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 implement the Getting It Right First Time recommendations on improving the (a) access to and (b) quality of dermatology care.

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

As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure that by March 2029 we return to the standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. The Government is clear that reforming elective care must be done equitably and inclusively for all adults, children, and young people, and across all services, including dermatology.

One of the ways we are improving access to services, including dermatology, is through NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme, which runs a Further Faster programme to deliver rapid clinical transformation with the aim of reducing 52-week waits. It brings together hospital trust clinicians and operational teams to transform patient pathways, helping to reduce waiting lists despite the increase in dermatology demand. It focuses on increasing the use of Advice and Guidance and technology such as teledermatology alongside reducing non-attendance in clinics and unnecessary follow-up appointments.

GIRFT has developed a number of practices to ensure high quality care, such as the standardised best practice pathways for dermatological conditions, to ensure that patients have the shortest route to see the right person the first time. GIRFT provides resources so general practitioners can manage patients in community care without needing to wait for hospital referral, and offers direct, targeted support, working with trusts and integrated care boards who have approached GIRFT for support. Further information on the standardised best practice pathways for dermatological conditions is available at the following link:

https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/medical_specialties/dermatology/#dermatology

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve access to dermatology services.

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

As set out in the Plan for Change, we will ensure that by March 2029 we return to the standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, a standard which has not been met consistently since September 2015. The Government is clear that reforming elective care must be done equitably and inclusively for all adults, children, and young people, and across all services, including dermatology.

One of the ways we are improving access to services, including dermatology, is through NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme, which runs a Further Faster programme to deliver rapid clinical transformation with the aim of reducing 52-week waits. It brings together hospital trust clinicians and operational teams to transform patient pathways, helping to reduce waiting lists despite the increase in dermatology demand. It focuses on increasing the use of Advice and Guidance and technology such as teledermatology alongside reducing non-attendance in clinics and unnecessary follow-up appointments.

GIRFT has developed a number of practices to ensure high quality care, such as the standardised best practice pathways for dermatological conditions, to ensure that patients have the shortest route to see the right person the first time. GIRFT provides resources so general practitioners can manage patients in community care without needing to wait for hospital referral, and offers direct, targeted support, working with trusts and integrated care boards who have approached GIRFT for support. Further information on the standardised best practice pathways for dermatological conditions is available at the following link:

https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/medical_specialties/dermatology/#dermatology

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of current capital funding budget will be allocated towards the expansion of the surgical hub programme.

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

The Government is increasing the Department’s capital budgets to over £14.6 billion by the end of the Spending Review period for 2029/30, to invest into the National Health Service and wider health infrastructure, including elective care. This will deliver the largest ever health capital budget, representing a more than 20% real terms increase by the end of the Spending Review period.

We are investing £6 billion of capital over five years for diagnostic, elective, and urgent and emergency capacity in the NHS. This includes £1.65 billion in 2025/26 for investments aimed at improving NHS secondary and emergency care performance against constitutional standards, £330 million of which has been indicatively allocated for elective care. This funding includes the expansion or creation of surgical or elective hubs.

Regional indicative capital allocations for 2026/27 to 2029/30, including elective care, will be published imminently following publication of the NHS capital planning guidance for 2026/27 to 2029/30. These regional allocations will form the basis for integrated care board and provider planning.

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 (a) operations and (b) appointments that will be cancelled if resident doctors strike from 14 to 19 November 2025.

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

No formal assessment has been made of any industrial action by resident doctors from 14 to 19 November 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the independent maternity and neonatal investigation to publish its final recommendations.

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

The independent maternity and neonatal investigation will produce an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025. The investigation will publish its final report and recommendations in Spring 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of home testing by post for sexually transmitted infections.

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

Local authorities in England are responsible for commissioning comprehensive, open access sexual health services, including sexually transmitted infection (STI) services, through the Public Health Grant, which was funded at £3.884 billion in 2025/26. It is for individual local authorities to decide their spending priorities, based on an assessment of local need, and to commission the blend of services that best suits their population, including decisions about online, face to face, or postal testing services.

The UK Health Security Agency published the STI prioritisation framework in 2024, which enables local systems to identify the best suite of interventions for their local populations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to allocate capital to bring parents accommodation for neonatal units up to national standard.

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

We recognise that delivering high quality National Health Services requires safe, sustainable, and effective infrastructure.

As a first step towards improving our maternity and neonatal estate, we are investing £131 million through the 2025/26 Estates Safety Fund to address critical safety risks on the maternity estate, enabling better care for mothers and their newborns. The funded works will deliver vital safety improvements, enhance patient and staff environments, and support NHS productivity by reducing disruptions across NHS clinical services.

The Government is also backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital in 2025/26, enabling systems to allocation funding to maternity and neonatal services where this is a local priority.

In addition, our 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy set out 10 year maintenance budgets for the public estate, confirming £6 billion per year for maintenance and repair of the NHS estate up to 2034/35.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available for disabled candidates standing for election.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

It is this government’s ambition to see more disabled people in public office. We have been clear that we will champion disabled people’s rights and work closely with them so that disabled people’s views and voices are at the heart of decision-making.

A new fund is currently being developed to assist with the additional disability-related costs of contesting elected office. More information about the fund will be announced in due course.

Additionally, as part of the current MHCLG-funded sector support programme, the Local Government Association (LGA) delivers the Be a Councillor campaign - which aims to attract people who reflect the communities they serve to put themselves forward for local election. The LGA programme also supports disabled people in local politics, through a disabled local councillors leadership programme and a disability champions network across local authorities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS has recovered from patients who were not entitled to free NHS in each of the last three years.

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

For this answer, we have taken ‘patients who were not entitled’ to mean chargeable overseas visitors.

The Department publishes data on the income identified from chargeable overseas visitors in England as part of the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts. The cash payments received by the National Health Service from overseas visitors are also published annually in the consolidated NHS provider accounts. The following table shows the aggregate income identified, and cash payments received by the NHS in England, from overseas visitors over the last three years:

Source: The Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts and Consolidated NHS provider accounts.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) head count and (b) number of full time equivalent employees was in (i) NHS England and (ii) his Department in each month since February 2025.

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

This data is published monthly and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dhsc-workforce-management-information#2025

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's report entitled Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation programme for adults aged 80 years and older: JCVI advice, published on 16 July 2025, whether the NHS is offering the respiratory syncytial virus vaccine to (a) all adults aged 80 years old and over and (b) all residents of adult care homes.

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

In advice published on 16 July 2025, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that the routine respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) programme be extended to also include adults aged 80 years and older, and all residents in a care home for older adults.

During a debate on Accident and Emergency Waiting Times on 22 July 2025, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, confirmed to the Hon. Member that we had already accepted the JCVI advice to extend the routine RSV programme and reassured you that the Department was working at pace on implementation. He did not confirm plans or timings to implement the advice.

At Oral Answers to Questions – Health and Social Care, on 21 October 2025, my Rt. Hon. Friend told the Hon. Member that we had delivered on the commitment to extend the routine RSV programme to adults aged 80 years and older, and all residents in a care home for older adults. His response referred to the acceptance of the JCVI advice and ongoing work to implement that advice. The RSV programme could not be expanded ahead of this winter. However, we have updated the eligibility of the catch-up programme for 7579-year-olds so anyone who turned 80 on or after 1 September 2024 but has not yet come forward for vaccination can continue to do so. Initially, those who turned 80 in the first year of the programme only remained eligible until 31 August 2025, but that has now been extended.

The Department is in discussions with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency on potential implementation. The Department is exploring delivery options and their impact, including on other vaccination programmes, to ensure any changes deliver the best value for money. We will make a final decision about whether and how to implement the JCVI’s advice, including the timing of any expansion to the older adult RSV programme, when this work has concluded.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the food industry on the proposed update of the Nutrient Profiling Model.

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

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis to ease the strain on our National Health Service and create the healthiest generation of children ever. This includes implementing junk food advertising restrictions on TV and online, introducing mandatory healthy food sales reporting for large businesses and setting new targets to increase the healthiness of sales in all communities, and boosting the impact of our advertising and promotions restrictions by applying the updated Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM).

The existing advertising restrictions and the location and volume price promotions restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink use the NPM 2004/5 to determine which products are ‘less healthy’ and therefore in scope of the restrictions. The NPM 2004/5 is out of date, and we committed in the 10-Year Health Plan to updating these standards to reflect the latest dietary advice. This will strengthen the restrictions and more effectively target the products of most concern to childhood obesity.

We have started to engage with stakeholders across sectors of the food and drinks industry and will continue this ahead of and during a consultation period in 2026 on the policy application of an updated NPM to ensure stakeholders can feed in their views.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to HM Treasury's and HMRC's document entitled Strengthening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy - consultation, published on 28 April 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of lowering trends in the level of sugar consumption on trends in the level of artificial sweetener consumption.

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

No formal assessment has been carried out by the Government to date. While businesses are required to declare the sweeteners that have been used in products in the ingredients panel on food packaging, they are not required to provide information on the amounts of sweetener that have been used. Without this information, it is not possible to undertake a robust assessment of the levels of sweeteners that are used in products or consumed or how this has changed over time.

United Kingdom legislation dictates the amount of additives, including sweeteners, that can be used and in which products, along with any specific conditions of use. Compliance is monitored by the Food Standards Agency and supported in assessing the safety of additives by the independent Committee on Toxicity.

On 2 April 2025, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published a position statement on the World Health Organization guideline on non-sugar sweeteners. The SACN concluded that the evidence of a risk to health from consuming non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) is inconsistent. The SACN made a precautionary recommendation that intake of NSS be minimised. With greater certainty of the impact of sugars on health, the SACN recommended that “swapping sugars for NSS may help reduce sugar intake from foods and drinks (and so reduce energy intake), at least in the short term. The long-term goal is to limit both sugar and NSS intake”.

The SACN also recommended that the Government monitor the sweetener content of food and drinks, evaluate the impact of policies on intakes of sweeteners and compel industry to make publicly available data on the amounts of individual NSS within foods. The SACN also made several research recommendations including exploration of innovative ways to reliably monitor exposure to NSS.

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 help increase the level of exercise undertaken by children.

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

The Government recognises the physical and mental health benefits that an active lifestyle can bring for children and young people.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Education co-fund the Primary School PE and Sport Premium, which enables schools to support children to have fun and move more through PE, sport, play and other forms of physical activity.

As committed to in the 10-Year Health Plan’s Prevention chapter, both departments are also working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to develop a new School Sport Partnerships network that will drive collaboration between schools and break down barriers for those who are less active, increasing opportunities for all children to move more. This is alongside wider cross sector action to reduce physical inactivity and get millions moving more. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future

In the summer, DHSC teamed up with Joe Wicks to launch ‘Activate’, a series of animated, fun five-minute workouts to help families and schools tackle inactivity among children.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Question 85259 from the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on:

• 19 November 2025 to Question 85259;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 85256;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 84679;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 85844;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85845;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85848;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 86271;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 86272; and
• 25 November 2025 to Question 86270.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Question 85256 from the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on:

• 19 November 2025 to Question 85259;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 85256;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 84679;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 85844;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85845;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85848;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 86271;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 86272; and
• 25 November 2025 to Question 86270.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Question 84679 from the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on:

• 19 November 2025 to Question 85259;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 85256;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 84679;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 85844;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85845;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85848;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 86271;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 86272; and
• 25 November 2025 to Question 86270.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Question 85848 from the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on:

• 19 November 2025 to Question 85259;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 85256;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 84679;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 85844;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85845;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85848;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 86271;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 86272; and
• 25 November 2025 to Question 86270.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the Question 85844 from the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on:

• 19 November 2025 to Question 85259;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 85256;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 84679;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 85844;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85845;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85848;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 86271;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 86272; and
• 25 November 2025 to Question 86270.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the Question 85845 from the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on:

• 19 November 2025 to Question 85259;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 85256;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 84679;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 85844;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85845;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85848;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 86271;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 86272; and
• 25 November 2025 to Question 86270.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Question 86270 from the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on:

• 19 November 2025 to Question 85259;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 85256;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 84679;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 85844;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85845;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85848;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 86271;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 86272; and
• 25 November 2025 to Question 86270.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Question 86272 from the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on:

• 19 November 2025 to Question 85259;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 85256;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 84679;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 85844;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85845;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85848;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 86271;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 86272; and
• 25 November 2025 to Question 86270.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Question 86271 from the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on:

• 19 November 2025 to Question 85259;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 85256;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 84679;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 85844;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85845;
• 12 November 2025 to Question 85848;
• 19 November 2025 to Question 86271;
• 13 November 2025 to Question 86272; and
• 25 November 2025 to Question 86270.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) schools, (b) nurseries and (c) early years settings have signed up to the Big Brush Club supervised toothbrushing scheme.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Big Brush Club is commissioned across seven integrated care boards (ICBs) in the National Health Service South West region in England to deliver supervised toothbrushing at schools and nurseries. The total number of schools participating is 738. The number of nurseries and early years settings are not available separately, but the total number of nurseries and early years settings participating, combined, is 462.

The national supervised toothbrushing programme now being implemented across England will reach up to 600,000 children between the ages of three and five years old in the 20% most deprived Lower Super Output Areas according to the Indices of Multiple Deprivation. This is backed by £11 million funding to local authorities in 2025/26 and a five-year partnership with Colgate-Palmolive. Where there are existing schemes in place, there is local flexibility to provide additional programmes, including those for older or younger children, those with special educational needs and disabilities and other vulnerable groups.

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 that Doctors who have had their license to practice removed overseas are unable to practice in the UK.

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

The General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator of all medical doctors, physician assistants, and physician assistants in anaesthesia, still legally known as anaesthesia associates and physician associates, practising in the United Kingdom. The GMC is very clear that all doctors applying for registration, as well as current registrants, must promptly inform the GMC if any professional or medical regulatory body in the world makes a finding against their registration. The GMC is committed to taking swift action where a doctor has failed to declare this information.

When doctors who have been working overseas apply for registration with the GMC, the GMC seeks a Certificate of Good Standing from the regulator of every country where the doctor has practised in the previous five years. This shows whether the doctor is registered with the relevant regulator and if there are any restrictions or sanctions on their practice. The GMC is also implementing additional assurance measures, which include checks via the Federation of State Medical Boards’ Physician Data Centre in the United States.

For doctors already registered, the GMC routinely receives information from overseas regulators, including through the Physician Information Exchange. The GMC has written again to European regulators asking that they proactively share information about registrants.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of Hospital Trust permit men to be cared for on women-only wards.

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

It is longstanding National Health Service policy that men should not be cared for on women-only wards.

NHS organisations submit data on the number of occurrences of unjustified mixing in relation to sleeping accommodation. This data is published monthly and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/mixed-sex-accommodation/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the rare disease framework.

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

The UK Rare Diseases Framework was published following the National Conversation on Rare Diseases, which received nearly 6,300 responses. This helped identify the four priorities of the framework in tackling rare diseases: helping patients get a final diagnosis faster; increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals; better coordination of care; and improving access to specialist care, treatment, and drugs. We have commissioned a portfolio level evaluation of England’s rare diseases action plans with input from the rare disease community on the design of metrics, which is due to complete in 2026.

The Government remains committed to improving the lives of those living with rare conditions and will be publishing the next England Rare Diseases Action Plan for rare disease day in 2026, as in previous years. We recognise that despite the progress that has been made there remains considerable unmet need for people living with rare conditions. We are carefully considering the future of the UK Rare Disease Framework and will be announcing our intentions at a later date.

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 help tackle obesity in children.

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

It is shocking that the latest data from the National Child Measurement Programme showed the highest prevalence of obesity seen in reception age children in England since the programme began, excluding the 2020/21 pandemic peak.

We recognise that prevention is almost always better, and cheaper, than a cure. As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the childhood obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.

We are also restricting junk food advertising targeted at children, banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years of age, and ensuring the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains fit for purpose. We are working closely with the Department for Education to update school food standards. To support families, we are expanding free school meals to all children with a parent in receipt of universal credit. The Healthy Start scheme, which aims to support those in greatest need, will have the value of its weekly payments uplifted by 10% from April 2026, boosting the ability to buy healthy food for those families who need it most.

In a world first, we will introduce mandatory healthy food sales reporting for large food businesses. We will set new targets to increase the healthiness of sales.

Our current promotion and advertising restrictions on less healthy food and drinks use the 2004/05 Nutrient Profile Model to determine which foods are ‘less healthy’. This is plainly out of date. We intend to update the standards applied to these restrictions and will consult on implementation in 2026.

We are also working closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to develop their cross-Government Food Strategy, which will work to provide healthier, more easily accessible food to help both adults and children live longer, healthier lives.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department uses to measure the success of (a) vaccination and (b) immunisation programmes; and what assessment he has made of the (i) maternity, (ii) neonatal and (iii) adult rsv programmes against this criteria.

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

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published quality criteria for an effective immunisation programme in June 2025 which includes accessibility of clinics, communication, training, and storage. A copy of the quality criteria is attached. These criteria are for National Health Service organisations and local health systems to use. In addition, the NICE guideline NG218 also covers the vaccine uptake recommendation and audit processes, and is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng218/chapter/Recommendations

For respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine uptake, key performance indicators are included in the NHS public health functions agreement published by the Department on 4 June 2025, and available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-health-commissioning-in-the-nhs-2025-to-2026/nhs-public-health-functions-agreement-2025-to-2026

The maternal and older adult RSV programmes were introduced on 1 September 2024. Pregnant women are eligible from 28 weeks, as are older adults who are turning 75 years old, and a catch-up is available for those who were aged 75 to 79 years old at programme launch. The UKHSA monitors vaccine coverage in the maternal programme for infant protection as well as the older adults programme, with further information on both available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rsv-maternal-vaccination-coverage-in-england

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rsv-older-adults-vaccination-coverage-in-england

In the most recent monthly reports, 53.7% of June births were protected by antenatal vaccination, and 65.7% of older adults in catch-up cohorts had been vaccinated, an increase of 0.9% from the previous month.

The RSV selective immunisation programme for high risk and very preterm infants, using long-acting monoclonal antibodies, began in September 2025 and no coverage assessment has been made.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) speed of diagnosis and (b) time from diagnosis to treatment in (i) children and (ii) teenagers with cancer.

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

The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more patients survive, including children and teenagers. The Department, NHS England and other NHS partner organisations are taking a range of steps to improve waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment across all cancer patient groups.

The Department set out expectations for renewed focus on cancer targets in the Elective Reform Plan, published on 6 January 2025. The department has asked systems and providers to identify local opportunities in both community diagnostic centres and hospital based diagnostic services to improve performance against the faster diagnosis standard, to reduce the number of patients, including children and teenagers, waiting too long for a confirmed diagnosis of cancer.

As a first step to reducing waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment, the NHS has now exceeded its pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments in our first year of Government, delivering 5.2 million more appointments. This means that patients are being seen and diagnosed more quickly for cancer. Between October 2024 and September 2025, around 193,000 more patients got a diagnosis or the all-clear on time than in the year from July 2023 to June 2024.

We have already made significant strides in enhancing cancer diagnosis and treatment. The performance against the 31-day decision-to-treat standard has shown a year-on-year improvement, rising from 90.6% in September 2024 to 91.2% in September 2025. Similarly, the performance for the 62-day referral-to-treatment standard has advanced from 67.4% in September 2024 to 67.9% in September 2025. As set out in the Medium Term Planning Framework, we are committed to improving performance against key cancer standards: Maintaining performance against the 28-day faster diagnosis standard at 80% and improving 31- and 62-day standards to 96% and 85% respectively by 2028/29.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has set out detailed guidance for general practitioners on the symptoms of cancer in children and young people, recommending referral within 48 hours for those presenting with a range of potential cancer symptoms.

NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including those that are most common in children and teenagers. Further information on cancer signs and symptoms is available on the NHS.UK website.

The Department has recently launched Jess’s Rule, a patient safety initiative that asks general practitioners (GPs) to think again if, after three appointments, they have been unable to diagnose a patient, or their symptoms have escalated. This means when a patient returns three times with worsening or undiagnosed symptoms, GPs must reflect, review and rethink. This could include seeking a second opinion, offering episodic continuity of care, ordering additional tests, and offering more face-to-face appointments.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) collects patient data on cancer, congenital anomalies and rare diseases. The NDRS currently has imaging data undertaken in the NHS in England for all cancers, including for children and teenagers with cancer. This is linked to the main cancer registration data. The NDRS collaborates and advises through a number of partners, in the United Kingdom and internationally to improve data accuracy on cancer.

On 4 February 2025, the department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of children and teenagers with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan for England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve data collection on diagnostic pathways for (a) teenagers and (b) children with cancer.

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

The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more patients survive, including children and teenagers. The Department, NHS England and other NHS partner organisations are taking a range of steps to improve waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment across all cancer patient groups.

The Department set out expectations for renewed focus on cancer targets in the Elective Reform Plan, published on 6 January 2025. The department has asked systems and providers to identify local opportunities in both community diagnostic centres and hospital based diagnostic services to improve performance against the faster diagnosis standard, to reduce the number of patients, including children and teenagers, waiting too long for a confirmed diagnosis of cancer.

As a first step to reducing waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment, the NHS has now exceeded its pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments in our first year of Government, delivering 5.2 million more appointments. This means that patients are being seen and diagnosed more quickly for cancer. Between October 2024 and September 2025, around 193,000 more patients got a diagnosis or the all-clear on time than in the year from July 2023 to June 2024.

We have already made significant strides in enhancing cancer diagnosis and treatment. The performance against the 31-day decision-to-treat standard has shown a year-on-year improvement, rising from 90.6% in September 2024 to 91.2% in September 2025. Similarly, the performance for the 62-day referral-to-treatment standard has advanced from 67.4% in September 2024 to 67.9% in September 2025. As set out in the Medium Term Planning Framework, we are committed to improving performance against key cancer standards: Maintaining performance against the 28-day faster diagnosis standard at 80% and improving 31- and 62-day standards to 96% and 85% respectively by 2028/29.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has set out detailed guidance for general practitioners on the symptoms of cancer in children and young people, recommending referral within 48 hours for those presenting with a range of potential cancer symptoms.

NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including those that are most common in children and teenagers. Further information on cancer signs and symptoms is available on the NHS.UK website.

The Department has recently launched Jess’s Rule, a patient safety initiative that asks general practitioners (GPs) to think again if, after three appointments, they have been unable to diagnose a patient, or their symptoms have escalated. This means when a patient returns three times with worsening or undiagnosed symptoms, GPs must reflect, review and rethink. This could include seeking a second opinion, offering episodic continuity of care, ordering additional tests, and offering more face-to-face appointments.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) collects patient data on cancer, congenital anomalies and rare diseases. The NDRS currently has imaging data undertaken in the NHS in England for all cancers, including for children and teenagers with cancer. This is linked to the main cancer registration data. The NDRS collaborates and advises through a number of partners, in the United Kingdom and internationally to improve data accuracy on cancer.

On 4 February 2025, the department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of children and teenagers with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan for England.

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 help improve early recognition of cancer symptoms of teenagers in primary care.

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

The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more patients survive, including children and teenagers. The Department, NHS England and other NHS partner organisations are taking a range of steps to improve waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment across all cancer patient groups.

The Department set out expectations for renewed focus on cancer targets in the Elective Reform Plan, published on 6 January 2025. The department has asked systems and providers to identify local opportunities in both community diagnostic centres and hospital based diagnostic services to improve performance against the faster diagnosis standard, to reduce the number of patients, including children and teenagers, waiting too long for a confirmed diagnosis of cancer.

As a first step to reducing waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment, the NHS has now exceeded its pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments in our first year of Government, delivering 5.2 million more appointments. This means that patients are being seen and diagnosed more quickly for cancer. Between October 2024 and September 2025, around 193,000 more patients got a diagnosis or the all-clear on time than in the year from July 2023 to June 2024.

We have already made significant strides in enhancing cancer diagnosis and treatment. The performance against the 31-day decision-to-treat standard has shown a year-on-year improvement, rising from 90.6% in September 2024 to 91.2% in September 2025. Similarly, the performance for the 62-day referral-to-treatment standard has advanced from 67.4% in September 2024 to 67.9% in September 2025. As set out in the Medium Term Planning Framework, we are committed to improving performance against key cancer standards: Maintaining performance against the 28-day faster diagnosis standard at 80% and improving 31- and 62-day standards to 96% and 85% respectively by 2028/29.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has set out detailed guidance for general practitioners on the symptoms of cancer in children and young people, recommending referral within 48 hours for those presenting with a range of potential cancer symptoms.

NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including those that are most common in children and teenagers. Further information on cancer signs and symptoms is available on the NHS.UK website.

The Department has recently launched Jess’s Rule, a patient safety initiative that asks general practitioners (GPs) to think again if, after three appointments, they have been unable to diagnose a patient, or their symptoms have escalated. This means when a patient returns three times with worsening or undiagnosed symptoms, GPs must reflect, review and rethink. This could include seeking a second opinion, offering episodic continuity of care, ordering additional tests, and offering more face-to-face appointments.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) collects patient data on cancer, congenital anomalies and rare diseases. The NDRS currently has imaging data undertaken in the NHS in England for all cancers, including for children and teenagers with cancer. This is linked to the main cancer registration data. The NDRS collaborates and advises through a number of partners, in the United Kingdom and internationally to improve data accuracy on cancer.

On 4 February 2025, the department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of children and teenagers with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan for England.

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 help improve public awareness of the symptoms of cancer in teenagers.

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

The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more patients survive, including children and teenagers. The Department, NHS England and other NHS partner organisations are taking a range of steps to improve waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment across all cancer patient groups.

The Department set out expectations for renewed focus on cancer targets in the Elective Reform Plan, published on 6 January 2025. The department has asked systems and providers to identify local opportunities in both community diagnostic centres and hospital based diagnostic services to improve performance against the faster diagnosis standard, to reduce the number of patients, including children and teenagers, waiting too long for a confirmed diagnosis of cancer.

As a first step to reducing waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment, the NHS has now exceeded its pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments in our first year of Government, delivering 5.2 million more appointments. This means that patients are being seen and diagnosed more quickly for cancer. Between October 2024 and September 2025, around 193,000 more patients got a diagnosis or the all-clear on time than in the year from July 2023 to June 2024.

We have already made significant strides in enhancing cancer diagnosis and treatment. The performance against the 31-day decision-to-treat standard has shown a year-on-year improvement, rising from 90.6% in September 2024 to 91.2% in September 2025. Similarly, the performance for the 62-day referral-to-treatment standard has advanced from 67.4% in September 2024 to 67.9% in September 2025. As set out in the Medium Term Planning Framework, we are committed to improving performance against key cancer standards: Maintaining performance against the 28-day faster diagnosis standard at 80% and improving 31- and 62-day standards to 96% and 85% respectively by 2028/29.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has set out detailed guidance for general practitioners on the symptoms of cancer in children and young people, recommending referral within 48 hours for those presenting with a range of potential cancer symptoms.

NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including those that are most common in children and teenagers. Further information on cancer signs and symptoms is available on the NHS.UK website.

The Department has recently launched Jess’s Rule, a patient safety initiative that asks general practitioners (GPs) to think again if, after three appointments, they have been unable to diagnose a patient, or their symptoms have escalated. This means when a patient returns three times with worsening or undiagnosed symptoms, GPs must reflect, review and rethink. This could include seeking a second opinion, offering episodic continuity of care, ordering additional tests, and offering more face-to-face appointments.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) collects patient data on cancer, congenital anomalies and rare diseases. The NDRS currently has imaging data undertaken in the NHS in England for all cancers, including for children and teenagers with cancer. This is linked to the main cancer registration data. The NDRS collaborates and advises through a number of partners, in the United Kingdom and internationally to improve data accuracy on cancer.

On 4 February 2025, the department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of children and teenagers with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan for England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of high caffeine drinks on (a) 14-16 year olds, (b) 16-18 year olds and (c) 18-24 year olds.

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

On 3 September 2025, the Department published a consultation on banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old in England, an important step towards fulfilling a Plan for Change commitment.

In the consultation and accompanying impact assessment we set out our assessment of the impact of high-caffeine energy drinks on children. These documents are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/banning-the-sale-of-high-caffeine-energy-drinks-to-children

We have not specifically estimated the impact of high-caffeine energy drinks by the age bands of 14 to 16 years old, 16 to 18 years old, or 18 to 24 years old. However, growing evidence sets out an association between consuming high-caffeine energy drinks and a range of possible negative outcomes on children’s physical and mental health, as well as their education.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to help reduce suicides in men.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 19 November, we published the Men’s Health Strategy. The strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community and family networks and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention, respiratory illness, prostate cancer, and heart disease.

Through the Men’s Health Strategy, we are launching a groundbreaking partnership with the Premier League to tackle male suicide and improve mental health literacy, by embedding health messaging into the matchday experience.

We also announced the Suicide Prevention Support Pathfinders programme for middle-aged men. This program will invest up to £3.6 million over three years in areas of England where middle-aged men are at most risk taking their own lives and will tackle the barriers that they face in seeking support.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country. This includes transforming mental health services into 24/7 neighbourhood mental health centres, improving assertive outreach, expanding talking therapies, and giving patients better access to 24/7 support directly through the NHS App.

We are expanding NHS Talking Therapies so that 915,000 people, including men, complete a course of treatment by March 2029, with improved effectiveness and quality of services. We will also expand Individual Placement and Support for severe mental illness so that 73,500 people receive access by March 2028.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Big Brush Club on rates of dental decay among children who participated in that scheme.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made of this locally commissioned scheme. However, supervised toothbrushing is evidence based and cost effective, with a five-year return on investment of £3.06 for every £1 spent. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-oral-health-supervised-tooth-brushing-programme-toolkit/commissioning-and-delivering-supervised-toothbrushing-schemes-in-early-years-and-school-settings

The national supervised toothbrushing programme currently underway is targeting up to 600,000 three- to five-year-olds in the most deprived areas of England. This is backed with investment of £11 million in 202525/26 and a five-year collaboration with Colgate-Palmolive. The National Institute of Health and Care Research will evaluate effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the national targeted supervised toothbrushing programme, where we expect an impact on population outcomes from two years of implementation. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/evaluation-national-targeted-supervised-toothbrushing-programme-england/2025435

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many medical school places are funded for start in 2026.

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

In England, the Office for Students (OfS) sets the maximum fundable limit for medical school places on an annual basis. OfS will publish its intake target for the 2026/27 academic year in due course. For the 2025/26 academic year, information is available at the following link:

https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-providers/finance-and-funding/medicine-and-dentistry-funding/medical-and-dental-maximum-fundable-limits/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to help increase the number of blood donors.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood services in England. Recently, NHSBT has led a number of initiatives to increase blood donations and in turn improve blood stocks, specifically:

• to increase collection capacity and resilience, NHSBT opened a new donor centre in Brighton in October 2025, joining the Brixton Donor Centre, from December 2024, and newly re-opened donor centre in Southampton, from June 2025;
• NHSBT’s winter campaign reminds and encourages people to donate during the winter months, and this year is emphasising how blood donation supports a healthcare system which operates around the clock, every day of the year;
• a new partnership between the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and NHSBT is encouraging learner drivers and motorists renewing their driving licences to donate. It is hoped this initiative inspires more younger people in particular to sign up and become regular donors;
• National Blood Week, from 9 to 13 June 2025, saw campaigns seeking to recruit donors, particularly for blood groups where demand is high, and to increase the number of bookings. Messaging included a strong call to action for a million people to become regular donors; and
• a Marketing Automation Tool enables NHSBT to personalise the messages it sends to donors so that more of the communication donors receive is relevant to them and makes it easier to book an appointment at a time and place that suits them. In addition, NHSBT has a hotline to enable priority donors, which are currently O negative, B negative, and Ro donors, to find an available appointment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times the national maternity and neonatal taskforce has met.

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

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will be chaired by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and will take forward the recommendations of the independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, forming them into a new national action plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care. Consultation on the terms of reference and shape of the taskforce with families has begun, and the first meeting of the taskforce will take place in the new year, with initial feedback from the independent investigation to be considered as part of it.

The investigation will report to the Secretary of State before the end of the year and publish its final report and recommendations in the Spring 2026. These recommendations will supersede the multiple existing actions and recommendations already in place. As confirmed in the Secretary of State’s June 2025 announcement, the findings of the investigation will feed into the taskforce and provide invaluable insight and recommendations into the key areas that require change.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who the members are of the national maternity and neonatal taskforce.

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

The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will be made of up a breadth of independent clinical and international expertise including those who can speak to the inequalities within maternal health, as well as family and staff representatives, charities and campaigners. The taskforce will work closely with families in developing the action plan, ensuring their voices are central to this work.

The members of the taskforce will be announced in due course. Families have been engaged on the membership and the terms of reference for the taskforce ahead of its announcement in the new year.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Helen Hayes (Chair); Jess Asato; Dr Caroline Johnson; Darren Paffey

Submit Evidence (by 9 Jan 2026)

Reading brings a range of benefits to children, young people and their families, but the number of children reading for pleasure is declining rapidly.