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, in regard to prostate screening, for what reason there is a difference between black and white men between the ages of 45 and 74.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The targeted screening programme, announced on 2 June 2026 and rolling out in 2027, will screen men between 45 and 61 years old who have a BRCA2 gene variant and a family history of prostate, breast, pancreatic or ovarian cancer. The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) has assessed that a targeted screening programme for men who meet these criteria is justified on the basis that prostate cancer occurs more often, at a younger age and more aggressively for men in this group than for other men. This means that, for this group, the benefits of early detection and treatment would outweigh the harms associated with overdiagnosis and treatment side effects.
The UK NSC concluded that while we know Black men are twice as likely to be diagnosed with and die from prostate cancer than white men, there is not enough evidence to be confident that screening Black men would do more good than harm. This is because Black men have been historically underrepresented in clinical trials relating to prostate cancer.
That is why the Government is investing up to an additional £18 million in the TRANSFORM trial so that all eligible Black men will be invited to take part in stage 2 of the trial. This investment will help to address long-standing inequalities in risk and outcomes, as well as providing useful insights into the best screening methods that will benefit all men.
The Government has published an equality impact assessment which sets out the potential impact on health inequalities and any mitigations; the assessment 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 recent assessment his Department has made of the UK’s capacity to develop and manufacture vaccines for emerging diseases.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
Vaccines are an important tool for preventing and mitigating the impacts of disease and an essential component of our preparedness for a pandemic or emerging infectious disease outbreak. Government investment across the vaccine development and manufacturing pipeline supports our resilience and we regularly review the United Kingdom’s current levels of capacity and capability, most recently as part of developing the Government’s pandemic preparedness strategy which was published on 25 March 2026.
Current capabilities highlighted in the strategy include an advance purchase agreement with Seqirus, which guarantees the UK population access to over 100 million doses of a pandemic influenza vaccine, entirely manufactured in the UK, and the partnership with Moderna, which aims to bring mRNA vaccine production capability to the UK and build resilience in the event of a new health emergency.
The Government’s Pandemic Preparedness Research and Development Framework, published on 8 July 2025, highlights the development and evaluation of vaccines as a core component of the research and development framework. The Department supports vaccine research and development through National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), NIHR research infrastructure, and UK investment in the UK Vaccines Network and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. In addition, the UK Health Security Agency’s Vaccine Development and Evaluation Centre works directly with industry to support vaccine development pathways and the evaluation of new products.
The UK’s vaccine manufacturing sector is supported by government investment, including through the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF), which is a capital grants fund of up to £520 million between 2025 and 2030 to support UK health resilience and help ensure a robust response to potential future health emergencies. Applications to LSIMF are assessed based on their contribution to the UK’s emerging infectious disease capability, including vaccine manufacturing.
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, when the drug Daraxonrasib will be available to pancreatic cancer patients on the NHS.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
Daraxonrasib is not currently licensed in the United Kingdom. Should the manufacturer submit an application to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for a product licence, the MHRA has processes in place to review and assess its benefit-risk in relation to quality, safety, and efficacy.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for providing evidence‑based recommendations on whether new, licensed medicines represent a clinically and cost‑effective use of National Health Service resources. Daraxonrasib is not currently included in NICE’s work programme. If the manufacturer submits a licensing application to the MHRA for daraxonrasib it will be considered by NICE for evaluation. If selected for NICE appraisal, NICE would aim to issue guidance on its use as close as possible to licensing.
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 reduce the level of inequality in access to migraine diagnosis and treatment among socio-economically disadvantaged groups.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The 10-Year Health Plan explicitly states that the National Health Service will be designed to tackle health inequalities in access and outcomes, and will be a service equipped to narrow health inequalities, and address inequalities for specific population groups, such as those in working class jobs.
The NHS has a crucial role to play in reducing health inequalities by tackling inequalities in access to, experiences of, and outcomes from healthcare delivery, including for people with migraine.
The three key shifts set out in the 10-Year Health Plan will be central to narrowing health inequalities, through: neighbourhood health models of care; ensuring digital inclusion is embedded in digital advances; and in the shift to prevention using population health approaches to tailor interventions for those experiencing inequalities. The plan also makes commitments on specific population groups and social risk assessments to anchor policy and prevention.
Responsibility for commissioning migraine services rests with integrated care boards (ICBs), which are best placed to plan and deliver services that meet the needs of their local populations. This includes access to primary care, specialist neurology services, and newer treatments where clinically indicated.
Advanced foundation trusts will be able to effectively use their freedoms to work with their patients, staff, and communities to improve the broader health of their population and tackle health inequalities, including for those with migraine.
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 plans to take to tackle geographical variations in accessing specialist services.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
Highly specialised services are typically delivered in a small number of centres across England with experience and expertise in the management of rare diseases where caseloads are small and there is benefit from national coordination.
As such it is more likely that some patients may need to travel further to access these services. Commissioners therefore work with service to review the geographic spread of patients so that action plans can be identified to address inequities. A range of strategies have been implemented, and continue to be developed, to remove barriers to access, including remote appointments, shared care models, outreach, education and training, and support with travel and accommodation. In line with their commitment under the Government’s Rare Disease Action Plan, NHS England has developed and published a health inequalities toolkit which has been shared with clinical teams to support a continued focus. This action plan can be found at the following link:
The need to support patient access and reduce health inequalities also plays a key role in decision making as to where and how NHS England commission services.
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 plans his Department has to tackle variations in access to specialist services in rural communities.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
Highly specialised services are typically delivered in a small number of centres across England with experience and expertise in the management of rare diseases where caseloads are small and there is benefit from national coordination.
As such it is more likely that some patients may need to travel further to access these services. Commissioners therefore work with service to review the geographic spread of patients so that action plans can be identified to address inequities. A range of strategies have been implemented, and continue to be developed, to remove barriers to access, including remote appointments, shared care models, outreach, education and training, and support with travel and accommodation. In line with their commitment under the Government’s Rare Disease Action Plan, NHS England has developed and published a health inequalities toolkit which has been shared with clinical teams to support a continued focus. This action plan can be found at the following link:
The need to support patient access and reduce health inequalities also plays a key role in decision making as to where and how NHS England commission services.
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 he has made of the potential merits of including community pharmacies in the roll out of migraine services.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
As part of minor illness consultations, pharmacists can already provide advice and recommend over-the-counter treatments for migraines. Pharmacists can also supply emergency medicines to patients already prescribed regular migraine medication as part of the urgent medicine supply element of Pharmacy First.
NHS England keeps the clinical scope of all pharmacy services under regular review, including Pharmacy First, and any changes to the conditions covered by the seven clinical pathways would be subject to consultation with Community Pharmacy England.
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 consideration his Department has given to the potential impact of a respiratory Modern Service Framework on health inequalities in long-term respiratory conditions.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery. Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia.
The Government will consider other long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks, including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity.
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 percentage of people diagnosed with breast cancer began treatment within the 62-day cancer target in the most recent reporting period.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
Published data for the 62-day treatment standard of 85% shows that in February 2026, 66.9% of patients diagnosed with breast cancer began treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral. This data is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/
The Government is committed to improving performance against cancer waiting time standards, including the 62-day standard, and has set an ambition to meet these standards by the end of this Parliament. We are supporting this through expanding diagnostic capacity, streamlining cancer pathways, and providing targeted support to areas with the greatest challenges.
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 has been made of regional disparities in treatment outcomes for patients diagnosed with Stroke.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.