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 she is taking to improve access to prostate cancer screening in rural and remote areas.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the future work programme on prostate cancer set out in the answer of 16 July in response to Question 17458, which will produce findings of relevance to men in every part of the country. In addition, the new blood test trial for prostate cancer and other types of abdominal cancer announced by the Department on 4 November will specifically include GP practices in rural, remote, coastal and more deprived areas of England in order to address the kind of inequalities of care often experienced in these communities. More details are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-nhs-blood-test-trial-to-help-spot-cancers-earlier
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 she is taking to improve consistency of access to genetic testing for people with Motor Neurone Disease.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England supports consistent access to genomic testing for eligible people with motor neurone disease (MND) through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service and National Genomic Test Directory. Testing can help identify an underlying genetic cause of MND, informing diagnosis and helping to determine eligibility for targeted treatments and research.
We recognise the particular challenges faced by carers in rural areas, including those caring for a loved one with MND. Local authorities have duties to assess carers’ needs and provide support where eligible, including practical support and respite care.
More broadly, we are working with the NHS, local authorities, the voluntary sector and people with lived experience to develop a new fast-track pathway for people with MND, aimed at providing more timely, coordinated and proactive support across health, social care and housing as an individual’s condition progresses. That will build on the existing work that NHS England is doing to commission specialised MND care through 27 neurology centres across the country, as well as local authorities being asked to fast-track access to care and support, improve joint working and anticipate the future needs of people with MND.
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 she is taking to support carers in rural areas looking after people with Motor Neurone Disease.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England supports consistent access to genomic testing for eligible people with motor neurone disease (MND) through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service and National Genomic Test Directory. Testing can help identify an underlying genetic cause of MND, informing diagnosis and helping to determine eligibility for targeted treatments and research.
We recognise the particular challenges faced by carers in rural areas, including those caring for a loved one with MND. Local authorities have duties to assess carers’ needs and provide support where eligible, including practical support and respite care.
More broadly, we are working with the NHS, local authorities, the voluntary sector and people with lived experience to develop a new fast-track pathway for people with MND, aimed at providing more timely, coordinated and proactive support across health, social care and housing as an individual’s condition progresses. That will build on the existing work that NHS England is doing to commission specialised MND care through 27 neurology centres across the country, as well as local authorities being asked to fast-track access to care and support, improve joint working and anticipate the future needs of people with MND.
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 her Department is taking to help raise awareness of Lyme disease.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has run several campaigns to promote awareness of Lyme disease and has worked with local authorities and key stakeholders, including contributing to toolkits and guidance.
The UKHSA shares Lyme disease messaging through social, media and stakeholder channels and through general practitioner training days across the country. The Lyme Reference Laboratory also has a clinical helpline for doctors.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on the diagnoses and management of Lyme disease is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng95
Accompanying UKHSA guidance documents which describe clinical signs and symptoms are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/lyme-disease-guidance-data-and-analysis
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 much the Food Standards Agency spent on interpreters and related translation services in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, (3) 2024 and (4) 2025.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the Food Standards Agency’s spend on interpreters and related translation services in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025:
Financial Year | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 |
Expenditure on translation and interpretation services | £5,000 | £4,000 | Nil | Nil | £3,000 |
The data in the table relates to the Food Standards Agency’s Westminster budget. Expenditure in Wales and Northern Ireland, funded by the respective devolved administration, has been excluded. Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
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 she is taking to ensure adult hospices are sustainably funded in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 13 July in response to Question 16185, which sets out the steps that the Government is taking to support hospices throughout England.
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 much the UK Health Security Agency spent on interpreters and related translation services in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, (3) 2024 and (4) 2025.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information is not held in the format requested.
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 her Department is taking to support the adoption of new treatments for respiratory conditions across NHS services in Lincolnshire.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Respiratory disease is a priority under the national Core20PLUS5 approach, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults and asthma in children and young people. In Lincolnshire and across the country, local providers are implementing updated asthma guidance, supporting regular asthma reviews in primary care, and improving diagnosis and management for children and young people, as well as adopting new medicines and treatments in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.
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 increase the number of medical training places in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer provided on 19 October in response to Question 31001.
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 her Department has made of the adequacy of access to GP appointments in South Holland and the Deepings constituency; and how does this compare with the rest of England.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the dashboard available on the House of Commons library website, available at the following link:
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10824/