Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
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 identify (a) undiagnosed patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and (b) COPD patients who are managed in primary care that should have their management escalated to specialist care in Greater Manchester ICB.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a clinical priority and the National Health Service is investing in the provision of more and better rehabilitation services for respiratory patients. This has the objective of improving outcomes for people with COPD through early diagnosis including via spirometry tests, and through increased access to treatments.
The NHS RightCare COPD pathway has been rolled out nationally and defines the optimal service for people with COPD. Furthermore, the National Respiratory Audit Programme aims to improve quality of care, services, and clinical outcomes for patients with asthma and COPD, by collecting and providing data on a range of indicators and pulmonary rehabilitation activity.
A national programme of work is underway to support systems with improving access to Pulmonary Rehabilitation for the eligible population; increase capacity of provision to reduce waiting lists; and improve the quality and consistency of rehabilitation programmes through accreditation. Pulmonary rehabilitation is effective for people with COPD, improving exercise capacity or increased quality of life in 90% of patients who complete a programme.
Within NHS Greater Manchester, action being taken to address COPD includes:
- improving equity of access to diagnostic spirometry and fractional exhaled nitric oxide, particularly for disadvantaged population groups;
- increasing capacity and reducing waiting times for pulmonary rehabilitation services;
- increasing vaccination uptake and focusing on secondary prevention of pneumonia;
- running smoking cessation services; and
- introducing a respiratory standard to improve quality in general practice in managing COPD.
This standard utilises a tool to identify patients with COPD who are at the highest risk and asks practices to do an enhanced review and management of these patients to help manage their COPD better.
Data on the average time to diagnosis of COPD following patient contact with their general practitioner (GP) is not available. COPD diagnosis typically involves a spirometry test, and data related to such tests may be available at the level of individual GP practices and secondary care providers but is not yet routinely collected in national datasets or in Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board. Furthermore, the test is also used in the diagnosis of other respiratory conditions, not just COPD.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average time is for a patient to receive a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) following initial contact with their GP for respiratory illness symptoms in (a) Greater Manchester ICB and (b) England in weeks.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a clinical priority and the National Health Service is investing in the provision of more and better rehabilitation services for respiratory patients. This has the objective of improving outcomes for people with COPD through early diagnosis including via spirometry tests, and through increased access to treatments.
The NHS RightCare COPD pathway has been rolled out nationally and defines the optimal service for people with COPD. Furthermore, the National Respiratory Audit Programme aims to improve quality of care, services, and clinical outcomes for patients with asthma and COPD, by collecting and providing data on a range of indicators and pulmonary rehabilitation activity.
A national programme of work is underway to support systems with improving access to Pulmonary Rehabilitation for the eligible population; increase capacity of provision to reduce waiting lists; and improve the quality and consistency of rehabilitation programmes through accreditation. Pulmonary rehabilitation is effective for people with COPD, improving exercise capacity or increased quality of life in 90% of patients who complete a programme.
Within NHS Greater Manchester, action being taken to address COPD includes:
- improving equity of access to diagnostic spirometry and fractional exhaled nitric oxide, particularly for disadvantaged population groups;
- increasing capacity and reducing waiting times for pulmonary rehabilitation services;
- increasing vaccination uptake and focusing on secondary prevention of pneumonia;
- running smoking cessation services; and
- introducing a respiratory standard to improve quality in general practice in managing COPD.
This standard utilises a tool to identify patients with COPD who are at the highest risk and asks practices to do an enhanced review and management of these patients to help manage their COPD better.
Data on the average time to diagnosis of COPD following patient contact with their general practitioner (GP) is not available. COPD diagnosis typically involves a spirometry test, and data related to such tests may be available at the level of individual GP practices and secondary care providers but is not yet routinely collected in national datasets or in Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board. Furthermore, the test is also used in the diagnosis of other respiratory conditions, not just COPD.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make a comparative assessment of the decrease in tobacco duty as set out in HMRC's annual tax receipts bulletin with the ONS smoking prevalence data in (a) 2023 to 2024 and (b) 2024-2025.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
In 2023/24 tobacco duty receipts totalled £8,804 million. In 2024/25, tobacco duty receipts fell 10% to £7,926 million.
ONS smoking prevalence data is published by calendar year. In 2023 approximately 12% of over 18s in the UK were current smokers. The ONS has yet to publish data on smoking prevalence for 2024.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 fund improved provisions for addiction support services in (a) South Holland and The Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug or alcohol problem can access the help and support they need, and we recognise the need for evidence-based, high-quality treatment.
Local authorities are responsible for assessing the local need for alcohol and drug prevention and treatment in their area, and for commissioning services to meet those needs. In addition to the Public Health Grant, in 2025/26, the Department is providing Lincolnshire with £3,382,494 from the Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant and £217,783 from the Individual Placement and Support grant to improve drug and alcohol services and recovery support, which includes housing and employment. All funding is provided at the Lincolnshire level, and it is for Lincolnshire County Council to determine how to meet need in South Holland and The Deepings.
Alongside the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are increasing our efforts to support smokers to quit and have invested an additional £70 million in 2024/25 and 2025/26 for all local authority commissioned stop smoking services in England. In each financial year, Lincolnshire has been allocated £1.1 million to invest in local stop smoking services, in addition to existing spend on these services from the Public Health Grant. The purpose of this investment is to boost capacity and demand for evidence-based support to quit smoking, and ensure we secure a smoke-free United Kingdom where no one is left behind.
In April 2025, a new statutory levy on gambling operators, expected to raise around £100 million per year, was introduced to fund the research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms. The levy will be distributed across the three workstreams with 50% allocated to NHS England, alongside appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, to commission the development of effective treatment and support services at national and sub-national levels.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
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 diabetes (a) prevention, (b) care and (c) treatment.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Preventing diabetes is a complex task, and requires multi-faceted action. Prevention involves collaboration in order to tackle the underlying issues such obesity, poor diets, and lifestyle issues. We have several programmes in place to help reduce the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, such as the NHS Health Check, England’s flagship cardiovascular disease programme for those aged 40 to 74 years old, which aims to identify people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and some cases of dementia, in order to signpost them to behavioural support such as weight management and clinical treatment if needed.
Furthermore, those identified of being at risk of developing type 2 diabetes can be referred to the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, a nine-month programme that supports people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes to reduce their risk through changing their behavior. The programme is highly effective, cutting the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 37% for people completing the programme, compared to those who do not attend.
For those young adults, those aged 18 years old and over, who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and who are overweight or obese, the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission Programme is also available. The programme supports individuals to lose weight, improve their blood sugar levels, reduce diabetes-related medication, and put their diabetes into remission. 32% of patients who completed this programme had put their type 2 diabetes into remission following participation. Further information on the programme is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/diabetes/treatment-care/diabetes-remission/
For patients with established diabetes, NHS England achieved their long-term plan objective that 20% of all type 1 diabetes patients are in receipt of flash glucose monitoring as of April 2021. Progress continues to be made for patients with type 1 diabetes, with over 65% of people currently using flash glucose monitoring to help manage their condition. NHS England can confirm that over 200,000 eligible people living with diabetes benefit from real-time continuous glucose monitoring.
Furthermore, following the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) recommendations on access to hybrid closed loop (HCL) technology last year, NICE and NHS England agreed on a phased implementation period for HCL over five-years, with roll-out commencing in April 2024.
All adults with diabetes are recommended, as prescribed by NICE, to enroll in the eight annual health checks, which include: blood sugars (HbA1c); blood pressure; cholesterol; foot examination; kidney function; urinary albumin; body mass index; and smoking. Adherence to these checks have been associated with reduced emergency admissions, amputations, retinopathy, and mortality. The proportion of people with type 1 diabetes who are receiving all eight care processes had recovered back to 43.3% in 2023/24 and 62.3% for type 2 diabetes, compared to 27% and 37%, respectively, in 2020/21.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 increased use of e-cigarettes on young people in Fylde constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The health advice is clear, that while vapes are less harmful than smoking and can be an effective quit aid for smokers, children and non-smokers should never vape. The main established health risk associated with vaping is from nicotine, which can cause addiction. Children and young people are particularly susceptible to the addictive nature of nicotine as their lungs and brains are still developing.
This is why the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately promoted and advertised to children to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine. The bill, currently going through Parliament, includes a range of measures to tackle youth vaping, which will benefit the young people of Fylde. In addition, the disposable vapes ban came into effect on 1 June, making the sale and supply of single use vapes illegal. This ban protects the environment and removes products from the market that particularly appeal to children.
We are also committed to funding research in this area to inform policy across the United Kingdom. Earlier this year, we announced a £62 million research project into adolescent health, funded by UK Research and Innovation, that will investigate the long-term health effects of vaping on young people’s health and wellbeing. We have also commissioned, via the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the most comprehensive analysis of youth vaping studies ever conducted in this area, which is due to be published later this year.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make a comparative assessment of (a) HMRC tobacco duty receipts with (b) ONS smoking prevalence data in (i) 2023-2024 and (ii) 2024-2025
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
In 2023/24, tobacco duty receipts totalled £8,804 million. In 2024/25, tobacco duty receipts fell 10% to £7,926 million.
ONS smoking prevalence data has been published up to the calendar year 2023. In that year, approximately 12% of over 18s in the UK were current smokers.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of how many 12 to 16 year olds use vapes in (a) Hounslow (b) London.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes estimates of the prevalence of vaping in children from the Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England Survey. This survey covers children in years seven to 11 in secondary school of whom the majority will be aged between 12 and 16 years old but some children aged 11 years old will also be included. Data on the use of vapes in children is not available at local authority level.
The latest figures for London are from the 2023 survey which showed that 4% of children were regular vapers, while 18% reported having ever tried vaping. The report is available at the following link:
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the ban on single-use vapes coming into force on 1 June 2025, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) smokers and (b) ex-smokers are aware of the need to switch to reusable vapes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes protects the environment and removes products from the market that particularly appeal to children.
Adult smokers will still be able to access refillable and reusable vapes as well as other alternative methods to stop smoking. Sources of advice, including the Better Health Website, are being updated to reflect the ban to ensure smokers remain aware of reusable and refillable vapes to aid quitting.
Our national Swap to Stop scheme will continue to help adult smokers by offering a free reusable vape starter kit as part of a twelve-week programme of support.
Responsible local vape stores will also be able to direct both smokers and ex-smokers to a reusable device, and help them select one that is suitable for them.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce mandatory extended producer responsibility for the tobacco industry or a ban on single-use cigarette filters to reduce environmental impact.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has no current plans to introduce mandatory extended producer responsibility to the tobacco industry or ban single-use cigarette filters.
Tobacco litter remains a concern for Defra, with cigarette filters consistently scoring as the most littered item in surveys. Local authorities already have powers to punish those who litter them including through prosecution.
Defra believes the best way to tackle littering of filters is through reductions in smoking rates. We therefore continue to support all initiatives to encourage people to quit smoking or prevent them from starting smoking. Through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, the Government is committed to creating a smoke-free generation, gradually ending the sale of tobacco products across the country and breaking the cycle of addiction and disadvantage.
We will continue to monitor the available evidence on the prevalence of littered cigarette filters before considering further action.