Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
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 Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of providing interim payments for people avoidably harmed by Sodium Valproate.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has met with Sanofi to discuss the topic of redress for people affected by Sodium Valproate in pregnancy since July 2024.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is he taking to ensure that people harmed by the drug Valproate in pregnancy will be fully compensated.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has allocated funding for Valproate (a) financial redress and (b) interim payments.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of the health-related findings in the Institute of Alcohol Studies report entitled Spin the Bottle: How the UK alcohol industry twists the facts on harm and responsibility; and what steps he is taking to ensure that engagement with industry stakeholders aligns with the Principles for Engaging with Industry Stakeholders published by Public Health England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has noted the publication of the Institute of Alcohol Studies’ report. It will consider its findings and reflect on the relevant policies, as necessary.
External engagement is a fundamental part of what United Kingdom ministerial Government departments do. We recognise the importance of promoting transparency through engagement and the need to take a balanced approach. Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
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 reduce the four out of 10 cases of cancer which are preventable.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the importance of primary and secondary prevention, to reduce the number of people with cancer.
There are significant national programmes across vaccination, screening, and education, which have the potential to support both reductions in cases of cancer, and increases in early diagnosis rates. For example, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination has led to a substantial reduction in cervical cancer cases. All children aged 12 to 13 years old in England, those in Year 8, are offered the HPV vaccine, and NHS England is taking action to increase uptake, as outlined in the NHS Cervical Cancer Elimination Plan. In addition, the NHS Cervical Screening Programme provides all women between the ages of 25 and 64 years old with the opportunity to be screened routinely to detect certain types of HPV infection, which is the cause of 99.7% of cervical cancer.
Smoking is the cause of 72% of all lung cancers, and in response to this, the Government is committed to creating a smoke-free generation through the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will gradually end the sale of tobacco products across the country.
The Government and the National Health Service also recognise that a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the biggest risk factors of certain cancers. To address risks related to overweight and obesity across the United Kingdom, the Government has laid secondary legislation to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drink products, and is taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective. In England, to promote physical activity, the NHS’s Better Health Campaign signposts people to digital support like the NHS Active 10 walking app. The Department will continue to work across the Government to understand how to reduce alcohol-related harms in England and the UK. The Government and the NHS recognise the importance of physical activity for the prevention and management of long-term health conditions.
The National Cancer Plan, planned for publication later this year, will set out how we will fight cancer on all fronts, from prevention to diagnosis, treatment, and research.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if (a) he and (b) the Minister for Public Health and Prevention will meet the hon. Member for Lancaster and Wyre to discuss further safety issues to prevent avoidable harm from Sodium Valproate in pregnancy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is taking proactive steps to inform the public on the very latest safety issues relating to sodium valproate in pregnancy. The MHRA has, most recently in May 2025, approved updated safety and educational materials to support the implementation of the pregnancy prevention programme and the regulatory measures announced in the November 2023 National Patient Safety Alert, as well as the September 2024 Drug Safety Update. We would welcome the Hon. Member to write to the Department, where we can provide due consideration to any points raised.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2025 to Question 51501 on Sodium Valproate: Compensation, which Government departments he is having discussions with on developing a timetable for implementation of the recommendations of the Hughes Report.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and the resulting Hughes Report, which set out options for financial and non-financial redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. Department officials are liaising with other parts of the Government, including the National Health Service, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department for Business and Trade, HM Treasury, and the devolved administrations, on the needs of patients and on the recommendations. We will be providing an update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
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 with Cabinet colleagues to support women with epilepsy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, placing women’s equality at the heart of our agenda and ensuring women’s health is never again neglected.
At a national level, there are several initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with epilepsy, including women, such as the RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit, and the Getting It Right First Time Programme (GIRFT) for Neurology and the Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP).
The GIRFT National Specialty Report made recommendations designed to improve services nationally and to support the National Health Service to deliver care more equitably across the country. The National Specialty Report highlighted differences in how services are delivered and offered an unprecedented opportunity to share successful initiatives between trusts to improve patient services nationally.
Building on the GIRFT National Specialty Report, the NTP has developed a model of integrated care for neurology services to support integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including providing care closer to home. A toolkit is being developed to support ICBs to understand and implement this new model.
The RightCare Epilepsy Toolkit includes specific recommendations regarding supporting women with epilepsy. For example, it states that support should be provided to women with epilepsy who are pregnant and those who are of childbearing age which makes clear the risks of certain anti-epileptic drugs that are known to cause birth defects, such as sodium valproate.
The Toolkit also makes clear that it is equally important to provide clear information and guidance on the risks of stopping an anti-epileptic drug treatment, which include Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, that is not related to causing birth defects, and the risks that poses to the mother and unborn baby to support balanced informed decisions on care.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 27 January 2021 to Question 137239 on Prescription Drugs, what information his Department holds on the number of patients who have been prescribed drugs categorised under the (a) (i) clonazepam and (ii) other benzodiazepines, (b) z-drugs, (c) antidepressants, (d) opioids, (e) pregabalin and (f) gabapentin drug groups in the (A) last 12 months and (B) the previous 12 month period for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, covering the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:
Drug group | Financial year | Total number of items |
Clonazepam | 2022/23 | 1,048,081 |
2023/24 | 1,059,421 | |
Other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 7,156,845 |
2023/24 | 6,814,129 | |
Clonazepam and other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 8,204,926 |
2023/24 | 7,873,550 | |
Z-drugs | 2022/23 | 5,316,627 |
2023/24 | 5,113,574 | |
Antidepressants | 2022/23 | 86,263,722 |
2023/24 | 89,131,582 | |
Opioids | 2022/23 | 39,401,517 |
2023/24 | 39,046,206 | |
Pregabalin | 2022/23 | 8,775,699 |
2023/24 | 9,180,793 | |
Gabapentin | 2022/23 | 7,413,759 |
2023/24 | 7,408,375 |
Source: NHS Business Services Authority.
In addition, the following table shows the patient identifiable information for the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement for each of the categories requested, for the most recently published 12-month period and the 12 months prior:
Drug group | Financial Year | Total number of unique identified patients | Percentage of items where the patient has been identified |
Clonazepam | 2022/23 | 85,613 | 98.22% |
2023/24 | 85,191 | 98.16% | |
Other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 1,253,962 | 97.06% |
2023/24 | 1,186,001 | 97.01% | |
Clonazepam and other benzodiazepines | 2022/23 | 1,324,792 | 97.21% |
2023/24 | 1,256,941 | 97.17% | |
Z-drugs | 2022/23 | 795,959 |
|
2023/24 | 764,743 |
| |
Antidepressants | 2022/23 | 8,563,148 |
|
2023/24 | 8,747,095 |
| |
Opioids | 2022/23 | 5,593,035 |
|
2023/24 | 5,562,718 |
| |
Pregabalin | 2022/23 | 786,403 |
|
2023/24 | 823,231 |
| |
Gabapentin | 2022/23 | 808,562 |
|
2023/24 | 799,144 |
|
Source: NHS Business Services Authority.
Notes: