Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many slaughterhouses have been fined for failing hygiene standards in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the number of convictions secured against the business operators of slaughterhouses or plant operatives working in approved slaughterhouses for offences under the welfare of animals at the time of killing, in the last 10 years:
Year | Prosecution cases | Business operators convicted | Plant operatives convicted |
2016 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
2017 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
2018 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
2019 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
2020 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
2021 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
2022 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
2023 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
2024 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
2025 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
In addition, the following table shows the number of convictions resulting in fines against the business operators of slaughterhouses for offences concerning failures in hygiene standards, in the same period:
Year | Slaughterhouse operators |
2016 | 8 |
2017 | 1 |
2018 | 3 |
2019 | 5 |
2020 | 1 |
2021 | 1 |
2022 | 2 |
2023 | 0 |
2024 | 5 |
2025 | 1 |
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many slaughterhouses have been fined for contravening welfare of animals at the time of killing in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the number of convictions secured against the business operators of slaughterhouses or plant operatives working in approved slaughterhouses for offences under the welfare of animals at the time of killing, in the last 10 years:
Year | Prosecution cases | Business operators convicted | Plant operatives convicted |
2016 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
2017 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
2018 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
2019 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
2020 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
2021 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
2022 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
2023 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
2024 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
2025 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
In addition, the following table shows the number of convictions resulting in fines against the business operators of slaughterhouses for offences concerning failures in hygiene standards, in the same period:
Year | Slaughterhouse operators |
2016 | 8 |
2017 | 1 |
2018 | 3 |
2019 | 5 |
2020 | 1 |
2021 | 1 |
2022 | 2 |
2023 | 0 |
2024 | 5 |
2025 | 1 |
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 fund vaccines for Ebola strains.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Since 2019, the Department has supported the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to advance the development of vaccines targeting Ebola and other filoviruses. The Department also funds early-stage development of Ebola vaccines through the UK Vaccine Network Project.
More broadly, the Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which welcomes funding applications for vaccine research. As part of pandemic preparedness, the United Kingdom has established a cross-government research and development framework to enable coordinated prioritisation and rapid delivery of research, alongside investment in platform trials and adaptable research studies which can be rapidly deployed to evaluate vaccines against emerging threats, including Ebola strains.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 adequacy of the level of access to health visitors for families in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Families in England must be offered at least five health visits, led by a qualified health visitor who is a specialist community public health nurse, with additional support arranged based on identified needs. Local, regional and national health visiting service delivery data is published annually on GOV.UK.
According to the 2024-2025 annual data, which is the latest available, a higher percentage of children in Lincolnshire received a six-to-eight-week health visit and a 12-month health visit than the national average. Meanwhile, the number of children in Lincolnshire who received a 2-2½-year health visit was 3% lower than the national average. The percentage of infants in Lincolnshire who received a new birth health visit within 30 days of birth did not significantly differ from the national average. The relevant dataset and statistical commentary is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/health-visitor-service-delivery-data-for-2024-to-2025
In line with the Government’s commitment to strengthening health visiting, in February 2026, we refreshed the guidance for the Healthy Child Programme, which specifies requirements for health visiting services, to promote national consistency in service delivery. We are working closely with regional colleagues to support the implementation of this guidance across the country.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of NHS dental practices are accepting new adult NHS patients in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As of January 2026, the latest data available, none of the National Health Service dental practices in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency were showing as ‘accepting new adult patients when availability allows’. For the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), 7% of NHS dental practices were showing as ‘accepting new adult patients when availability allows’, while across England 26% of NHS dental practices were showing as ‘accepting new adult patients when availability allows’.
This data is sourced from the Find a Dentist website and is matched to constituencies based on the postcode data shown on the website, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist
The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the ICBs across England.
1.8 million additional courses of NHS dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to the general election, nearly half of which were delivered to children.
From April 2026, we began introducing a package of reforms to address some of the most pressing issues that dentists and dental teams have been experiencing. These reforms will prioritise those with the greatest need, shifting care away from clinically unnecessary check-ups.
As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period. That will mean more NHS dentists, more NHS appointments, and better oral health.
We are also committed to fundamentally reforming the dental contract by the end of the Parliament, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 access to trials for new dementia treatments in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with dementia, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments. The Department funds research and research infrastructure through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) which supports National Health Service patients, the public, and NHS organisations across England to participate in high-quality research, including clinical trials into dementia. NIHR provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research' that promotes participation in clinical trials and other research. More information about signing up for Be Part of Research is available at the following link:
https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/take-part-in-research/
The NIHR Research Delivery Network supports the delivery of dementia studies and increased patient participation and timely access to clinical research opportunities for NHS organisations serving South Holland and The Deepings, including through the wider Lincolnshire and East Midlands research ecosystem. This is complemented by regional NIHR infrastructure, including the East Midlands Primary Care Commercial Research Delivery Centre, which is helping to strengthen primary care research capacity and expand opportunities for patients to access commercial research closer to home.
At a national level, the Department, via the NIHR, is also investing nearly £50 million into the Dementia Trials Network, offering people with dementia the opportunity to take part in early phase clinical trials irrespective of where they live. This is complemented by the £20 million Dementia Trials Accelerator, designed to position the United Kingdom as the destination for late phase dementia and neurodegenerative disease trials.
In partnership with Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK, and Alzheimer Scotland, the NIHR delivers Join Dementia Research, an online platform enabling people with and without a dementia diagnosis, as well as carers, to take part in research, including studies evaluating potential dementia treatments.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to exempt VAT on class 1 medical devices that suppress the impact of tinnitus.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
VAT is a broad-based tax, and the Government keeps all taxes under review. Under existing rules, certain medical devices may qualify for a reduced or zero rate of VAT when supplied for the personal use of a disabled person or for use in qualifying healthcare or charitable settings, subject to meeting the relevant statutory conditions. While the Government recognises the impact tinnitus can have on individuals, there are no current plans to introduce a specific VAT exemption for class 1 medical devices used to suppress its effects, and any changes would need to be considered in the context of the wider tax system and the potential cost to the Exchequer.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England is taking to support NHS staff to diagnose patients with type 1 diabetes as quickly as possible.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recently updated the clinical guidelines on type 1 diabetes in children and young people, which is available at the following link:
This sets out that children and young people without a known diagnosis of diabetes can also present with diabetic ketoacidosis which requires urgent diagnosis and management. This includes the measurement of capillary blood glucose, which is usually undertaken through a finger-prick test.
NHS England is also exploring improvements that can be made to support clinicians in identifying type 1 diabetes, as well as raising awareness of the signs of type 1 diabetes for the public and clinicians.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if NHS England will take steps to routinely offer finger-prick testing for anyone with symptoms of type 1 diabetes.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recently updated the clinical guidelines on type 1 diabetes in children and young people, which is available at the following link:
This sets out that children and young people without a known diagnosis of diabetes can also present with diabetic ketoacidosis which requires urgent diagnosis and management. This includes the measurement of capillary blood glucose, which is usually undertaken through a finger-prick test.
NHS England is also exploring improvements that can be made to support clinicians in identifying type 1 diabetes, as well as raising awareness of the signs of type 1 diabetes for the public and clinicians.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a list of training programmes used by civil servants in his Department since 2020.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department’s approach to learning, development, and training programmes is designed to build a highly skilled, confident workforce. The Department has progressively strengthened its offer since 2020 through the introduction and iteration of the Core Skills Programme. The training programme focuses on developing profession specific and working in Government skills.
In addition to departmental learning provisions, business areas are allocated devolved learning and development budgets, enabling them to prioritise training that addresses their own identified capability needs. These individual training requirements tend to be job-specific, personal development, technical, qualifications, or accreditation based, or subject matter expertise related, such as specific policy areas.
A full list of departmental provision since 2020 is provided below, and this is in addition to courses that can be booked individually through Civil Service Learning, the cross Civil Service Learning Platform:
- Management Fundamentals 2020;
- New Manager Programme 2021;
- Experienced Manager Programme 2021;
- Foundation Management Programme 2023;
- Practitioner Management Programme 2023;
- Department of Health and Social Care Management Fundamentals 2023;
- ACAS Line Manager training 2023;
- Core Skills Programme 2023 to present, covering policy, digital, project delivery, commercial, analysis and finance, and working in Government skills;
- the Department’s Management Academy, Managing Change Programme 2023 to 2024, to strengthen capability in leading people through organisational change;
- People Policies Workshop 2025 to present, for line-management learning intervention focused on practical application of core people policies; and
- Leadership Development Programme, which is ongoing.
The Department also delivers a number of talent schemes which incorporate formal training and development programmes alongside on‑the‑job experience. These schemes are designed to build future capability in priority professions and leadership pipelines, supporting individuals at different career stages, including both delegated grades and Senior Civil Servants (SCS), through a combination of a defined learning curriculum, practical development, and coaching and mentoring. A list of departmental talent schemes that have delivered training programmes since 2020 is set out below. For delegated grade talent schemes, they are as follows:
- Health Policy Fast Track Scheme;
- Civil Service Fast Stream;
- Future Leaders Scheme;
- Beyond Boundaries;
- Interdepartmental Talent Programme;
- Summer Internship Programme;
- Autism Exchange Internship Programme;
- Care Leavers Internship Scheme; and
- Civil Service Apprenticeship Programmes.
And for SCS talent schemes, the programmes are as follows:
- Senior Leaders Scheme;
- Directors Leadership Programme;
- Forward Institute Exchange Programme ;
- Forward Institute Fellowship;
- Individual Development Programme;
- OpDel Exchange Programme;
- Policy Fellowship for the Centre for Science and Policy;
- Whitehall and Industry Group Senior Leaders Programme;
- Whitehall and Industry Group Exchange Programme; and
- High Potential Development Scheme.