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 improve access to NHS dentistry in South Shropshire constituency.

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

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population. For the South Shropshire constituency, this is the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people can access urgent dental care when they need it. Over the past year, ICBs have been commissioning additional urgent dental appointments and there is now an urgent care safety net available in all areas of the country. 1.8 million additional courses of National Health Service dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to the general election.

We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. From April 2026, we began introducing a package of reforms to address some of the 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.

The Government wants to ensure that every penny we allocate for dentistry is spent on dentistry, and that the ringfenced dental budget is spent on the patients who need it most. We have reduced the NHS dentistry underspend from £392 million in 2023/24 to £36 million in 2024/25.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what percentage of consumable equipment in the defence supply chain is procured from China.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is always open to working with international companies, as long as our procurement guidelines are followed and our national security is kept safe.

Defence does use Chinese manufactured goods within its supply chain, though the percentage of consumable equipment is not centrally held. MOD Commercial Officers do, where necessary, work with their security advisers to conduct due diligence checks on suppliers of specific goods, particularly surveillance equipment, to ensure that they are not subject to Chinese National Intelligence Law.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the effect of the THINK campaign on the number of road deaths of young people aged 17 to 25.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The primary audience for the THINK! campaign is young men aged 17-24, who are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on the road than drivers aged 25 and over. In recognition of this, THINK! works with a wide range of road safety behavioural experts and stakeholders to design and execute campaigns that have the best chance of changing attitudes and behaviours amongst this highly at risk group.

Against a backdrop of consistent long-term funding for THINK! campaigns, the number of killed or seriously injured casualties involving a young car driver has fallen 61% in the last 20 years, from 12,190 in 2004 to 4,740 in 2024.

Whilst it is not possible to directly attribute changes in road deaths to any single factor, research shows high levels of self-reported action amongst young people as a result of seeing a THINK! campaign with 9 in 10 reporting frequently taking an action, including changing their own driving behaviour.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Member for South Shropshire might expect to receive a reply to Written Question 107746 tabled on 22 January 2026.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I responded to the hon. Member on 24 April 2026.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many people in South Shropshire constituency use Radio Teleswitch Service meters.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 87070 from the hon. Member for South Shropshire.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The response to Written Parliamentary Question 87070 was published on 22 April 2026.

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 ensure healthy hydration messaging in Government and NHS guidance is impactful and effective.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Government hydration recommendations are depicted in the United Kingdom national food model, the Eatwell Guide, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-eatwell-guide

The Eatwell Guide recommends that people should aim to drink six to eight cups or glasses of fluid a day, and promotes water, lower fat milks, and sugar-free drinks as healthier drink choices.

The Eatwell Guide principles are communicated through the NHS.UK website and the Government’s social marketing campaigns, Better Health, including Healthier Families and Start for Life. These principles are also included in the national curriculum through a number of subjects including Design and Technology, Science, and Relationships, Sex and Health Education. The Eatwell Guide also underpins catering guidance and standards including for School Food and prisons as well as the Government’s Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services.