theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Kirsteen Sullivan:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of trends in the cost of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) since January 2025 on the aviation sector’s (a) competitiveness and (b) progress towards increasing SAF production in the UK. \p Mike Kane: When setting SAF policy, we have to carefully balance a range of factors including potential cost impacts on airlines and passengers and the need to drive decarbonisation across the transport sector.

We continue to monitor trends in the SAF market and will review our assumptions where necessary when developing policies such as the revenue certainty mechanism which aims to support SAF production in the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-14)

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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure (a) equal and (b) fair access to driving test appointments for candidates who are unable to travel outside their local areas. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.

DVSA is committed to providing its customers with the best service possible and continually reviews its estate to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient.

DVSA’s booking service is live, and candidates are advised to check for new appointments regularly. Test appointments are released on a rolling 24-week basis, and slots are added as soon as they become available.

On 28 May, the DVSA launched a public consultation on improving the rules for booking car driving tests. The aim of the consultation is to make test booking fairer, stop people charging extra fees to book tests and simplify the system for learners and approved driving instructors (ADI).

From recruitment campaigns, since July 2024, the DVSA has onboarded, and started on a training course, 347 Driving Examiner candidates. Of whom 200 have completed training and have successfully been placed at test centres, 67 candidates are currently in training and 80 candidates failed to complete the training course.

DVSA will continue to assess recruitment needs of all test centres in Great Britain when it launches any future recruitment campaigns.

The table below shows the number of car practical driving tests conducted as a result of overtime, since December 2024.

Overtime tests conducted

December 2024

12,223

January 2025

15,194

February 2025

18,661

March 2025

20,751

April 2025

18,751

May 2025

20,433

June 2025

28,541
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Ruth Cadbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on reducing the level of bike thefts. \p Simon Lightwood: The Secretary of State for Transport has not had any recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on reducing the level of bike thefts but I am aware that cycle theft is a major problem, particularly where expensive cycles are concerned, and that the fear of having a bike stolen can act as a serious deterrent to those who might otherwise want to take up cycling.

Active Travel England is providing funding for local authorities to introduce secure cycle parking. Ultimately, enforcement of cycle theft is an operational matter for the police.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the (a) safety and (b) accessibility of road networks in rural areas in Mid Leicestershire constituency; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of development on road networks between settlements. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. To this end, my Department is developing its Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course.

Local government is the main delivery agent of road safety. The responsibility to implement, fund, deliver, promote and enforce local road safety initiatives remains with the Local Authorities under the 1988 Road Traffic Act. It is for the local council to decide what measures may be appropriate in their local area to “take steps both to reduce and prevent accidents”.

Local authorities are also responsible for the management of local roads, within the rules set by Government, including setting local speed limits where the national limit would not be appropriate. Local highway authorities are bound by the Public Sector Equality Duty and it is for them to ensure they manage their roads in a way that complies with that, including assessing potential impacts of development on road networks in their area.

Local authorities are best placed to decide on delivery of road safety initiatives, because of their knowledge of the roads for which they are responsible. We aid local authorities by providing guidance and initiatives such as our flagship road safety campaign, THINK!
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Kevin Bonavia:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason her Department introduced mandatory renewal of driving licenses for drivers over 70 and every subsequent three years. \p Lilian Greenwood: The requirement for driving entitlement to be renewed at the age of 70 and then at most every three years thereafter has been in place since 1976. Prior to this all drivers had been required to renew their driving entitlement every three years. Renewal at the age of 70 recognises that a person’s health may deteriorate in ways that affect driving. The driving licence renewal process provides a timely reminder to individuals to consider their health in the context of driving.

All drivers, irrespective of their age, must still ensure they are medically fit to drive at all times and are legally required to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency about the onset or worsening of a medical condition that could affect safe driving.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 04 July 2025 to Question 64211, on High Speed 2 Line: Compulsory Purchase, if she will extend those compulsory purchase powers until February 2031. \p Lilian Greenwood: The government's priority is the safe delivery of HS2 Phase 1 between the West Midlands and London Euston at the lowest reasonable cost. Whilst we will not reverse the previous government’s decision to cancel Phase 2, we recognise concerns about rail capacity and connectivity between Birmingham and Manchester. We are reviewing our plans for future connectivity in the Midlands and the North, and we hope to say more in the coming months, including our plans for land and property between Birmingham and Crewe.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she considered including Marks Tey railway station in the rail access for all feasibility studies. \p Simon Lightwood: This government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities.

In May 2024, the previous government selected 50 stations for initial feasibility work for potential upgrades as part of our Access for All programme. This did not include Marks Tey Railway station. We expect to provide an update to stakeholders further during the summer.
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the freight throughput was in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) passing through Felixstowe port in the most recent 12 months for which data are available; and how many and what proportion of those TEUs were transported out of the port by rail by destination distribution centre in the same period. \p Mike Kane: Container throughput passing through Felixstowe port in the calendar year 2023 was 3.246 million TEU.

Source: DfT Port Freight Statistics 2023. Data for the 2024 will be published 30th July 2025.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6698eaf1fc8e12ac3edaff36/port0203.ods

The Department for Transport does not periodically collect data on hinterland movement of freight from seaports and therefore cannot provide the proportion of TEU that was transported out of the port by rail by destination distribution centre in the same period.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on plans for the A120 dualling scheme, in the context of the cancellation of the A12 widening scheme. \p Lilian Greenwood: Working closely with local partners, National Highways has developed options to improve the A120 between Braintree and Marks Tey as part of the pipeline of projects being developed for possible delivery in a future Road Investment Strategy. Schemes in the RIS pipeline are uncommitted, and the Department will need to take decisions on which are the most viable for delivery. The Department expects to confirm which schemes remain in the Pipeline, and which will continue to be developed, when RIS3 is published early next year.
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Jacob Collier:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on their use of her Department's connectivity tool in (a) plan-making and (b) decision-taking. \p Mike Kane: The Connectivity Tool was launched on 26 June and is free to use by all local authorities via the gov.uk website. The tool is jointly badged with the MHCLG and has been explicitly designed in collaboration with local authorities to help inform their plans, strategies and decisions. This landmark platform will serve as the new national metric of connectivity, transforming how we plan for new development and the transport infrastructure needed to support it.
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Natalie Fleet:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when HS2 safeguarding measures will be removed from land in Bolsover constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government is thoroughly reviewing the position it has inherited on HS2 and wider rail infrastructure before setting out more detailed plans in due course, including future plans for HS2 Phase 2b Eastern Leg safeguarding.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of deaths from late diagnosis of prostate cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department remains committed to diagnosing all cancer types earlier, including prostate cancer. We recognise that there is more to be done to ensure that patients have timely access to diagnosis and treatment.

To combat late diagnosis, the Government is investing £16 million towards the Prostate Cancer UK-led TRANSFORM screening trial, which is seeking to find ways to catch prostate cancer in men as early as possible.

The Department will publish a National Cancer Plan which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients in England, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, and ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. The overarching goal is to drive up this country’s cancer survival rates and provide a National Health Service that is there when you need it.
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times he has met Baroness Casey since (a) 5 July 2024 and (b) 3 January 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, engages with Baroness Louise Casey regularly on a number of issues, including adult social care.

The commission is independent, and Baroness Casey has the autonomy to define her own engagement plans, including with ministers, based on what she believes is most appropriate for the commission’s work.
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Valerie Vaz:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether physician (a) associates and (b) assistants are permitted to (i) discuss (A) Do Not Resuscitate and (B) Respect forms with patients at (1) NHS trusts and (2) GP surgeries and (ii) initiate conversations on end of life. \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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Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were waiting for treatment from community mental health services in the West Midlands in the latest period for which data is available. \p Stephen Kinnock: Since July 2023, NHS England has included waiting time metrics for referrals to community-based mental health services in its monthly mental health statistics publication, to help services target the longest waits. Data in the Mental Health Services Dataset is known to be incomplete and these figures may be an undercount. Information on patients waiting to access NHS Talking Therapies services is not included. The latest information on wait times for NHS Talking Therapies is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-talking-therapies-monthly-statistics-including-employment-advisors
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Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle mental health barriers to employment in Bournemouth. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department of Health and Social Care is committed to cutting mental health waiting lists and intervening earlier with more timely mental health support, to help people stay in work or return to work to grow the economy and support people to thrive.

Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies services bring together employment advice and support within local services, including those available to people in Bournemouth. Therapists and employment advisors support people with common mental health conditions who are in work but who are struggling or facing difficulties in the workplace, off work sick, or who are looking for work.

In addition, the Department for Work and Pensions has announced a £1 billion employment support package to support more people with health conditions, including mental ill health, back into work, unlocking opportunity and growing the economy as part of the Plan for Change.
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Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce wait times for (a) assessment and (b) diagnosis of ADHD in Greater Manchester. \p Stephen Kinnock: NHS England has established an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) taskforce which is bringing together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June 2025, with the final report expected to be published later in the year.

For the first time, NHS England published management information on ADHD waits at a national level on 29 May 2025 as part of its ADHD data improvement plan. NHS England has also released technical guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) to improve the recording of ADHD data, with a view to improving the quality of ADHD waits data and publishing more localised data in future. NHS England has also captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.

The Greater Manchester ICB has recently conducted reviews of both children and young people’s and adult ADHD pathways. The ICB has been working with people with lived experience and has developed new service models which aim to provide earlier, fairer, and more effective ADHD support locally. The ICB expects to begin implementing these pathway changes in the coming months.
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of hours spent by (a) his Department and (b) Baroness Casey’s review team on the review since (a) 5 July 2024 and (b) 3 January 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Dr Ben Spencer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of supporting the amendments tabled by the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is neutral on the matter of assisted dying and the passage of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

The Government has a responsibility to make sure that any legislation that passes through Parliament is effective and enforceable. Assessments were made of individual amendments to the bill to inform advice to Parliament on their workability, where major workability concerns were identified.

The bill, and decisions on amendments, remains a matter for Parliament.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the gender gap in neurodiversity diagnosis in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) Somerset and (c) England. \p Stephen Kinnock: We recognise that diagnosis rates of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are lower in women and girls and lower than the best evidence on prevalence. This may reflect differences in how autism and ADHD present in males and females, which may make these conditions more difficult to identify in women and girls.

Some information on autism and ADHD diagnosis rates by gender can be taken from the Health and Care of People with Learning Disabilities, Experimental Statistics 2023 to 2024, published by NHS England, and based on 54.7% of registered patients. This data shows that 0.82% of females have an autism diagnosis recorded on their general practice (GP) record, whereas for males it is 1.84%. For ADHD, 0.9% of women had an ADHD diagnosis on their GP record, compared to 1.6% of men.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines on autism and ADHD set out considerations for clinicians when assessing for autism or ADHD, including highlighting that autism and ADHD may be under-recognised in women and girls.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce delays in adult social care assessments for hospital discharge. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Urgent and Emergency Care plan for 2025/26, published by NHS England, has set a priority that hospitals should tackle the delays in patients waiting to be discharged. The plan asks systems to set local performance targets by discharge pathway and eliminate internal discharge delays of more than 48 hours in all settings.

For 2025/26, £9 billion is available through the Better Care Fund to provide services, including those which help reduce delayed discharges. All health and wellbeing boards are required to set goals to reduce discharge delays, which will be used to monitor performance and drive accountability throughout 2025/26.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will bring forward legislative proposals for unpaid carers to claim respite breaks in West Dorset constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.

The Better Care Fund includes funding that can be used for carer support, including short breaks and respite services. Local areas determine how the money is best used to support carers, depending on local need and with reference to their statutory responsibilities.

We have launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission will start a national conversation about what care and support working age adults, older people, and their families expect from adult social care, including exploring the needs of unpaid carers, who provide vital care and support.

In addition, through measures in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are equipping and supporting carers by making them more visible, empowering their voices in care planning, joining up services, and streamlining their caring tasks by introducing a new ‘MyCarer’ section to the NHS App.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of access to CAMHS services for special educational needs and disabilities children in Lincolnshire. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board is responsible for commissioning National Health Service mental health services to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities across Lincolnshire.

The 10-Year Health Plan for England sets out how we will work with schools and colleges to better identify and meet children's mental health needs by delivering mental health support teams to cover 100% of pupils by 2029/30.

It also sets out the core principle of early intervention and support, without the need for diagnosis, and that this particularly applies for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. In the autumn, the Government will bring forward a white paper for schools setting out the Government’s approach to special educational needs and disabilities reform, ensuring joined-up support for children and young people. This will include education and healthcare providers working together with other local services to plan and deliver evidence-based early interventions for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
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Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve residents' mental health in coastal communities. \p Stephen Kinnock: We know that too many people living and working in coastal communities are not receiving the mental health care and support they need.

The 10-Year Health Plan for England sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country so that the right people get the right support, at the right time. We will invest up to £120 million to bring the number of mental health emergency departments to approximately 85. People will get better access to mental health support and advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week directly through the NHS App, including self-referral for talking therapies, without needing a general practice appointment.  In addition, the Government is committed to working beyond the health system to create an environment that promotes good mental health, prevents people from developing mental health problems, and improves the lives of people living with a mental health problem.
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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase rates of cervical screening amongst women from (a) deprived areas, (b) ethnic minority backgrounds and those with limited access to health education. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England launched its first ever cervical cancer elimination creative campaign and communications toolkit for Cervical Screening Awareness Week, which took place between 16 and 24 June 2025. The campaign included digital resources that create a strong sense of shared responsibility and aim to increase awareness of the elimination goal, educate the public, and build confidence in cervical screening.

In March 2025, NHS England published its Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England, setting out how the National Health Service will improve equitable uptake and coverage across cervical screening to meet the goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. NHS England will build on what is already working well to drive vaccination and screening uptake and coverage, focussing on five cross-cutting themes: increasing access; raising awareness; reducing inequalities; improving digital capabilities; and strengthening workforce capacity. Further information on the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cervical-cancer-elimination-by-2040-plan-for-england/

From early 2026, screening providers in the NHS Cervical Screening Programme in England will be able to offer human papillomavirus self-sampling kits to women if they have not attended their appointment for six months or more following routine invitation.

Barriers to cervical screening for underserved communities and people who experience health inequalities must continue to be addressed. This will include identifying groups using national and local level data who may be at higher risk of developing cervical cancer, to inform national initiatives, such as tailored screening invitations, and support local service planning.
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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of extending the intervals between cervical screenings on instances of cervical cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Southport on 30 June 2025 to Question 60149.
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Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2025 to Question 18835 on Pharmacy and with reference to the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework: 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026, published on 31 March 2025, whether he plans to respond to the consultation entitled Pharmacy supervision; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changing the policy requiring a pharmacist to be present for bagged medication to be handed over on pharmacy costs. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government will shortly publish its response to the public consultation entitled Pharmacy Supervision. An impact assessment will be published alongside draft legislation, on the legislation.GOV.UK website, at the following link:

www.legislation.gov.uk
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review the rules that allow private companies working in the NHS to avoid paying VAT. \p Karin Smyth: HM Treasury is committed to implementing the Public Sector Value Added Tax (VAT) reform which will remove the current disparity for VAT recovery between National Health Service trusts and private companies working in the NHS.
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Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the Cass Review on trans people under the age of 18. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to implementing the Cass Review in full to ensure that children and young people get the safe and holistic care they need.

NHS England closed the Gender Identity Development Service on 31 March 2024 and opened new, regional southern and northern services on 1 April 2024, operating under a new delivery model headed up by a multi-disciplinary team. A third clinic opened in Bristol on 4 November 2024. These services have started taking patients off the national waiting list. NHS England has committed to a further three services by 2026.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the funding provided for local authority adult social care services in the Spending Review 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government assessed the impact of the cost pressures facing adult social care as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process in 2025. This assessment took account of a range of factors that could affect the delivery of social care services.

The Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. This includes additional grant funding, growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care, and an increase to the National Health Service’s contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund, in line with the Department’s Spending Review settlement.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS dental positions have been advertised under the NHS Golden Hello Scheme; and how many of those have been accepted, by (a) region and (b) month since February 2024. \p Stephen Kinnock: Integrated care boards (ICBs) have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

We do not hold monthly breakdowns on how many National Health Service dental positions have been advertised under the Golden Hello scheme, but as of 6 June 2025, 73 dentists are in post. A further 20 dentists have been recruited but are yet to start in post under this scheme, and a further 230 posts are currently being advertised. ICBs continue to work with practices in their area to support recruitment to these posts.
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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to include (a) national commissioning standards for adult social care, (b) assurance and (c) oversight of adult social care commissioning in the National Care Service. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have launched an independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey. The commission will build a national consensus to create a National Care Service that is productive, preventative, and that gives people who draw on care, and their families and carers, more power in the system.

The commission's Terms of Reference are sufficiently broad enough to enable Baroness Casey to define its remit to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future, including the approach to commissioning, assurance, and oversight.

In the interim, we are making tangible improvements to lay the foundations for a National Care Service that will enable more people to live independently and make social care more productive. This includes driving ‘home first’ as the default option for receiving care. We have introduced a new Better Care Fund framework, for example, setting out that the National Health Service and local authorities should work together to set and meet goals, and we are backing care technologies by making it easier for everyone to identify and buy trusted solutions that help people live independently.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has powers under the Health and Care Act 2022 to assess how well local authorities in England are performing against their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including their duties relating to market shaping and commissioning. Formal assessments commenced in December 2023, and as of June 2025, the CQC has published over 40 local authority assessments. You can view their assessment of individual local authorities via published reports on the CQC’s website.
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James Asser:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to NHS dentistry in (a) England, (b) London and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the West Ham and Beckton constituency, this is the NHS North East London ICB. ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The North East London ICB is expected to deliver 17,452 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.

ICBs have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
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Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of social prescribing on (a) reducing GP appointments and (b) improving patient wellbeing in (i) mental health and (ii) social isolation. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government has underlined its commitment to taking a preventive approach to address health inequalities. We are determined to improve people’s physical and mental health, to support them to live longer and healthier lives, and we recognise the role that social prescribing can play in this.  The Department funds the workforce through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, including social prescribing link workers in primary care. In March 2025, the Department agreed to a further year of grant funding for the National Academy for Social Prescribing, securing £1.5 million to advance and expand social prescribing.

The Health Mission specifically cites social prescribing as one of the services that can form part of the multi-disciplinary teams in neighbourhood health centres. The Neighbourhood Health Service has six initial core components, and social prescribing directly relates to both population health management and neighbourhood multidisciplinary teams.

We will soon launch the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme, which will support systems across the country to test new ways of working, share learning, and scale what works, making neighbourhood health the norm, not the exception.

The Department has commissioned national research into different workstreams for social prescribing.
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Josh Babarinde:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of available general practice appointments in Eastbourne. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is determined to work with the National Health Service to fix the front door of our health service and ensure that everyone can access general practice (GP) appointments and services, including in Eastbourne. Through our 10-Year Health Plan, it will be easier and faster to see a GP. The 8:00am scramble will end, we will train more doctors, and we will guarantee digital consultations within 24 hours.

In October 2024, we invested £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of 1,900 individual GPs into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients.   We have also delivered the biggest boost to GP funding in years, an £889 million uplift, with GPs now receiving a growing share of National Health Service resources. Additionally, the new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 practices across England. This investment will deliver more appointments and improve patient care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-14)

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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve palliative care in the context of assisted dying. \p Stephen Kinnock: Irrespective of any legislation on assisted dying, we must continue to work towards creating a society where every person who needs it receives high-quality, compassionate palliative and end of life care. The Government will shift the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community and we recognise that it is vital to include palliative care and end of life care in this shift.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services that integrated care boards (ICBs) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative care and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England for 2024/25 and 2025/26 to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. Additionally, we are providing children and young people’s hospices with £26 million of revenue funding for 2025/26.

Earlier this year, I met with key palliative care and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format, with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.
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Carla Denyer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 60392 on Ophthalmic Services, if he will have discussions with the (a) Welsh and (b) Scottish governments on the requirement for pre-visit notifications for domiciliary eye care services. \p Stephen Kinnock: There are no current plans to have discussions with the Welsh or Scottish administrations about the requirement for pre-visit notifications for domiciliary eye care services in England.
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David Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to support adult social care in rural areas. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government recognises the challenges facing adult social care and is taking action to improve the system across the country, including in rural areas. We have launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service, and are also taking forward a package of reforms to enable more people to live independently for longer.

We are also updating the Adult Social Care Relative Needs Formula for the first time since 2013/14 to ensure adult social care funding reflects an up-to-date assessment of need. Our proposals are set out in the Fair Funding Review 2.0 consultation document, a consultation on local government funding reform which sets out our plans for ensuring central Government funding is allocated to the places that need it most, ensuring the best value for money for the Government and taxpayers. This wider consultation includes proposals to more effectively account for variations in the relative cost and demand of delivering services between rural and urban areas. We are proposing to do this by considering the remoteness of an area alongside its accessibility in the Area Cost Adjustment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-14)

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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to commission new services from community pharmacy in the context of changes to supervision. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.

We are committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and to better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists.

Future decisions on service arrangements for community pharmacies beyond 2025/26 are subject to the current Spending Review. As is custom and practice, the Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on expanding the pharmacy workforce. \p Stephen Kinnock: To support employers in developing their staff and delivering quality National Health Services, NHS England provides a number of fully funded national training opportunities for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. This includes independent prescriber training, clinical examination skills, and training the next generation of education supervisors.

Later this year, we will publish a new workforce plan to ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-14)

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David Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Neighbourhood Health Service on dental services in rural constituencies. \p Stephen Kinnock: On 3 July 2025, the Government announced the 10-Year Health Plan and set out its vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service set up in local communities across the country, to improve access to National Health Services, including NHS dental services.

We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. We will be clear on the outcomes we expect, and will give significant licence to tailor the approach to local need.

Our priority will be to address underperformance and health inequalities in the areas with the worst health outcomes, such as rural and coastal communities, where we know access to healthcare services is often particularly poor.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people with dementia in (a) 2025 and (b) 2029. \p Stephen Kinnock: No specific estimate has been made for the number of people with dementia in 2029.

The Dementia Surveillance Factsheet estimates that, in May 2025, there were 740,640 people aged 65 years old and over estimated to have dementia in England. Of these, 485,653 have been formally diagnosed.

This factsheet uses Primary Care Dementia Data, which replaced the Recorded Dementia Diagnosis data in October 2022.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with the Independent Commission into Adult Social Care on bringing forward the deadline for reporting on each phase of the commission's work. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Independent Commission, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, launched in April, and has already begun its work on how to build an adult social care system fit for the future.

The commission is independent and Baroness Casey has the autonomy to decide when it reports within the timelines set out in the published terms of reference. The first report will be published next year, with the second due by 2028 at the latest.