Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of free school breakfast programmes on children's health outcomes.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

This government is committed to delivering on our pledge to provide free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary aged children. We have made early progress towards this, announcing that up to 750 early adopter schools will be delivering these new breakfast clubs by April 2025. We are clear on the impact that breakfast clubs can have to support children to arrive at school ready to learn and support working parents. Having a healthy breakfast at a club can help children get the energy they need to start the school day so that they are ready to learn.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the barriers facing consumers in completing the Smart Export Guarantee certification process; and what steps he plans to take to tackle these.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a market-led mechanism that ensures individuals are guaranteed payment for any electricity exported to the grid.

The Government is aware of consumers’ concerns about the length of time it is taking the District Network Operator (DNO) to process grid connection applications before an export Metering Point Administration Number (MPAN) can be issued and SEG payments made by energy suppliers. Working with the Energy Network Association (the industry body for the UK gas and electricity transmission and distribution licence holders) the Government aims to make sure improvements are made.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the guidance and resources available to assist homeowners in the post-installation certification process for Smart Export Guarantee eligibility following the installation of solar panels.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Under the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) legislation, Ofgem must publish guidance to SEG generators and SEG licensees on the operation of the SEG. The guidance for homeowners provides information about how the SEG works, who can apply and how, the SEG contract and payments and what to do if they have a complaint.

Ofgem must keep the guidance under review and will publish updated guidance if it thinks it is appropriate.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the vacancy rate for GP roles in (a) Basingstoke constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England was in each of the last ten years.

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

The data requested is not held centrally.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time for an NHS dental appointment in (a) Basingstoke constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England was in each of the last ten years.

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

Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements.

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. For the Basingstoke constituency, this is the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time at A&E in (a) Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, (b) Hampshire and (c) England was in each of the last ten years.

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

The data is not available in the format requested. Official data on the total amount of time patients wait in accident and emergency is collected and published by NHS England. This information is published monthly, including by National Health Service trust, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/

This information is also published annually, at the national level, and is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/hospital-accident--emergency-activity

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative assessment of prostate cancer diagnosis rates in (a) Basingstoke, (b) Hampshire and (c) England.

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

No comparative assessment has been made. However, data for prostate cancer diagnosis rates are collected by integrated care board (ICB), both Basingstoke and Hampshire are located within the Hampshire and Isle of White ICB. The following table shows this data up to 2022:

For comparison, the following table shows the national data for 2022:

The Department is supporting the National Health Service in taking steps to speed up and improve the efficiency of diagnostic pathways. This includes the introduction of a best-practice timed pathway for prostate cancer so that those suspected of having prostate cancer receive a multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging scan first; this ensures only those men most at risk of having cancer undergo an invasive biopsy. For patients, the prostate best-practice timed pathway may reduce anxiety and uncertainty of a possible cancer diagnosis, with less time between referral and receiving the outcome of a diagnostic test.

Furthermore, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme published guidance in April 2024 to support the implementation of good practice in management of prostate cancer, which includes ensuring the diagnostic pathways for prostate cancer were implemented from primary care setting to secondary care presentation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many new patients NHS dental practices in (a) Basingstoke constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England accepted in each of the last ten years.

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

Data on the number of new patients seen since March 2024 as part of the New Patient Premium scheme will be published by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in due course. This will be available at national as well as integrated care board (ICB) level. We do not hold historical data on the number of new patients seen.

The Government will tackle the immediate crisis with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of National Health Service dentists.

NHS dentists are required to keep their NHS.UK profiles up to date so that patients can find a dentist more easily. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients. This information 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 ICBs across England. For Basingstoke and Hampshire constituency, this is the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB.

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 national prostate-specific antigen screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test, called the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). A PSA-based screening programme could harm some men as many would be diagnosed with a cancer that would not have caused them problems during their life.  This would lead to additional tests and treatments which can also have harmful side effects, for example sexual dysfunction and incontinence.

The UK NSC regularly reviews its recommendations. The evidence review for prostate cancer screening is underway and will conclude at the end of 2025.

The Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme (PCRMP) provides general practitioners (GPs) with information and guidance to counsel men who have no symptoms but wish to have a PSA test. It highlights the potential benefits and harms of PSA testing so that men, including those at higher risk, can make an informed decision about whether to have the test. Based on the current evidence, the PCRMP guidance is for GPs not to proactively offer a PSA to men without symptoms, due to high level of inaccuracy of the PSA test.

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 ensure that men with risk factors for prostate cancer are encouraged to receive regular prostate-specific antigen tests.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test, called the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). A PSA-based screening programme could harm some men as many would be diagnosed with a cancer that would not have caused them problems during their life.  This would lead to additional tests and treatments which can also have harmful side effects, for example sexual dysfunction and incontinence.

The UK NSC regularly reviews its recommendations. The evidence review for prostate cancer screening is underway and will conclude at the end of 2025.

The Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme (PCRMP) provides general practitioners (GPs) with information and guidance to counsel men who have no symptoms but wish to have a PSA test. It highlights the potential benefits and harms of PSA testing so that men, including those at higher risk, can make an informed decision about whether to have the test. Based on the current evidence, the PCRMP guidance is for GPs not to proactively offer a PSA to men without symptoms, due to high level of inaccuracy of the PSA test.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of food poverty on (a) malnutrition, (b) obesity and (c) other health conditions in (i) Basingstoke, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) England in the past 10 years.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The relationship between food poverty, or food insecurity, nutritional intake, and physical and mental health in the United Kingdom is currently unclear. However, international evidence suggests that in the long-term, food insecurity may be associated with poorer diets and poorer mental and physical health, including a higher risk of overweight and obesity. the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs' UK Food Security Report 2024, which pulls together data from a range of sources, including the Department of Work and Pensions’ Family Resources Survey, found that 90% of UK households were food secure in the financial year ending 2023. Further information on the international evidence relating to food insecurity, poorer diets, and mental and physical health, and the UK Food Security Report 2024 is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6426124/#:~:text=In%20a%20longitudinal%20study%2C%20the,admissions%2C%20and%20length%20of%20stay.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/united-kingdom-food-security-report-2024/united-kingdom-food-security-report-2024-theme-4-food-security-at-household-level#healthy-diet

Data is not available specifically for Basingstoke and Hampshire. However, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs’ report notes that geographical differences remain across the UK, with food security highest in the East, South East, and South West of England, where 92% of households were food secure in all three regions. 10-year trend data is not available as the Family Resources Survey first measured household food security in 2019/20, when the percentage of households classified as food secure was 93%, compared with 90% in 2022/23.

Direct data on the relationship between food insecurity and obesity in the UK is not available. Household level food insecurity is associated with broader deprivation, which is in turn associated with an increased likelihood of overweight and obesity. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/update-to-the-obesity-profile-on-fingertips/obesity-profile-short-statistical-commentary-may-2024

Most cases of malnutrition will be secondary to another health condition which may impact on nutritional needs or impact on a person’s ability to eat and drink, rather than it solely being caused by poor or inadequate dietary intake.

The term malnutrition is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to a poor diet, although this may put someone at increased risk of malnutrition, this would not necessarily meet the criteria for malnutrition. Malnutrition is a clinical condition that is assessed using specific tools.

The Child Poverty Taskforce, made up of ministers from across Government, will be publishing its strategy to reduce child poverty in Spring 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children under the age of 18 in (a) Basingstoke constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England were diagnosed with respiratory conditions associated with poor (i) air quality and (ii) housing conditions in each of the last ten years.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold information on diagnosed respiratory conditions caused by air quality and housing conditions.

The Government is committed to a preventative approach to the public’s health, and is determined to improve air quality for everyone. That is why we are working across Government to tackle these issues. This includes supporting the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to deliver their comprehensive and ambitious Clean Air Strategy, and an initial £3.4 billion towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency over the next three years, to improve housing conditions.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of the proposed Respect Orders on anti-social car meets and illegal street racing in Basingstoke.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Acts of anti-social behaviour (ASB) - such as the arrangement of illegal car meets – cause great harm, distress and nuisance to our communities, and, if left unchecked, can lead to even more serious offending. That is why tackling ASB is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission, and it is also why we are putting 13,000 additional police officers and community support officers back on the beat to restore effective and visible neighbourhood policing in communities like Basingstoke.

As recently announced by the Home Secretary, the Respect Orders we will introduce in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill will enable the courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breaches of those orders will be a criminal offence, and the courts will have a wide range of sentencing options for those convicted, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.

The Home Office publishes statutory Guidance for police and local authorities on the use of the anti-social behaviour powers under the Anti-social Behaviour Crime and Policing Act 2014, and this will be updated to include the Respect Order. The Respect Order will be piloted to ensure it is as effective as possible, before national roll-out.

Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 empowers the police to issue a warning to anyone driving both in a careless and inconsiderate manner on road or off-road without consent and in a way which causes alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public. If the driver ignores the warning to stop the behaviour, the police can seize the vehicle. It is then only released on payment of prescribed fees.

The Home Office has recently announced plans to strengthen this law so that these vehicles can be seized by police when they are used to commit anti-social behaviour, including illegal street racing, without the necessity to issue a prior warning, thereby speeding up effective enforcement action and allowing the police to swiftly seize vehicles being used anti-socially.

The Home Office does not collect data on vehicles seized under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time for children and young people to access (a) CAMHS and (b) other NHS mental health services was in (i) Basingstoke constituency, (ii) Hampshire and (ii) England in each of the last ten years.

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

The following table shows the waiting time, measured in the number of days, between referral and first contact for children and young people aged under 18 years old in England, from 2020/21 to 2023/24:

Source: Mental Health Services Dataset.

In addition, the following table shows the waiting time, measured in the number of days, between referral and first contact for children and young people aged under 18 years old, in the Basingstoke and Deane local authority district, from 2020/21 to 2023/24:

Source: Mental Health Services Dataset.

Finally, the following table shows the waiting time, measured in the number of days, between referral and first contact for children and young people aged under 18 years old, in the Hampshire county local authority, from 2020/21 to 2023/24:

Source: Mental Health Services Dataset.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the recording and monitoring of the number of children being home-schooled in England; and whether her Department has identified any gaps in this data collection.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Keeping children safe is an absolute priority for the government.

The department’s elective home education data collection shows that in autumn 2024, local authorities reported 111,700 children in home education. While this data collection is mandatory for local authorities to complete, the numbers reported are based on the voluntary registers of home educated children they hold. Parents are not required to inform their local authority that they are home educating or provide any information for these registers, which means that the data may underestimate the numbers of children in elective home education.

That is why this government is going further to identify and support children as part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which is a landmark piece of legislation that will make child-centred government a reality. This Bill will introduce a requirement for all local authorities in England to keep Children Not in School registers and accompanying duties on parents of eligible children and certain out-of-school education providers to provide information for these registers. Local authorities will also have a new duty to provide support to the parents of home educating families on their registers. These proposals will enable local authorities to identify children not in school in their areas and provide support to them and, for those who are not receiving a suitable education or who are at risk of harm, to take action where this is the case.

It includes a new requirement for parents to obtain local authority consent before they can home educate if their child is subject to a child protection enquiry or has a child protection plan. Local authorities will also have new powers to require any home educated child to attend school if their home or learning environment is unsuitable. These proposals will strengthen the existing system of oversight for these children.

Local authorities have existing duties to safeguard all children in their areas, regardless of where they are educated. Where a child is identified as suffering or likely to be suffering significant harm, the local authority has a duty to investigate and take appropriate action and we expect them to do so. The evidence, such as the most recent Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel annual report, shows that while home education is not an inherent safeguarding risk, some children not in school are at risk of serious harm.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what safeguards are currently in place to ensure the (a) well-being and (b) safety of children who are home-schooled; and whether her Department reviews these safeguards regularly.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Keeping children safe is an absolute priority for the government.

The department’s elective home education data collection shows that in autumn 2024, local authorities reported 111,700 children in home education. While this data collection is mandatory for local authorities to complete, the numbers reported are based on the voluntary registers of home educated children they hold. Parents are not required to inform their local authority that they are home educating or provide any information for these registers, which means that the data may underestimate the numbers of children in elective home education.

That is why this government is going further to identify and support children as part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which is a landmark piece of legislation that will make child-centred government a reality. This Bill will introduce a requirement for all local authorities in England to keep Children Not in School registers and accompanying duties on parents of eligible children and certain out-of-school education providers to provide information for these registers. Local authorities will also have a new duty to provide support to the parents of home educating families on their registers. These proposals will enable local authorities to identify children not in school in their areas and provide support to them and, for those who are not receiving a suitable education or who are at risk of harm, to take action where this is the case.

It includes a new requirement for parents to obtain local authority consent before they can home educate if their child is subject to a child protection enquiry or has a child protection plan. Local authorities will also have new powers to require any home educated child to attend school if their home or learning environment is unsuitable. These proposals will strengthen the existing system of oversight for these children.

Local authorities have existing duties to safeguard all children in their areas, regardless of where they are educated. Where a child is identified as suffering or likely to be suffering significant harm, the local authority has a duty to investigate and take appropriate action and we expect them to do so. The evidence, such as the most recent Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel annual report, shows that while home education is not an inherent safeguarding risk, some children not in school are at risk of serious harm.

Found: Christopher Chope Torcuil Crichton Wera Hobhouse Josh MacAlister Anneliese Midgley Julie Minns Luke Murphy

Found: Q217 Luke Murphy: Fair point. May I ask tangentially about the on-site laboratory?