Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 NHS trusts on the provision of (a) anti-racism and (b) unconscious bias training for NHS staff.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England have been working together to announce a series of measures to tackle antisemitism and racism across the National Health Service, which includes the introduction of mandatory antisemitism and anti-racism training for all NHS staff.
In terms of unconscious bias training, there is no national NHS-wide policy on this training in the NHS. Individual NHS organisations have responsibility for training their own staff and provide relevant training where appropriate.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the policy papers entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 30 June 2025, and Budget 2025, published on 28 November 2025, what their Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be in each year of the Spending Review period; how much capital funding has been allocated to each of their Department’s programmes; and how much and what proportion of the capital DEL allocation remains unallocated in each year.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 2025 Autumn Budget confirmed that the Department’s capital budgets will rise to £15.2 billion by the end of the 2025 Spending Review period, in 2029/30, to invest in the National Health Service and wider health infrastructure. The following table shows the planned Capital Departmental Expenditure Limits from 2024/25 to 2029/30:
Outturn 2024/25 (£bn) | Planned 2025/26 (£bn) | Planned 2026/27 (£bn) | Planned 2027/28 (£bn) | Planned 2028/29 (£bn) | Planned 2029/30 (£bn) |
£11.5 | £13.6 | £14.0 | £13.8 | £14.8 | £15.2 |
Funding allocations for national capital programmes for spend in the NHS across the 2025 Spending Review period are outlined in the NHS Capital Planning Guidance, for 2026/27 to 2029/30, at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/capital-guidance-2026-27-to-2029-30/
Business planning is conducted each financial year to ensure capital funding is allocated appropriately. Therefore, the allocations set out in the guidance represent indicative figures. The following table shows the allocations set out for the national programme, for estates safety, for reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete work, and for constitutional standards and left shift, from 2025/26 to 2029/30:
National programme | 2025/26 (£’000) | 2026/27 (£’000) | 2027/28 (£’000) | 2028/29 (£’000) | 2029/30 (£’000) |
Estates safety | 750,000 | 750,000 | 750,000 | 750,000 | 750,000 |
Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete | 440,000 | 432,000 | 402,000 | 391,000 | 399,000 |
Constitutional standards and left shift | 1,650,000 | 1,873,509 | 1,001,290 | 950,500 | 591,000 |
In addition, the 2025 Autumn Budget confirmed £300 million of additional capital investment in NHS technology, building on the investment of up to £10 billion of combined revenue and capital by 2028/29 announced at the 2025 Spending Review. We are also investing over £400 million for upgrades to primary care buildings and neighbourhood health centres over the 2026/27 to 2029/30 period.
We remain committed to delivering all schemes within the New Hospital Programme, which will continue through the 2025 Spending Review period, with funding rising from £979 million in 2026/27 to £3 billion by 2029/30.
Our plans fully allocate research and development funding, which is classified as capital, and for agreed national infrastructure and pandemic preparedness schemes.
The Department does not routinely hold back unallocated capital but has an active role in managing the overall position throughout the year as pressures and underspends emerge as part of core financial management, to ensure capital funding is maximised to address strategic priorities and delivery for the taxpayer.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow 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 level of resources required by the MHRA to implement the new registration and testing regime for vaping products established under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has yet been made as the registration scheme is still in the early stages of policy development. On 8 October 2025, we published a call for evidence on a number of topics related to tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, including the proposal to introduce a new product registration scheme.
However, given the nature of vaping products, which are not healthcare products, officials from the Department and the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) are considering whether OPSS would be better placed to oversee the future register. The Department and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will continue to be responsible for the current notification systems until further notice.
Powers in the bill will allow us to charge a fee for the ongoing and continuous registration of products. Exact details on fees, as well as the future registration scheme, will be subject to future consultation.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will commit to appointing a new National Clinical Director for Rare Diseases.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases. NHS England and the Department are strongly supportive of clinical leadership and recognise that national clinical directors play an important role in policy development and implementation. There are over 7,000 types of rare disease which span the range of clinical specialities. As such, NHS England and the Department expect to continue to draw upon the range of clinical expertise that their national clinical directors hold to inform our work in this area, as well as that of expert clinicians delivering services for rare diseases, such as those commissioned by specialised commissioning. In addition, there is a National Medical Director for Specialised Services who provides national leadership and advice for the healthcare of rare disease and oversight for the portfolio of rare diseases which NHS England commissions services for.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 encourage healthy eating habits in young people, separate from Out of Home Calorie Labelling Regulations.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s advice on a healthy, balanced diet is encapsulated in the United Kingdom’s national food model, the Eatwell Guide. The Eatwell Guide applies to most people from the age of two years old, and is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-eatwell-guide#
The Eatwell Guide’s principles are communicated through a variety of channels, including the NHS.UK website and Department social marketing campaigns, which encompass Better Health, Better Health Families, and Best Start in Life. This includes a series of websites and digital tools that support families with young children to eat better, providing guidance on healthy eating, such as the Food Scanner app and email programmes.
Education around healthy eating is also covered through a number of school curriculum subjects.
The Eatwell Guide also underpins Government catering guidance and standards. Earlier this year, the Government committed to reviewing the School Food Standards to reflect the most recent Government dietary recommendations. These standards are available at the following link:
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, the Government has committed to actions to encourage a food environment that supports everyone, including young people, to make healthier choices, including:
Further information on the 10-Year Health Plan is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future
There are a range of actions that have already been taken, including the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, location promotions restrictions, and calorie labelling. Prior to the General Election in July 2024, the Department also legislated to introduce restrictions on the volume price promotions retailers can offer on ‘less healthy’ food and drink in stores and their equivalent places online. These measures came into force in England on 1 October 2025.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to expand BRCA testing to men, including those with male relatives of confirmed BRCA carriers.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a dedicated whistleblowing line for NHS staff and patients to report issues with language barriers in the National Health Service.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Speak Up Direct, funded by the Department, is a dedicated, independent helpline offering confidential advice, signposting, and guidance to National Health Service and social care staff on raising work-related concerns. Additional support includes Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, with over 1,300 now available across healthcare settings in England, and a Freedom to Speak Up policy that sets minimum standards for NHS organisations in England.
The NHS complaints process enables patients to give feedback or raise concerns about any aspect of their care.
Translation and interpretation services are available for patients who need language support. Additional support is available for individuals who may have difficulty understanding their care or communicating their needs. Patient advocates can speak on their behalf, facilitate decision-making, clarify care procedures, and help safeguard patient rights.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 leverage emerging technologies to combat falsified medicines and improve patient safety.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment of the impact of the disapplication of the EU Falsified Medicines Directive (EU FMD) on the United Kingdom’s medicine supply chain has been made by the Department. However, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is not aware of any falsified medicines reaching patients through the legal supply chain in at least the last five years.
The MHRA leads work to combat falsified medicines and protect patient safety, including through the application of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to online and retail sales. The MHRA uses several different approaches to support its work to combat falsified medicines entering the UK supply chain, including by leveraging emerging technology, for instance:
Any additional initiatives to use emerging technologies, such as smartphone verification scanning, would require careful consideration of the evidence of the reduction of the risk to patients, as well as investment needed for infrastructure, and further regulatory changes for manufacturers and wholesalers. There are provisions in the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021 providing powers to enable the introduction of a similar system to the EU FMD with ‘safety features’ and verification in the UK. However, the powers allow us to go beyond the EU FMD and use derived data from any system for other health related purposes. For example, to support the recall of medicines, to support patient care, research, policy development, medicine supply, preventing diversion, supporting patient access to medicines, and countering fraud in primary care. However, regulations would be needed to set out the detail of any scheme, which would require consultation. Consideration is being given as to whether to consult on options for a potential UK system.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 impact of the disapplication of the EU Falsified Medicines Directive on the UK’s medicine supply chain.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment of the impact of the disapplication of the EU Falsified Medicines Directive (EU FMD) on the United Kingdom’s medicine supply chain has been made by the Department. However, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is not aware of any falsified medicines reaching patients through the legal supply chain in at least the last five years.
The MHRA leads work to combat falsified medicines and protect patient safety, including through the application of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to online and retail sales. The MHRA uses several different approaches to support its work to combat falsified medicines entering the UK supply chain, including by leveraging emerging technology, for instance:
Any additional initiatives to use emerging technologies, such as smartphone verification scanning, would require careful consideration of the evidence of the reduction of the risk to patients, as well as investment needed for infrastructure, and further regulatory changes for manufacturers and wholesalers. There are provisions in the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021 providing powers to enable the introduction of a similar system to the EU FMD with ‘safety features’ and verification in the UK. However, the powers allow us to go beyond the EU FMD and use derived data from any system for other health related purposes. For example, to support the recall of medicines, to support patient care, research, policy development, medicine supply, preventing diversion, supporting patient access to medicines, and countering fraud in primary care. However, regulations would be needed to set out the detail of any scheme, which would require consultation. Consideration is being given as to whether to consult on options for a potential UK system.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 efficacy of smartphone-enabled barcode scanning in the verification of medicines.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment of the impact of the disapplication of the EU Falsified Medicines Directive (EU FMD) on the United Kingdom’s medicine supply chain has been made by the Department. However, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is not aware of any falsified medicines reaching patients through the legal supply chain in at least the last five years.
The MHRA leads work to combat falsified medicines and protect patient safety, including through the application of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to online and retail sales. The MHRA uses several different approaches to support its work to combat falsified medicines entering the UK supply chain, including by leveraging emerging technology, for instance:
Any additional initiatives to use emerging technologies, such as smartphone verification scanning, would require careful consideration of the evidence of the reduction of the risk to patients, as well as investment needed for infrastructure, and further regulatory changes for manufacturers and wholesalers. There are provisions in the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021 providing powers to enable the introduction of a similar system to the EU FMD with ‘safety features’ and verification in the UK. However, the powers allow us to go beyond the EU FMD and use derived data from any system for other health related purposes. For example, to support the recall of medicines, to support patient care, research, policy development, medicine supply, preventing diversion, supporting patient access to medicines, and countering fraud in primary care. However, regulations would be needed to set out the detail of any scheme, which would require consultation. Consideration is being given as to whether to consult on options for a potential UK system.