Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for when councils will receive (a) transitional funding and (b) revenue support to develop food waste collection services compliant with new waste regulations in the Environment Act 2021.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Collecting food waste separately from residual waste allows us to send it for anaerobic digestion or composting. This reduces the amount of food waste going to landfill, where it releases harmful greenhouse gases, helping to achieve our Net Zero strategy target to eliminate biodegradable waste sent to landfill from 2028. Treating food waste through anaerobic digestion provides greater carbon savings than Energy from Waste treatment and, unlike incineration, it also produces digestate which can be spread to land as a fertiliser.

The Government has already brought forward £261.7 million of capital transitional funding to support the introduction of weekly food waste collections in the purchasing of bins and vehicles.

We have announced £79.5 million of funding, covering the costs of procurement, project management, communications and container delivery across 24/25 and 25/26.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will (a) publish a strategy to improve the management of long-term conditions and (b) request integrated care systems to develop localised action plans for their communities.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Improving health outcomes for people who live with long-term conditions is a key part of our mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future.

We have committed to delivering a 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move NHS healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, and treatment to prevention. We will be carefully considering input from the public, patients, health staff, and stakeholders as we develop the plan which will include a focus on how to improve the management of long-term conditions, over the coming months.

The implementation of Secure Data Environments (SDEs) allowing NHS data to be accessed through secure platforms rather than shared with researchers, will support safer and more secure access to health and care data for secondary uses, such as research into prevalence and impact. This is being delivered by major investment in digital infrastructure across the NHS in England, including the NHS Research SDE Network funded by the Data for Research and Development programme.

The Single Patient Record will give clinicians in different settings access to the comprehensive records on person's health, so that they have the information they need to make the best-informed decisions when delivering care and treatment.

Most services for long-term conditions are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population. It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that are convenient and meet patients’ needs.

As announced by the Prime Minister on 13 March 2025, the Government is abolishing NHS England. That will put the NHS back at the centre of Government to focus on patients’ experience, less bureaucracy and on cutting waiting times at hospitals. Part of these considerations will include how national and local governance arrangements work together to improve health outcomes for NHS patients locally, including those with long-term conditions.

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 improve the management of long-term conditions.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Improving health outcomes for people who live with long-term conditions is a key part of our mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future.

We have committed to delivering a 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move NHS healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, and treatment to prevention. We will be carefully considering input from the public, patients, health staff, and stakeholders as we develop the plan which will include a focus on how to improve the management of long-term conditions, over the coming months.

The implementation of Secure Data Environments (SDEs) allowing NHS data to be accessed through secure platforms rather than shared with researchers, will support safer and more secure access to health and care data for secondary uses, such as research into prevalence and impact. This is being delivered by major investment in digital infrastructure across the NHS in England, including the NHS Research SDE Network funded by the Data for Research and Development programme.

The Single Patient Record will give clinicians in different settings access to the comprehensive records on person's health, so that they have the information they need to make the best-informed decisions when delivering care and treatment.

Most services for long-term conditions are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population. It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that are convenient and meet patients’ needs.

As announced by the Prime Minister on 13 March 2025, the Government is abolishing NHS England. That will put the NHS back at the centre of Government to focus on patients’ experience, less bureaucracy and on cutting waiting times at hospitals. Part of these considerations will include how national and local governance arrangements work together to improve health outcomes for NHS patients locally, including those with long-term conditions.

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 help integrated care systems improve data collection of the (a) prevalence and (b) impact of long-term conditions.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Improving health outcomes for people who live with long-term conditions is a key part of our mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future.

We have committed to delivering a 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move NHS healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, and treatment to prevention. We will be carefully considering input from the public, patients, health staff, and stakeholders as we develop the plan which will include a focus on how to improve the management of long-term conditions, over the coming months.

The implementation of Secure Data Environments (SDEs) allowing NHS data to be accessed through secure platforms rather than shared with researchers, will support safer and more secure access to health and care data for secondary uses, such as research into prevalence and impact. This is being delivered by major investment in digital infrastructure across the NHS in England, including the NHS Research SDE Network funded by the Data for Research and Development programme.

The Single Patient Record will give clinicians in different settings access to the comprehensive records on person's health, so that they have the information they need to make the best-informed decisions when delivering care and treatment.

Most services for long-term conditions are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs have a statutory responsibility to commission services which meet the needs of their local population. It is the responsibility of ICBs, working with clinicians, service users and patient groups, to develop services and care pathways that are convenient and meet patients’ needs.

As announced by the Prime Minister on 13 March 2025, the Government is abolishing NHS England. That will put the NHS back at the centre of Government to focus on patients’ experience, less bureaucracy and on cutting waiting times at hospitals. Part of these considerations will include how national and local governance arrangements work together to improve health outcomes for NHS patients locally, including those with long-term conditions.

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 people with long-term health conditions can access care services near their home.

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

Local authorities have a statutory duty to shape their care markets and deliver services to meet diverse local needs. In performing that duty, a local authority must have regard to current and likely future demand for such services and consider how providers might meet that demand.

The Government is committed to moving towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered in local communities to spot problems earlier, supporting people to stay healthier and maintain their independence for longer.

Neighbourhood Health Guidelines have been published alongside the 2025/26 NHS Operational Planning Guidance and the 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, to help integrated care boards, local authorities and health and care providers to continue to progress neighbourhood health in 2025/26. The focus for 2025/26 is on individuals with complex needs who require support from multiple services and organisations.

The Government is also launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. It will consider what structural reforms may be needed where health and social care meet and who should be accountable and responsible for those services. It will look at how we recruit, retain, and recognise the workforce. And it will consider how adult social care can become truly preventative, meeting people’s needs much earlier, supporting our carers and delivering on our promise to make care ‘home first’.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the potential cost to the public purse was of spending on FeNo machines in the NHS in the last 12 months.

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

As part of the Respiratory Solutions Framework, NHS Supply Chain supplies fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) devices and related consumables. The spend for the past 12 months is as follows:

• £127,903.00 for FeNO devices, some of which come with starter consumables; and
• £483,210.00 for FeNO consumables.

Please note that these figures are for spend by NHS Supply Chain, and do not include spending for the whole National Health Service.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to introduce mandatory neurodiversity training for all teaching and support staff in schools, colleges and universities.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket to the answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 41687.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of patients suffering from asthma received a review in the last 12 months.

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

Across 2023/24, the latest data available, 2.5 million, or 64.6% of, patients on the asthma register received a review. Further information is available at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/respiratory-disease/data#page/4/gid/8000009/pat/159/par/K02000001/ati/15/are/E92000001/iid/93790/age/314/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

In addition, the most recent asthma hospital admissions data for England is available at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/asthma

Furthermore, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development holds international comparison data for asthma hospital admissions, up to 2022, which is available at the following link:

https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?fs[0]=Topic%2C1%7CHealth%23HEA%23%7CHealthcare%20quality%20and%20outcomes%23HEA_HCQ%23&pg=0&fc=Topic&snb=11&df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_HCQO%40DF_HCQO&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.HD&df[vs]=1.0&dq=.A.ADMRASTH..._T.OBS%2BVALUEW&pd=2014%2C&to[TIME_PERIOD]=false&vw=tb

There is no published international comparison data for asthma hospital admissions available for the past 12 months, and the Department currently has no plans to make an assessment of this.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make a comparative estimate of the number of people hospitalised due to asthma compared to other European nations in 2024.

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

Across 2023/24, the latest data available, 2.5 million, or 64.6% of, patients on the asthma register received a review. Further information is available at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/respiratory-disease/data#page/4/gid/8000009/pat/159/par/K02000001/ati/15/are/E92000001/iid/93790/age/314/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

In addition, the most recent asthma hospital admissions data for England is available at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/asthma

Furthermore, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development holds international comparison data for asthma hospital admissions, up to 2022, which is available at the following link:

https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?fs[0]=Topic%2C1%7CHealth%23HEA%23%7CHealthcare%20quality%20and%20outcomes%23HEA_HCQ%23&pg=0&fc=Topic&snb=11&df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_HCQO%40DF_HCQO&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.HD&df[vs]=1.0&dq=.A.ADMRASTH..._T.OBS%2BVALUEW&pd=2014%2C&to[TIME_PERIOD]=false&vw=tb

There is no published international comparison data for asthma hospital admissions available for the past 12 months, and the Department currently has no plans to make an assessment of this.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress NHS England has made on becoming the first health service in the world to achieve carbon net zero; and whether this work will continue in the new health service structure.

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

The National Health Service has made substantial progress in supporting the Government’s Net Zero commitments. These include securing over £1.2 billion in funding through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, the NHS-wide decommissioning of desflurane, ongoing reduction in waste from nitrous oxide, and the introduction of requirements for NHS suppliers to disclose their emissions and publish a carbon reduction plan, in line with the NHS Net Zero Supplier Roadmap.

Going forward, the Department will continue to work with partners across the NHS and Government to deliver on these aims, including through our recently announced £100 million partnership with Great British Energy, that will increase NHS solar generation by 300%.

The Government remains committed to supporting NHS bodies to meet their obligations regarding the environment, and as we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department’s plans are for the Greener NHS Programme.

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

The Government remains committed to supporting National Health Service bodies to meet their obligations regarding the environment, and we continue to work to ensure that the NHS fulfils its significant potential to contribute to our clean power mission and Net Zero legal commitments.

NHS trusts have made significant progress on environmental goals in recent years, including securing £1.2 billion in funding though the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme since 2019. In addition, every trust and integrated care board now has a clear “Green Plan” in place, setting out the key actions that will deliver emissions reductions and support resilience to climate impacts.

The Department will continue to work with partners across the NHS and Government to deliver on these aims. For instance, we have recently completed a £95 million investment through the National Energy Efficiency Fund to drive down trust energy bills and emissions. Looking forward, together with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, we recently announced a £100 million partnership with Great British Energy that will increase NHS solar generation by 300%.

Found: Peter Prinsley made representations.

Found: Dame Siobhain McDonagh Julia Buckley Susan Murray Luke Taylor David Williams Clive Jones Peter Prinsley