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 adequacy of the availability of Enhertu in (a) Scotland and (b) Europe compared to (c) England and (d) Wales.

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

Health is a devolved matter and decisions on the availability of medicines in Scotland and Wales are a matter for their own administrations. Other European countries operate very different health systems and direct comparisons of medicine availability are very difficult.

Decisions on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service in England are made on the basis of recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) following an evaluation of a treatment’s costs and benefits. These are very difficult decisions to make, and it is important that they are made independently and on the basis of the available evidence.

The NICE has recommended Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) in advanced breast cancer for treating HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic breast cancer after one or more anti-HER 2 treatments, and for treating HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic breast cancer after two or more anti-HER2 therapies. Enhertu is now routinely funded for eligible patients in England in line with the NICE’s recommendations.

The NICE published guidance in July 2024 on the use of Enhertu for the treatment of HER-2 low metastatic and unresectable breast cancer and was unfortunately unable to recommend it for routine NHS funding. I understand that the NICE and NHS England have sought to apply as much flexibility as they can in their considerations of Enhertu for HER2-low breast cancer, and have made it clear to the companies that their pricing of the drug remains the only obstacle to access.

Ministers met with the manufacturers of Enhertu, AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo, in November 2024, to encourage them to re-engage in commercial discussions with NHS England. Despite the NICE and NHS England offering unprecedented flexibilities, the companies were unable to offer Enhertu at a cost-effective price. The NICE’s guidance, published in July 2024, will therefore remain unchanged. Although the deadline for a rapid review has now passed, the NICE has reassured me that the door remains open for the companies to enter into a new NICE appraisal if they are willing to offer Enhertu at a cost-effective price.

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 endometriosis treatment in Sussex, including (a) specialist consultations and (b) surgery.

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

At the end of December 2024, the gynaecology waiting list, which includes those waiting for endometriosis treatment, for Sussex Integrated Care Board stood at 18,454, with 54.3% of patient pathways waiting less than 18 weeks.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we have committed to return to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including those waiting for endometriosis treatment, wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment (RTT) by March 2029. We have already supported this with additional investment in the Autumn Budget 2024, which has enabled us to deliver an additional two million appointments, seven months ahead of schedule.

There are a range of efforts underway, nationally and in Sussex, to reduce the time patients are waiting for gynaecological care. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts we will undertake to return to the 18-week standard, and ensure patients have the best possible experience while they wait. This includes increasing the relative funding available to support gynaecology procedures, including for certain endometriosis pathways, with the largest waiting lists and reviewing support options from the independent sector.

Sussex has launched Women’s Health Hubs in five locations, namely Hastings, Eastbourne, Brighton and Hove, Worthing, and Horsham. The core specification in the hub model includes menstrual problems, assessment, and treatment, including but not limited to, care for heavy, painful, or irregular menstrual bleeding, and care for conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome. The establishment of these five hubs aims to improve access for local women to advice, support and treatment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to remove the requirement for female same-sex couples to self-fund initial IVF treatments; and what steps he has taken to ensure equal access to fertility services across the NHS.

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

The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the National Health Service in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues on joint advice from the Department and NHS England about the offer around NHS-funded fertility services, including the issues for female same sex couples.

Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. We expect these organisations to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England. NICE is currently reviewing these guidelines.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of rolling out full-fibre broadband in Laughton, East Sussex; and what steps he is taking to support its delivery.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Having the fastest, most reliable broadband means households no longer having to battle over bandwidth and gives people the freedom to live and work more flexibly. This is why we are committed to the rollout of fast, reliable broadband to all parts of the UK.

As part of Project Gigabit, CityFibre is delivering a contract to bring gigabit-capable broadband to premises across Sussex, including in Laughton, that would otherwise not be reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout.

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 access to NHS dentistry for (a) pensioners and (b) people who are unable to afford private treatment.

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

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. Sussex Integrated Care Board, which includes Lewes constituency, is expected to deliver 26,546 additional urgent dental appointments.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care, including dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.

Free NHS dental care is available to people who meet the following criteria: aged under 18 years old, or under 19 years old and in full-time education; pregnant or have had a baby in the previous 12 months; being treated in an NHS hospital and the treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist, with patients possibly having to pay for any dentures or bridges; or receiving low-income benefits, or under 20 years old and a dependant of someone receiving low-income benefits.

Support is also available through the NHS Low Income Scheme for those patients who are not eligible for exemption or full remission of dental patient charges. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/who-is-entitled-to-free-nhs-dental-treatment-in-england/

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the value of goods traded from (a) the UK to Russia via Georgia and (b) Russia to the UK via Georgia.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as an Accredited Official Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com).

HMRC only collects and holds information for exports based on the initial country of destination that the goods were exported to and therefore are unable to provide an estimate for goods that are traded onwards. Exports to Georgia are published as stated below, but we do not hold information on goods that then move on to Russia from there.

Import information including country of origin (CoO) is available from www.tradeinfo.com. From this website, it is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria.

These tables include country of dispatch (CoD) which gives information on the country of export. If specifically wanting information on CoO this is available in the  bulk datasets archive. The data available includes value and volume/weight of imports.

If you need help or support in constructing a table from the data on uktradeinfo, please contact uktradeinfo@hmrc.gov.uk.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will have discussions with East Sussex County Council on ensuring timely progress on (a) the Bishopstone Junction and (b) other key infrastructure improvements.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Integrated National Transport Strategy will be published later this year following collaborative and open engagement with our stakeholders and will meet the manifesto commitment to develop a “long-term strategy for transport”.

Regarding the A259 South Coast Road Corridor scheme, all future spend is subject to the Spending Review and until that is completed, I am unable to provide assurances on any individual project. Local authority scheme promoters will be updated on the future of schemes in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to (a) publish her long-term transport strategy and (b) make a decision on the Major Road Network project put forward by East Sussex County Council.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Integrated National Transport Strategy will be published later this year following collaborative and open engagement with our stakeholders and will meet the manifesto commitment to develop a “long-term strategy for transport”.

Regarding the A259 South Coast Road Corridor scheme, all future spend is subject to the Spending Review and until that is completed, I am unable to provide assurances on any individual project. Local authority scheme promoters will be updated on the future of schemes in due course.

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 access to public defibrillators outside of business hours in (a) rural, (b) suburban and (c) other areas.

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

The Government is committed to improving access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public spaces, and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. We have made a further £500,000 available from August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the Department’s Community AED Fund. The criteria specified for the original grant continues to apply and will go to applications for AEDs in areas of England where there is the greatest need, including in areas of high footfall, hot spots for cardiac arrest, and areas that already have low access to AEDs. A further requirement of the fund was that AEDs be publicly accessible 24 hours a day, where practical.

Increases in rail fares

Tackling the climate and nature crisis

Covid-19 Day of Reflection 2025

Future of the adoption and special guardianship support fund

Building consensus on a pathway to spending 3% of GDP on defence

Community pharmacies

Recognition of Milngavie in Bloom

Impact Assessments of changes to Official Development Assistance

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome

Refusal of Citizenship to refugees who have made irregular crossings

Treatment of Israeli hostages

West Bank

Changes to Overseas Development Assistance

Wellbeing of home educated children

Replacement of Personal Independence Payments with a voucher system

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medication shortages

Found: _NC21 Victoria Collins Steff Aquarone Max Wilkinson Wendy Chamberlain James MacCleary Liz Jarvis