Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Melton and Syston)
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 asymptomatic (a) transmission and (b) infection with hantavirus.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pre-symptomatic transmission in Andes hantavirus has not been documented. However, as a precautionary principal it should be assumed that there is potential for presymptomatic transmission from two days prior to symptom onset, including early, prodromal symptoms.
From the limited published studies on Andes hantavirus, there is no evidence of asymptomatic transmission or infection. United Kingdom contacts are undergoing serial testing to detect any subclinical infections.
The risk remains very low for members of the general public. Most hantaviruses do not spread between humans, although person-to-person transmission has happened with the Andes hantavirus strain in rare cases.
Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Melton and Syston)
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 which therapeutics are effective for treating the symptoms of hantavirus.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is currently no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for most hantavirus infections. Treatment is supportive and based on symptoms, such as hospital care and respiratory support.
Favipiravir is an antiviral medicine which is not licensed in the United Kingdom but has been recommended by clinical advisers as an appropriate post-exposure prophylaxis for the current hantavirus incident. Favipiravir is being offered as post-exposure prophylaxis to eligible high-risk contacts.
In the event of symptoms and a positive test, the patient will be transferred to relevant high consequence infectious disease facilities, in accordance with NHS guidance.
Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Melton and Syston)
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 average mortality rate of each strain of hantavirus.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The mortality rate of hantaviruses varies considerably depending on the strain and the quality of care available. For the Andes hantavirus, it has been estimated at up to 30 to 50%, however the upper end of that estimate is from data published around 30 years ago and has since declined. With prompt hospital treatment and respiratory support, outcomes may be significantly better.
The United Kingdom’s response to this complex incident is being led by the UK Health Security Agency working closely with the World Health Organization, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Home Office, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Ministry of Defence, the UK Devolved Governments and international partners. Collectively, they are doing everything possible to protect the safety and well-being of British nationals, and to provide reassurance to UK citizens.
Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Melton and Syston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the level of human-to-human transmission of hantavirus.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Most hantaviruses do not spread between humans, although person-to-person transmission has happened with the Andes virus strain in rare cases. The risk from the recent outbreak remains very low for members of the general public.
The United Kingdom’s response to this complex incident is being led by the UK Health Security Agency working closely with the World Health Organization, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Home Office, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Ministry of Defence, the UK Devolved Governments and international partners. Collectively, they are doing everything possible to protect the safety and well-being of British nationals, and to provide reassurance to UK citizens.
Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Melton and Syston)
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 prevalence of hantavirus in the UK.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The risk to the United Kingdom general population remains very low. The Andes virus, the virus associated with the outbreak linked to the MV Hondius, is typically associated with South American rodent species that are not found in the UK.
The UK’s response to this complex incident is being led by the UK Health Security Agency working closely with the World Health Organization, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Home Office, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Ministry of Defence, the UK Devolved Governments and international partners. Collectively, they are doing everything possible to protect the safety and well-being of British nationals, and to provide reassurance to UK citizens.
Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Melton and Syston)
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 (a) Named day and (b) Ordinary written parliamentary questions were answered within the required timescale in each month between November 2025 and April 2026.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the importance of the effective and timely handling of written Parliamentary Questions (PQs).
Data on response times to PQs is published following the end of every session by the House of Commons Procedure Committee as part of their continued monitoring and reporting of departmental PQ performance. The next report will be released in due course.
Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Melton and Syston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what male supportive gender specific rape and abuse support services were commissioned directly by his Department in 2025; and if he will list each service and how much spending was allocated to each in 2025.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones
The Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF) is centrally commissioned by the Department. Its purpose is to provide specialist support to victims of rape and sexual abuse. RASASF-funded activities provide holistic, trauma-informed, survivor-led support to all victims who have experienced rape or sexual abuse at any point in their lives, regardless of their gender, where they live in England and Wales or whether they report the crime to the police.
RASASF-funded organisations deliver a wide range of services: some RASASF-funded organisations only offer services to male victims; many organisations offer services to both male and female victims; others only offer services to female victims. The Department also provides funding to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) who commission local practical, emotional and therapeutic services based on an assessment of need in their area.
Details of organisations awarded RASASF grants for the period 01 August 2023 to 31 March 2025 are published online: Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund 2023 to 2025: Organisations awarded funding - GOV.UK. Grant funding award amounts for financial year 2025-26 were the same as the published amount for 2024-25. Exceptions are where RASASF-funded organisations have closed down and the Department has re-directed the funds to other specialist organisations within the PCC area. We continue to consider how best to share information on this fund in the public domain.
Alongside the RASASF, the Ministry of Justice funds the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, which offers victims, aged 16 and over, access to free and confidential emotional support whenever they need it. Where appropriate, the service will also signpost victims to longer-term support services, such as therapeutic support.
Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Melton and Syston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what percentage of calls to the 24/7 rape support line were answered substantively within 5 minutes in a) July 2025, b) August 2025 , c) September 2025 , d) October 2025, e) November 2025 and f) December 2025.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones
The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring that all victims and survivors aged 16 and over have access to free and confidential emotional and listening support through the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, currently delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales.
We are currently in the process of re-commissioning the grant funding for a national sexual abuse support line. As the competition is live, it would not be appropriate to place additional data into the public domain that could be used to inform applications for the new grant but has not been shared through the formal competition process; doing so could compromise fairness of the competition.
Due to the anonymity of users of the service, capturing accurate data is challenging. As part of the new grant, we are looking to improve data collection and quality assurance to obtain more reliable management information for publication.
Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Melton and Syston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many call handlers were employed to staff the 24/7 rape support line in a) July 2025, b) August 2025, c) September 2025, d) October 2025, e) November 2025, and f) December 2025.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones
The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring that all victims and survivors aged 16 and over have access to free and confidential emotional and listening support through the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, currently delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales.
We are currently in the process of re-commissioning the grant funding for a national sexual abuse support line. As the competition is live, it would not be appropriate to place additional data into the public domain that could be used to inform applications for the new grant but has not been shared through the formal competition process; doing so could compromise fairness of the competition.
Due to the anonymity of users of the service, capturing accurate data is challenging. As part of the new grant, we are looking to improve data collection and quality assurance to obtain more reliable management information for publication.
Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Melton and Syston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what percentage of calls to the 24/7 Rape Support Line were answered in a) July 2025, b) August 2025, c) September 2025, d) October 2025, e) November 2025 and f) December 2025.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones
The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring that all victims and survivors aged 16 and over have access to free and confidential emotional and listening support through the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, currently delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales.
We are currently in the process of re-commissioning the grant funding for a national sexual abuse support line. As the competition is live, it would not be appropriate to place additional data into the public domain that could be used to inform applications for the new grant but has not been shared through the formal competition process; doing so could compromise fairness of the competition.
Due to the anonymity of users of the service, capturing accurate data is challenging. As part of the new grant, we are looking to improve data collection and quality assurance to obtain more reliable management information for publication.