Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development, if she has made a recent assessment of delays in processing visa applications for British nationals at the Consulate of Spain in Manchester.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The process for obtaining a Spanish visa is a matter for the Spanish authorities, and any issues with that process will need to be raised with the Spanish consulate themselves.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 increase awareness of prostate-specific antigen tests among travel insurers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
PSA tests are blood tests that measure the amount of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in blood. Raised levels, often in combination with other symptoms, can be an indication of prostate cancer, though not exclusively. PSA tests have previously been used as a screening tool in asymptomatic populations, but their limitations mean they are not currently recommended for population-level screening. To find better ways of testing for prostate cancer, the Government is investing £16 million into the Prostate Cancer UK-led TRANSFORM screening trial, which aims to identify more effective approaches for detecting prostate cancer earlier.
While the Department has no plans to target insurers with information about PSA, the NHS website has clear and accurate information about PSA testing that can be referred to. Where someone has had a PSA test and they are concerned about their travel insurance, they should discuss this directly with their insurers. Different insurers may take a different view of the relevant factors in determining the price of insurance.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will answer Questions (a) 81421 of 13 October 2025 on Covid-19 (b) 82016 of 14 October 2025 on prostate cancer screening and (c) 83882 of 21 October 2025 on health misinformation.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 10 November 2025 to Question 81421, on 26 November 2025 to Question 82016, and on 19 November 2025 to Question 83882.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 increase levels of awareness of tongue ties, also called ankyloglossia, of (a) midwives and (b) expectant mothers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and support for infant feeding plays an important role in achieving this.
Midwifery, health visiting, and infant feeding teams are central to supporting families with infant feeding. This includes identifying feeding challenges and providing tailored support for breastfeeding and bottle feeding. We are currently refreshing the guidance for The Healthy Child Programme, which includes health visiting services, to strengthen service quality and promote consistency in service delivery.
Dedicated paediatric surgery days are being introduced within integrated care boards, using existing NHS estate in day surgery or hub settings, to boost surgical activity for children and young people. Surgical hubs play a key role in delivering increased activity and ensuring timely access to planned care.
We are also strengthening local support for tongue-tie through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, which is investing £18.5 million in 2025/26 to improve infant feeding services in 75 local authorities in England. Local authorities are working with local health partners to improve access to timely tongue-tie support and treatment. In some areas, new tongue-tie clinics have been set up so that more families can access timely support.
For expectant parents, the majority of NHS trusts offer free antenatal education services, including caring for the baby and feeding. We are working with NHS England to improve the quality of antenatal classes.
Information about the symptoms and treatment of tongue-tie is also available on the NHS website and the Best Start in Life email programme for parents.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 (a) speed and (b) quality of (i) detection and (ii) treatment of tongue ties, also called ankyloglossia, in babies.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and support for infant feeding plays an important role in achieving this.
Midwifery, health visiting, and infant feeding teams are central to supporting families with infant feeding. This includes identifying feeding challenges and providing tailored support for breastfeeding and bottle feeding. We are currently refreshing the guidance for The Healthy Child Programme, which includes health visiting services, to strengthen service quality and promote consistency in service delivery.
Dedicated paediatric surgery days are being introduced within integrated care boards, using existing NHS estate in day surgery or hub settings, to boost surgical activity for children and young people. Surgical hubs play a key role in delivering increased activity and ensuring timely access to planned care.
We are also strengthening local support for tongue-tie through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, which is investing £18.5 million in 2025/26 to improve infant feeding services in 75 local authorities in England. Local authorities are working with local health partners to improve access to timely tongue-tie support and treatment. In some areas, new tongue-tie clinics have been set up so that more families can access timely support.
For expectant parents, the majority of NHS trusts offer free antenatal education services, including caring for the baby and feeding. We are working with NHS England to improve the quality of antenatal classes.
Information about the symptoms and treatment of tongue-tie is also available on the NHS website and the Best Start in Life email programme for parents.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve care for bottle-fed babies with tongue ties.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and support for infant feeding plays an important role in achieving this.
Midwifery, health visiting, and infant feeding teams are central to supporting families with infant feeding. This includes identifying feeding challenges and providing tailored support for breastfeeding and bottle feeding. We are currently refreshing the guidance for The Healthy Child Programme, which includes health visiting services, to strengthen service quality and promote consistency in service delivery.
Dedicated paediatric surgery days are being introduced within integrated care boards, using existing NHS estate in day surgery or hub settings, to boost surgical activity for children and young people. Surgical hubs play a key role in delivering increased activity and ensuring timely access to planned care.
We are also strengthening local support for tongue-tie through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, which is investing £18.5 million in 2025/26 to improve infant feeding services in 75 local authorities in England. Local authorities are working with local health partners to improve access to timely tongue-tie support and treatment. In some areas, new tongue-tie clinics have been set up so that more families can access timely support.
For expectant parents, the majority of NHS trusts offer free antenatal education services, including caring for the baby and feeding. We are working with NHS England to improve the quality of antenatal classes.
Information about the symptoms and treatment of tongue-tie is also available on the NHS website and the Best Start in Life email programme for parents.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 support male carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers and is committed to ensuring they receive the support they need. Through measures set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are supporting carers by making them more visible, empowering their voices in care planning, joining up services, and streamlining caring tasks through a new ‘MyCarer’ section in the NHS App. We are also expanding access to mental health care through 24/7 neighbourhood services, new emergency mental health departments, and enhanced support via the NHS App, all of which will be available to carers experiencing mental ill health.
Local authorities have duties under the Care Act 2014 to support unpaid carers. To help them fulfil these duties, the 2025 Spending Review provides for an increase of over £4 billion in funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.
On 19 November, we published the Men’s Health Strategy. The strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community and family networks and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention, respiratory illness, prostate cancer, and heart disease.
As Minister of State for Care, I also chair a regular cross-Government meeting with ministers across departments to consider how we can work together to provide unpaid carers with the recognition and support they deserve.
The Department has no current plans to introduce a multi-year funding scheme for support groups specifically for male carers, but we will continue working across government and with local authorities to ensure that unpaid carers of all genders are able to access appropriate support.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 rates of mental ill health among male carers.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers and is committed to ensuring they receive the support they need. Through measures set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are supporting carers by making them more visible, empowering their voices in care planning, joining up services, and streamlining caring tasks through a new ‘MyCarer’ section in the NHS App. We are also expanding access to mental health care through 24/7 neighbourhood services, new emergency mental health departments, and enhanced support via the NHS App, all of which will be available to carers experiencing mental ill health.
Local authorities have duties under the Care Act 2014 to support unpaid carers. To help them fulfil these duties, the 2025 Spending Review provides for an increase of over £4 billion in funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.
On 19 November, we published the Men’s Health Strategy. The strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community and family networks and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention, respiratory illness, prostate cancer, and heart disease.
As Minister of State for Care, I also chair a regular cross-Government meeting with ministers across departments to consider how we can work together to provide unpaid carers with the recognition and support they deserve.
The Department has no current plans to introduce a multi-year funding scheme for support groups specifically for male carers, but we will continue working across government and with local authorities to ensure that unpaid carers of all genders are able to access appropriate support.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider the potential merits of a multi-year funding scheme for support groups for male carers.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers and is committed to ensuring they receive the support they need. Through measures set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are supporting carers by making them more visible, empowering their voices in care planning, joining up services, and streamlining caring tasks through a new ‘MyCarer’ section in the NHS App. We are also expanding access to mental health care through 24/7 neighbourhood services, new emergency mental health departments, and enhanced support via the NHS App, all of which will be available to carers experiencing mental ill health.
Local authorities have duties under the Care Act 2014 to support unpaid carers. To help them fulfil these duties, the 2025 Spending Review provides for an increase of over £4 billion in funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.
On 19 November, we published the Men’s Health Strategy. The strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community and family networks and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention, respiratory illness, prostate cancer, and heart disease.
As Minister of State for Care, I also chair a regular cross-Government meeting with ministers across departments to consider how we can work together to provide unpaid carers with the recognition and support they deserve.
The Department has no current plans to introduce a multi-year funding scheme for support groups specifically for male carers, but we will continue working across government and with local authorities to ensure that unpaid carers of all genders are able to access appropriate support.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 increase awareness of support groups for male carers.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers and is committed to ensuring they receive the support they need. Through measures set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are supporting carers by making them more visible, empowering their voices in care planning, joining up services, and streamlining caring tasks through a new ‘MyCarer’ section in the NHS App. We are also expanding access to mental health care through 24/7 neighbourhood services, new emergency mental health departments, and enhanced support via the NHS App, all of which will be available to carers experiencing mental ill health.
Local authorities have duties under the Care Act 2014 to support unpaid carers. To help them fulfil these duties, the 2025 Spending Review provides for an increase of over £4 billion in funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.
On 19 November, we published the Men’s Health Strategy. The strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community and family networks and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention, respiratory illness, prostate cancer, and heart disease.
As Minister of State for Care, I also chair a regular cross-Government meeting with ministers across departments to consider how we can work together to provide unpaid carers with the recognition and support they deserve.
The Department has no current plans to introduce a multi-year funding scheme for support groups specifically for male carers, but we will continue working across government and with local authorities to ensure that unpaid carers of all genders are able to access appropriate support.