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 (a) the Government’s plans to bring NHS England into the Department of Health and Social Care and (b) the planned 50% reduction in integrated care board staffing on those boards’ capacity to safeguard children, including their effective participation in multi-agency child protection teams proposed in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

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

The Government will publish an impact assessment of its plan to bring NHS England into the Department alongside the primary legislation to enact this reform. We do not expect the integration to have an impact on the capacity of integrated care boards (ICBs) to safeguard children, as the existing safeguarding functions of ICBs will be retained.

To ensure ICBs maintain effective safeguarding functions throughout the reform, NHS England has shared best practice on safeguarding with ICBs earlier this year. In November 2025, NHS England also published a strategic commissioning framework for ICBs with a focus on collaboration with local government and wider system partners.

Safeguarding partners, including health, have a legal duty to work together to safeguard and promote children’s welfare, including through the proposed Multi Agency Child Protection Teams. There is no intention to change this duty through the ICB reform.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total cost has been to the public purse of housing asylum seekers in hotels located in the West Northamptonshire Council area since July 2024; and if she will provide a breakdown by hotel.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes all available information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and accounts at: Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK. There are no plans to publish a breakdown of expenditure by premises or location.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to publish a breakdown of spending on hotel accommodation for asylum seekers by local authority area.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes all available information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and accounts at: Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK. There are no plans to publish a breakdown of expenditure by premises or location.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government plans to publish a detailed roadmap for improving national missile defence capabilities, including timelines and funding commitments.

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

The Strategic Defence Review announced up to £1 billion of investment in Integrated Air and Missile Defence. This announcement responds to the threat the UK faces and will shape our future Integrated Air and Missile Defence capability. Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Review recommendations, including on homeland Integrated Air and Missile Defence, will be prioritised appropriately against the assessed threat picture as part of the future Integrated Force and set out in the Defence Investment Plan to be published this year.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the UK’s vulnerability to long-range missile threats, including ballistic and cruise missile systems; and what steps he is taking to strengthen integrated air and missile defence as part of the Strategic Defence Review.

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

The Strategic Defence Review announced up to £1 billion of investment in Integrated Air and Missile Defence. This announcement responds to the threat the UK faces and will shape our future Integrated Air and Missile Defence capability. Work to deliver the Strategic Defence Review recommendations, including on homeland Integrated Air and Missile Defence, will be prioritised appropriately against the assessed threat picture as part of the future Integrated Force and set out in the Defence Investment Plan to be published this year.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of how the proposed new regulatory regime for non-transferable securities and mini-bonds would have applied to the High Street Group scheme had it been in force at the time; and what conclusions she has drawn from that assessment for the position of people impacted by that scheme.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the impact of the collapse of the High Street Group (HSG) on those who invested with it. The administrators of HSG estimate that the value of investments affected is about £123 million.

As the regulator of financial services in the UK, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) stresses the importance of consumers getting the support they need and encourages consumers to only deal with FCA-authorised firms when making financial investments. HSG was not authorised by the FCA, and the issuing and distributing of its products was not a regulated activity. This means that investments made in HSG are not protected by the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), unless the investment was via a regulated financial adviser or SIPP operator. As an important point of principle, the Government does not step in to pay compensation in respect of firms that fall outside of the FSCS. Doing so would create the wrong set of incentives for individuals and place an unnecessary burden on the taxpayer.

As HSG was not authorised by the FCA, and the issuing and distributing of its products is not a regulated activity, the FCA did not have supervisory oversight. The FCA does not have power to investigate a firm that is unauthorised and not carrying out any regulated activities and so the FCA's ability to intervene was limited. However, the promotion and marketing of such loan notes requires approval from FCA-authorised firms, unless a relevant exemption applies. The FCA has taken action against unauthorised promoters of HSG's investment scheme where financial promotions were made in breach of their rules. This action has included unannounced visits, warning letters and the removal of non-compliant financial promotions from the internet.

Action is being taken to reduce the risk of future investment schemes operating in this manner. The FCA has banned the mass marketing of speculative mini-bonds, which means firms with similar business models to HSG can no longer market their mini-bonds to ordinary retail investors. Furthermore, the forthcoming public offers and admission to trading regime will bring the issuance of non-transferable debt securities, such as minibonds, within the scope of regulation. That new regime will come into force in January 2026.

With respect to any discussions between the Government, regulators and the banking sector, Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at the link below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether organisations in the mental health sector will be asked to contribute evidence to the Department’s review into the over-diagnosis of mental health conditions and neurodivergence.

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

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced on 4 December 2025, via a Written Ministerial Statement, the launch of an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism.

The Government is deeply concerned that many adults, young people, and children with mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism have been let down by services and are not receiving timely or appropriate support and treatment. Therefore, we are launching this review to understand the rise in the prevalence and demand for services, so people receive the right support at the right time and in the right place.

The review will look to understand, with regard to mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, the similarities and differences regarding prevalence, early intervention and treatment, the current challenges facing clinical services, and the extent to which diagnosis, medicalisation, and treatment improve outcomes for individuals.

Professor Peter Fonagy will chair the review with the support of two vice chairs, Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Gillian Baird. The review will appoint an advisory working group of leading academics, clinicians, epidemiological experts, charities, and people with lived experience to directly shape the recommendations and scrutinise the evidence. The Terms of Reference have been published on GOV.UK website and are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-into-mental-health-conditions-adhd-and-autism-terms-of-reference

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 to consult stakeholders in the mental health and neurodivergence sectors as part of its review into over-diagnosis.

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

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced on 4 December 2025, via a Written Ministerial Statement, the launch of an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism.

The Government is deeply concerned that many adults, young people, and children with mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism have been let down by services and are not receiving timely or appropriate support and treatment. Therefore, we are launching this review to understand the rise in the prevalence and demand for services, so people receive the right support at the right time and in the right place.

The review will look to understand, with regard to mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, the similarities and differences regarding prevalence, early intervention and treatment, the current challenges facing clinical services, and the extent to which diagnosis, medicalisation, and treatment improve outcomes for individuals.

Professor Peter Fonagy will chair the review with the support of two vice chairs, Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Gillian Baird. The review will appoint an advisory working group of leading academics, clinicians, epidemiological experts, charities, and people with lived experience to directly shape the recommendations and scrutinise the evidence. The Terms of Reference have been published on GOV.UK website and are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-into-mental-health-conditions-adhd-and-autism-terms-of-reference

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the mental health and neurodivergence sectors on over-diagnosis.

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

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced on 4 December 2025, via a Written Ministerial Statement, the launch of an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism.

The Government is deeply concerned that many adults, young people, and children with mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism have been let down by services and are not receiving timely or appropriate support and treatment. Therefore, we are launching this review to understand the rise in the prevalence and demand for services, so people receive the right support at the right time and in the right place.

The review will look to understand, with regard to mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, the similarities and differences regarding prevalence, early intervention and treatment, the current challenges facing clinical services, and the extent to which diagnosis, medicalisation, and treatment improve outcomes for individuals.

Professor Peter Fonagy will chair the review with the support of two vice chairs, Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Gillian Baird. The review will appoint an advisory working group of leading academics, clinicians, epidemiological experts, charities, and people with lived experience to directly shape the recommendations and scrutinise the evidence. The Terms of Reference have been published on GOV.UK website and are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-into-mental-health-conditions-adhd-and-autism-terms-of-reference

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the proposed scope and timetable for his Department’s review into the prevalence of the potential over-diagnosis of mental health conditions and neurodivergence.

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

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced on 4 December 2025, via a Written Ministerial Statement, the launch of an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism.

The Government is deeply concerned that many adults, young people, and children with mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism have been let down by services and are not receiving timely or appropriate support and treatment. Therefore, we are launching this review to understand the rise in the prevalence and demand for services, so people receive the right support at the right time and in the right place.

The review will look to understand, with regard to mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, the similarities and differences regarding prevalence, early intervention and treatment, the current challenges facing clinical services, and the extent to which diagnosis, medicalisation, and treatment improve outcomes for individuals.

Professor Peter Fonagy will chair the review with the support of two vice chairs, Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Gillian Baird. The review will appoint an advisory working group of leading academics, clinicians, epidemiological experts, charities, and people with lived experience to directly shape the recommendations and scrutinise the evidence. The Terms of Reference have been published on GOV.UK website and are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-into-mental-health-conditions-adhd-and-autism-terms-of-reference

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the terms of reference for the Department’s review into the prevalence and potential over-diagnosis of mental health conditions and neurodivergence.

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

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced on 4 December 2025, via a Written Ministerial Statement, the launch of an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism.

The Government is deeply concerned that many adults, young people, and children with mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism have been let down by services and are not receiving timely or appropriate support and treatment. Therefore, we are launching this review to understand the rise in the prevalence and demand for services, so people receive the right support at the right time and in the right place.

The review will look to understand, with regard to mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, the similarities and differences regarding prevalence, early intervention and treatment, the current challenges facing clinical services, and the extent to which diagnosis, medicalisation, and treatment improve outcomes for individuals.

Professor Peter Fonagy will chair the review with the support of two vice chairs, Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Gillian Baird. The review will appoint an advisory working group of leading academics, clinicians, epidemiological experts, charities, and people with lived experience to directly shape the recommendations and scrutinise the evidence. The Terms of Reference have been published on GOV.UK website and are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-into-mental-health-conditions-adhd-and-autism-terms-of-reference

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is undertaking a review into the prevalence of the over-diagnosis of mental health conditions and neurodivergence.

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

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced on 4 December 2025, via a Written Ministerial Statement, the launch of an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism.

The Government is deeply concerned that many adults, young people, and children with mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism have been let down by services and are not receiving timely or appropriate support and treatment. Therefore, we are launching this review to understand the rise in the prevalence and demand for services, so people receive the right support at the right time and in the right place.

The review will look to understand, with regard to mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, the similarities and differences regarding prevalence, early intervention and treatment, the current challenges facing clinical services, and the extent to which diagnosis, medicalisation, and treatment improve outcomes for individuals.

Professor Peter Fonagy will chair the review with the support of two vice chairs, Professor Sir Simon Wessely and Professor Gillian Baird. The review will appoint an advisory working group of leading academics, clinicians, epidemiological experts, charities, and people with lived experience to directly shape the recommendations and scrutinise the evidence. The Terms of Reference have been published on GOV.UK website and are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-into-mental-health-conditions-adhd-and-autism-terms-of-reference

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the banking sector and the Payment Systems Regulator on improving the ability of banks to identify and flag potentially suspicious payments linked to unauthorised investment schemes such as High Street Group; and whether she will make an assessment of the case for enhanced tracing and recovery arrangements in such cases.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the impact of the collapse of the High Street Group (HSG) on those who invested with it. The administrators of HSG estimate that the value of investments affected is about £123 million.

As the regulator of financial services in the UK, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) stresses the importance of consumers getting the support they need and encourages consumers to only deal with FCA-authorised firms when making financial investments. HSG was not authorised by the FCA, and the issuing and distributing of its products was not a regulated activity. This means that investments made in HSG are not protected by the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), unless the investment was via a regulated financial adviser or SIPP operator. As an important point of principle, the Government does not step in to pay compensation in respect of firms that fall outside of the FSCS. Doing so would create the wrong set of incentives for individuals and place an unnecessary burden on the taxpayer.

As HSG was not authorised by the FCA, and the issuing and distributing of its products is not a regulated activity, the FCA did not have supervisory oversight. The FCA does not have power to investigate a firm that is unauthorised and not carrying out any regulated activities and so the FCA's ability to intervene was limited. However, the promotion and marketing of such loan notes requires approval from FCA-authorised firms, unless a relevant exemption applies. The FCA has taken action against unauthorised promoters of HSG's investment scheme where financial promotions were made in breach of their rules. This action has included unannounced visits, warning letters and the removal of non-compliant financial promotions from the internet.

Action is being taken to reduce the risk of future investment schemes operating in this manner. The FCA has banned the mass marketing of speculative mini-bonds, which means firms with similar business models to HSG can no longer market their mini-bonds to ordinary retail investors. Furthermore, the forthcoming public offers and admission to trading regime will bring the issuance of non-transferable debt securities, such as minibonds, within the scope of regulation. That new regime will come into force in January 2026.

With respect to any discussions between the Government, regulators and the banking sector, Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at the link below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she will ask the Financial Conduct Authority and other relevant bodies to review their handling of intelligence and complaints relating to High Street Group and similar unauthorised mini-bond schemes; and to publish any lessons learned on consumer protection.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the impact of the collapse of the High Street Group (HSG) on those who invested with it. The administrators of HSG estimate that the value of investments affected is about £123 million.

As the regulator of financial services in the UK, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) stresses the importance of consumers getting the support they need and encourages consumers to only deal with FCA-authorised firms when making financial investments. HSG was not authorised by the FCA, and the issuing and distributing of its products was not a regulated activity. This means that investments made in HSG are not protected by the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), unless the investment was via a regulated financial adviser or SIPP operator. As an important point of principle, the Government does not step in to pay compensation in respect of firms that fall outside of the FSCS. Doing so would create the wrong set of incentives for individuals and place an unnecessary burden on the taxpayer.

As HSG was not authorised by the FCA, and the issuing and distributing of its products is not a regulated activity, the FCA did not have supervisory oversight. The FCA does not have power to investigate a firm that is unauthorised and not carrying out any regulated activities and so the FCA's ability to intervene was limited. However, the promotion and marketing of such loan notes requires approval from FCA-authorised firms, unless a relevant exemption applies. The FCA has taken action against unauthorised promoters of HSG's investment scheme where financial promotions were made in breach of their rules. This action has included unannounced visits, warning letters and the removal of non-compliant financial promotions from the internet.

Action is being taken to reduce the risk of future investment schemes operating in this manner. The FCA has banned the mass marketing of speculative mini-bonds, which means firms with similar business models to HSG can no longer market their mini-bonds to ordinary retail investors. Furthermore, the forthcoming public offers and admission to trading regime will bring the issuance of non-transferable debt securities, such as minibonds, within the scope of regulation. That new regime will come into force in January 2026.

With respect to any discussions between the Government, regulators and the banking sector, Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at the link below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the redress and support mechanisms available to retail investors who have suffered losses in unauthorised mini-bond schemes that fall outside the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, including High Street Group.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the impact of the collapse of the High Street Group (HSG) on those who invested with it. The administrators of HSG estimate that the value of investments affected is about £123 million.

As the regulator of financial services in the UK, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) stresses the importance of consumers getting the support they need and encourages consumers to only deal with FCA-authorised firms when making financial investments. HSG was not authorised by the FCA, and the issuing and distributing of its products was not a regulated activity. This means that investments made in HSG are not protected by the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), unless the investment was via a regulated financial adviser or SIPP operator. As an important point of principle, the Government does not step in to pay compensation in respect of firms that fall outside of the FSCS. Doing so would create the wrong set of incentives for individuals and place an unnecessary burden on the taxpayer.

As HSG was not authorised by the FCA, and the issuing and distributing of its products is not a regulated activity, the FCA did not have supervisory oversight. The FCA does not have power to investigate a firm that is unauthorised and not carrying out any regulated activities and so the FCA's ability to intervene was limited. However, the promotion and marketing of such loan notes requires approval from FCA-authorised firms, unless a relevant exemption applies. The FCA has taken action against unauthorised promoters of HSG's investment scheme where financial promotions were made in breach of their rules. This action has included unannounced visits, warning letters and the removal of non-compliant financial promotions from the internet.

Action is being taken to reduce the risk of future investment schemes operating in this manner. The FCA has banned the mass marketing of speculative mini-bonds, which means firms with similar business models to HSG can no longer market their mini-bonds to ordinary retail investors. Furthermore, the forthcoming public offers and admission to trading regime will bring the issuance of non-transferable debt securities, such as minibonds, within the scope of regulation. That new regime will come into force in January 2026.

With respect to any discussions between the Government, regulators and the banking sector, Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at the link below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an estimate of (a) the number of retail investors and (b) the total value of investments affected by the collapse of High Street Group mini-bonds and related schemes; and what assessment she has made of the implications of that case for the regulation of unauthorised investment products.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the impact of the collapse of the High Street Group (HSG) on those who invested with it. The administrators of HSG estimate that the value of investments affected is about £123 million.

As the regulator of financial services in the UK, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) stresses the importance of consumers getting the support they need and encourages consumers to only deal with FCA-authorised firms when making financial investments. HSG was not authorised by the FCA, and the issuing and distributing of its products was not a regulated activity. This means that investments made in HSG are not protected by the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), unless the investment was via a regulated financial adviser or SIPP operator. As an important point of principle, the Government does not step in to pay compensation in respect of firms that fall outside of the FSCS. Doing so would create the wrong set of incentives for individuals and place an unnecessary burden on the taxpayer.

As HSG was not authorised by the FCA, and the issuing and distributing of its products is not a regulated activity, the FCA did not have supervisory oversight. The FCA does not have power to investigate a firm that is unauthorised and not carrying out any regulated activities and so the FCA's ability to intervene was limited. However, the promotion and marketing of such loan notes requires approval from FCA-authorised firms, unless a relevant exemption applies. The FCA has taken action against unauthorised promoters of HSG's investment scheme where financial promotions were made in breach of their rules. This action has included unannounced visits, warning letters and the removal of non-compliant financial promotions from the internet.

Action is being taken to reduce the risk of future investment schemes operating in this manner. The FCA has banned the mass marketing of speculative mini-bonds, which means firms with similar business models to HSG can no longer market their mini-bonds to ordinary retail investors. Furthermore, the forthcoming public offers and admission to trading regime will bring the issuance of non-transferable debt securities, such as minibonds, within the scope of regulation. That new regime will come into force in January 2026.

With respect to any discussions between the Government, regulators and the banking sector, Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at the link below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what evidence his Department has received on the potential over-diagnosis of mental health conditions and neurodivergence.

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

The most recent evidence about the prevalence of mental health conditions and neurodiversity comes from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2023/24, which provides data on the prevalence of both treated and untreated mental health disorders and neurodevelopmental conditions in the English adult population.

The survey found that common mental health conditions among adults, especially young adults, have become more widespread over time. There has also been a noticeable increase in the number of adults screening positive for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In contrast, the prevalence of autism in adults has remained steady over the years.

We are deeply concerned that many adults, young people, and children with mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism have been let down by services and are not receiving timely or appropriate support and treatment. That is why we have launched an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism.

The review will examine the similarities and differences between mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism, focusing on prevalence, prevention, treatment, and current challenges in clinical services. It will assess how diagnosis, medicalisation, and treatment impact individual outcomes, including the risks and benefits of medicalisation, and will identify approaches to provide varied support models and pathways, both within and beyond the National Health Service, that promote prevention and early intervention alongside clinical care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2025 to Question 93696, what recent steps he has taken to implement the UK Rare Diseases Framework commitment to faster diagnosis; and how this is reflected in changes to the newborn screening programme.

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

The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases. Helping patients get a final diagnosis faster is one of the four priorities of the UK Rare Diseases Framework. We published the annual England action plan in February 2025, where we report on the steps we have taken to advance this priority. This year's plan updated on research we have commissioned to better understand what causes delays in diagnosis; the Generation Study to pilot whole genome sequencing of newborns in the National Health Service; and the work of the NHS Genomic Medicine Service.

The current NHS Newborn Blood Spot Screening Programme enables early identification, referral and treatment of babies with 10 rare but serious conditions. In the United Kingdom, new screening programmes and modifications to existing screening programmes are recommended by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The UK NSC recommended newborn screening for hereditary tyrosinaemia type 1 in June 2022. The NHS began to offer it routinely in October 2025. An in-service evaluation (ISE) of screening for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency was launched in 2021 and closed on 27 October 2025. At the June 2023 UK NSC meeting, the Committee supported the need for a new independent model for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and agreed to plan for the SMA ISE. Evidence was published in August 2025, and is available at the following link:

https://nationalscreening.blog.gov.uk/2025/08/07/uk-nsc-publishes-sma-screening-evidence-documents/

Planning and development work to shape the ISE of newborn screening for SMA is ongoing.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of changes in the diagnosis rates of mental health conditions and neurodivergence in England in the last five years.

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

No assessment has been made. The independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism will examine the similarities and differences between these conditions, focusing on prevalence, prevention, treatment, and current challenges in clinical services.

It will assess how diagnosis, medicalisation, and treatment impact individual outcomes, including the risks and benefits of medicalisation, and will identify approaches to provide varied support models and pathways, both within and beyond the National Health Service, that promote prevention and early intervention alongside clinical care.

The report will include recommendations for responding to rising need, both within the Government and across the health system and wider public services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average ambulance response time for Category 2 calls was in rural parts of the East Midlands in each of the last 12 months; and how this compares with response times in urban areas in the region.

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

We acknowledge that ambulance performance has not consistently met expectations in recent years, and we are taking serious steps to improve performance across the country, including rural and semi-urban areas. That is why we published our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, backed by almost £450 million of capital investment, which commits to reducing ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average this year.

The NHS Constitutional standards for ambulance response time metrics are measured with an average figure as well as a 90th centile standard which means that trusts are held to account for the response times they provide to all patients, improving the performance management of the ‘long tail’ of delayed ambulance responses that we know can particularly affect rural and semi-urban areas. In the East Midlands, the latest NHS England figures show a 22-minute improvement in the Category 2 90th centile response time compared with last year.

We have already seen improvements in ambulance response times for the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (EMAS). The latest National Health Service performance figures for EMAS show that Category 2 incidents were responded to in 46 minutes and 55 seconds on average, over 11 minutes faster than the same period last year.

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 ambulance response times in rural areas of the East Midlands; and what steps are being taken to improve response times in those communities.

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

We acknowledge that ambulance performance has not consistently met expectations in recent years, and we are taking serious steps to improve performance across the country, including rural and semi-urban areas. That is why we published our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, backed by almost £450 million of capital investment, which commits to reducing ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average this year.

The NHS Constitutional standards for ambulance response time metrics are measured with an average figure as well as a 90th centile standard which means that trusts are held to account for the response times they provide to all patients, improving the performance management of the ‘long tail’ of delayed ambulance responses that we know can particularly affect rural and semi-urban areas. In the East Midlands, the latest NHS England figures show a 22-minute improvement in the Category 2 90th centile response time compared with last year.

We have already seen improvements in ambulance response times for the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (EMAS). The latest National Health Service performance figures for EMAS show that Category 2 incidents were responded to in 46 minutes and 55 seconds on average, over 11 minutes faster than the same period last year.

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 address regional and rural-urban disparities in ambulance response times, with reference to the performance of East Midlands Ambulance Service.

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

We acknowledge that ambulance performance has not consistently met expectations in recent years, and we are taking serious steps to improve performance across the country, including rural and semi-urban areas. That is why we published our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, backed by almost £450 million of capital investment, which commits to reducing ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average this year.

The NHS Constitutional standards for ambulance response time metrics are measured with an average figure as well as a 90th centile standard which means that trusts are held to account for the response times they provide to all patients, improving the performance management of the ‘long tail’ of delayed ambulance responses that we know can particularly affect rural and semi-urban areas. In the East Midlands, the latest NHS England figures show a 22-minute improvement in the Category 2 90th centile response time compared with last year.

We have already seen improvements in ambulance response times for the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (EMAS). The latest National Health Service performance figures for EMAS show that Category 2 incidents were responded to in 46 minutes and 55 seconds on average, over 11 minutes faster than the same period last year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2025 to Question 93697, whether he has made an estimate of the number of (a) preventable deaths and (b) cases of irreversible disability in children with Metachromatic Leukodystrophy over the last ten years; and how such outcomes are considered in UK National Screening Committee evaluations.

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

When evaluating the evidence relating to a health condition such as metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) considers important issues relating to the condition, the test, the treatment and the effectiveness of a screening programme. Considerations of the condition include reviewing the evidence of its frequency and/or severity, prevalence and incidence.

My rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is advised by the UK NSC on the evidence on screening. The Committee, which is independent and made up of leading medical and screening experts, advises Ministers in all four nations of the United Kingdom.  Where the Committee is confident that screening provides more good than harm, they recommend a screening programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2025 to Question 93697, what the average time taken was by the UK National Screening Committee to evaluate proposals for additions to the newborn screening programme; and what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken for decision-making on rare disease screening.

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

The process from a proposal to screen newborns for a condition, to a decision whether to roll out a national screening programme is multi staged, and the time taken will vary from one condition to the next. This includes procuring evidence products, securing funding, decision on whether to proceed to another evidence product, modelling if required, and evaluation in the National Health Service if needed.

The time for assessment depends entirely on the amount of evidence available and the ability of the screening team to commission and receive evidence reviews. A routine assessment for screening for a new bloodspot condition can take anything from a few months from an open call request to a published evidence map through to one to two years if there is evidence and modelling is required.

A recent example is the implementation of screening for tyrosinaemia in the NHS Newborn Blood Spot Screening Programme, where work began over five years ago. Another example is newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy where planning for an in-service evaluation is ongoing, and the first evidence review was over seven years ago.

The United Kingdom is not an outlier in terms of the time between first consideration of a proposal to roll out of a programme. France and The Netherlands are estimated to take approximately 10 years.

Reviewing the case for screening for rare conditions can be difficult due to a lack of good quality evidence. The UK National Screening Committee has started to use disease, clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness modelling to estimate the effects of screening and inform its recommendations, including its recent recommendation to introduce newborn screening for tyrosinaemia.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2025 to Question 93697, whether he has made an estimate of the differences in the number of conditions screened for in newborns between the UK and other countries such as Norway, Australia, Italy, Poland, and the Netherlands; and how those differences relate to the internationally recognised criteria used by the UK National Screening Committee.

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

Screening programmes in the United Kingdom have a more rigorous approach towards evaluating the benefits and harms of screening compared to many other countries such as the United States of America and Italy.

The independent UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), which is made up of leading medical and screening experts, advises Ministers in all four nations of the UK on the evidence on screening. Where the Committee is confident that screening provides more good than harm, they recommend a screening programme.

Some countries often cited as screening more conditions than the UK are not always running national programmes. Some countries or regions screen for a condition when it is only at the pilot or research stage. Some ‘screening programmes’ just test for a condition rather than being end-to-end quality-assured programmes that include diagnosis, treatment and care. And screening in some countries is delivered regionally, or even just by individual hospitals, rather than nationally. They are therefore not directly comparable to the national screening programmes offered in the UK.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2025 to Question 93697, if he will meet with representatives of ArchAngel MLD Trust, the MPS Society, MLD Support UK, the LSD Collaborative, and Alex – The Leukodystrophy Charity before responding to the UK National Screening Committee’s forthcoming recommendation on Metachromatic Leukodystrophy.

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

My rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will carefully consider a UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recommendation on metachromatic leukodystrophy when it is presented to him, before making a decision. The Secretary of State will ask officials to meet with representatives of ArchAngel MLD Trust, the MPS Society, MLD Support UK, the LSD Collaborative, and Alex – The Leukodystrophy Charity.