Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with malaria in the last 12 months.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There has been a total of 1,812 cases of malaria reported in the United Kingdom in the twelve months between January and December 2024. The UK Health Security Agency publishes annual malaria statistics in an annual report, titled Malaria in the UK. The statistics for the twelve months between January and December 2025 will be published in 2026.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 proportion of patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease receiving annual reviews.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Annual reviews, including reviews of medication, play a key role in the ongoing management of people with respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They are recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, as part of its guidance for the diagnosis and management of asthma and COPD
The majority of patients with COPD and asthma are managed by general practitioners and members of the primary care team. The provision of annual reviews is incentivised in primary care through the Quality and Outcomes Framework. There are indicators for annual reviews for both COPD, namely COPD010,and asthma, namely AST007, within this framework.
Further details on these indicators are available in the QOF guidance at the following link:
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many referrals have been made for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as part of the Targeted Lung Health Checks programme; and what regional variation there has been in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease diagnoses arising from that programme.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The data requested is not available centrally. To enable faster diagnosis and earlier access to treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, access to spirometry tests in community diagnostic centres (CDCs) is growing and will continue to do so as more sites come online. The first five months of 2025/26 saw an increase in CDC spirometry testing of approximately 2,000 tests per month more than in the previous year.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 uptake of the Flu Jab in Autumn 2025.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
For England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes provisional vaccine uptake data throughout the flu season. Weekly national level data for general practice (GP) patients is available from October to January and can be found at the following link:
Provisional monthly national, regional, and local level data for GP patients, school-aged children, and frontline healthcare workers is available throughout the season. The first monthly data for the 2025 to 2026 season includes all vaccinations given between 1 September to 31 October 2025 and is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#seasonal-flu-vaccine-uptake:-figures
Compared with the equivalent time period last season, 2024 to 2025, influenza vaccine uptake is higher in two and three years olds, school-aged children, pregnant women, and frontline healthcare worker, and for those aged 65 years old and over and those in clinical at-risk groups, uptake is comparable, with less than a 1% difference. Final end of season data is published in the annual reports in late spring, at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#seasonal-flu-vaccine-uptake:-figures.
Annual reports contain final end-of-season data from multiple previous seasons.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 prevent the spread of measles in schools.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Vaccination is the safest and most effective way to protect children and staff against measles. In England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works closely with NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care to improve uptake of the routine childhood immunisation programme, including the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The UKHSA also works closely with the Department for Education and a broad range of stakeholders and partners at the national, regional, and local level to communicate the importance of the MMR vaccine and the risk of measles, across media, social media, and through engagement with local communities.
The UKHSA Health Protection Teams work closely with local partners and schools to respond to measles outbreaks when they arise. Guidance for educational settings on preventing and managing infectious disease like measles is available at the following link:
Information for parents whose children have contracted measles can be found at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/measles/
From 1 January 2026, general practices will offer eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella instead of MMR, as part of the routine infant vaccination schedule. Further information is available at the following link:
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 tackle alcohol misuse in people under 25.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities are responsible for commissioning alcohol treatment and recovery services as part of their public health responsibilities and can invest in interventions that strengthen the support available to children and young people affected by alcohol, according to a local assessment of need. £13.4 billion will be invested over the next three years, a 5.6% cash increase, in local authorities’ vital public health work through a consolidated Public Health Grant. This includes the overall £1 billion Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant over the next three years.
The Government also has an alcohol and drug information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce alcohol and drug use and its harms by providing awareness to young people, parents, and concerned others.
In addition, in Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England, the Government committed to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages.
The Government has committed to tackling harmful levels of alcohol consumption through exploring options to encourage consumers to reduce their alcohol intake by substituting standard strength drinks with no- and low-alcohol alternatives. The Government will explore measures to regulate access to no- and low-alcohol products in line with other alcoholic beverages, including prohibiting sales to individuals under the age of 18 years old.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 uptake of the Covid Booster Jab in Autumn 2025.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
COVID-19 vaccination uptake figures are published regularly during the spring and winter campaigns, as part of the national flu and COVID-19 surveillance report, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the opt-in consent model used in fertility preservation services to the storage and future use of brain tissue and other tissue samples removed during neurosurgery.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a standardised consent process for National Health Service neurosurgical procedures involving tissue resection with specific consent for storage, disposal, and future use of the tissue removed, or extending the opt-in consent model used in fertility preservation services to the storage and future use of brain tissue and other tissue samples removed during neurosurgery.
However, it is a general legal and ethical principle that valid consent must be obtained from an individual before starting a treatment or physical intervention, including neurosurgical procedures. The Department recognises the importance of ensuring patients, and their families after the patient has died, are fully informed about their rights, options, and choices regarding the storage and future use of their tissue samples and that their wishes are respected.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 introducing a standardised consent process for NHS neurosurgical procedures involving tissue resection with specific consent for storage, disposal and future use of tissue removed.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a standardised consent process for National Health Service neurosurgical procedures involving tissue resection with specific consent for storage, disposal, and future use of the tissue removed, or extending the opt-in consent model used in fertility preservation services to the storage and future use of brain tissue and other tissue samples removed during neurosurgery.
However, it is a general legal and ethical principle that valid consent must be obtained from an individual before starting a treatment or physical intervention, including neurosurgical procedures. The Department recognises the importance of ensuring patients, and their families after the patient has died, are fully informed about their rights, options, and choices regarding the storage and future use of their tissue samples and that their wishes are respected.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 arrangements governing families of patients' access to stored brain tumour tissue after the patient has died.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a standardised consent process for National Health Service neurosurgical procedures involving tissue resection with specific consent for storage, disposal, and future use of the tissue removed, or extending the opt-in consent model used in fertility preservation services to the storage and future use of brain tissue and other tissue samples removed during neurosurgery.
However, it is a general legal and ethical principle that valid consent must be obtained from an individual before starting a treatment or physical intervention, including neurosurgical procedures. The Department recognises the importance of ensuring patients, and their families after the patient has died, are fully informed about their rights, options, and choices regarding the storage and future use of their tissue samples and that their wishes are respected.