Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which community diagnostic centres are under construction.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he had had with stakeholders on the potential impact of poor access to water, sanitation and hygiene in low- and middle-income countries on the spread of antimicrobial resistance.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government continues to deliver the United Kingdom’s second five-year National Action Plan on Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). The Action Plan recognises the need to support international action on AMR alongside domestic activity, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) which bear a disproportionate burden of infectious disease and AMR.
At the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR in September 2024, the UK championed global agreement on a political declaration that commits member states to reduce global AMR attributed deaths by 10% by 2030. Following extensive consultation with member states and wider stakeholders, the political declaration also commits to international action on improving water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities in LMICs through improved stewardship, monitoring and surveillance. These commitments were revisited at the 2025 World Health Assembly, where the UK co-chairs the annual Alliance of Champions against AMR meeting with international Health Ministers to discuss shared priorities for addressing AMR.
Globally, we work with partners including the World Bank, UNICEF and WHO to provide data on WASH services in health care facilities to support governments prioritising, planning and mobilising finance to improve WASH.
In November 2024, the UK co-chaired the WHO/UNICEF Global Strategic Network on water, sanitation, hygiene, waste management and electricity in health care facilities, bringing together a range of country officials, health, WASH and energy sector stakeholder to share actions to reduce service gaps in lower-middle- and low-income countries. The Government will continue to hold discussions on AMR and WASH, including with WaterAid UK.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the size of the badger population (a) in June 2025 and (b) in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The first major badger population survey in over a decade began in February 2025 and is currently ongoing. The most recent previous national survey was conducted in England and Wales between 2011 and 2013, estimating the badger population at approximately 485,000 individuals across 71,600 social groups.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the badger population in each year since the enactment of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Since the enactment of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, two national badger monitoring surveys have taken place. A 1994-97 survey estimate did not provide an estimate of the overall population but instead estimated there were 46,100 family groups in England and Wales. A survey of the badger population in 2011-13 estimated that there were approximately 424,000 badgers in 71,600 family groups in England and Wales.
In February 2025, the Animal and Plant Health Agency commenced the latest badger population survey which will estimate badger abundance and population recovery to illustrate the impact of widespread culling over the past decade.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 58044 on Strategic Defence Review, which Parliamentarians who are not members of the Government were (a) offered and (b) took up the offer of access to the Strategic Defence Review before 5pm on 2 June 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
For the launch of the Strategic Defence Review, the Government offered embargoed briefings to our people and senior defence leaders, plus certain Parliamentarians, trade unions, businesses, allies and media. This was broadly consistent with the approach for previous defence reviews. At no point did stakeholders receive any commercially sensitive information ahead of publication.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on taking steps to keep the NHS data of serving military personnel confidential.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt. Hon. friends, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Secretary of State for Defence, are united in their commitment to ensuring serving military personnel receive excellent health services through the Defence Medical Services working in partnership with the National Health Service.
The Defence Medical Services provide primary healthcare for serving personnel. All serving personnel will have a Defence Health Record which records their healthcare through their military service, whether provided by the Defence Medical Services or the NHS. Serving personnel are provided with a medical care summary and a patient’s full Defence Health Record can be provided on request from their NHS general practitioner (GP).
There is an existing process for the transfer of healthcare information to the NHS when they leave the Armed Forces. A secure email gateway exists between the Ministry of Defence and NHS networks, permitting the secure transmission of email classified up to, and including, OFFICIAL SENSITIVE PERSONAL material.
To improve the transfer of healthcare information, the Defence Medical Services are working towards a greater interoperability with NHS systems and the electronic transfer of medical records from Defence Medical Services to NHS GPs.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56305 on Strategic Defence Review, which think tanks were (a) offered and (b) took up the offer of access to the Strategic Defence Review before 5pm on 2nd June 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
For the launch of the Strategic Defence Review, the Government offered embargoed briefings to our people and senior defence leaders, plus certain Parliamentarians, trade unions, businesses, allies and media. This was broadly consistent with the approach for previous defence reviews. At no point did stakeholders receive any commercially sensitive information ahead of publication.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
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 Secretary of State for Defence on the confidentiality of NHS data for serving personnel.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt. Hon. friends, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Secretary of State for Defence, are united in their commitment to ensuring serving military personnel receive excellent health services through the Defence Medical Service working in partnership with the National Health Service.
The Defence Medical Services provide primary healthcare for serving personnel. Secondary care for Armed Forces personnel is provided by the NHS in England or by the devolved administrations outside of England, working with the Defence Medical Services to ensure that specific defence requirements are met.
All serving personnel will have a Defence Health Record which records their healthcare through their military service, whether provided by the Defence Medical Services or the NHS. The principles that underpin the handling of such sensitive records are patient privacy, confidentiality, integrity, and availability. There is an existing process for the transfer of healthcare information to the NHS when people leave the Armed Forces. Serving personnel are provided with a medical care summary and a patient’s full Defence Health Record can be provided upon request from their NHS general practitioner.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
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 Secretary of State for Defence on (a) medical and (b) dental healthcare provision for serving military personnel.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt. Hon. friends, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Secretary of State for Defence, are united in their commitment to ensuring serving military personnel receive excellent health services through the Defence Medical Service working in partnership with the National Health Service.
The Defence Medical Services provide primary healthcare for serving personnel. Secondary care for Armed Forces personnel is provided by the NHS in England or by the devolved administrations outside of England, working with the Defence Medical Services to ensure that specific defence requirements are met.
All serving personnel will have a Defence Health Record which records their healthcare through their military service, whether provided by the Defence Medical Services or the NHS. The principles that underpin the handling of such sensitive records are patient privacy, confidentiality, integrity, and availability. There is an existing process for the transfer of healthcare information to the NHS when people leave the Armed Forces. Serving personnel are provided with a medical care summary and a patient’s full Defence Health Record can be provided upon request from their NHS general practitioner.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Written Ministerial Statement of 22 May 2025 on NHS Workforce, HCWS663, which areas of spending have been reduced in order to fund these pay uplifts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As the Written Ministerial Statement sets out, the Government has had to make difficult decisions to afford the pay award.
Areas of spending where we have made, or plan to make, reductions include administration budgets, bank and agency spend, and the Department and NHS England’s central programmes, including communications and campaigns. Additionally, a change to the personal injury discount rate has also led to a reduction in the forecast for clinical negligence.