Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with her EU counterparts on the potential introduction of multiuse pet passport for UK pets that are valid for travel to the EU.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will become easier and cheaper.

Instead of getting an animal health certificate each time you travel, owners will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU.

In the meantime, owners will still need an Animal Health Certificate for their dog, cat or ferret if they are travelling from Great Britain to an EU country.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with NICE on updating update its Type 1 Diabetes guidance to incorporate screening for Type 1 Diabetes.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has had no discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on updating its guideline on type 1 diabetes. NICE is an independent body and is responsible for making decisions on whether its guidance should be updated in the light of new evidence.

NICE translates research into evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on best practice in the diagnosis and treatment of NHS patients, but it does not make recommendations on the use of screening programmes in its guidance. The Government is led by the advice of the UK National Screening Committee on all matters relating to targeted and population screening. A screening programme is only recommended where the evidence shows it will do more good than harm.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits (a) introducing free dental care and (b) ensuring access to dental rehabilitation for mouth cancer patients.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 November 2025 to Question PQ89333.

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 merits of including primary eye care in the NHS 10 year plan.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan was published on the 3 July and can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future.

The 10-Year Health Plan will support more eye care services being delivered in the community and better joint working between primary and secondary eye care services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Cancer Plan will commit to producing symptom awareness campaigns.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan, which will be published in the new year. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer as quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, and to improve outcomes.

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns in England to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and to address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.

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 waiting times for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of ovarian cancer.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are committed to reducing waiting times for diagnosis and treatment of cancer, including for ovarian cancer. We will support the National Health Service to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography.

The Government is investing an extra £26 billion in the NHS and opening up community diagnostic centres (CDCs) at evening and weekends, to help diagnose cancer earlier. We are now delivering additional checks, tests and scans at 170 CDCs.

Furthermore, NHS England has completed the national roll-out of Non-Specific Symptom pathways to support faster diagnosis of cancer in patients who present with symptoms that do not align with a single cancer site.

We have exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million appointments, having now delivered over five million more appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to treatment.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and improving this country’s cancer survival rates.

Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years. To do this, we will deliver targeted improvements and interventions, drive research and innovation, focus on prevention, and ensure patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.

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 adequacy of the (a) availability and (b) affordability of hormone replacement therapy; and what steps he is taking to reduce regional disparities in access to menopause-related healthcare.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

While there are no plans to review the inclusion of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) within the prescription charge exemption list, the HRT prescription pre-payment certificate is available for patients who are prescribed HRT on the National Health Service. The price of the HRT prescription pre-payment certificate (PPC) is the equivalent of two single prescription charges, currently £19.80, and covers all qualifying prescribed HRT medicines for the 12-month period of its validity, representing significant saving for patients compared to the single prescription charge. In financial year 2024/25, approximately 13.3 million HRT items were dispensed without charge, either because they were covered by the HRT PPC or the patient held an exemption from prescription charges.

There are over 70 HRT products, and the majority are in good supply. We are aware of shortages affecting Estradot (estradiol) patches. We are engaging with the supplier to expedite deliveries. We have issued guidance to healthcare professionals and Serious Shortage Protocols to enable community pharmacists to supply specified alternative estradiol patches.

We will also be asking local authorities to include menopause in the NHS Health Check from 2026. This will support eligible women from across England to access high quality information on the menopause, including advice on managing symptoms and where to seek support.

Further data on HRT prescriptions is available via the NHS Business Services Authority at the following link:

https://nhsbsa-opendata.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/hrt/hrt_June_2025_v001.html

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the inclusion of hormone replacement therapy within the prescription charge exemption list.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

While there are no plans to review the inclusion of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) within the prescription charge exemption list, the HRT prescription pre-payment certificate is available for patients who are prescribed HRT on the National Health Service. The price of the HRT prescription pre-payment certificate (PPC) is the equivalent of two single prescription charges, currently £19.80, and covers all qualifying prescribed HRT medicines for the 12-month period of its validity, representing significant saving for patients compared to the single prescription charge. In financial year 2024/25, approximately 13.3 million HRT items were dispensed without charge, either because they were covered by the HRT PPC or the patient held an exemption from prescription charges.

There are over 70 HRT products, and the majority are in good supply. We are aware of shortages affecting Estradot (estradiol) patches. We are engaging with the supplier to expedite deliveries. We have issued guidance to healthcare professionals and Serious Shortage Protocols to enable community pharmacists to supply specified alternative estradiol patches.

We will also be asking local authorities to include menopause in the NHS Health Check from 2026. This will support eligible women from across England to access high quality information on the menopause, including advice on managing symptoms and where to seek support.

Further data on HRT prescriptions is available via the NHS Business Services Authority at the following link:

https://nhsbsa-opendata.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/hrt/hrt_June_2025_v001.html

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve the UK’s space funding model.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Ministry of Defence is committed to developing the Defence Space Portfolio and wider space requirements to harness space for national and military advantage. The recent publication of the Strategic Defence Review served to reinforce the importance of the domain and the need to invest appropriately. The level of investment is being tested and confirmed against current and future requirements through the development of the Defence Investment Plan which will provide the strategic capability direction for the next decade.

Defence and other Government Departments will ascertain space synergies, create a common demand signal with which to develop investment options for both the military and national advantage. Aligned to the Own, Collaborate, Access framework, the most effective mix of sovereign owned, collaboration with allies, and access though existing and new partnerships will be determined with which to deliver Defence and wider UK needs.

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 the closure of the Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled Peoples on wheelchair provision for children aged under six.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

This assessment has not been made. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of local wheelchair services, based on the needs of their local population.

NHS England has developed policy, guidance, and legislation to support ICBs to commission effective, efficient, and personalised wheelchair services. On 9 April 2025, NHS England published the Wheelchair Quality Framework which is designed to assist ICBs and National Health Service wheelchair service providers in delivering high-quality provision that offers improved access, outcomes, and experience.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support he is providing to international medical and humanitarian partners to help with child amputees and life-altering injuries resulting from explosive weapons in conflict.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the appalling toll that explosive weapons in conflict zones exact on children. We recognise that children are among the most vulnerable in any crisis, suffering not only immediate physical harm but also enduring emotional and psychological trauma with lifelong consequences.

The Department has three strands of work which support those who have been injured in this way. First, we have partnered with the David Nott Foundation to support the delivery of life-saving medical training to Ukrainian clinicians under the International Medical Partnership initiative. Second, with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, we work closely with UKMed, a frontline medical age charity, who run clinical support programmes in both Ukraine and Gaza with National Health Service clinicians volunteering to provide life-saving medical aid to people affected by the conflict. Third, the Government has medically evacuated a small number of children from Gaza for specialist treatment in the United Kingdom.

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 cost to the taxpayer of raising NICE’s value for money threshold by 25 percent.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The pharmaceutical sector and the innovative medicines it produces are critical to our national interest, helping people access life changing treatments, reducing pressure on the health service over the longer-term, and ensuring we have a National Health Service that is fit for the future.

That is why through our Life Sciences Sector Plan, we have committed to working with industry to accelerate growth in spending on innovative medicines, compared to the previous decade. Our 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will reform the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department is offering to people affected by alleged sexual abuse relating to medical checks carried out between the 1970s and 2016 British Army recruitment processes.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

There is no place in Defence for sexual abuse or misconduct, and we are fully supporting Wiltshire Police’s investigation. I urge anyone who has more information to contact Wiltshire Police as soon as possible, we will stand with the survivors.

For those personnel still serving, every unit has a comprehensive welfare system, ready to support them. . The network of agencies includes Unit Welfare Officers, Welfare Services, chaplains, Equality and Diversity Advisers, and Women’s Royal Voluntary Service. Personnel also have access to the Army confidential helpline, SpeakOut, and the Samaritans helpline, Combat Stress 24-hour mental health helpline (0800 138 1619) for serving personnel and veterans.

For veterans, the MOD provides an MOD Veterans Service, which offers bespoke advice and assistance following a holistic assessment of needs tailored to each individual's specific circumstances. Welfare Managers provide free and confidential advice and work closely with voluntary organisations, local authorities and all areas of the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure veterans and their families are offered the best possible help and advice. Further information on this service can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/veterans-welfare-service

Victims and survivors of sexual assault can access information and support via the Government’s site https://sexualabusesupport.campaign.gov.uk/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that general practitioners receive (a) training on (i) early symptoms and (ii) risk factors of mouth cancer and (b) update National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines to allow direct referral to secondary care.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We know that more needs to be done to improve outcomes for patients with mouth cancer. That is why we are investing an additional £889 million in general practices (GPs), bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This will help to ensure we have a well-trained and well-equipped primary care service that can take the time to provide quality care to patients around the country, including those with mouth cancer.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for making decisions on whether its guidance should be updated in the light of new evidence.

NICE guidelines represent best practice and healthcare professionals are expected to take them fully into account in making decisions on the care and treatment of individual patients. NICE currently has no plans to update the guideline that covers the assessment and management of mouth cancer. It will be reviewed if there is new evidence that is likely to change the recommendations.

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 number of bowel cancer patients diagnosed in emergency NHS settings in the last 12 months; and what steps he is taking to help reduce this number.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England is the cancer registry for England and collects data on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. The service is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs

Rapid Cancer Registration Data (RCRD) provides a quick, indicative source of cancer data. It is provided to support the planning and provision of cancer services. The data is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/cancer-data-hub/rapid-cancer-registration-data-dashboards

Using the latest available Routes to Diagnosis estimates from the RCRD, there were 7310 bowel cancer patients diagnosed through Emergency Presentation between January and December 2024. This includes emergency routes via accident and emergency, emergency general practitioner referral (not urgent suspected cancer referral), emergency transfer, emergency admission, or attendance.

To support earlier diagnosis, the National Health Service is improving referral and diagnostic pathways, including the use of non-specific symptom pathways for patients whose symptoms, such as unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or abdominal discomfort, do not clearly align with a single cancer type. NHS England has also expanded general practice direct access to diagnostic tests, enabling faster investigation of concerning symptoms.

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 the (a) National Cancer Plan and (b) 10 Year Workforce Plan on the capacity for cancer diagnostic services to meet the (i) current workforce shortfall, (ii) level of demand from an increase in cancer cases and (iii) the expansion of screening programmes to include national targeted lung screening.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

This Government is committed to ensuring our workforce is fit for purpose, including to diagnose and treat cancer. As of August 2025, there are almost 70% more staff in the key cancer professions of clinical oncology, gastro-enterology, medical oncology, histopathology, clinical radiology, diagnostic and therapeutic radiography than in 2010. There are also more doctors working in clinical oncology and more radiology doctors compared to last year.

We will work with the university sector and colleagues across Government to ensure that we train the doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals that we need and maximise the contribution that our great research institutions make to the country. Over the next three years, we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out that to deliver a workforce fit for the future we need a new, sustainable approach to workforce planning. Our 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out action to how we will create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service for patients when and where they need it.

Furthermore, the National Cancer Plan will look at how we can reform the current workforce to utilise it as effectively as possible and to provide a workforce able to meet cancer demand of the future. The National Cancer Plan will align with the 10 Year Workforce Plan to take into consideration expected demand for cancer over the next ten years. By ensuring we have the necessary staff with the right skills, we will support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer earlier and treat it faster and improve patients’ experience across the system.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Cancer Plan will support the faster diagnosis of teenagers and young adults with cancer.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to improving outcomes and patient experience for teenagers and young adults with cancer. The Department recognises that cancer in teenagers and young adults is different to cancer in adults and children, and that age-appropriate care is necessary regarding treatment, diagnosis, and wider support, as per the NHS England service specifications.

The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more teenagers and young adults survive. The Department and NHS England are taking a range of steps to improve waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment across all cancer patient groups. This includes the NHS delivering an extra 40,000 scans, appointments, and operations each week to ensure that patients are seen and treated as quickly as possible.

Furthermore, the Department set out expectations for renewed focus on cancer targets in the Elective Reform plan, published on 6 January 2025. The Department has asked systems and providers to identify local opportunities in both community diagnostic centres and hospital based diagnostic services to improve performance against the Faster Diagnosis Standard, to reduce the number of patients, including teenagers and young adults, waiting too long for a confirmed diagnosis of cancer.

NHS England and other NHS organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including those that are most common in teenagers and young adults. Further information on cancer signs and symptoms is available on the NHS.UK website.

The national service specifications relating to the provision of Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) Cancer Services describes the service and clinical standards, as well as the relationships that need to be in place with other services that patients might need to access. Alongside the publication of the TYA Cancer Service Specifications, NHS England provided investment to establish and run networks, whose purpose is to drive improvements to pathways and the co-ordination of care. As of 1 April 2025, the responsibility for commissioning TYA Cancer Services was delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs). This means that ICBs are responsible for ensuring continued compliance with national service specifications.

TYA Cancer Services provide a level of psycho-social support for patients dealing with cancer diagnosis and treatment through cancer nursing and clinical support. Teenagers and young adults with cancer may also access support for their mental health needs in mental health services commissioned by ICBs, for example Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

The National Cancer Plan, due to be published in the new year, will have a commitment to children and young people, aged between zero and 24 years old with cancer, as a priority group. The plan will cover the entire pathway and aims to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer.

On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan.

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 the cancer service specifications for teenagers and young adults published in 2023 are (a) funded and (b) implemented as part of the National Cancer Plan.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to improving outcomes and patient experience for teenagers and young adults with cancer. The Department recognises that cancer in teenagers and young adults is different to cancer in adults and children, and that age-appropriate care is necessary regarding treatment, diagnosis, and wider support, as per the NHS England service specifications.

The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more teenagers and young adults survive. The Department and NHS England are taking a range of steps to improve waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment across all cancer patient groups. This includes the NHS delivering an extra 40,000 scans, appointments, and operations each week to ensure that patients are seen and treated as quickly as possible.

Furthermore, the Department set out expectations for renewed focus on cancer targets in the Elective Reform plan, published on 6 January 2025. The Department has asked systems and providers to identify local opportunities in both community diagnostic centres and hospital based diagnostic services to improve performance against the Faster Diagnosis Standard, to reduce the number of patients, including teenagers and young adults, waiting too long for a confirmed diagnosis of cancer.

NHS England and other NHS organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including those that are most common in teenagers and young adults. Further information on cancer signs and symptoms is available on the NHS.UK website.

The national service specifications relating to the provision of Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) Cancer Services describes the service and clinical standards, as well as the relationships that need to be in place with other services that patients might need to access. Alongside the publication of the TYA Cancer Service Specifications, NHS England provided investment to establish and run networks, whose purpose is to drive improvements to pathways and the co-ordination of care. As of 1 April 2025, the responsibility for commissioning TYA Cancer Services was delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs). This means that ICBs are responsible for ensuring continued compliance with national service specifications.

TYA Cancer Services provide a level of psycho-social support for patients dealing with cancer diagnosis and treatment through cancer nursing and clinical support. Teenagers and young adults with cancer may also access support for their mental health needs in mental health services commissioned by ICBs, for example Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

The National Cancer Plan, due to be published in the new year, will have a commitment to children and young people, aged between zero and 24 years old with cancer, as a priority group. The plan will cover the entire pathway and aims to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer.

On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan.

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 the National Cancer Plan for England provides age-appropriate information on the (a) signs and (b) symptoms of cancer for young people.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to improving outcomes and patient experience for teenagers and young adults with cancer. The Department recognises that cancer in teenagers and young adults is different to cancer in adults and children, and that age-appropriate care is necessary regarding treatment, diagnosis, and wider support, as per the NHS England service specifications.

The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more teenagers and young adults survive. The Department and NHS England are taking a range of steps to improve waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment across all cancer patient groups. This includes the NHS delivering an extra 40,000 scans, appointments, and operations each week to ensure that patients are seen and treated as quickly as possible.

Furthermore, the Department set out expectations for renewed focus on cancer targets in the Elective Reform plan, published on 6 January 2025. The Department has asked systems and providers to identify local opportunities in both community diagnostic centres and hospital based diagnostic services to improve performance against the Faster Diagnosis Standard, to reduce the number of patients, including teenagers and young adults, waiting too long for a confirmed diagnosis of cancer.

NHS England and other NHS organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including those that are most common in teenagers and young adults. Further information on cancer signs and symptoms is available on the NHS.UK website.

The national service specifications relating to the provision of Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) Cancer Services describes the service and clinical standards, as well as the relationships that need to be in place with other services that patients might need to access. Alongside the publication of the TYA Cancer Service Specifications, NHS England provided investment to establish and run networks, whose purpose is to drive improvements to pathways and the co-ordination of care. As of 1 April 2025, the responsibility for commissioning TYA Cancer Services was delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs). This means that ICBs are responsible for ensuring continued compliance with national service specifications.

TYA Cancer Services provide a level of psycho-social support for patients dealing with cancer diagnosis and treatment through cancer nursing and clinical support. Teenagers and young adults with cancer may also access support for their mental health needs in mental health services commissioned by ICBs, for example Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

The National Cancer Plan, due to be published in the new year, will have a commitment to children and young people, aged between zero and 24 years old with cancer, as a priority group. The plan will cover the entire pathway and aims to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer.

On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan.

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 adequacy of psycho-oncology provision for teenagers and young adults with cancer.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to improving outcomes and patient experience for teenagers and young adults with cancer. The Department recognises that cancer in teenagers and young adults is different to cancer in adults and children, and that age-appropriate care is necessary regarding treatment, diagnosis, and wider support, as per the NHS England service specifications.

The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more teenagers and young adults survive. The Department and NHS England are taking a range of steps to improve waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment across all cancer patient groups. This includes the NHS delivering an extra 40,000 scans, appointments, and operations each week to ensure that patients are seen and treated as quickly as possible.

Furthermore, the Department set out expectations for renewed focus on cancer targets in the Elective Reform plan, published on 6 January 2025. The Department has asked systems and providers to identify local opportunities in both community diagnostic centres and hospital based diagnostic services to improve performance against the Faster Diagnosis Standard, to reduce the number of patients, including teenagers and young adults, waiting too long for a confirmed diagnosis of cancer.

NHS England and other NHS organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including those that are most common in teenagers and young adults. Further information on cancer signs and symptoms is available on the NHS.UK website.

The national service specifications relating to the provision of Teenage and Young Adult (TYA) Cancer Services describes the service and clinical standards, as well as the relationships that need to be in place with other services that patients might need to access. Alongside the publication of the TYA Cancer Service Specifications, NHS England provided investment to establish and run networks, whose purpose is to drive improvements to pathways and the co-ordination of care. As of 1 April 2025, the responsibility for commissioning TYA Cancer Services was delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs). This means that ICBs are responsible for ensuring continued compliance with national service specifications.

TYA Cancer Services provide a level of psycho-social support for patients dealing with cancer diagnosis and treatment through cancer nursing and clinical support. Teenagers and young adults with cancer may also access support for their mental health needs in mental health services commissioned by ICBs, for example Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

The National Cancer Plan, due to be published in the new year, will have a commitment to children and young people, aged between zero and 24 years old with cancer, as a priority group. The plan will cover the entire pathway and aims to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer.

On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will also ensure that the unique needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many bed spaces the NHS keeps free as a minimum standard level.

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

In September, there were an average of 100,615 general and acute beds open across all acute trusts, of these, 93,553 were occupied, a 93% occupancy rate.

Decisions regarding the use of, or opening of, additional beds to manage pressures are made locally by individual National Health Service trusts, in accordance with their operational requirements. The Department does not direct these decisions centrally. However, we are asking trusts to place a special focus on significantly reducing bed occupancy ahead of Christmas, thereby creating additional capacity and improving patient flow

The 10-Year Health Plan aims to expand urgent care capacity through neighbourhood health services and virtual wards, enabling patients to receive care closer to home where clinically appropriate and easing pressure on hospitals. In addition, investment in digital tools will improve patient flow and further reduce reliance on inpatient beds.

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 increase the number of (a) available beds and (b) diagnostic equipment such as scanners per patient in hospitals across England.

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

Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we are working to expand urgent care capacity through neighbourhood health services and virtual wards, enabling patients to receive care closer to home where clinically appropriate and easing pressure on hospitals. In addition, investment in digital tools will improve patient flow and further reduce reliance on inpatient beds. We are also working to develop stronger partnerships between the National Health Service and social care to ensure that patients receive the services they need to support timely and effective hospital discharge and to prevent avoidable hospital admissions.

The Department is also committed to increasing the number of surgical hubs, which will increase ringfenced elective capacity, providing greater protection from urgent and emergency care, improving outcomes for patients, and reducing pressures on hospitals. There are currently 123 surgical hubs operational across England.

At a local level, decisions regarding the opening of additional beds to manage pressures are made by individual NHS trusts, in accordance with their operational requirements. The Department does not direct these decisions centrally.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the 18-week constitutional standard by the end of this Parliament, including transforming and expand diagnostic services.

We are expanding diagnostic services, including investing in new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scanners in hospitals and community diagnostic centres (CDCs), as well as replacing some of the oldest CT and MRI scanners in the NHS estate. We have confirmed 13 new state-of-the-art DEXA scanners to support better bone care, delivering on the Government’s commitment in the Elective Reform Plan. These will allow for an extra 29,000 bone scans per year, benefitting tens of thousands of patients.

This is backed as part of the 2025 Spending Review, which confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective, and urgent care capacity. This includes £600 million in capital funding for diagnostics in 2025/26 to support delivery of the NHS performance standards. Further details and allocations will be set out in due course.

We are also supporting the NHS to maximise existing diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services, including extending the hours CDCs are open. In August 2025, we announced that 100 CDCs were delivering much needed checks, tests, and scans 12 hours a day, seven days a week. These will reduce overall waiting times for treatment. Alongside this, NHS England is working to ensure MRI acceleration software is being rolled out across MRI scanners, including upgrading old scanners which are unable to utilise this new software and technology.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will produce a funded operational plan to reduce A&E waiting times and end corridor care.

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

The Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so patients can be treated with dignity. We are therefore doing everything we can as fast as we can to consign the delivery of care in temporary escalation spaces to the history books.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out steps to reduce accident and emergency waiting times and improve the availability of beds for those who need them. Backed by a total of nearly £450 million of capital funding, we are expanding Same Day Emergency Care and Urgent Treatment Centres, helping avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital and supporting more efficient diagnosis, treatment, and discharge for patients. It also includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care for the first time.

We will also be publishing new clinical operational standards for the first 72 hours of care. These will set the minimum expectations in areas such as time to review following referral, availability for advice, and what happens to patients when multiple specialist teams need to input into care.

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 merits of expanding the eligibility criteria for patients to take part in the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform set up to accelerate the development of cancer vaccines. After an assessment by the CVLP delivery group in May 2025, it was agreed to expand the eligibility of the CVLP to support cancer vaccines and immunotherapy clinical trials that require molecular or genomic testing. This expansion in scope means that more patients will have access to the benefits associated with CVLP trials. The platform is designed to be company and clinical trial agnostic, so any companies who are developing cancer vaccines or targeted immunotherapies can contact the CVLP to explore how the platform can support their research.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients have been recruited into studies of personalised cancer vaccines as part of the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform set up to accelerate the development of cancer vaccines and speed up access to mRNA personalised cancer vaccine clinical trials for cancer patients. The 10-Year Health Plan, published in July 2025, commits to delivering 10,000 cancer vaccines to patients in clinical trials over this Parliament. To date, 350 patients have been recruited through the CVLP into a personalised vaccine clinical trial. These patients have then undergone further screening as part of the trial to assess their eligibility for the cancer vaccine.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the current Noise Regulations in protecting (a) animals, (b) veterans and (c) other vulnerable people from harm.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Protections are in place to avoid significant noise impacts through our planning system, environmental permitting regulations, vehicle and product standards, and noise abatement legislation.

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 increase early detection of mouth cancer.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

To help increase the early detection of cancer, the Government has recently launched Jess’s Rule, an initiative that asks general practitioners (GPs) to think again if, after three appointments, they have been unable to diagnose a patient, or if their symptoms have escalated.

The Department is also investing an additional £889 million in GPs, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This will help to ensure the National Health Service has a well-trained and well-equipped primary care service that can take the time to provide quality care to patients around the country.

Dentists and other dental professionals, including hygienists, routinely check the soft tissues of a patient’s mouth for signs of cancer during dental visits and as part of the check-up will make an assessment and record an individual’s oral cancer risk. Dentists will prioritise patients at a higher risk of oral cancer for more frequent recall and review in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.

Additionally, NHS England is working in partnership with major supermarket chains to include messages about common cancer symptoms onto the packaging of relevant products. This has included specific messaging on mouth cancer symptoms on toothpaste and mouthwash packaging.

To support earlier and faster cancer diagnosis, the NHS is now delivering additional checks, tests, and scans at 170 community diagnostic centres.

Cancer incidence, including mouth cancer, is increasing. The Government is taking action, including raising awareness of signs and symptoms and focusing on prevention, such as the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

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 reduce cases of mouth cancer.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

To help increase the early detection of cancer, the Government has recently launched Jess’s Rule, an initiative that asks general practitioners (GPs) to think again if, after three appointments, they have been unable to diagnose a patient, or if their symptoms have escalated.

The Department is also investing an additional £889 million in GPs, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This will help to ensure the National Health Service has a well-trained and well-equipped primary care service that can take the time to provide quality care to patients around the country.

Dentists and other dental professionals, including hygienists, routinely check the soft tissues of a patient’s mouth for signs of cancer during dental visits and as part of the check-up will make an assessment and record an individual’s oral cancer risk. Dentists will prioritise patients at a higher risk of oral cancer for more frequent recall and review in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.

Additionally, NHS England is working in partnership with major supermarket chains to include messages about common cancer symptoms onto the packaging of relevant products. This has included specific messaging on mouth cancer symptoms on toothpaste and mouthwash packaging.

To support earlier and faster cancer diagnosis, the NHS is now delivering additional checks, tests, and scans at 170 community diagnostic centres.

Cancer incidence, including mouth cancer, is increasing. The Government is taking action, including raising awareness of signs and symptoms and focusing on prevention, such as the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will roll out a national education programme to inform women about menopause.

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

The Government recognises that women suffering from symptoms of menopause have been failed for far too long, and we acknowledge the impact it has on women’s lives, relationships and participation in the workplace.

Our renewed strategy will set out how the Government will take the next steps to improve women's healthcare as part of the 10-Year Health Plan and create a system that listens to women. Steps to improve awareness of menopause symptoms are being fully considered as part of the renewal.

We recently announced that menopause will be included in the NHS Health Check. This will mean eligible women can access high-quality information on menopause more easily, including information on managing symptoms, where to seek support, and treatment options.

Mariella Frostrup has been appointed the Menopause Employment Ambassador. The Menopause Employment Ambassador works closely with employers across the country to improve workplace support for women experiencing the menopause, raise awareness of menopause symptoms and champion the economic contributions of women. With decades of experience championing women’s rights and gender equality across the world, Mariella Frostrup brings a powerful and unique voice to this agenda.

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 merits of ensuring people with (a) Huntington's disease and (b) other long-term neurological conditions have a single point of contact to coordinate their care.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

More needs to be done to meet need on coordination of care for people with rare diseases, including Huntingdon’s disease, and work is underway to improve this.

The revised NHS England Specialised Neurology Services (adults) specification 2025 outlines a comprehensive model of care for specialised neurology services, including for patients with Huntington’s disease. This outlines expectations of a system-wide approach, incorporating end-to-end pathways within an Integrated Neurology System, supporting more equitable and efficient care for people with long-term neurological diseases, including Huntington’s disease.

Steps are being taken to improve coordination of care for all rare diseases as a priority under the UK Rare Diseases Framework. This includes research funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research to understand how to most cost-effectively improve care co-ordination to align to the needs of patients, which will report in 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent injuries and deaths among children caused by explosive weapons in conflict.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

Protecting civilians is at the heart of defence’s approach to human security where we work through multiple channels to promote human security and - within this - the protection of civilians.

The UK is the co-chair of the International Contact Group on Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response and regularly delivers training on human security to other nations; is a signatory of the Political Declaration on strengthening the protection of civilians from the humanitarian consequences arising from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA); has endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration which outlines a set of commitments to strengthen the protection of education from attack and restrict use of schools and universities for military purposes, and; is a state party to Protocol V of the UN Convention on Conventional Weapons which requires states to focus on prevention and clearance of unexploded ordinance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to (a) patients and (b) their families who have to relocate following the closure of the Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the concerns of those who have benefitted from the support of the Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People. We are committed to ensuring that disabled people have equitable, effective, and responsive access to health and care services that meet their needs.

Adult social care services are provided through a largely outsourced market of commercial organisations and charities. Ensuring good management of the market and securing continuity of care in the event of market exit due to business failure is the responsibility of local authorities.

Health and care systems and providers should work together to ensure that efforts to discharge individuals from hospital into social care are joined up and make best use of available resources, in line with the duty to cooperate set out in Section 82 of the NHS Act 2006.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a temporary duty to ensure that individuals continue to receive the services they need, including National Health Service patients receiving adult social care, if their care provider is no longer able to deliver those services. The Care Act Statutory Guidance provides guidance on managing provider failure and other service interruptions.

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 the closure of Queen Elizabeth’s foundation for Disabled People on bed blockages in the NHS.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the concerns of those who have benefitted from the support of the Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People. We are committed to ensuring that disabled people have equitable, effective, and responsive access to health and care services that meet their needs.

Adult social care services are provided through a largely outsourced market of commercial organisations and charities. Ensuring good management of the market and securing continuity of care in the event of market exit due to business failure is the responsibility of local authorities.

Health and care systems and providers should work together to ensure that efforts to discharge individuals from hospital into social care are joined up and make best use of available resources, in line with the duty to cooperate set out in Section 82 of the NHS Act 2006.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a temporary duty to ensure that individuals continue to receive the services they need, including National Health Service patients receiving adult social care, if their care provider is no longer able to deliver those services. The Care Act Statutory Guidance provides guidance on managing provider failure and other service interruptions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, where NHS patients receiving care at the Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People will now be treated.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the concerns of those who have benefitted from the support of the Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People. We are committed to ensuring that disabled people have equitable, effective, and responsive access to health and care services that meet their needs.

Adult social care services are provided through a largely outsourced market of commercial organisations and charities. Ensuring good management of the market and securing continuity of care in the event of market exit due to business failure is the responsibility of local authorities.

Health and care systems and providers should work together to ensure that efforts to discharge individuals from hospital into social care are joined up and make best use of available resources, in line with the duty to cooperate set out in Section 82 of the NHS Act 2006.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a temporary duty to ensure that individuals continue to receive the services they need, including National Health Service patients receiving adult social care, if their care provider is no longer able to deliver those services. The Care Act Statutory Guidance provides guidance on managing provider failure and other service interruptions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the time taken to discharge patients costs the NHS each year.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold data on the annual cost of discharge delays. However, from September 2025, NHS England has started to publish data on the cost of discharge. This information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/discharge-delays/acute-discharge-situation-report/

The following table shows the total cost of delays to bed days for September and October of 2025:

This estimates that the unit cost of a bed day is £562, which is derived from the £527 2023/25 bed day cost, and which has been uplifted by 6.65% to estimate bed day costs for 2025/26 using the NHS Cumulative Uplift Factor to account for inflation, resulting in a unit cost of £562.

This analysis does not include wider costs, such as the opportunity cost of care foregone by not being able to admit other patients, or the cost to the patient themselves of being in an inappropriate setting. The estimates do not consider the alternative cost of providing health and care support to patients outside of the acute hospital setting if these patients were not delayed in hospital.

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 improve and accelerate the hospital discharge process.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to improving hospital discharge processes and tackling discharge delays.

The Urgent and Emergency Care plan for 2025/26 sets as a priority that hospitals should tackle the delays in patients waiting to be discharged. They should eliminate discharge delays of more than 48 hours caused by in-hospital issues, and work with local authorities to tackle the longest delays, starting with those over 21 days, and to profile discharges by pathway to support local planning.

In January 2025, we published a new policy framework for the £9 billion Better Care Fund. This gives the National Health Service and local authorities accountability for setting and achieving joint goals for reducing discharge delays and preventing avoidable emergency admissions and care home admissions.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to coordinate work on space between government, industry and universities.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence actively coordinates space activity across Government, industry, and academia to sustain the UK’s leadership in space innovation and capability. Through the Defence Industrial Strategy, and in collaboration with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and other government departments, we advance the National and Defence Space Strategies with a particular focus on Space Domain Awareness, delivered through the National Space Operations Centre. We work with universities through initiatives such as the Defence Universities Alliance and the Space Academy to address skills gaps, foster innovation, and support research in dual-use technologies.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is planning to take to support disabled people in accessing driving (a) lessons and (b) tests in the South East in the context of the closure of the Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People.

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

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is committed to ensuring customers requiring support are always treated without discrimination.

Whilst there is no requirement for people to disclose a disability to DVSA, to ensure that every customer is treated fairly, DVSA encourages disclosure so that reasonable adjustments can be made, as needed, at both the theory test and practical driving test.

DVSA will consider and accommodate, where possible, a customer’s reasonable request for support. Depending on their requirements, evidence might be required for DVSA to assess the request thoroughly and ensure all appropriate measures are taken to provide the assistance necessary.

Approved driving instructors are not directly employed by DVSA, so the agency has no control or input on what ADIs choose to teach or what they charge for their services.

DVSA has previously worked with the Disabled Driving Instructors Association to assist learner drivers who are looking for ADIs who can accommodate disabilities and additional needs. Further information is available at: www.disabilitydrivinginstructors.com/find-an-instructor.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to seek participation in future EU space projects.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Strategic Defence Review identifies space as a critical domain for national security and Defence, emphasising the importance of international collaboration to achieve the United Kingdom's (UK) defence space aspirations. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to exploring opportunities for cooperation in space that align with Defence and security commitments, working closely with cross-government partners to ensure coherence with broader UK interests and priorities.

The MOD assesses participation in specific space projects on a case-by-case basis. Any decision to participate in EU space projects will be made considering strategic benefits, value for money, and alignment with national security objectives.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department is providing for strategic national space capabilities in each of the next three years.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Ministry of Defence is committed to developing the Defence Space Portfolio and wider space requirements to harness space for national and military advantage. The recent publication of the Strategic Defence Review served to reinforce the importance of the space domain and the need to invest appropriately. The level of investment will be prioritised appropriately against the threat as part of the future Integrated Force and set out in the Defence Investment Plan to be published this year.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to support the development of (a) accredited training routes and (b) apprenticeships for advice and information roles.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

At present nine awarding organisations offer 18 different knowledge only qualifications at levels 2 to 5 in information, advice and guidance (IAG) and careers advice. They are listed on Ofqual’s register of regulated qualifications: Find a regulated qualification - GOV.UK

Regarding apprenticeships, there are four apprenticeship standards relating to information and advice roles, including Level 3 Learning and Development Practitioner and Level 4 Employability Practitioner.

Where there is a genuine occupational gap not met by an existing apprenticeship standard and there will be sufficient demand for apprentices, employers are able to work with Skills England to develop an apprenticeship standard which meets their need.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the forthcoming closure of the Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People, what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) disabled people still feel supported in travelling by air and (b) the aviation sector can access information to assist disabled passengers.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport is working closely with the Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People and other government departments to ensure disabled people can continue to access the mobility services they need.

Aviation must be accessible for all. UK law entitles passengers to assistance from airports and airlines to help them to travel by air, with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) ensuring compliance.

To strengthen support and improve aviation accessibility, the Department established the Aviation Accessibility Task and Finish Group, which published an independent report in July 2025. The report set out 19 recommendations across five key areas: training, passenger information and communications, mobility aid design and handling, non-visible impairments and tailored support.

The Group is now focused on helping the industry implement these recommendations and will report annually to the Department on progress.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the potential cost to the public purse of the maintenance costs for the site that was formally the Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People.

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

The former site of Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People in Leatherhead is not owned by a National Health Service trust, and therefore any maintenance costs will not be met by NHS maintenance budgets.

We recognise the importance of providing funding for adult social care. The Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding to be made available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available for staff being made redundant by the closure of the Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for Disabled People.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Following notification of staff being at risk of redundancy DWP provides support to both employers and individuals through our dedicated service (the Rapid Redundancy Support).

Local Employer Advisors will make contact the employers/or individuals to offer support as a matter of urgency. Support is tailored and can vary depending on the scale of the redundancy and the level of support required. This can include:

• Group Information sessions or 121 sessions with individuals
• Providing information on the local labour market
• Individual Job Search Support
• Local Skills and Training support for specific sectors
• Support with CVs and Applications
• Information on Support for those with Health Conditions and Disabilities
• Information on Universal Credit and Pensions

DWP were notified by the Insolvency Service on the 18th of November of impending redundancies at the Queen Elizabeth Foundation for Disabled People. DWP’s National RRS Team held a meeting with the Chief Executive on the 19th of November where RRS support was outlined. RRS factsheets were sent over for cascade to employees impacted and the National RRS team agreed to contact local jobcentres. Queen Elizabeth Foundation requested DWP support at several recruitment events previously organised at sites in Leatherhead and Carshalton.

On the 27th November at the Leatherhead site, the local Employer Adviser and Disability Employer Adviser attended a recruitment event and offered further support for those impacted by the redundancies. The attendance of the Disability Employer Adviser was at the specific request of the Queen Elizabeth Foundation

At the Carshalton site local DWP teams have reached out and have invited all employees to a local recruitment event being held next week.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with his international counterparts to encourage sustainable uses of space.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The government works bilaterally and multilaterally with international partners through the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee to shape and uphold standards, norms and best practices that define the in-orbit regime. We champion adoption of the UN Long-Term Sustainability Guidelines and support capacity-building via the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs to protect access to space for future generations.

50th Anniversary of women’s right to independent mortgages

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Day on 20 November 2025

North East Fife restaurants named among world’s best

25th anniversary of Blyth Offshore Wind Farm

Lando Norris wins Formula One World Driver's Championship

McLaren title win for British motorsport

Valporate report

Palestinian children in Israeli military detention

Russian shadow fleet

Sheringham bus shelter

Water scarcity and agricultural reservoirs

Julie Whitton

Detention of Hassan Mushaima and Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace

Chalk streams and salmon in Hampshire

10,000th Robotic Procedure at Royal Surrey County Hospital

Tenth anniversary of Storm Desmond

Sewage discharge in the Severn and Avon

Surrey Youth Focus

Rural Fuel Duty Relief Scheme

UK Youth Parliament 2025

Water monitoring at Windermere

UK–EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Agreement

Tackling van and tool theft

Neurodivergent service personnel in the armed forces

80/80 challenge and Cheltenham Town Community Trust

Leckhampton Rovers FC Sustainability Trail

County FA Recognition Awards 2025

Access to banks

Safeguarding pubs, brewers and one million jobs

Fly-tipping and illegal waste dumping by criminal gangs

National Tree Week 2025

110 years of the Women's Institute

Cumulative disruption proposals and the right to protest

Support for the Shakespeare Curriculum Project

President Trump’s 20-point peace plan

Accessible healthcare for deaf people and those with hearing loss

World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 2025

West Berkshire Toy Appeal

UK access to the EU SAFE defence fund

Found: Chinook Helicopters: Accidents 13 Nov 2025 | 88158 Asked by: Helen Maguire To ask the Secretary