theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Alison Hume:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. \p Ashley Dalton: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has regular discussions with my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a whole host of issues across our brief, including myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care including ME/CFS. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on ME/CFS to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

Together with the Medical Research Council, which is part of UK Research and Innovation, we are actively exploring the next steps for research in ME/CFS, and we will outline further research actions as part of the final ME/CFS Delivery Plan, which we aim to publish by the end of June. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease. This will outline the additional support we will offer to the research community to increase the volume and quality of applications and, therefore, increase the allocation of funding to this area.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase early diagnosis of invasive lobular carcinoma. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more patients, including those with lobular carcinoma, survive this horrible set of diseases. To achieve this, the NHS has delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment.

There are multiple NHS initiatives and funding streams across the NHS in England that support the early detection of breast cancer, and many organisations across the health service are involved.

The Department spends £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer as the largest area of spend at more than £133 million in 2023/24. The NIHR spends more on cancer than any other disease group, reflecting its high priority. These investments in cancer, including lobular breast cancer, are pivotal to informing efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment, and outcomes.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients, including those with invasive lobular carcinoma, and will highlight how the Department will support the NHS to improve diagnosis rates for people in all parts of England.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 51549 on Exercise: Older People, what metrics her Department is using to measure the success of the NHS 10 walking app. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Chief Medical Officers’ (CMOs) physical activity guidelines recommend that adults accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week, such as brisk walking. The NHS Active 10 app records brisk walking minutes, supporting users to incorporate more moderate-intensity activity into their daily lives. The app rewards users for every 10-minute segment of moderate-intensity activity completed, providing motivation to increase and sustain higher activity levels over time. Metrics collected to monitor the impact of the app include downloads, daily and monthly active users, and summary data of active minutes. The app has been downloaded over 1.7 million times and supports over 95,000 monthly active users to get more active. A time series analysis conducted in 2024, pending publication, indicates that the average app user increases their daily brisk walking by nine minutes, immediately following download of the NHS Active 10 app.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the funding available for the National Institute of Health Research's consortium application for the evaluation of treatments for brain tumours until the end of this Parliament. \p Ashley Dalton: Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.

The Brain Tumour Research Consortium was established in December 2024 to bring together researchers from a range of different disciplines and institutions with the aim of driving scientific advancements in how we prevent, detect, manage, and treat brain tumours in both adults and children. The NIHR is working closely with the consortium to support the development of a high-quality funding proposal.

The NIHR will continue to also fund other brain tumour research via open competition, where the level of funding depends on the applications received. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that patients receiving (a) stem cell transplants and (b) other cell therapies have access to specialist psychological support (i) before, (ii) during and (iii) after treatment. \p Ashley Dalton: As stipulated by NHS England in the blood and marrow transplantation (BMT) service specification, BMT services, which include stem cell transplants, should ensure that a full range of support staff is available, including social workers, and psychological, physiotherapy, pharmacy, and radiology support, for stem cell transplant recipients. BMT service providers are also expected to be accredited by the Joint Accreditation Committee of the International Society for Cellular Therapy and the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (JACIE), and the requirement for psychology support staff is also reflected in the eighth edition of the JACIE standards. For wider cell therapies, psychological support has been a requirement as part of any CAR-T core multidisciplinary team since 2018. It is also an important component for any commissioned advanced therapy medicinal product.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing a national screening programme for prostate cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department is guided on screening policy by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC). The committee has commissioned a university to carry out a high quality review and to create a cost effectiveness model of the evidence for a national prostate cancer screening programme. This includes targeted approaches to high risk groups and an offer to all men defined by age.

However, their previous review advised against screening because the current best test, the prostate specific antigen test, is not accurate. As a result, it can lead to some men receiving false reassurance when they do actually have prostate cancer, and others receiving unnecessary further tests when they did not have prostate cancer.

Black men are twice as likely as white men to get prostate cancer. But using an inaccurate test on this group of men might not reduce health inequalities. Instead, it risks leading to greater levels of misdiagnosis in this group. We need a better test, which is why the Government has invested £16 million in the TRANSFORM trial, to look for a better test. This trial will ensure that one in ten participants are black men.

Many prostate cancers are very slow growing and many men can live and die with prostate cancer, without ever showing any symptoms. Early diagnosis of prostate cancer can lead to unnecessary interventions and treatment that can have nasty and life altering side effects, for a cancer that would never have caused harm. That is why the UK NSC, when reviewing the evidence for a screening programme, must balance the benefits, including a reduction in mortality, against the harms. Only when the committee is confident that high quality evidence suggests a programme will do more good than harm will it be recommended.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Mark Pritchard:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will prioritise (a) research into, (b) diagnosis of and (c) treatment of pancreatic cancer in the new National Cancer Plan. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Cancer Plan will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer, including patients with pancreatic cancer.

NHS England is providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveillance for those at high-risk, to identify lesions before they develop into cancer. NHS England is additionally creating pathways to support faster referral routes for people with non-specific symptoms, and is increasing direct access for general practitioners to diagnostic tests.

The plan will include further details on how we will speed up diagnosis and treatment, ensure patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bring this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Dr Neil Hudson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of penalties for the illegal sale of vaping products on those sales. \p Ashley Dalton: Trading Standards officers currently have a range of enforcement tools at their disposal to enforce age of sale restrictions and to take a proportionate approach to enforcement that reflects the severity of the offence committed. When necessary, this includes prosecuting offenders, which can result in a court imposed fine of up to £2,500, and, in the case of repeat offences, an application for a restricted premises order or restricted sale order. £200 fixed penalty notices, introduced by the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, will complement existing sanctions and support Trading Standards to crack down on retailers selling to underage people.

We will complete a post-implementation review of the measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in due course.

The sale and supply of single use vapes was banned on 1 June 2025. If a retailer repeatedly sells single use vapes, they can be charged with an unlimited fine, or a prison sentence of up to two years. We will work with enforcement agencies to monitor the impact and effectiveness of the ban, including the impact of the penalties.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) diagnosis, (b) treatment pathways and (c) levels of clinical awareness of Postural Tachycardia Syndrome in the NHS. \p Ashley Dalton: It is the responsibility of local integrated care boards to work with clinicians, service users, and patient groups to develop services and care pathways that are convenient and that meet the needs of patients with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS).

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published a clinical knowledge summary on the clinical management of blackouts and syncope, that provides advice for clinicians in the United Kingdom on best practice in the assessment and diagnosis of PoTS. This was last updated in November 2023, and is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/blackouts-syncope/diagnosis/assessment/

General practitioners (GPs) are asked to investigate symptoms to ensure that it is not misdiagnosed. Following referral, patients are treated within National Health Service cardiology and neurology services. Where more specialist advice is required, a referral will be made to an appropriate clinician.

To improve awareness of PoTS amongst healthcare professionals, and specifically GPs, the Royal College of General Practitioners provides training on PoTS as part of its Syncope toolkit, which is available at the following link:

https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/view.php?id=500
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Alison Hume:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will publish the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) Delivery Plan. \p Ashley Dalton: We aim to publish our myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), final delivery plan by the end of June 2025.

The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease. The responses to the interim delivery plan consultation, along with continued close engagement with other parts of the Government, the National Health Service, and external stakeholders, will inform the development of the final ME/CFS delivery plan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Nadia Whittome:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the merits of continuing opt-out testing of Hepatitis (a) B and (b) C in Nottingham University Hospitals’ Emergency Department. \p Ashley Dalton: The emergency department opt-out testing programme will continue to test individuals for bloodborne viruses, including HIV and viral hepatitis, in line with committed funding plans. The Government is committed to reducing the incidence of viral hepatitis, including by reducing the number of people living with the condition without a diagnosis. NHS England is currently reviewing its budgetary position, with a view to determining whether funding can be made available to extend the provision of opt out testing for viral hepatitis, particularly for those sites whose committed funding will end during 2025. This includes the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, and therefore NHS England is engaged in discussions with the trust on this important programme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on the adequacy of the data available to help clinical staff reduce the time taken to (a) diagnose and (b) treat cancer patients in (i) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency, (ii) Staffordshire and (iii) England. \p Ashley Dalton: Officials in the Department regularly engage with NHS England on the adequacy of the data available, to improve performance against cancer waiting times.

The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) is introducing primary care symptom-based pathways, designed to support cancer referrals and to reduce the number of referrals into cancer pathways, where the risk of cancer is very low or more effective alternative referral pathways exist. The ICB intends to pilot clinical decision tools, which will prompt general practitioners to order relevant tests and suggest alternative referral pathways.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced that a National Cancer Plan for England will be published this year, supporting the Prime Minister’s mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future and reduce the number of lives lost to cancer. The plan will outline how we will improve outcomes for all cancer patients, by speeding up diagnosis and treatment and ensuring access to the latest treatments and technologies.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Katie Lam:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of food under the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is procured from British farms. \p Ashley Dalton: The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme sources the fruit and vegetables used by the scheme from a number of different countries. 18.9% of the produce used by the scheme is sourced from the United Kingdom, and this is the highest proportion of any country supplying produce to the scheme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure accurate information is provided by the covid-19 vaccination helpline. \p Ashley Dalton: A vaccination telephone booking service, known as the 119 service, is available during COVID-19 and flu vaccination campaigns to provide booking support and guidance to people who may not be able to use online National Health Service booking services.

No direct assessment has been made of the potential impact of incorrect eligibility advice given through the telephone vaccination service. The service is commissioned by NHS England. NHS England advises that call handlers are trained to provide standard information rather than give individual eligibility advice.

If an individual is concerned that they were given incorrect advice, concerns can be raised with the NHS England Customer Contact Centre.

The spring 2025 COVID-19 campaign in England started on 1 April 2025 and runs until 17 June. All those who are eligible, those aged 75 years old and above, those aged six months old and above with immunosuppression, and those living in care homes for older adults, still have time to take up the vaccination offer, and are encouraged to do so.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 51549 on Exercise: Older People, what steps he is taking to advertise the NHS 10 walking app. \p Ashley Dalton: Paid for media plans are agreed annually with My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Cabinet Office. Plans for the rest of the year are not yet agreed. Through the Department’s Campaign Resource Centre, promotional NHS Active 10 materials are made available year-round to support health professionals, local authorities, educators, and community organisations in promoting physical activity initiatives. The app, as well as a portfolio of digital behaviour change tools managed by the Department, are promoted through the NHS Better Health website and the associated digital prevention pathways.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help support people with axial spondyloarthritis to (a) remain in employment or (b) return to the workforce. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government and NHS England recognise the significant burden of disease associated with axial spondyloarthritis, particularly where diagnosis is delayed. We recognise the work of the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society in promoting early diagnosis and good access to effective treatment. Time from referral to diagnosis is included in the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit which covers National Health Service rheumatology services in England and Wales, and we have prioritised reducing waiting times for services through the Elective Recovery Programme and the Getting It Right First Time MSK Community Delivery Programme.

We also have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work. Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, joining up health and employment support around the individual through programmes like WorkWell, as well as the mobilisation of eight place-based trailblazers to reduce economic inactivity.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will issue updated clinical guidance to support (a) GPs, (b) paediatricians and (c) school nurses in (i) diagnosing and (ii) treating children with long covid. \p Ashley Dalton: The most recent data from the Winter COVID-19 Infection Study, a joint study carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the UK Health Security Agency, shows that, for the period 6 February 2024 to 7 March 2024, an estimated two million people, or 3.3% of the population, in private households in England and Scotland, self-reported experiencing long COVID symptoms more than four weeks after a COVID-19 infection. The following table shows a breakdown by age group of the number of people with self-reported long COVID symptoms, more than four weeks after a COVID-19 infection:

Age group

Estimate

3 to 17 years old

111,816

18 to 34 years old

406,538

35 to 44 years old

294,099

45 to 54 years old

397,802

55 to 64 years old

389,977

65 to 74 years old

271,374

75 years old and over

113,467

While no estimate has been made specifically for Hertfordshire, the same dataset from the ONS estimated that 202,852 people self-reported experiencing long COVID symptoms in the East of England region in that same time period.

NHS England has invested £314 million since the start of the pandemic to provide care and support for people with long COVID. This includes establishing specialist clinics throughout England to assess children and young people who are experiencing the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection. A further £86.7 million of funding was included in integrated care board (ICB) core allocations for 2024/25, and specific regional funding was also allocated for assurance and system support.

As of 1 April 2024, there were over 90 adult post-COVID services across England, along with an additional 10 children and young people’s hubs. Since April 2024, commissioning of long COVID services has been the responsibility of local ICBs, following the closure of the national programme.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for keeping its published guidelines up to date and under active surveillance, to ensure that they reflect developments in the evidence base and its recommendations on new medicines.

The NICE is changing the way that it develops guidelines to ensure that they respond more rapidly to the latest evidence and newly recommended technologies, to help speed up access for patients.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Andy MacNae:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to prevent sudden and unexplained deaths in children. \p Ashley Dalton: We recognise the devastating impact of sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) on affected families and communities, and the importance of raising awareness of SUDC among relevant professionals, communities, and parents. Information on SUDC is available on the National Health Service website, which also signposts to the charity SUDC.UK. This can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome-sids

Additional information for parents on SUDC is available in the form of the booklet, When a Child Dies. The Healthy Child Programme plays an important role in supporting child health, wellbeing, and parenting confidence. This work is undertaken alongside partners to ensure that health messages are promoted across services.

The Department funds health and care research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) who work in partnership with the NHS, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public. The NIHR welcomes proposals for research into a range of conditions, including SUDC, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle ageism in healthcare services. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department is committed to improving outcomes for older people through a range of cross-cutting strategies and initiatives.

Addressing healthcare inequalities is a fundamental part of the Health Mission and the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the National Health Service is there for anyone who needs it, whenever they need it. The Plan will be published in summer 2025 and aims to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, sickness to prevention. This includes how services can be better integrated and tailored to improve quality of life and reduce inequalities in later life.

The Department is embedding a focus on health inequalities across its work, including through the Core20PLUS5 approach in the NHS, which includes older age-related conditions such as dementia. It is also supporting improvements in adult social care to promote choice and to help people live as independent and fulfilling lives as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Peter Dowd:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the specific challenges of providing specialised care for rare conditions will be included in the NHS 10 year plan. \p Ashley Dalton: The 10-Year Plan will reshape the National Health Service, and in many cases, will provide opportunities to address the challenges that are faced by patients, including those with rare conditions and the people who treat or support them.
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Imran Hussain:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) long-term funding for and (b) targeted support on (i) levels of (i) cardiovascular disease and (ii) associated health inequalities. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to tackling the biggest killers, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). To deliver on the Government’s ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% in the next 10 years, we are working closely with NHS England to understand both the scale of the challenge and the opportunities for progress across the prevention, treatment, and management of CVD and associated health inequalities.

We are providing targeted support through recent changes to the Quality and Outcomes Framework in 2025/26, where £198 million has been repurposed to target CVD prevention. Knowing that prevention is better than treatment, we have also raised the upper threshold of CVD indicators in order to stimulate performance gains and improve CVD outcomes for patients.

Furthermore, the Government continues to invest in the NHS Health Check programme, a core component of England’s CVD prevention programme, and in the development of the new NHS Health Check Online service. By providing a more convenient, accessible services, we will free up primary care capacity to target resources towards underserved groups.

The Government has committed to develop a 10-Year Health Plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, expected to be published in summer 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide long-term support for people living with epilepsy. \p Ashley Dalton: At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with epilepsy in England.

NHS England, in collaboration with stakeholders and patient groups, has developed a National Bundle of Care for children and young people with epilepsy. This bundle outlines key standards for epilepsy services, with the goal of ensuring consistent, high-quality care across all English regions.

The NHS Right Care programme has provided a toolkit designed to help healthcare professionals understand priorities in epilepsy care and identify areas for improvement. The programme emphasises the importance of patient-centred care and support coordination of care between different healthcare professionals. The program also promotes the use of epilepsy specialist nurses and the importance of mental health support for individuals with epilepsy.

The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) neurology programme aims to improve epilepsy services by addressing inequities in access, standardising care pathways, and promoting workforce development. By analysing and sharing data, GIRFT identifies areas for improvement and helps hospitals implement evidence-based practices, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes.

NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme, which has developed a new model of integrated care to support integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time, for all neurology patients, including those with epilepsy. Specifically, the programme aims to optimise patient pathways, integrate care across different settings, and improve the overall experience of people with epilepsy.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on epilepsy provides evidence-based guidance for the diagnosis and management of epilepsy in both adults and children and young people. Whilst this guidance is advisory and is intended to support and intended to best practice, adherence will ensure that that patients receive the most appropriate and effective treatment. NICE provides tools to help healthcare professionals and service commissioners effectively implement and adopt the recommendations within NICE guidance.

The Government has recently established the Neuro Forum, a United Kingdom-wide Government-led forum focusing on services and support for people affected by neurological conditions. The Forum brings together the Department, NHS England, devolved governments and health services, and Neurological Alliances across the UK to address gaps in treatment and care, and to drive improvements in neurological health across the four UK countries.
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Neil Coyle:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role neighbourhood mental health centre pilot schemes will play in improving (a) care and (b) support for people living with bipolar disorder; and whether these centres will provide specialist support to help reduce delays to diagnosis and treatment. \p Stephen Kinnock: 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.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to review the adequacy of the earnings criteria for free prescriptions. \p Karin Smyth: 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.
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Alison Hume:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to consult with people who have rare conditions on the integration of NHS England functions into his  Department. \p Ashley Dalton: 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.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the potential merits of expanding eligibility for free prescriptions to include everyone in receipt of Universal Credit. \p Karin Smyth: 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.
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Nadia Whittome:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made in implementing the NHS Accessible Information Standard. \p Stephen Kinnock: Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the recommended approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss, including deaf people.

NHS England has been undertaking a review of the AIS to help ensure that the communication needs of people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss are met in health and care provision. A self-assessment framework has been developed to support providers of NHS and social care services to measure their performance against the AIS, and to develop improvement action plans to address gaps in implementation.

A revised AIS will be published in due course. In the meantime, the current AIS remains in force, and therefore there should be no gap in provision for people using services. NHS England is working to support implementation of the AIS with awareness raising, communication, and engagement, and with a review of the current e-learning modules on the AIS. The intention is to ensure that staff and organisations in the NHS are aware of the AIS and the importance of meeting the information and communication needs of disabled people using services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Andy Slaughter:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle the (a) palliative, (b) end of life care and (c) other medical needs of older prisoners. \p Stephen Kinnock: As a signatory to the National Partnership Agreement for Health and Social Care for people in contact with the criminal justice system, the Department is committed to working with the Ministry of Justice, HM Prison and Probation Service, NHS England, and the UK Health Security Agency to ensure that safe, legal, decent, and effective care that improves health outcomes and reduces health inequalities is provided for all prisoners, including those who are elderly.

NHS England is responsible for providing a full range of healthcare services to meet the needs of the prison population. Every prison will have a health needs assessment undertaken on a regular basis which is then used to locally determine the health needs and requirements of that prison’s population. This includes supporting elderly prisoners in their palliative care, end of life care, and other health needs such as dementia care. Local authorities also have a duty to support elderly prisoners with their social care needs.

The Dying Well in Custody Charter and supporting self-assessment framework describes a set of national standards for local adoption and provides a tool for a local multi-disciplinary approach to providing agreed standards of palliative and end of life care to people in prison. The charter is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/dying-well-in-custody-charter/#:~:text=It%20is%20the%20last%20thing,of%20their%20place%20of%20death
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Esther McVey:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in response to the Rt hon. Member for Tatton at Health Questions on 6 May 2025, when the relevant Minister will meet with the Rt hon. Member for Tatton. \p Stephen Kinnock: My private office has reached out to the Rt. Hon. Member for Tatton to find a time for the meeting.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Adam Jogee:To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, what recent steps the Commission has taken to increase awareness of (a) The Code of Conduct and (b)The Guide to the Rules relating to the Conduct of Members to hon. Members elected (i) at and (i) since the General Election 2024. \p Nick Smith: It is a Member’s responsibility to read and adhere to The Code of Conduct and the Guide to the Rules relating to the Conduct of Members.

All new Members were offered a 1:1 meeting with the Registry Team in the first month after the General Election. Every Member who attended was given a hard copy of the Code of the Code and the Guide to the Rules.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards’ webpages contain information and Advice Notes on the Code of Conduct and Guide to the Rules.

Guidance on registering via the Registration Portal can be accessed via Parlinet.

The Committee on Standards has held a drop-in meeting where Members could discuss the Code, and further such drop-in sessions may be held as required.

Any Member who requires advice on the registration of interests or the rules relating to declaration and lobbying for reward or consideration should contact the Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests at xxx@xxx.xx.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2025 to Question 52867 on Written Questions, what is the 19% figure in absolute terms; and what  is the average percentage figure of carded questions tabled by the hon. Members of each political party represented in the House of Commons. \p Nick Smith: During the period in question, the total number of questions tabled was 60,136, of which 11,654 were carded because they did not comply with the rules of order. The vast majority of card queries are resolved quickly when the hon. Member who tabled the question contacts the Table Office to discuss it. There is, however, a growing backlog of carded questions in cases where hon. Members have tabled questions but have not responded to the card note.

It is not possible to provide a party breakdown of the proportion of questions carded.

The Table Office is happy to offer training to hon. Members and their staff on the rules of order and the drafting of orderly WPQs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Christine Jardine:To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland Ltd (Appellant) v The Scottish Ministers (Respondent) [2025] UKSC 16 on the operation of House of Commons services. \p Nick Smith: The House administration has reviewed its policies, services and provisions and has not found that any immediate changes are required as a consequence of the judgment.

These will be further reviewed following publication of the full Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance and, if necessary, amended to ensure the House administration remains in line with the law and the final form of the statutory guidance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what discussions he has had with the House of Commons authorities on the use of women-only spaces in its buildings by transgender women following the Supreme Court judgement in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers [2025] USCK 16. \p Nick Smith: The House administration has reviewed its policies, services and provisions and has not found that any immediate changes are required as a consequence of the judgment.

These will be further reviewed following publication of the full Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance and, if necessary, amended to ensure the House administration remains in line with the law and the final form of the statutory guidance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Ayoub Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reinstating the Winter Fuel Allowance before the winter 2025-26. \p Torsten Bell: The Government wants to expand eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments, recognising the goals of supporting these pensioners, meeting need and of sustainable public finances. Any change will be announced to Parliament in the normal way.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Allowance to enable more people to claim it \p Torsten Bell: The Government wants to expand eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments, recognising the goals of supporting these pensioners, meeting need and of sustainable public finances. Any change will be announced to Parliament in the normal way.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Kate Osamor:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of extending eligibility to the Winter Fuel Payment to households in receipt of Housing Benefit on pensioner poverty. \p Torsten Bell: The Government wants to expand eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments, recognising the goals of supporting these pensioners, meeting need and of sustainable public finances. Any change will be announced to Parliament in the normal way.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister of 21 May 2025, Official Report, column 1018, on changes to eligibility for the winter fuel allowance, when she expects the Office for Budget Responsibility to publish an independent assessment of those changes. \p Torsten Bell: The Government wants to expand eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments, recognising the goals of supporting these pensioners, meeting need and of sustainable public finances. Any change will be announced to Parliament in the normal way.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-05)

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Kate Osamor:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to negotiate reciprocal social security agreements with countries where UK pensioners do not receive annual state pension uprating. \p Torsten Bell: The Department has no plans to negotiate such reciprocal social security agreements.