Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the Government’s approach to climate adaptation.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. Ministers and officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are working with departments on the issue of climate adaptation.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of publishing a heat strategy.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The National Adaptation Programme, published in 2023, sets out in a single document the programme of actions that government is taking to address climate risk, including on overheating.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) steps he is taking to support and (b) funding he has allocated to the rollout of AI-assisted stethoscope checks for heart murmurs in community pharmacies.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Artificial intelligence (AI) assisted stethoscope tools are currently being trialed in 200 general practices (GPs) across London and Wales, with trials set to end in December 2025. The AI in Health and Care Award and the National Institute for Health and Care Research provided £1.2 million in funding for these trials, known as the TRICORDER programme, which aims to assess whether providing the tool to GPs can increase the early detection of heart failure and reduce diagnosis through emergency hospital admission. Early results have shown these devices can test for heart failure with high levels of sensitivity, 91%, and specificity, 80%, compared to routine diagnostic tests that are invasive and expensive.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to publish a women's health strategy.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health. We are turning the commitments in the existing Women's Health Strategy into tangible action, such as: providing emergency hormonal contraception free of charge at pharmacies on the National Health Service from October 2025; setting out how we will eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 through the new cervical cancer plan; and taking urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan.

Through our 10-Year Health Plan, we are delivering our commitment that never again will women’s health be neglected. The three shifts will improve the care women receive. Hospital to community will mean women can access convenient, coordinated care closer to home through Neighbourhood Health Centres, building on best practice examples such as Tower Hamlets women’s health hub. Analogue to digital will put more power and data in women’s hands, which will make it easier to get more personalised support, book appointments, and stay healthy. Treatment to prevention will mean faster and fairer access to life-saving prevention through human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling kits, and access to the HPV vaccine through community pharmacies.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the article by The University of Manchester entitled Making headlines: Young people’s social media use and navigating media narratives, published on 9 June 2025.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The department notes the article published by the University of Manchester, and officials have recently discussed its content with the authors. Media literacy skills are embedded across the curriculum, including citizenship, computing, English and relationships, sex and health education, which together develop critical thinking, research skills, an understanding of the media in shaping opinion and how to be a discerning consumer of information online, including through social media.

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s interim report noted the rise of artificial intelligence and trends in digital information and that it is necessary that the curriculum keep pace with these changes, including a renewed focus on digital and media literacy and critical thinking skills. The Review’s final report and recommendations will be published in autumn with the government’s response.

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 introduce a cardiovascular disease strategy.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring that fewer lives are lost to the biggest killers, including cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July, outlines our commitment to publish a Modern Service Framework in 2026 that will identify the interventions with the best evidence, and set standards for and drive innovation in CVD.

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 potential impact of PM2.5 exposure on children’s health outcomes.

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

Air pollution exposure can be harmful to everyone. Children are more vulnerable to the effects than adults due to their incomplete lung development, high physical activity and breathing rates, and lower height, which increases exposure to traffic pollution.

The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) assessment of children’s exposure to air pollution in outdoor school environments identified that, in 2017, one third of schools in England were in areas with PM2.5, exceeding the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) previous annual guideline of 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3).

In 2021, WHO updated its guidelines for PM2.5 from 10 µg/m3 to an annual mean of five µg/m3.

The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants published advice on the susceptibility to air pollution in March 2025. They concluded that, based on the latest evidence, advice for children with asthma should continue to be included in the Daily Air Quality Index.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) provides The Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI) which is available at the following link:

https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/air-pollution/daqi?view=more-info

This informs on the levels of air pollution and provides recommended actions and health advice. The index is numbered 1-10 and divided into four bands, low (1) to very high (10), to provide detail about air pollution levels in a simple way, similar to the sun index or pollen index.

UKHSA contributed to the Royal College of Physician’s report on air pollution which explores the impacts of air pollution over the life course, including through childhood and adolescence. UKHSA has a Cleaner Air Programme which aims to reduce people’s exposure to air pollution, particularly the most vulnerable groups, including children.

The Programme is described in UKHSA’s ‘Chemical Hazards and Poisons Report’ of June 2022, available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chemical-hazards-and-poisons-report-issue-28