Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the planned level of funding per post is for the additional 1,000 medical specialty training posts referred to in the 10 Year Workforce Plan; and how this compares with the current level of funding per post for existing medical specialty training posts.

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

NHS England is currently in discussions with local National Health Service providers on proposals to expand specialty training posts, with a view to introducing these through an additional recruitment round in 2026.

NHS England has written to NHS Providers on the 30 January setting out an offer of funding. There are a range of funding models used for postgraduate medical training posts in the NHS and NHS England is currently considering the contribution that central and local funding should make for these additional posts, which will be finalised shortly in discussions with providers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the additional 1,000 medical specialty training posts referred to in the 10 Year Workforce Plan will be allocated in the current calendar year or phased over multiple years.

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

NHS England is currently in discussions with local National Health Service providers on proposals to expand specialty training posts, with a view to introducing these through an additional recruitment round in 2026.

NHS England has written to NHS Providers on the 30 January setting out an offer of funding. There are a range of funding models used for postgraduate medical training posts in the NHS and NHS England is currently considering the contribution that central and local funding should make for these additional posts, which will be finalised shortly in discussions with providers.

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 current and projected workforce needs in interventional radiology; and what steps his Department is taking to support training and recruitment in this specialty.

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

We set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts, with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.

The Government is committed to training the staff we need, including doctors, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to restrict the sale of high sugar and high caffeine energy drinks to children aged 16 and under before the next King's Speech.

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

The Government has a commitment to ban the sale of energy drinks to children under 16 years old, which is subject to a consultation. We subsequently ran a 12-week consultation, which was open from 3 September 2025 to 26 November 2025.

We are carefully considering the responses to the consultation. We will set out further information on next steps in due course when we publish the Government’s response to the consultation.

Should legislation be proposed following the consultation outcome the final timing for introducing legislation would depend on ministerial decisions following the consultation, impact assessment requirements, and the necessary parliamentary scrutiny.

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 assessment of regional variation in access to 24/7 interventional radiology services in England.

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

The Elective Reform Plan, which was published in January 2025, committed to increasing surgical and diagnostic capacity for services such as interventional radiology. This is a step towards returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment.

As a result of spending reviews in 2021 and 2025, diagnostic interventional radiology received capital funding for four interventional radiology suites.

The Government has also committed £2.3 billion across diagnostics for the next three financial years. Trusts and regions are currently going through a competitive bidding process for this diagnostic funding, which is expected to conclude in spring 2026.

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 availability of interventional radiology services in England.

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

The Elective Reform Plan, which was published in January 2025, committed to increasing surgical and diagnostic capacity for services such as interventional radiology. This is a step towards returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment.

As a result of spending reviews in 2021 and 2025, diagnostic interventional radiology received capital funding for four interventional radiology suites.

The Government has also committed £2.3 billion across diagnostics for the next three financial years. Trusts and regions are currently going through a competitive bidding process for this diagnostic funding, which is expected to conclude in spring 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of the freeze to the repayment threshold from April 2027 on average annual repayments for Plan 2 student loan borrowers.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It was announced at the Autumn Budget that the repayment and interest thresholds for Plan 2 student loans will be frozen from the 2026/27 financial year until April 2030, when they will increase annually by inflation.

The department has produced the attached analysis regarding the impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds.

If a borrower is earning above the repayment threshold and their income stays the same, then their repayments will remain the same. If a borrower is not earning above the repayment threshold and their income remains the same, they will continue to not be required to make any repayments.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of freezing the Plan 2 student loan repayment threshold from April 2027 on existing student loan borrowers.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It was announced at the Autumn Budget that the repayment and interest thresholds for Plan 2 student loans will be frozen from the 2026/27 financial year until April 2030, when they will increase annually by inflation.

The department has produced the attached analysis regarding the impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds.

If a borrower is earning above the repayment threshold and their income stays the same, then their repayments will remain the same. If a borrower is not earning above the repayment threshold and their income remains the same, they will continue to not be required to make any repayments.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has conducted an equality impact assessment on the freeze to the Plan 2 student loan repayment threshold due to take effect in April 2027.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It was announced at the Autumn Budget that the repayment and interest thresholds for Plan 2 student loans will be frozen from the 2026/27 financial year until April 2030, when they will increase annually by inflation.

The department will release an equalities impact assessment, including the impact on lifetime repayments, alongside other borrower impacts for the Plan 2 repayment threshold and interest threshold freeze announced at the Autumn Budget.

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 the cost of shipping and air freight following the conflict in the Middle East on the supply of generic medicines to the UK; and what steps he is taking to mitigate that impact.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We continue to monitor the impact of the Middle East conflict on the medical supply chain, including on generic medicines. While we understand that transport costs have risen, there are currently no reported shortages of medicines due to the conflict.

If shortages do occur, we have a range of well-established processes and tools to mitigate risks to patients. These include close and regular engagement with suppliers, use of alternative strengths or forms of a medicine to allow patients to remain on the same product, expediting regulatory procedures, sourcing unlicensed imports from abroad, adding products to the restricted exports and hoarding list, use of Serious Shortage Protocols, and issuing National Health Service communications to provide management advice and information on the issue to healthcare professionals including pharmacists, so they can advise and support their patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has for non-specific symptom pathways for earlier diagnosis of leukaemia and other blood cancers.

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

Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.

To tackle the late diagnoses of blood cancers including leukaemia, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers, including leukaemia, are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The NHS will improve early diagnosis and quicker treatment of blood cancers, including leukaemia, by expanding diagnostic services with investments in magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners. Furthermore, the 10-Year Health Plan’s commitment to putting digital health at the heart of the future health service and integrating that with a single patient record and neighbourhood health services, will mean that cancer patients will get the joined-up care they deserve.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Life Sciences Sector Plan includes provision to protect and promote the resilience of the UK’s medicines supply chain.

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

A thriving life sciences sector is key to supporting the United Kingdom’s resilience and securing our medicines supply chain. Through the Life Sciences Sector Plan, the Government is making the UK one of the best places in the world to develop and manufacture new and innovative medicines and build onshore manufacturing capabilities.

The sector plan commits to delivery of the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF), which is providing up to £520 million in grants to companies to improve the UK’s manufacturing capability and resilience. So far, LSIMF grants have supported five companies, unlocking over £560 million of investment in life sciences manufacturing, and research and development, with further announcements expected in the coming weeks and months.

Found:

Found: Dr Zubir Ahmed 19/11/2025 Takeda To discuss research and development Dr Zubir Ahmed 19/11/2025 Stuart Andrew