Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much income HMRC receives annually from charging VAT on medicines donated to patients through compassionate access schemes.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
HMRC does not hold information on the annual revenue from VAT on donated medicines. This is because businesses are not required to provide a breakdown by product in their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive administrative burden.
I have heard from firms and others that the VAT rules in this area may impact the sector’s ability to donate medicines. On 23 June, I announced that the Government will take forward a new approach to address this issue as soon as possible. The costing for any new tax measure will be provided in the usual way at the next fiscal event.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
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 trends in the level of delays to the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) prioritisation process and their potential impact on equitable access to treatment for people living with rare diseases.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) makes recommendations on NHS England’s approach to commissioning treatments that are not routinely assessed through National Institute for Health and Care Excellence technology appraisals. Investment decisions are taken against a discretionary funding envelope which is set annually as part of the financial planning cycle based on affordability.
The 2026/27 CPAG annual prioritisation round was held in May 2026, and the recommendations are currently being considered. In addition, CPAG continues to meet regularly throughout the year to consider clinical policy propositions that are cost-neutral or cost-saving.
While no assessment has been made of trends in CPAG recommendations and their impact on people affected by rare diseases, all clinical policy propositions are supported by an Equality and Health Inequalities Impact Assessment (EHIA). The EHIA considers the potential impact of commissioning decisions on equality, health inequalities, and access to the relevant treatment for affected patient groups.
The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases under the UK Rare Diseases Framework. We published the fifth annual England action plan in February 2026, where we report on the steps we have taken to advance the priorities of the framework, including getting a diagnosis faster and improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
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 for the Innovative Medicines Fund to support access to treatments that are awaiting funding through the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) process.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
There are no plans to use the Innovative Medicines Fund to provide access to medicines awaiting consideration by the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group. The Innovative Medicines Fund is reserved for medicines that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has concluded are plausibly cost-effective, but where additional evidence is required to address resolvable clinical uncertainty. This approach ensures that the Innovative Medicines Fund supports value for money from medicines spending and does not undermine the established commissioning processes for medicines.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what role the UK is playing in ongoing UN processes to develop and strengthen an internationally agreed definition and global monitoring framework for homelessness.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is a member of the UN Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All, and was consulted at the Expert Group and Intersessional Thematic Meeting on the Definition of Homelessness, which met in October 2025 to work on improving the consistency, comparability, and scope of member states' data on homelessness. The Group will meet again in November 2026 to review recommendations that will inform the UK-supported UN-Habitat strategy for 2026-29, including its goals to reduce homelessness globally.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral development programmes supported by the UK include interventions aimed at preventing or reducing homelessness in low- and middle-income countries.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is a member of the UN Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All, and was consulted at the Expert Group and Intersessional Thematic Meeting on the Definition of Homelessness, which met in October 2025 to work on improving the consistency, comparability, and scope of member states' data on homelessness. The Group will meet again in November 2026 to review recommendations that will inform the UK-supported UN-Habitat strategy for 2026-29, including its goals to reduce homelessness globally.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to advocate within the G20 for greater recognition of homelessness as a global development priority.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is a member of the UN Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All, and was consulted at the Expert Group and Intersessional Thematic Meeting on the Definition of Homelessness, which met in October 2025 to work on improving the consistency, comparability, and scope of member states' data on homelessness. The Group will meet again in November 2026 to review recommendations that will inform the UK-supported UN-Habitat strategy for 2026-29, including its goals to reduce homelessness globally.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to launch its consultation on phasing out carbon dioxide gas chambers as a method of pig slaughter; and what timeline it intends to set for completing this phase-out.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 20 May to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell, PQ UIN 613.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
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 expanding access to HIV PrEP through community pharmacies.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The HIV Action Plan, published on World AIDS Day, 1 December 2025, sets out how the Government will enable every level of the healthcare system to work together to engage everyone in prevention, testing and treatment, tackle stigma, and reach our ambition to end new HIV transmissions by 2030. This includes a dedicated action to deliver tailored and targeted HIV prevention, treatment, and care services to meet the needs of local populations and address inequalities, including access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Access to HIV PrEP in England is via commissioned level 3 sexual health services. These are commissioned by local authorities for people in the community. Decisions on the configuration of these services ultimately rest with local authorities, who may choose to involve pharmacies in PrEP pathways.
To reduce inequalities in education, access, and uptake of HIV prevention interventions, the Government will work with local government on wider implementation of new PrEP approaches and technologies. This includes building and promoting the evidence around alternative delivery settings, digital platforms for remote PrEP prescribing, and new injectable PrEP medications, following regulatory due process.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing restrictions on alcohol in line with existing restrictions on the marketing of less healthy food and drink.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
Currently alcohol advertising and promotion in the United Kingdom is regulated primarily through the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which administers the mandatory Advertising Codes, written by the Committee of Advertising Practice and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice, across media through self-regulation for non-broadcast advertising and co-regulation, with Ofcom as a statutory backstop, for broadcast advertising. The ASA’s Advertising Codes contain specific rules about how alcohol can be advertised, as they recognise the social imperative of ensuring that alcohol advertising is responsible.
The Department of Health and Social Care will continue to work with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, as the lead Government department responsible for advertising, to consider if additional statutory restrictions on marketing and advertising are needed to reduce alcohol related harms.
Asked by: Danny Beales (Labour - Uxbridge and South Ruislip)
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 manage conflicts of interest associated with alcohol industry involvement in public health policy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Department already has established arrangements in place to manage conflicts of interest for both ministers and civil servants, including where these relate to the alcohol industry.
Ministerial conduct is governed by the Ministerial Code, which sets out requirements on the declaration and handling of ministers’ interests. Civil servants are bound by the Civil Service Code, and by departmental policies that set out how actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest must be identified, declared, and managed.
The Department keeps its internal guidance under regular review to ensure it remains aligned with cross-Government standards and supports transparent and accountable decision-making.