligence (AI) technologies across the National Health Service to support the earlier detection and diagnosis of cardiovascular conditions. We are supporting the safe and effective adoption of AI tools such as AI-assisted echocardiography, automated electrocardiogram interpretation and digital stethoscope recordings. We are supporting this through robust regulatory and assurance processes, closely aligned to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Evidence Standards Framework for Digital Health Technologies, ensuring that AI technologies are clinically validated and used to support, not replace, professional clinical judgement.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to establish a statutory inquiry into maternity services.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of AI in supporting personalised healthcare and extending patient life expectancy; and what plans they have to develop a strategy for safe and effective integration of AI technologies in the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Guardian article Alarm in health service over Palantir staff being given NHS email accounts, published on 8 April, stating that external technology contractors have been granted access to NHS systems and communications; and what safeguards are in place to ensure data security, patient confidentiality and appropriate oversight.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of AI and data analytics platforms by the NHS, including in partnerships with private technology providers; and what steps they are taking to ensure that use of those platforms complies with standards of data protection and transparency.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of AI-enabled assistive technologies, including wearable devices, in supporting people living with dementia; and what steps they are taking to ensure those technologies are safe, effective and accessible while maintaining standards of data protection and patient care.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) enabled assistive technologies, including wearable devices, to support people living with dementia by promoting independence, safety, and quality of life, and by helping carers and care professionals provide more personalised and responsive support.
To help assess the use of technologies in adult social care, the Government has funded the testing and evaluation of technologies, including AI-enabled technologies, through the Adult Social Care Technology Fund. Emerging evidence indicates positive outcomes for people in receipt of care, care professionals, and the wider health and social care system. People using technology experienced greater independence, safety, wellbeing, and quality of life. We will publish the findings from these projects.
We are in the process of developing trusted, accessible guidance and setting new standards for care technologies, including evidence standards which will help people identify which tech might be most useful for them. This will help people living with dementia, their carers', and care providers know which technologies are fit for purpose, secure, and compatible with the wider health and social care systems in the future, supporting them to invest in technology for the long term.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of digital technologies in supporting treatment and recovery services for people experiencing drug and alcohol addiction.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is continuing to invest in improvements to local alcohol and drug treatment services to ensure those in need can access high quality help and support. From 2026, all drug and alcohol treatment and recovery funding will be channelled through the Public Health Grant, with over £13.45 billion allocated across three years, including £3.4 billion ringfenced for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery.
Local authorities are responsible for assessing local needs for alcohol and drug prevention and treatment in their area, and commissioning services to meet these needs. The Government works with local treatment systems to provide a number of digital products including guidance, subject-matter expertise and data tools to help them deliver their service.
Digital products are derived from The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System and other related health datasets and made available via a dedicated website to enable local treatment systems to monitor treatment access and better manage outcomes.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of proposals to indefinitely recognise CE-marked medical devices on the availability of medical technologies in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Approximately 90% of medical devices currently on the British market are CE marked and their continued supply to the National Health Service and wider health system is vital for patient access to essential products. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency recognises CE marked products until 2028 or 2030, depending on risk classification and the European Union legislation they comply with. The proposals are intended to allow continued access to medical devices that have been assessed as safe and effective in the EU while aligning with international best practice. As Northern Ireland follows EU medical devices regulations, continued recognition of CE marked medical devices in Great Britain would further support the functioning of the UK Internal Market, as manufacturers could continue to place the same product on the entire United Kingdom market.
The proposals are anticipated to drive growth in the medical technology sector by reducing administrative costs and safeguarding the continued supply of medical technologies. The purpose of the proposed policy is to enable indefinite market access for CE marked medical devices on the British market. The impact on safety, availability, and favourability may vary depending on whether all devices are recognised, or just devices that are the same risk class in Great Britain, or lower. An assessment of each proposal against the availability of medical devices can be found in Annex C of the published consultation document, which is available on the GOV.UK website.