Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS patients are not missing (a) appointments and (b) operations due to Royal Mail delivery delays (i) in the Stourbridge constituency and (ii) elsewhere.

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

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of postal delays on the timely delivery of referral letters between primary and secondary care. The monitoring of National Health Service patient correspondence, including appointment letters, is the responsibility of individual NHS providers.

We are streamlining information and communication processes, shifting from analogue to digital, including by improving the NHS App. This will make it easier and quicker for patients to access information about their appointments, to cancel and reschedule appointments, and to receive correspondence on NHS test results.

All acute trusts in England now allow patients to view appointment information via the NHS App if they wish, reducing reliance on physical letters. This saves staff time to focus on providing high quality, non-digital communication for those who want and need it. NHS App usage has increased, with over 41.6 million all-time NHS App account registrations up to the end of May 2026, 10% more than at May 2025.

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 Royal Mail delivery delays on NHS service delivery, including in Stourbridge constituency.

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

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of postal delays on the timely delivery of referral letters between primary and secondary care. The monitoring of National Health Service patient correspondence, including appointment letters, is the responsibility of individual NHS providers.

We are streamlining information and communication processes, shifting from analogue to digital, including by improving the NHS App. This will make it easier and quicker for patients to access information about their appointments, to cancel and reschedule appointments, and to receive correspondence on NHS test results.

All acute trusts in England now allow patients to view appointment information via the NHS App if they wish, reducing reliance on physical letters. This saves staff time to focus on providing high quality, non-digital communication for those who want and need it. NHS App usage has increased, with over 41.6 million all-time NHS App account registrations up to the end of May 2026, 10% more than at May 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish the consultation on the introduction of mandatory reporting and health targets for large food businesses.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The 10-Year Health Plan commits that by the end of this Parliament, we will introduce mandatory healthier food sales reporting for all large companies in the sector. We will also introduce new targets to increase the healthiness of sales.

We intend to launch a full public consultation soon to gather a wide range of views on our policy proposals. Final decisions on policy design and implementation will be taken following consultation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that individuals are not subject to (a) penalties, (b) enforcement action, and (c) adverse decisions as a result of Royal Mail delivery delays affecting correspondence from the DVLA (i) in the Stourbridge constituency and (ii) elsewhere.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is not aware of any delays by the Royal Mail that are adversely impacting the delivery of the DVLA’s mail.

Any processes which may be time bound already factor in delivery timescales to allow individuals sufficient time to respond ahead of any deadline. Where there is evidence of a severe delay, the DVLA would consider the case on its own merits. The DVLA would also consider any mitigation where it was appropriate to do so.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure current Royal Mail delays do not affect people's ability to comply with his Department's deadlines.

Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The delays to Royal Mail delivery have not had an impact on DWPs ability to deliver its services. DWP has robust plans in place that will be invoked should disruption to service occur, these plans include extension of DWP deadlines that can be invoked to ensure our customers are not impacted negatively.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure current Royal Mail delays do not affect people's access to payments.

Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The delays to Royal Mail delivery have not had an impact on DWPs ability to deliver its services. DWP has robust plans in place that will be invoked should disruption to service occur, these plans include extension of DWP deadlines that can be invoked to ensure our customers are not impacted negatively.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what measures are in place to ensure that recipients of Universal Credit, State Pension and other DWP support are not financially disadvantaged by delayed postal communications, including in Stourbridge constituency.

Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The delays to Royal Mail delivery have not had an impact on DWPs ability to deliver its services. DWP has robust plans in place that will be invoked should disruption to service occur, these plans include extension of DWP deadlines that can be invoked to ensure our customers are not impacted negatively.

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 ensure that the introduction of teplizumab contributes to reducing rates of diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis and inequalities in outcomes for people with type 1 diabetes.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

Teplizumab is a new treatment for people aged eight years old and over with stage 2 type 1 diabetes, before the onset of symptoms. Its introduction represents a significant development in the treatment of type 1 diabetes and requires new clinical pathways and service arrangements to support safe and equitable access.

NHS England is working with integrated care boards, clinicians, patient groups, charities, and industry partners to support the development of these pathways. This work is already underway and is focused on helping local systems prepare for implementation and supporting consistent access across the country.

Evidence considered by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence indicates that teplizumab can delay progression to stage 3 type 1 diabetes by almost three years on average. This gives people and their families additional time to understand the condition, prepare for future treatment and monitoring needs, and engage with clinical support before symptoms develop. Earlier identification and planned clinical management may help reduce the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis at diagnosis.

Integrated care boards will be required to make teplizumab available to all eligible individuals within the statutory 90 day implementation period. NHS England will continue to provide national leadership, including through a community of practice to share learning, support implementation, and ensure that health inequalities are identified and addressed appropriately.

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National bank holiday should England win the FIFA World Cup 2026

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Memorial plaque for Ann Widdecombe

Celebration of English traditions

Autonomy’s report entitled Cleaning Up Politics