Asked by: Alex Ballinger (Labour - Halesowen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the contracting process to enable established providers to apply for or maintain commissioned status for the commissioning of gambling harm treatment services will be through (a) open tendering, (b) direct awards, (c) partnership agreements and (d) a spot-purchasing framework; and whether that process will (i) be the same or (ii) vary across England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The new statutory levy on gambling operators came into effect in April 2025. Under the levy, NHS England, and appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, are the commissioners for gambling-related harm treatment and support services. They will receive 50% of available levy funding to improve and expand treatment services across Great Britain.
From 1 April 2026, NHS England will take on responsibility for the commissioning of the full gambling harms treatment pathway in England, from referral and triage through to aftercare. NHS England continues to work at pace on the design of the future commissioning approach, however, no decisions have yet been taken. The aim is to provide all stakeholders with a further update in the coming months. All contracting arrangements and their associated funding models will subsequently be confirmed by the appropriate commissioners.
Asked by: Alex Ballinger (Labour - Halesowen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether funding for gambling harm treatment services will be structured through (a) block funding, (b) activity-based models or (c) outcome-based models; what his Department's timetable is for (i) implementing its funding model and (ii) providing payments to providers; and whether his Department plans to provide (A) upfront or (B) staged payments for those providers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The new statutory levy on gambling operators came into effect in April 2025. Under the levy, NHS England, and appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, are the commissioners for gambling-related harm treatment and support services. They will receive 50% of available levy funding to improve and expand treatment services across Great Britain.
From 1 April 2026, NHS England will take on responsibility for the commissioning of the full gambling harms treatment pathway in England, from referral and triage through to aftercare. NHS England continues to work at pace on the design of the future commissioning approach, however, no decisions have yet been taken. The aim is to provide all stakeholders with a further update in the coming months. All contracting arrangements and their associated funding models will subsequently be confirmed by the appropriate commissioners.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on strategies for reducing child obesity in the North East.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of our Health Mission, the Government is committed to ensuring that people live well for longer. This includes tackling the determinants that underpin stark health inequalities to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions and to create the healthiest generation of children ever.
The 10-Year Health Plan for England outlines a range of actions to address childhood obesity. We will fulfil our commitments to restrict junk food advertising targeted at children, ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16 year olds, and use our revised National Planning Policy Framework to give local councils stronger powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools. We will work with the Department for Education to update school food standards. To support the families most in need, we are expanding free school meals to all children with a parent in receipt of universal credit. The Strengthening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy consultation sets out proposals to further drive reformulation, including ending the exemption for milk-based drinks and reducing the minimum sugar thresholds. By the end of this Parliament, we will introduce mandatory healthy food sales reporting for all large companies in the food sector.
These are national-level policies and my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had discussions with relevant stakeholders on the Government’s approach of moving towards the prevention of ill health, including tackling obesity within its 10-Year Health Plan.
Specifically, in the North East, North East local authorities received a total of £256 million in Public Health Grant funding for 2025/26. Directors of Public Health oversee the use of the Public Health Grant, working in partnership with a range of stakeholders to maximise the health gain associated with local resources, including addressing levels of childhood obesity in the North East. This includes commissioning the National Child Measurement Programme. Additionally, Directors of Public Health from each local authority are working in partnership with the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board to support action to address childhood obesity through a North East and North Cumbria Healthy Weight and Treating Obesity Strategy.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
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 help reduce levels of consumption of highly processed foods.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. In relation to reducing the consumption of foods and drinks high in calories, saturated fat, salt, and sugar, many of which would be considered as highly processed, work is progressing through the following:
To support those in greatest need, we will uplift the value of the weekly payments delivered by the Healthy Start scheme by 10%, boosting the ability to buy fruit and vegetables for those families who need it most.
The Government’s Eatwell Guide already advises that people should eat more fruit and vegetables and wholegrain or higher-fibre foods, as well as less processed meat and food and drink that is high in sugar, calories, saturated fat, and salt.
The Eatwell Guide principles are communicated through a variety of channels, including the NHS.UK website and Government social marketing campaigns. For example the Better Health Healthier Families website and the Healthy Steps email programme, which aims to help families with primary aged children in England to eat well and move more.
A range of actions that have already been taken to create a healthier environment to help reduce consumption of processed foods that are high in energy, saturated fat, salt, and free sugars include:
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
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 access to addiction support in Eastbourne.
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.
As a condition of the Public Health Grant, local authorities are responsible for improving the take up of, and outcomes from, their drug and alcohol treatment services, based on an assessment of local need and a plan which has been developed with local health and criminal justice partners. In addition to funding through the Public Health Grant, in 2025/26, the Department is providing East Sussex County Council with £3,095,946 from the Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant and £168,422 from the Individual Placement and Support grant to help improve drug and alcohol treatment and recovery support, which includes housing and employment. In the 12 months to May 2025, there were 2,791 adults who had benefited from treatment in East Sussex, compared to 2,657 in the 12 months to May 2024.
This year, the Government is providing an additional £70 million for local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England, building on existing funding made available via the Public Health Grant. Additional funding for Stop Smoking Services is based on the number of smokers in each local authority, and East Sussex County Council has been allocated an extra £710,734 for 2025/26.
All funding is provided at the East Sussex level, and it is for East Sussex County Council to determine how to meet needs in Eastbourne.
In April 2025, a new statutory levy on gambling operators, expected to raise approximately £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: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the announcement of the end of international recruitment of social care workers, what plans they have to train British residents, in particular those who are unemployed, to become part of the social care workforce through (1) Skills England, and (2) other ring-fenced funding programmes.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Skills England, and its predecessor the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE), has worked with employers to develop apprenticeships covering a range of occupations in the care services sector. These are designed to enable an individual to acquire full competence in an occupation whilst undertaking paid work and provide a progression route in the sector. These products are available for both public and private sector employers to use, with funding to support the training from the Growth and Skills Levy.
In addition, a Health and Social Care foundation apprenticeship has been developed and will be available for delivery from autumn this year. This is specifically aimed at young people who are not yet ready for work, and will provide the individual with a mix of employability and sectoral skills designed to provide a good grounding for a career in the health or adult social care sector.
To support the awareness of careers in adult social care, the National Careers Service, a free, government funded careers information, advice and guidance service, uses a range of labour market information to support and guide individuals. The Service website gives customers access to a range of digital tools and resources, including ‘Explore Careers’ which includes more than 130 industry areas and more than 800 job profiles including a range of construction and health and social care roles, describing what the roles entail, qualifications needed and entry routes.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
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 merits of (a) increasing the soft drinks industry levy and (b) lowering the threshold for drinks to be subject to the levy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
HM Treasury is the department responsible for taxation policy. The Department of Health and Social Care provides input and support as appropriate.
Indicative analysis has been conducted by the Department to estimate the calorie reduction through reformulation and substitution to alternative drinks, and the subsequent health and economic benefits as a result of the proposed changes to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL). This includes lowering the standard sugar threshold from 5 grams to 4 grams total sugar per 100 millilitres, and removing the current exemption for pre-packaged milk based and milk substitute drinks.
Where the proposed changes to the SDIL are successful in influencing behaviour and lowering consumption of high sugar drinks, positive health and economic outcomes are expected from reduced calorie intake in diets. The indicative analysis estimates per person per day calorie reductions of 0.9 kcal in five to 10 year olds, 2.1 kcal in 11 to 18 year olds, 1.2 kcal in 19 to 64 year olds, and 0.5 kcal in those aged 65 years old and over. This is the equivalent to approximately 15 million kcals per day in children and 46 million kcals per day in adults on a population level in England. The contribution to the calorie reduction from the two proposed changes to the SDIL varies by age group, however, as an example for those aged 19 to 64 years old, the contribution is 85% for reducing the lower sugar threshold and 15% for removing the previous exemptions for milk-based and milk substitute drinks.
These calorie reductions could achieve health and economic benefits of approximately £4.2 billion over 25 years, including:
- reduced morbidity, which could result in reduced cost pressures to the National Health Service, resulting in NHS savings of £100 million;
- wider health benefits to the population through improved quality of life, leading to reduced mortality and premature morbidity, which are estimated to be worth approximately £3.1 billion;
- social care savings that could amount to £100 million; and
- reduced morbidity and premature mortality, which could be expected to deliver approximately £800 million in economic output through additional labour force participation.
The Department has not done an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the SDIL.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
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 accessibility to healthier foods.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Under the Health Mission, the Government is committed to prevention and to tackling obesity, creating a fairer, healthier food environment. We are taking action to restrict the advertisements of less healthy food and drink products to children on television and online, we are limiting school children’s access to fast food, and are taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose. We are also committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16 year olds.
Through the Healthy Start scheme we encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households, supporting the Government’s aim to create the healthiest generation of children in our history.
We are also working closely with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to develop their cross-Government Food Strategy which will set the food system up for long-term success and will provide wide ranging improvements. The Food Strategy will work to provide healthier, more easily accessible food to help people live longer, healthier lives.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
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 reduce youth obesity rates.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We face a childhood obesity crisis, and the Government will take action to tackle the root causes of obesity head on, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
We are delivering an ambitious programme of work to create a healthier food environment. We are taking action to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drink to children on television and online, we are limiting school children’s access to fast food, we are taking steps to ensure the Soft Drinks Industry Levy remains effective and fit-for-purpose, and we are committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16 year olds.
The Government has announced the extension of free school meals to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026, and that work is in progress with experts from across the sector to revise the School Food Standards, so that every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance.
We are also working collaboratively across the Government on the Food Strategy and the Child Poverty Strategy to provide healthier, more easily accessible food to tackle obesity and give every child the best start in life.
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 steps he is taking to fund improved provision for addiction support services in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.
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 Lancashire with £10,424,106 to help improve drug and alcohol treatment and recovery systems, as set out at the following link:
All funding is provided at the Lancashire level, and it is for Lancashire County Council to determine how to meet needs in Fylde.
This year, the Government is providing an additional £70 million for local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England, building on existing funding made available via the Public Health Grant. Additional funding for Stop Smoking Services is based on the number of smokers in each local authority, and Lancashire has been allocated an extra £1,678,549 for 2025/26.
In April 2025, a new statutory levy on gambling operators, expected to raise approximately £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.