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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help increase the number of trees planted.

Answered by Mary Creagh

We are investing over £1 billion this Parliament in tree planting and forestry - driving the highest planting rates in two decades. Backed by three new national forests, this is real investment delivering for nature, climate, communities and the economy. We're proud to be growing Britain's woodlands after years of neglect.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made towards the Government’s ambition to eliminate tuberculosis in a) England b) London c) London Borough of Newham.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England’s joint Tuberculosis (TB): action plan for England, 2021 to 2026, outlines outcomes and indicators to achieve a 90% reduction in people with TB by 2035, aligned with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) elimination targets. The plan is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tuberculosis-tb-action-plan-for-england/tuberculosis-tb-action-plan-for-england-2021-to-2026

Like many other countries who have seen a reverse in the decline in TB incidence following the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, England is not on course to achieve its WHO elimination targets.

Provisional data show that 5,424 people, at an incidence rate of 9.25 per 100,000, were notified with TB disease in 2025. This is well below the peak in this century, at 15.6 per 100,000, in 2011. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tuberculosis-in-england-national-quarterly-reports/national-quarterly-report-of-tuberculosis-in-england-quarter-4-2025-provisional-data

In England, TB rates are highest in urban areas. The UKHSA London region has the highest incidence, at 20.6 per 100,000 in 2024. This is a decrease of over 50% from 2011, at 42.6 per 100,000. However, current rates are above elimination targets, and 26 of the 32 boroughs continue to have a TB rate above the low incidence threshold of 10 per 100,000, with further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tuberculosis-tb-regional-reports-2024/london-tuberculosis-in-2024

TB continues to be strongly associated with inequalities. 71% of all people with TB lived in the four most deprived deciles of London in 2024.

TB control activities in London have been overseen by a TB control board (TBCB) since 2013. This is led by the UKHSA and works collaboratively with the National Health Service, and local authority and third sector stakeholders. Priorities for the TBCB are currently early diagnosis, treatment completion, and contact tracing. TB cohort reviews to identify and address issues and gaps in care pathways are undertaken in all London areas.

The borough of Newham had the highest rate of TB in London in 2024, at 43.8 per 100,000. However, there has been a decrease of over 50% from the peak in 2013 of 105 per 100,000.

Innovative and partnership working in the borough has enhanced community engagement and awareness, and improving the patient journey is a key focus. Prevention activities include the National latent tuberculosis infection testing and treatment programme, for which Newham was a pioneer, and universal BCG vaccine for babies. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/prevention/tuberculosis-programme/national-latent-tuberculosis-infection-testing-and-treatment-programme/

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 help ensure that pancreatic cancer patients have access to information about clinical trials.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with pancreatic cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

Government responsibility for delivering cancer research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), including the Medical Research Council (MRC).  As well as funding research itself, the Department of Health and Social Care invests significantly in research expertise and capacity, specialist facilities, support services and collaborations to support and deliver research in England, known as NIHR infrastructure.

The United Kingdom continues to see pioneering pancreatic cancer studies, including research led by the University of Birmingham into personalised mRNA cancer vaccines. More information on this research is available at the following link:

https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2026/can-mrna-vaccines-fight-pancreatic-cancer

Another specific example is the CRISTAL-APC trial to improve treatment for people living with stage four pancreatic cancer, supported by NIHR’s Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre and Clinical Research Facility.

To help patients identify and participate in research opportunities, the NIHR provides an online service called Be Part of Research, which allows users to search for relevant studies and register their interest.

The National Cancer Plan for England sets out the Government’s ambition to deliver world class cancer care through world class research, including delivering breakthroughs for rare and less survivable cancers. Throughout the lifetime of this plan, we will ensure that every cancer patient gets the opportunity to access relevant clinical trials quickly, fairly, and easily. We will improve patient and clinician awareness of current clinical trials through targeted campaigns, and the use of new digital tools. We will also utilise general practice (GP) recruitment into clinical trials, allowing patients to join in research in a GP surgery, neighbourhood health centre, or potentially from within their own home.

As set out in this plan, the Government will implement the Rare Cancers Act 2026, including Section 3 of the act which will involve developing a service to ensure rare cancer patients, including those with pancreatic cancer, can be automatically contacted about clinical trials.

Implementing the provisions of the Rare Cancers Act will make it easier for clinical trials on pancreatic cancer to take place in England.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Cat Smith (Chair); James Asser; Bambos Charalambous; Sir Christopher