theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mark Garnier:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her department has made an assessment of the benefits of tokenised financial infrastructure. \p Lucy Rigby: Using distributed ledger technology to tokenise assets could deliver a step change in financial market efficiency, particularly by enabling more efficient, real-time data sharing which could lower operational costs and enhance resilience.

It is important that the government works with the financial services regulators and the sector to understand and deliver these benefits. That is why the government has published its Wholesale Financial Markets Digital Strategy and why it has taken forward the Digital Securities Sandbox which will facilitate the issuance, trading and settlement of tokenised securities in the UK on distributed ledgers. It is also taking forward other initiatives such as the Digital Gilt Instrument, or ‘DIGIT’, which will help demonstrate the benefits of these new technologies.
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Mark Garnier:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it will be a formal requirement for the Digital Markets Champion to have a strong proficiency in (a) blockchain and (b) digital assets. \p Lucy Rigby: On July 15th the government published the Wholesale Financial Markets Digital Strategy. The strategy announced that the government will appointing an industry expert as Digital Markets Champion, who will provide leadership from, and for, the sector on wholesale market digitalisation. The government is working at pace to identify and appoint a suitable candidate for the role and will provide an update in due course.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of CBAM in January 2027 on defence imports. \p Dan Tomlinson: The UK government is introducing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) on 1 January 2027 to address the risk of carbon leakage. The UK CBAM is a new tax which will ensure that highly traded, carbon intensive goods which are imported from overseas face a comparable carbon price to what is paid by manufacturers producing the same goods in the UK.

The CBAM will only initially be applied to specific imports from a small number of production sectors (aluminium, cement, fertiliser, hydrogen and iron & steel) at risk of carbon leakage. This encompasses less than 3% of total UK imports.

A draft tax information and impact note is publicly available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/draft-legislation-carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism/draft-tax-information-and-impact-note
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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on the number of credit unions there are with more than (a) 500,000, (b) one million and (c) two million members. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government has made clear its strong support for the credit union sector, recognising the value that credit unions bring to their members in local communities across the country in providing savings products and affordable credit.

HM Treasury is delivering on measures announced by the Chancellor in last year’s Mansion House speech, including: concluding a call for evidence on potential reforms to the credit union common bond, supporting the industry-led Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council, and commissioning the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to publish a report on the mutuals landscape by the end of 2025.

The Government currently has no plans to develop a central finance facility for credit unions but continues to engage with the sector and will keep all issues, like central finance functions, under review.

There are currently no credit unions in Great Britain or Northern Ireland with more than 500,000 members. According to annual data published on the Bank of England’s website, there were a total of 1,520,300 credit union members in GB in 2024, served by a total of 220 credit unions.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce is maintaining a formal record of stakeholder engagement; and whether the Credit Hire Organisation was consulted. \p Lucy Rigby: The government’s Motor Insurance Taskforce, led by the Department for Transport and HM Treasury, is engaging with a range of interested stakeholders, including the Credit Hire Organisation.

The taskforce plans to publish its final report in the autumn.
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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish the Law Commission’s proposals on reforming cooperative law. \p Lucy Rigby: The government is keen to ensure that the law governing co-operatives and community benefit societies is clear and supports their growth. That is why we are funding the Law Commission’s independent review of the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014.

The Law Commission’s independent review is considering ways to update and modernise the legislation for co-operatives and community benefit societies, ensuring that it fits the nature and needs of these societies as well as ensuring that regulation is proportionate and effective.

The Law Commission will publish its final recommendations in a report and draft bill. These are expected to be published before the end of 2025. The government will then carefully consider the Law Commission’s recommendations to understand whether reform of the legislation is needed to ensure these businesses are supported to grow and succeed into the future.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to set statutory targets for levels of SME participation in public sector procurement. \p Chris Ward: The Government is determined to ensure the £385 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually, delivers economic growth and supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The Government previously announced that all departments would set SME spend targets, and now plans to expand that requirement to the wider public sector - further prioritising and boosting spending with SMEs.

The Government is analysing responses to our recent public consultation on further reforms to public procurement processes. These proposals aim to drive economic growth, support small businesses, and better support innovation. We will publish our conclusions and further actions to improve public procurement in due course.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of procurement rules on the government's ability to engage with start-up search engine businesses to support their growth. \p Chris Ward: The Government is determined to ensure the £385 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually, delivers economic growth and supports small businesses and start-ups. For too long, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups have been held back by government procurement processes that are too slow, bureaucratic, and difficult to navigate.

The Procurement Act, which came into force on 24 February 2025, introduces new measures to make it easier for start-ups, small businesses and social enterprises to access public sector supply-chains, removing unnecessary burdens and costs, and opening up opportunities to the most innovative and agile firms.

The Government is analysing responses to our recent consultation on further reforms to public procurement processes. These proposals aim to drive economic growth, support small businesses, and better support innovation. We will publish our conclusions and further actions to improve public procurement in due course.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2025 to Question HL9809 on Business Interests, whether every Minister has now signed a Ministerial waiver to enforce the provisions of the Ministerial Code in relation to their statutory entitlement to severance payments; and whether the former Deputy Prime Minister had signed one before she left Ministerial office. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The reforms to ministerial severance payments, including the use of waivers, will take effect from 13 October.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement on Government of service, HCWS870, of 21 July 2025, whether the new Business Appointment Rules administered by the Civil Service Commission will apply to (a) special advisers below SCS Pay Band 2, (b) special advisers at other pay bands and (c) special advisers previously covered by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The transfer of responsibility for the administration and advice on applications for the most senior civil servants and special advisers from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments to the Civil Service Commission, will only affect those at the SCS Pay Band 3 and equivalent, and above. Applications from those civil servants and special advisers at the SCS Pay Band 2 and equivalent, and below, will continue to be processed by their respective departments.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement on Government of service, HCWS870, of 21 July 2025, whether he plans to amend the Civil Service Management Code to reflect the transfer of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments' functions to the Civil Service Commission. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Civil Service Management Code will be updated in due course to reflect the transfer of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments' functions to provide independent advice on the application of the Business Appointment Rules in respect of the most senior civil servants and special advisers to the Civil Service Commission.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 July 2025, HCWS870, on Government of service, whether he plans to amend the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 to implement the changes on Ministerial severance payments. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The government does not intend to amend the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 to implement changes on ministerial severance payments. These changes will be implemented via a waiver system.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 July 2025 on Government of service, HCWS870, whether he plans to permit retrospective applications for business appointments to the (a) Civil Service Commission and (b) Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Business Appointment Rules state that retrospective applications will not normally be accepted. While the Rules rightly discourage retrospective applications in order to ensure initial compliance from applicants, the Government believes that, should someone acknowledge their error and agree to follow the process, there should be an opportunity for them to receive advice and be subject to conditions.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his Department's planned timetable is for publishing details of the new arrangements for applications relating to Business Appointments Rules. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: Information on the new Business Appointments Rules process will be published when it becomes operational on 13 October 2025.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of applications from (a) ministers to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments were processed with substantive advice within 15 working days and (b) all other crown servants at SCS3 or equivalent and above were processed with in 20 workings days of receipt of that application; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that future applications under the Business Appointments Rules are processed quickly. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The latest report from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments for its work between 2020 and 2024 sets out the proportion of cases completed within the 15 and 20 working day timelines, for ministers and crown servants, at page 6: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/669923de0808eaf43b50d22c/Advisory_Committee_on_Business_Appointments-21st_Report_-_April_2020_to_March_2024_PDF.pdf

The Government is determined to create a more efficient and responsive system, for example by streamlining the application process for roles where there is lower threat to the integrity of Government, such as journalism, media appearances, and academia.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has provided guidance on whether Ministerial meetings arranged through the Labour Infrastructure Forum should be declared in Ministerial transparency returns. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Ministerial Code sets out principles for Ministers on meetings with external organisations.

Guidance published by the Cabinet Office at the following link sets out the information departments are required to publish as part of their Ministerial transparency return: -https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministers-overseas-travel-and-meetings-publication-guidance/ministers-overseas-travel-and-meetings-publication-guidance.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 May 2025 to Question 53094 on Second Homes: Council Tax, whether his Department has issued guidance on applying for a job-related (a) council tax second homes discount and (b) exemption from the council tax second homes premium on Ministerial residences. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Cabinet Office has not issued any such guidance.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 66650 on Industrial Disputes, what guidance his Department provides on undertaking Ministerial duties in 70 Whitehall during periods of strike action by (a) staff and (b) contractors who work in 70 Whitehall. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: No such guidance has been issued by the Cabinet Office.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the letter from the Director General of the Cabinet Office Propriety and Constitution Group of 24 July 2025 to the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton, what his planned timetable is for the updated guidance to special advisers on what support can be provided to different types of events during periods of sensitivity in the run up to local elections. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: Elections guidance for civil servants, including special advisers, is kept under review and will be published in advance of local elections in 2026.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the letter to the Hon Member for Thirsk and Malton from the Director General of the Propriety & Constitution Group of 23 June 2025, if he will provide guidance to departments from the Propriety and Ethics Team on ensuring that the political impartiality of the police is upheld in future events involving Ministers. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: Elections guidance for civil servants is kept under review and published in advance of the relevant election period.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 25855 on Business Interests, what progress his Department has made on reviewing and updating the post-government employment rules. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: I refer the member to the written statement that was provided to the House by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 21 July 2025 (HCWS870).

Further information on the new Business Appointment Rules process will be published when it becomes operational on 13 October 2025.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to ensure that people who are white British are eligible to apply for all (a) government and (b) (i) MI5 and (ii) MI6 summer internships. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: A range of internships exist across government, any decisions relating to eligibility are taken in line with the CS Commission rules and in accordance with UK Employment Law. Specifically relating to the CS Summer Internship Programme, as set out in August, it will be exclusively for undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds for 2026. White British people that meet the eligibility criteria for the Summer Internship Programme will be able to apply.

The intelligence agencies, as with any arm to the Civil Service, must take any decisions seeking to improve the diversity of their workforce in-line with UK law and in adherence with the relevant measures of the Equalities Act 2010. These measures permit employers to take specific actions to enable or encourage those with protected characteristics to apply for particular roles. Such action is considered lawful and includes both individuals from White minority backgrounds, those from socially or economically underrepresented groups and those from an ethnic minority background.
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Alex Sobel:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage (a) allergen awareness and (b) cross-contamination training for staff in (i) hospitality and (ii) food service businesses. \p Ashley Dalton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) regularly runs campaigns to raise awareness of allergens for both consumers and businesses.

In March 2025, the FSA published new best practice guidance to help food businesses provide clearer written allergen information for those in hospitality, such as restaurants. This is available at the following link:

https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/allergen-information-for-non-prepacked-foods-best-practice-summary

It is recommended that this is supported by a conversation with the consumer. Additional guidance includes the ‘Safer Food Better Business’ guide, along with the FSA’s ‘Food allergen labelling and information requirements technical guidance’.

The FSA is dedicated to improving the provision of information for people with allergies and working with food businesses to increase allergen training in the sector. Free training is provided on the FSA website for local authorities and food businesses, including those working in hospitality and food service. The training covers all aspects of allergen management, including mitigating and communicating the risk of allergen cross-contamination.

Under food safety regulations, businesses are expected to ensure their staff are competent in managing allergens. The FSA training has proved to be very popular, with 915,238 users since the launch of the platform in September 2020, and the FSA is currently working to improve the offering.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle health inequalities through the implementation of the 10 Year Health Plan. \p Ashley Dalton: The 10-Year Health Plan has set out a long-term vision to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future. Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the NHS is there for anyone who needs it whenever they need it.

We know everyday life poses greater health risks to the most disadvantaged in society, and that the current model of care works least well for those who already experience disadvantage and are far more likely to have complex needs.

To help tackle this, we will distribute NHS funding more equally locally, so it is better aligned with health need. And we will establish a neighbourhood health centre in every community, beginning with places where healthy life expectancy is lowest. Neighbourhood health centres will co-locate NHS, local authority and voluntary sector services, to help create an offer that meets population need.

Neighbourhood health will redesign and join up existing health and care services. General practice leaders will be pivotal in shaping and delivering these new services that require working across several different neighbourhoods, supported by two optional contracts to be introduced from 2026.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to hold discussions with the hospitality sector on the promotion non-sugar sweeteners. \p Ashley Dalton: Most people are regularly consuming double the recommended amount of free sugars. Diets high in sugar increase the risk of tooth decay and weight gain. Being overweight or living with obesity is associated with a range of negative health impacts such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some kinds of cancers.

On 2 April 2025, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published its position statement on the World Health Organisation guideline on non-sugar sweeteners. SACN concluded that the evidence of risk to health, including type 2 diabetes, from consuming non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) is inconsistent. SACN also made a precautionary recommendation that intakes of NSS should be minimised. As there is greater certainty of the negative impact of sugars on health, including type 2 diabetes, SACN recommended that “swapping sugars for NSS may help reduce sugar intake from foods and drinks (and so reduce energy intake), at least in the short term. The long-term goal is to limit both sugar and NSS intake”.

It is up to businesses to decide whether they choose to use NSS when reformulating products to reduce sugar levels. While some businesses have used them, others have chosen not to which may be due to legislative restrictions on their use in some products or in recognition of consumer preferences. It is recognised, though, that there are benefits in businesses not using NSS as this maintains a highly sweet taste in a food or drink and does not allow people’s palates to adapt to a less sugary taste. This applies to businesses in all sectors.

The Soft Drinks Industry Levy has led to reductions of 47% in sugar levels in drinks in scope. Much of this reduction has been delivered by using NSS. Many reformulated drinks are available in the out of home sector as well as supermarkets.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) access to stoma nurses, (b) psychological services and (c) home delivery of supplies does the NHS provide to people living with a stoma. \p Ashley Dalton: National Health Service Talking Therapies Long Term Conditions Services provide evidence-based psychological therapies for people with depression and anxiety disorders, who also have a long-term physical health condition, such as those living with a stoma. All integrated care boards (ICBs) are expected to expand services locally by commissioning NHS Talking Therapies services integrated into physical healthcare pathways.

ICBs are legally responsible for commissioning the majority of health services, including stoma-related services like home delivery of supplies, in accordance with their populations’ health needs.

The Department does not hold the information requested on access to stoma nurses.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of providing NHS standard hearing tests to children in primary schools in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) England. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is an independent scientific advisory committee advising Ministers and the National Health Service about all aspects of population and targeted screening. It reviewed screening children for hearing problems in 2019 and did not recommend school age screening unless already implemented in an area. A summary of the recommendations conclusions is available at the following link:

https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/hearing-child/

We would encourage anyone with concerns about their child’s hearing to speak with their general practitioner.

The NHS does, however, run a national newborn hearing screening programme offering screening to all babies in England ideally within the first four to five weeks after they are born. The test can be done for babies up to the age of three months old. Newborn hearing screening aims to identify permanent moderate, severe and profound deafness and hearing impairment in newborn babies.
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John Whitby:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support the provision of mobile breast cancer screening units. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government fully supports the use of mobile breast screening units where they are deemed appropriate. Mobile units support reduction of health inequalities by providing access to screening in areas where local people have difficulty accessing static screening units.
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Leigh Ingham:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking to support the widest possible implementation of the Play Well Toolkit. \p Ashley Dalton: We recognise the importance of supporting and maintaining children’s right to play, as games and active play in all settings build social skills and support children’s wellbeing. The Play Well toolkit that was recently jointly launched by NHS England and the charity Starlight helps services to identify opportunities to improve health play services.

While funding decisions for health play services remain the responsibility of local commissioners, the Department remains supportive of NHS England’s work to continue to champion the toolkit and the importance of child-centred care across healthcare settings.

To support implementation, NHS England is promoting the Play Well toolkit to managers of health play services across a wide range of settings, including community clinics, emergency departments, children’s hospices, and acute paediatric wards.

A range of communication channels have been used to raise awareness, including engagement with services via professional bodies, messaging via the Chief Nursing Officer, and a forthcoming blog post and press release in partnership with Starlight. Starlight will be co-leading a webinar with NHS England this month to raise awareness of the toolkit.
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle health inequalities in coastal communities, in the context of the Chief Medical Officer’s annual report 2021: health in coastal communities, published on 21 July 2021. \p Ashley Dalton: The Chief Medical Officer in his 2023 Annual Report made clear that future health and care needs will vary significantly, with the populations of rural, semi-rural and coastal areas more likely to experience worse health outcomes. In the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government commits to reducing the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest areas by tackling health inequalities and the social determinants of health.

The Department will address under performance in areas with the worst health outcomes, including coastal communities, where access is often poor. National Health Service regions are compiling action plans for each provider in these areas to begin improvements.
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Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to (a) review and (b) update the automatic breast screening programme policy for women aged 70 and above as part of his National Cancer Plan. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department is not planning a review and update of the policy on breast screening for women aged over 70 as part of the National Cancer Plan. The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is an independent scientific advisor to Ministers and the National Health Service about all aspects of population and targeted screening.

The NHS breast screening programme does not automatically invite women for breast screening if they are 71 or over because there is a lack of evidence around the balance of benefit versus harm of screening women above this age. Women can still have breast screening every three years if they want to, by calling their local breast screening service to ask for an appointment.

The UK NSC recognises that screening programmes are not static and that, over time, they may need to change to be more effective.  Work is underway within the breast screening programme to investigate the possibility of routinely screening above the currently recommended age. The AgeX research trial has been looking at the effectiveness of offering some women one extra screen between the ages of 47 and 49, and one between the ages of 71 and 73. It is the biggest trial of its kind ever to be undertaken and will provide robust evidence about the effectiveness of screening in these age groups, including the benefit and harms. The UK NSC will review the publication of the age extension trial when it reports.

Furthermore, early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan, which will build on the three shifts in care set out in the 10-Year Health Plan to diagnose cancers earlier. Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it easier for people to access cancer screening, diagnostic and treatment services in patients’ local areas.
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Leigh Ingham:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to mark Play in Healthcare Week 2025. \p Ashley Dalton: We recognise the importance of supporting children's right to play as games and play help build social-skills and support children’s wellbeing. In October 2025, the Starlight Children's Foundation will mark Play in Healthcare Week, celebrating 50 years of play and highlighting its importance for children in healthcare settings. Together with NHS England, Starlight co-published the Play Well Toolkit, which is designed to help services enhance the quality of health play provision.

The Department remains supportive of the Starlight Foundation and NHS England’s work to champion that toolkit and promote child-centred care across healthcare settings and encourages work to publicise its use during this week.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 August 2025 to Question 68411 on Electronic Cigarettes: Bus Stops, for what reason he has considered banning vaping inside pubs. \p Ashley Dalton: Whilst vapes are less harmful than smoking and can be an effective quit aid for adult smokers, they are not harm-free and the long-term health impacts of vaping are unknown. Vapes release an aerosol that exposes people to nicotine and potential toxicants, and it is important that we act to protect people from these potential health harms.

Many businesses and enclosed public places, including pubs, already have voluntary schemes in place to prohibit vape usage inside their premises.

We plan to consult on making most indoor settings, that are subject to existing smoke-free legislation, vape-free. We will provide stakeholders with notice of when consultation processes are due to happen.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to build (a) robust and (b) sustainable partnerships with (i) cancer charities, (ii) community organisations and (iii) people with lived experience of cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 September 2025 to Question 69805.
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Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timeline is for the implementation of mandatory health labelling on alcohol products in England; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of delays to similar labelling legislation in Ireland. \p Ashley Dalton: In the 10-Year Health Plan, 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.

Departmental officials are progressing this work, and at the appropriate time we will consult with stakeholders on the best ways to communicate the necessary information on the health risks to consumers through alcohol labels. As we take forward this work, we will consider emerging evidence and practice from other countries, including Ireland.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the change in obesity rates has been among young adults in the last 10 years. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England publishes data from the Health Survey for England (HSE) which collects data annually on measured height and weight of adults in England which is used to calculate the prevalence of obesity in the population.

The following table shows the prevalence of obesity among young adults aged between 16 and 24 years old from 2012 to 2022, the latest period for which data is available:

Survey year

Percentage of adults aged between 16 and 24 years old living with obesity

2012

13.1%

2013

11.1%

2014

10.8%

2015

16.4%

2016

11.3%

2017

15.5%

2018

13.5%

2019

12.9%

2020

no data

2021

7.9%

2022

13.9%

Source: HSE

Notes:

Obesity prevalence among young adults has remained stable in the last 10 years, with some variation in the estimates which may be due to the small sample size of the HSE when split by age. It is expected that data from the 2024 survey will be published in early 2026.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of providing NHS standard eye tests to children in primary school in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) England. \p Stephen Kinnock: The UK National Screening Committee recommends vision screening in school for children aged between four and five years old to look for reduced vision in one or both eyes.

Free National Health Service sight tests are also widely available for children under 16 years old and under 19 years old in full time education from high street optical practices. To address challenges with access to high street NHS sight testing services faced by children with learning disabilities and/or autism, integrated care boards are now able to commission NHS sight tests in special educational settings across England.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of GP practices had signed up to the Advice and Guidance scheme by 30 April 2025 in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The specific information requested is not held centrally by the Department as it is held at individual integrated care board (ICB) level. Buckingham and Bletchley constituency is served by two different ICBs, namely Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire & West Berkshire ICB and Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB.
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Peter Fortune:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has a target of number of registered patients per GP. \p Stephen Kinnock: Each general practice is required to provide services to meet the reasonable needs of their patients. There is no NHS England recommendation for how many patients a general practitioner (GP) should have assigned, or the ratio of GPs or other practice staff to patients. The demands each patient places on their general practice are different and can be affected by many different factors, including rurality and patient demographics. It is necessary to consider the workforce for each practice as a whole; not only GPs but also the range of health professionals available who are able to respond to the needs of their patients.
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Peter Fortune:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure areas with high levels of housebuilding have adequate GP capacity. \p Stephen Kinnock: The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practice (GP), in each local area. It should take account of population growth and demographic changes. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning, namely planning, securing, and monitoring, GP services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England.

Local planning authorities are responsible for negotiating and agreeing developer contributions to support necessary associated infrastructure when new housing developments are built, including GP practices. At a national level, we continue to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure all new and existing developments have an adequate level of healthcare infrastructure for the community.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with hospice providers on the increase in financial pressures they face. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant. In 2024/25 and 2025/26, this funding was administered via integrated care boards in line with National Health Service devolution.

The Department and NHS England are looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care, including hospice provision, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

The Government and the NHS will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, including from hospices, to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required changes to palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams. Hospices will play an important role in that shift.

The Department and NHS England will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, to understand the issues and pressures they face.
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Mr Luke Charters:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to p.15 of the 10 Year Health Plan for England, what his Department's timetable is for publishing further details on the national maternity and neonatal taskforce; and whether that taskforce will focus on multiple pregnancies. \p Karin Smyth: The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will be chaired by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and will take forward the recommendations from the independent investigation into maternity and neonatal care to develop a national plan to drive improvements.

The taskforce will be made up of a breadth of independent clinical and international expertise, including those who can speak to the inequalities within maternal health, as well as family and staff representatives, charities and campaigners.

Once the independent investigation is underway, my Rt. Hon. Friend will work with families and external partners to set up the taskforce including its terms of reference and membership. These will be published in due course.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure clearer support pathways for women experiencing the menopause. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises that women suffering from symptoms of menopause have been failed for far too long, and we acknowledge the impact it has on women’s lives, relationships and participation in the workplace.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published their updated guideline on 7 November 2024 and recommended more treatment choices for menopause symptoms.

Women’s health hubs are an effective model for improving access to and experiences of care for women and include menopause as an essential service. That is why the hub in Tower Hamlets was included in the 10 Year Health Plan as a best practice example to guide the shift to neighbourhood health. As of March 2025, 41 of the 42 integrated care boards in England reported to NHS England that they had a women’s health hub.
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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the availability of ADHD medications. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: 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, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January to Question 25553 on Methylphenidate Shortages, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the current supply of methylphenidate for ADHD. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: 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.