Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
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 trends in the level of corn allergies; whether he plans to include corn on the list of major allergens emphasised on food labels; and what steps he is taking to ensure that people with rare but clinically significant allergies can safely identify allergens in packaged foods and when eating out.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are a large number of potential food ingredients that may cause allergic reactions in sensitised individuals. The current 14 regulated allergens are recognised as the most common and potent allergens of public health concern across Europe. They must be clearly identified on prepacked foods and communicated effectively when eating out.
Available evidence, though limited, suggests corn allergy remains rare in the United Kingdom, with no indication of an increasing trend, and it is not part of the current list of regulated allergens.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) ensures that labelling requirements enable consumers to make informed choices about all ingredients, including corn.
Food businesses must provide clear and accessible allergen information. For prepacked and prepacked for direct sale foods, this means naming the food and listing all ingredients so consumers can identify allergens before purchase. For non-prepacked foods, such as meals served in restaurants or cafés, the FSA’s Best Practice Guidance, published March 2025, recommends written information supported with a clear conversation with customers about their allergy requirements. Businesses should keep accurate ingredient records and inform consumers if they cannot confirm allergen content. Consumers should declare their allergies when ordering food to help businesses take appropriate steps and reduce risk.
At present, the FSA has no plans to amend the list of 14 allergens. It continues to monitor trends through research projects, including National Health Service data analysis and the Patterns and Prevalence of Adult Food Allergy study, and works with the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology and other stakeholders to gather evidence on hidden and emerging allergens.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
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 patients with multiple weight-related health conditions who fall below the current NHS eligibility threshold for tirzepatide, also called Mounjaro, are not excluded from other forms of treatment.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the NHS on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE estimated that approximately 3.4 million people are eligible for tirzepatide to treat obesity.
The National Health Service is currently rolling out tirzepatide in primary care, prioritising those with the highest clinical need first. NHS England has worked with clinical experts, integrated care boards, patient and public representatives, healthcare professionals, charities and royal colleges on its prioritisation approach, which it set out in its interim commissioning guidance. This is available at the following link:
As part of the rollout plans, the NHS will look at different service models, including digital and community options and will speed up roll out if possible. Progress on the NHS rollout of tirzepatide will be reviewed by NICE in three years.
For those not currently eligible for tirzepatide, there are a variety of weight management services provided by the NHS and local government. These range from multi-component behavioural programmes to specialist services for those living with severe obesity and associated co-morbidities. All weight management services will have some form of eligibility criteria to ensure that they are targeted at those most likely to benefit. For example, the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme is a behavioural programme primarily aimed at adults living with obesity who also have type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on offering Individual Service Funds to patients.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Under the Care Act 2014, everyone whose needs are met by the local authority (LA) must receive a personal budget as part of the care and support plan. The budget sets out how much of the cost of care will be met by the LA and how much will be met by the adult.
Individual Service Funds (ISFs) are one of the ways in which the personal budget can be deployed. It allows for a third-party provider to hold and manage the budget on behalf of the individual.
Guidance on ISFs is set out in the Care and Support Statutory (CASS) Guidance, issued under the Care Act 2014. The CASS guidance sets out that LAs should offer ISFs where possible and provide clear information on how they work. Where an ISF arrangement is not available locally, the LA should explore arrangements to develop this offer and should be receptive to requests to create arrangements with specified providers.
In addition, and supported by the Department, Think Local Act Personal has produced guidance for LAs on ISFs, which can be found on their website, at the following link:
The Care Quality Commission is assessing how well LAs in England are delivering adult social care by looking at how they are performing against their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. The assessments identify LAs strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed.
The Department has not had discussions with LAs specifically on the effectiveness of the implementation of ISFs under the Care Act 2014.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with local authorities on the effectiveness of the implementation of Individual Service Funds under the Care Act 2014.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Under the Care Act 2014, everyone whose needs are met by the local authority (LA) must receive a personal budget as part of the care and support plan. The budget sets out how much of the cost of care will be met by the LA and how much will be met by the adult.
Individual Service Funds (ISFs) are one of the ways in which the personal budget can be deployed. It allows for a third-party provider to hold and manage the budget on behalf of the individual.
Guidance on ISFs is set out in the Care and Support Statutory (CASS) Guidance, issued under the Care Act 2014. The CASS guidance sets out that LAs should offer ISFs where possible and provide clear information on how they work. Where an ISF arrangement is not available locally, the LA should explore arrangements to develop this offer and should be receptive to requests to create arrangements with specified providers.
In addition, and supported by the Department, Think Local Act Personal has produced guidance for LAs on ISFs, which can be found on their website, at the following link:
The Care Quality Commission is assessing how well LAs in England are delivering adult social care by looking at how they are performing against their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. The assessments identify LAs strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed.
The Department has not had discussions with LAs specifically on the effectiveness of the implementation of ISFs under the Care Act 2014.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to ensure that historic (a) NHS and (b) GP records can be reviewed to identify women who were prescribed Diethylstilbestrol between the 1940s and 1970s.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The issue of diethylstilbesterol (DES) and vaginal carcinoma in the daughters of women who took DES during pregnancy was reviewed by the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) in the early 1970s. In 1973, the CSM wrote to all doctors to inform them of the results of a study into the topic from the United States, and the absence of identified cases in the United Kingdom.
The work of the committee predates the existence of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), when medicines vigilance was only in its infancy and there were no electronic records and no systematic monitoring of prescriptions.
There has been a step change in reporting and record keeping since this time, and today's regulatory frameworks are significantly different, with much stricter post-authorisation monitoring allowing for earlier identification and action on emerging safety issues. The MHRA regulates medicines supplied in the UK. Its activity spans the whole of a medicine’s lifecycle. The MHRA keeps the safety of all medicines under continual review.
Government advice currently is that routine cervical screening is appropriate for those who believe they were exposed to DES in utero. Further information is available at the following link:
Participation in the National Breast Screening Programme is also recommended. Pregnant women who know that they were exposed in utero to DES should inform their obstetrician and be aware of the increased risks of ectopic pregnancy and preterm labour.
The Department does not have any plans to establish a public inquiry into the historic prescribing of DES.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to establish an independent inquiry into the historic prescribing of Diethylstilbestrol.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The issue of diethylstilbesterol (DES) and vaginal carcinoma in the daughters of women who took DES during pregnancy was reviewed by the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) in the early 1970s. In 1973, the CSM wrote to all doctors to inform them of the results of a study into the topic from the United States, and the absence of identified cases in the United Kingdom.
The work of the committee predates the existence of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), when medicines vigilance was only in its infancy and there were no electronic records and no systematic monitoring of prescriptions.
There has been a step change in reporting and record keeping since this time, and today's regulatory frameworks are significantly different, with much stricter post-authorisation monitoring allowing for earlier identification and action on emerging safety issues. The MHRA regulates medicines supplied in the UK. Its activity spans the whole of a medicine’s lifecycle. The MHRA keeps the safety of all medicines under continual review.
Government advice currently is that routine cervical screening is appropriate for those who believe they were exposed to DES in utero. Further information is available at the following link:
Participation in the National Breast Screening Programme is also recommended. Pregnant women who know that they were exposed in utero to DES should inform their obstetrician and be aware of the increased risks of ectopic pregnancy and preterm labour.
The Department does not have any plans to establish a public inquiry into the historic prescribing of DES.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
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 impact of fragmented care pathways on (a) patient outcomes and (b) NHS resource use; and what steps he is taking to improve care coordination for patients with long-term conditions.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Neighbourhood Health Service will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can: digitally by default, in a patient’s home, if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and only in a hospital if necessary. Through this model, we will rebalance our health and care system so that it fits around people’s lives, not the other way round. This approach will mean patients are not sent from pillar to post, improving outcomes and making better use of resources.
In the meantime, we have launched the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP) to support systems across the country by driving innovation and integration at a local level, to accelerate improvements in patient outcomes and patient satisfaction and ensure that care is more joined-up, accessible, and responsive to community needs. The initial focus for all the first places in the NNHIP will be adults with multiple long-term conditions and rising risk, before progressing to other places and populations. There will be a rigorous monitoring of outcomes and metrics for the NNHIP.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) review and (b) update the NHS Continuing Healthcare guidance to ensure that mobility assessments fully consider the impact of severe dementia and other cognitive impairments on an person's care needs.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no plans to update NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) guidance regarding mobility assessments or specialist assessments by dementia nurses. The CHC assessment process is supported by the Decision Support Tool. This provides practitioners with a way to bring together and record an individual’s needs in the twelve ‘care domains’, including mobility. The assessment should consider the ways in which an individual’s needs interact with one another, for example how cognition impacts on mobility.
Eligibility for CHC is not determined by diagnosis or condition but is assessed on a case-by-case basis considering the totality of an individual’s needs, ensuring a person-centred approach. Someone with specialist knowledge of an individual’s condition, for example dementia, should be involved in the process. Assessments should take into account evidence from a comprehensive range of assessments relating to the individual. For individuals with dementia, this could include specialist assessments by dementia nurses.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
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 full interoperability between NHS IT systems.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Health and Social Care Act 2022, the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 and the Health and Social Care Information Standards (Procedure) Regulations 2025, establish a new legislative framework for setting mandatory information standards for public and private health and adult social care providers and IT suppliers in the health and care system. This will provide the basis for ensuring interoperability between IT systems.
Mandatory information standards will be introduced in a staged process, allowing for different systems to communicate and share data more effectively.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
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 estimate of the annual cost to the NHS of repeated or unnecessary appointments resulting from poor communication between departments and trusts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not estimated the cost to the NHS of any repeated or unnecessary appointments which might conceivably have resulted from poor communication between departments and trusts.