Asked by: Ian Roome (Liberal Democrat - North Devon)
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 causes of prescription medicine shortages in the UK, including reported shortages of aspirin 75mg dispersible tablets and supply disruption affecting carbamazepine (Tegretol) prolonged-release tablets; and what steps he is taking to improve national medicines supply.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Medicine supply chains are complex, global, and highly regulated and there are a number of reasons why supply can be disrupted, many of which are not specific to the United Kingdom and outside of Government control, including manufacturing difficulties, access to raw materials, sudden demand spikes, or distribution issues and regulatory issues. There are approximately 14,000 licensed medicines and the overwhelming majority are in good supply.
The Department is currently not aware of any supply issues affecting Tegretol prolonged-release tablets.
The Department is aware of a recent disruption to the supply of aspirin tablets due to manufacturing issues and knock-on increased demand. The issues have been addressed, and we are working with suppliers to aid a return to normal supply as soon as possible with stock regularly being made available for pharmacies to order.
We continue to work with manufacturers and United Kingdom distributors to maximise supply to pharmacies and hospitals across the country. The Department is closely monitoring the situation and expects supplies to return to normal in the coming weeks.
In August 2025, the Department published a policy paper, Managing a robust and resilience supply of medicines, setting out our actions to strengthen supply chain resilience, which is available at the following link:
The Department has committed to providing a published update on progress in 2026.
Asked by: Alex Easton (Independent - North Down)
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 UK Research and Innovation on increasing funding for research into invasive lobular breast cancer.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Government responsibility for delivering cancer research is shared between the Department for Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which includes the Medical Research Council (MRC). The Department for Health and Social Care and UKRI officials meet regularly to discuss a range of research investments to drive the maximum collective research impact on policy, practice, and individual lives.
The MRC and the NIHR are committed to supporting the development of fundable research proposals in lobular breast cancer and continues to encourage researchers to submit high quality funding applications to funding programmes in this area.
To further stimulate research in this area, in November 2025, the NIHR issued a highlight notice encouraging applications for new research into lobular breast cancer, to improve the detection, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term surveillance of patients.
The Government recognises the crucial need for research into all forms of cancer, including lobular breast cancer. It remains committed to the role of research to drive a stronger collective understanding of the biology behind lobular breast cancer and to improve outcomes for women.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
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 barriers to reporting sexual misconduct by doctors, including for patients and NHS staff.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We acknowledge that the confidence to report sexual misconduct in the National Health Service remains a systemic challenge that is influenced by a range of factors.
For example, NHS staff often do not wish to subject themselves to a formal employment process or are concerned about reprisals from other members of staff or believe they may not be taken seriously by their manager and organisation.
All trusts and integrated care boards (ICBs) have signed up to the NHS Sexual Safety Charter, which is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/sexual-safety-in-healthcare-organisational-charter/
The principles underpinning the charter contribute to improving workplace sexual safety culture, which should empower more staff to speak up.
In 2024, NHS England produced a national policy framework for sexual misconduct. The framework recommends routes through which reports can be made including Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, line managers, human resources, or via an anonymous reporting form. Every trust and ICB now has a policy in place or is in the process of adopting one, and 76% have implemented anonymous reporting for staff.
The Patient Advice and Liaison service and complaints system provide routes for patients and the public to report incidents of sexual misconduct.
In December 2025, NHS England wrote to NHS trusts and ICBs setting out further actions to take to ensure the sexual safety of both patients and staff. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/an-update-on-actions-to-prevent-sexual-misconduct-in-the-nhs/
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
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 the potential impact of the predominant use of male CPR manikins in first aid training on survival outcomes for women experiencing cardiac arrest.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is aware of research that shows differences in bystander response in providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to men versus women. Research also shows that training is key to improving bystander confidence in providing CPR to women and use of female manikins may assist in this.
NHS England has published a list of tools and resources on its website to improve cardiac arrest outcomes, with further information available at the following link:
This includes guidance from St John’s Ambulance on How to do CPR and use a defibrillator on a person with breasts, which is available at the following link:
https://www.sja.org.uk/first-aid-advice/cpr-on-women-and-other-people-with-breasts/
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department issues to first aid training providers on anatomical differences between men and women relevant to the delivery of CPR.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is aware of research that shows differences in bystander response in providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to men versus women. Research also shows that training is key to improving bystander confidence in providing CPR to women and use of female manikins may assist in this.
NHS England has published a list of tools and resources on its website to improve cardiac arrest outcomes, with further information available at the following link:
This includes guidance from St John’s Ambulance on How to do CPR and use a defibrillator on a person with breasts, which is available at the following link:
https://www.sja.org.uk/first-aid-advice/cpr-on-women-and-other-people-with-breasts/
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
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 (a) improve patient safety in the NHS and (b) reduce clinical negligence claims.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last ten years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.
As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. That work is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee reports.
Over recent years, the NHS and the Department of Health and Social Care have taken significant steps forward to address the rising costs of clinical negligence and to improve patient safety, including by implementing significant programmes under the NHS Patient Safety Strategy, published 2019. The strategy is now achieving its aim of saving an extra 1,000 lives per year and £100 million in care costs per year.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 4 February to Question 109206 on breast cancer drugs, if he will make it his policy to reform the risk-reducing drug pathway for patients at increased risk of breast cancer .
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is taking steps to ensure that women at increased risk of breast cancer are provided with the best information, support, preventative care, and testing.
Through our National Cancer Plan, we will develop and deliver more proactive approaches to identifying people at risk of cancer, through symptomatic case finding, additional support for general practitioners (GPs) and genomic testing. The new and world-leading NHS National Inherited Cancer Predisposition Registry, part of the National Disease Registration Service, will help the National Health Service to deliver proactive, targeted prevention, surveillance, and earlier diagnosis for people and their families. Self-testing swabs will accelerate access to genomic tests, and those who need it will get genetic counselling, regular surveillance checks, and prophylactic treatment options. For women at increased risk of breast cancer, this means a more proactive approach and personalised support.
Through our National Cancer Plan, and our wider work on improving GP services, we will offer improved support to women at increased risk of breast cancer.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 the potential impact of electrocardiogram screening for young people engaged in organised sport, including the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of such screening.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is guided by the independent scientific advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). It is only where the offer to screen provides more good than harm that a screening programme is recommended. The UK NSC makes its recommendations based on internationally recognised criteria and a rigorous evidence review and consultation process.
Every sudden cardiac death of a young person is a tragedy. The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is currently re-examining the evidence for sudden cardiac death screening in young people, including those involved in organised sports, and will open a public consultation on this in the spring.
The Government welcome the UK NSC’s robust and rigorous approach to evaluating the benefits and harms of screening, as it is vital that screening policy is based on scientific evidence.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Science and Technology about the potential for a respiratory Modern Service Framework to strengthen the UK’s life sciences ecosystem by scaling up the adoption of new medicines and innovations for lung conditions.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.
NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore innovation and policy prioritisation in respiratory health, including the cross‑Government alignment that may be required.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of mandatory alcohol health warnings for regulatory alignment with the EU, Ireland, and other trading partners.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
In both the Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England and the National Cancer Plan for England, the Government committed to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages.
Department officials have recently completed a round of stakeholder engagement regarding the policy. We are working at pace to review all available and emerging evidence.
This work will inform the development assessment of policy options that will be set out in formal consultation which we are working towards opening in late 2026. International alignment will be considered as part of the process, taking into account the outcome of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (Agri-Food) Agreement negotiations with the European Union.