Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support access to education for children from vulnerable and marginalised families.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity so that all children can achieve and thrive.
The ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ White Paper sets out steps to improve school readiness through family support, strengthen teacher recruitment and retention, and broaden curriculum and enrichment opportunities, ensuring funding is targeted where it’s needed most.
The guidance ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ recognises that vulnerable pupils, including those with special educational needs or mental health challenges, may face greater barriers. The guidance is clear that schools should take a support-first approach. Wider attendance barriers are also being addressed through breakfast clubs, improved mental health support, and strengthened guidance on identifying and supporting Children Missing Education.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will also support access to education by improving the identification of children not in school and introducing new duties on local authorities to support home education, including providing information on access to GCSE examinations when requested by families.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of hospital admissions related to dental infections or complications preventable through earlier oral health education and intervention.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No estimate is available for the number of hospital admissions related to dental infections or complications preventable through earlier oral health education and intervention. However, official statistics on hospital tooth extractions for children and young adults being admitted to hospital for tooth extractions in the financial year ending 2025 are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hospital-tooth-extractions-in-0-to-19-year-olds-2025
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of preventable conditions resulting from lack of access to oral health education and care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No estimate is available of the costs to the National Health Service of preventable conditions resulting from lack of access to oral health education and care. The costs to the NHS of hospital admissions for decay-related tooth extractions, which are largely preventable, are estimated at £51.2 million in the financial year ending 2025. Further information is published at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hospital-tooth-extractions-in-0-to-19-year-olds-2025
This is why the Government is shifting to prevention through a national, targeted supervised toothbrushing programme where every £1 spent is expected to save £3 in avoided treatment costs.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
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 ensure patients with systemic conditions linked to poor oral health, like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, receive appropriate oral health education.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A range of actions support the provision of appropriate oral health education to patients with systemic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. For example, the Delivering Better Oral Health guidance, which is available at the following link:
This guidance is a key resource for the oral health profession to address risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and healthier eating. Oral health education should also be embedded in diabetes care pathways, to include educational programmes and oral health team members delivering patient education and motivation, alongside clinical management. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/commissioning-standard-dental-care-for-people-with-diabetes/
Within hospitals, the Mouth Care Matters programme supports the oral health of patients, with further information available at the following link:
https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/oral-health
In addition to this existing support, the Government is committed to reforming the dental contract by the end of this Parliament, with a focus on promoting prevention, matching resources to need, improving access, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to secure the UK's supply of critical minerals.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises the vital role of critical minerals in economic security, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing. Through the Critical Minerals Strategy, we are strengthening domestic resilience by supporting UK capabilities in processing, recycling, and responsible extraction, alongside better understanding future demand through a new growth minerals list. We are working with international partners to diversify supply chains and reduce exposure to concentrated markets, while leveraging the UK’s strengths in finance and innovation.