theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Dan Aldridge:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has any plans to introduce legislation requiring alcoholic beverages to display (a) full ingredient lists and (b) nutritional information in line with the labelling requirements for other food and drink products. \p Ashley Dalton: It is mandatory for alcohol labels to state the product’s strength, namely alcohol by volume, and whether the product contains any of the 14 main allergens. There is also voluntary guidance on communicating the UK Chief Medical Officers' low risk drinking guidelines. There are no current plans to change mandatory labelling requirements on alcoholic products.

A National Institute for Health and Care Research-funded study on alcohol calorie labelling is underway to assess the impact of alcohol calorie labelling on product selection, purchasing, and consumption, which will report in 2026.
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Katie White:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many independent inquiries into maternity care have been conducted by NHS England in the last 20 years; what the key recommendations of those reviews were; and how many of those recommendations have been implemented. \p Karin Smyth: There have been four independent inquiries into maternity and neonatal services provided at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, published in 2015, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, published in 2020 and 2022, and East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, published in 2022. There is also an on-going inquiry into maternity care provided at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, expected to publish in June 2026.

These reviews have uncovered issues at both a local and national level related to failing to listen to women and families, staffing, failing to learn from errors, lack of leadership, compassionate care and teamworking.

These inquiries jointly have approximately 130 recommendations aimed at various areas of the system. The Morecambe Bay report had 44 recommendations in total; 18 recommendations were specifically for the trust, all of which have been implemented, and 26 recommendations were aimed at the wider National Health Service, the majority of which have been addressed and implemented.

The Ockenden review at Shrewsbury and Telford had three key asks for my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, 15 immediate and essential actions to improve maternity care and safety across England and 60 local recommendations for the trust. The inquiry into East Kent had eight recommendations across four key action areas for NHS England, the Government and wider system and one additional recommendation for the trust itself. Most of the remaining recommendations, along with those from other reports, were addressed in NHS England’s Three-year Delivery Plan for maternity and neonatal services, published in 2023, which sets national measures to make care safer, more personalised and more equitable.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many domestically trained applicants were rejected for residency positions with NHS providers in each year since 2020. \p Karin Smyth: The decision to remove the Resident Labour Market Test for doctors in 2020 has meant that more international medical graduates have also been able to apply for speciality training places, increasing the number of candidates for roles.

Residencies, or speciality training positions, are advertised nationally, and the process is administered by a lead deanery on behalf of the four nations of the United Kingdom. There is no obligation on National Health Service providers to advertise residency positions for British nationals before foreign nationals, or to hire British residents before overseas residents. The rules and criteria for recruitment into higher specialty training are agreed by the Medical and Dental Recruitment and Selection committees on behalf of the four statutory education bodies of the UK and must meet standards required by the General Medical Council. Working with NHS England, we continue to keep the selection process for all applicants to medical speciality training under review.

Data provided by NHS England shows that in 2024, 14,620 graduates from UK medical schools applied for medical specialty training posts. Of these 1,299 were unsuccessful or unappointable in any of their applications as individuals can make multiple applications. A further 1,476 UK graduates were deemed appointable at interview but did not receive any offers due to post availability.

Information on medical specialty recruitment in 2021, 2022 and 2023 is published by NHS England. This includes information for each individual medical specialty programme on the number of applications made, the number of appointable applicants, the number of offers made and the number of accepted roles. The information is available by nationality group and country of qualification. The published data does not present this information across all specialties together as presented for the 2024 round. The information is available at the following link:

https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/equality-and-diversity
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which services GIRFT have been reviewing as part of the healthcare system that impacts on Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust in the last two years. \p Karin Smyth: The Getting It Right First Time team has been supporting the One Devon Programme with a particular focus on orthopaedics, spinal surgery, cardiology, gynaecology and ophthalmology services.
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Patrick Hurley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve (a) one year and (b) five year survival rates for cancers of the (i) liver, (ii) lung, (iii) pancreas, (iv) oesophagus and (v) stomach in Cheshire and Merseyside. \p Ashley Dalton: Improving early diagnosis of cancer, which is integral for improving survival rates, is a priority for this government. Rapid diagnostic centres (RDCs), which are designed to speed up the diagnosis of cancer, have now been successfully rolled out across England. RDCs provide a non-specific symptom (NSS) pathway for patients who display symptoms that could indicate cancer but do not align to specific cancers. NSS pathways are very important for diagnosing cancers such as liver, pancreas, oesophagus and stomach cancers whose symptoms may not be obvious and mimic other conditions. NSS pathways complement other cancer diagnostic pathways, as well as providing elements that can be applied to existing pathways.

We set out expectations for renewed focus on cancer targets in the Elective Reform plan, published on 6 January 2025. We have asked systems and providers to identify local opportunities in both community diagnostic centres and hospital based diagnostic services to improve performance against the Faster Diagnosis Standard, to reduce the number of patients waiting too long for a confirmed diagnosis of cancer. Cheshire and Merseyside has been at the forefront of developing the new centres, with 10 across the region.

Furthermore, the Department has also committed support to the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce, which targets cancers with poor survival rates. This partnership focuses on liver, pancreas, lung, brain, oesophagus, and stomach cancers, raising awareness of these less survivable cancers so more people understand their symptoms and go to see their general practitioner if they have concerns. We will build on recent successes, including roll out of the targeted lung screening programme, to diagnose cancer earlier and boost one and five year survival rates. This has already been rolled out to at least five areas of Cheshire and Merseyside and is making a real impact on early detection of lung cancer.

Finally, the recently announced Cancer Plan, which will complement the 10-Year Health Plan and support delivery of the Government’s Health Mission, will set out further actions to improve early diagnosis and transform survival rates, saving thousands of lives and putting us on a stronger footing with our international peers.
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Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to (a) raise awareness of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood within schools and local communities and (b) provide educational materials for parents and professionals on this subject. \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 amongst relevant professionals, communities and parents.

Information on SUDC is available at the following link, which also signposts to SUDC.UK:

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".

Health visitors in particular play a key role in supporting child health, wellbeing, and parenting confidence. We are committed to strengthening health visiting services, ensuring we have the staff needed so parents and families receive appropriate care from the right professional.

Overall, local authorities determine what public health services they fund, to ensure these are tailored to their local needs. The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold the health workforce data for individual local authorities or the training they receive.

In schools, the Department for Education is funding mental health and wellbeing support for school and college leaders. This includes professional supervision and counselling for those who need it. Support continues to be available and can be accessed by visiting the Education Support website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/
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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support women living with arthritis. \p Ashley Dalton: We are committed to prioritising women's health, and we know that musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, including arthritis, disproportionately impact women.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their populations, including women with arthritis. To support this, the Department of Health and Social Care is delivering the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme jointly with NHS England and the Department for Work and Pensions. With a £3.5 million funding boost, GIRFT will work with ICBs to reduce MSK community waiting times, including for women.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also publishes guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of people with long-term conditions for use by healthcare professionals and commissioners. NICE has published guidance to support health and care professionals in the early diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, including for women, which are available at the following links:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng100

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng226
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Education to educate young people on the benefits of active lifestyles. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government recognises the physical and mental health benefits that leading an active lifestyle can bring for all children and young people.

The Department for Education has recently launched an independent curriculum and assessment review that will advocate for a rich, broad, and inclusive curriculum that includes physical education, which the Department of Health and Social Care is also feeding into.
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Paulette Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to support NHS patients on the waiting list with Cardiovascular Disease. \p Ashley Dalton: We have prioritised cutting waiting lists and getting back to the standard that at least 92% of people should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, including those with cardiovascular disease. We recently published the Elective Reform Plan that sets out how we will do this, including optimising clinically led pathways, and shifting care from hospital to community. This will start with five initial specialities, including cardiology.

The Plan also outlines how there will be a reduction in the number of unnecessary cardiology diagnostics, freeing up capacity for those patients who need faster treatment. This will be done by increasing specialist input earlier in care pathways, developing standard pathways for common outpatient presentations, such as palpitation, and increasing timely access to cardiac diagnostic tests, including through straight to test.

Whilst we have already made progress, by delivering on our First Step commitment to provide two million extra appointments, we know there is more to do. We are also prioritising the experience of patients while they wait, as well as throughout their care journey. The Plan sets out how we will support patients with greater choice and control over their care, including options of whether they want to be seen in person or remotely, and whether they want routine follow up appointments, and a commitment to co-develop minimum standards of experience with patients, from which we can build and improve everyone’s experience of care.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the adequacy of access to gluten-free products on people with coeliac disease in rural areas. \p Ashley Dalton: In addition to the wide variety of naturally gluten-free food, a wide range of gluten-free products is now readily available for purchase. The national prescribing position in England remains that gluten free bread and mixes can be provided to coeliac patients in England, including in rural areas, on National Health Service prescription and a wide range of these items continue to be listed in part XV of the Drug Tariff.

Decisions about the commissioning and funding of local health services are the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). NHS England guidance should be considered when ICBs formulate local policies, and prescribers are expected to reflect local policies in their prescribing practice. Guidance does not remove the clinical discretion of prescribers in accordance with their professional duties.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive on lowering the threshold for bowel screening to 50. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises ministers and the National Health Service in the four United Kingdom nations about all aspects of screening. As screening is a devolved matter, it is then for each individual Government to decide on how and whether to implement the UK NSC’s recommendations.
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Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce health disparities amongst ethnic minority communities in the treatment of (a) arthritis and (b) musculoskeletal conditions. \p Ashley Dalton: The Race Equality Foundation’s report, Musculoskeletal conditions and Black, Asian and minority ethnic people: addressing health inequalities, commissioned by what was then Public Health England, identified that some Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups in the United Kingdom are disproportionately represented due to the risk factors for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. MSK pain is more widespread among people in minority ethnic groups that may reflect social, cultural and psychological differences. The report is available at the following link:

https://raceequalityfoundation.org.uk/health-and-care/musculoskeletal-conditions-and-black-asian-and-minority-ethnic-people-addressing-health-inequalities/

We have set a Health Mission with the aim of tackling the social determinants of health such as those described in the report, focusing on prevention, and ensuring that everyone lives longer, healthier lives. We have also committed to delivering a 10-Year Health Plan, which will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed, to move healthcare from the hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention. Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, including for people from minority ethnic groups.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their local population, including for MSK conditions such as arthritis. Under the Health and Care Act 2022, ICBs have a duty to consider reducing inequalities with respect to people’s ability to access services within the National Health Service and the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of those health services, including for people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
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Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory healthiness targets for large supermarket retailers. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children and tackling the three biggest killers which will require effort from across society on not just obesity but alcohol and smoking. We have made a start with Tobacco and Vapes Bill and will continue to speak to partners across industry and civic society to best understand what actions help to change behaviours in a way that puts power in the hands of consumers.

As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, we are committed to achieving our health mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future, and under the 10-Year Health Plan to shift from ‘sickness to prevention’. Making the healthier choice the easier choice is a major part of creating a food environment that is fairer, with the fewest lives lost to the biggest killers and where everyone lives well for longer. Obesity is one of the key drivers of ill health, economic inactivity and premature mortality, as highlighted in the recently published Get Britain Working White Paper.

As part of considerations around mandatory healthiness targets, the Food Data Transparency Partnership (FDTP) was created prior to the 2024 General Election; this was a shared programme of work across the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, and the Food Standards Agency. The FDTP was paused at the election and is being reviewed alongside other obesity policies.
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Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consideration his Department has given to including a separate faster diagnosis target for children and young people with cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: The Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) includes children and young people and ensures that cancer is diagnosed or ruled out, within 28 days from referral. The latest FDS data, for December 2024, shows that 89.8% of children and young people with suspected cancer received a diagnosis or all-clear within 28 days of referral, above the overall FDS rate.

We are committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more children and young people survive. That is why on 4 February 2025, we relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experience. The Taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience

The Taskforce will ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan.
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Imran Hussain:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to expand dietitian-led diabetes prevention programmes in (a) Bradford East constituency and (b) other constituencies with high prevalence rates. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to tackling the burden of diabetes in England and to reduce the variation in access to diabetes prevention and treatment services across the country.

A central mission of the Government is to build a health and care system fit for the future. To achieve this, it is crucial that we tackle preventable ill health, such as type 2 diabetes, by ensuring those at risk of developing, or already living with, the disease are identified and can in turn, be effectively treated.

We have committed to develop a 10-year plan to deliver a National Health Service fit for the future. We will carefully be considering policies, including those that impact people with diabetes, as we develop the plan.

The Department is taking steps to reduce overall prevalence of type 2 diabetes through programmes such as the NHS Health Check and the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NHS DPP).

The NHS DPP is highly effective for those that attended. More than 840,000 people have been supported through this programme, and it has been found to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 37% compared to those who did not attend. NHS England has responsibility for delivering the programme.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve support available for families who have lost a relative to cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government recognises how important it is for grieving families and friends who have lost loved ones have access to the support they need, when they need it. Bereavement support is commissioned locally, to meet the needs of the local population. NHS England has developed guidance for integrated care boards which requires local commissioners to ensure there is sufficient access to bereavement support services.

Improving support for patients and carers is also an area of focus for the National Cancer Plan for England, which will seek to improve both physical and mental health aspects of cancer care. Those who wish to share their views on improving cancer support can do so via the Call for Evidence, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan

NHS England strongly encourages anyone struggling with their bereavement to contact their general practitioner who can help provide support, signpost to specialist bereavement support organisation or refer to a counsellor.
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Sadik Al-Hassan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to increase patient access to new and innovative treatments for Myasthenia Gravis. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as myasthenia gravis. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community: these include improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs. We remain committed to delivering under the Framework and published the annual England action plan in February 2025.

In the 2023 England Rare Disease Action Plan, action 25 was introduced to review the effectiveness of Innovative Medicines Fund (IMF), Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) and Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP) in improving access to treatments for people living with rare diseases.

NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will meet annually to continue to discuss progress and the role of EAMS, ILAP and IMF in supporting access to treatments for people living with rare diseases. These meetings will include representatives from patient advocacy groups, industry and clinical researchers. Further progress on action 25 has been reported in the 2025 action plan, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/england-rare-diseases-action-plan-2025
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Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will support the ratification of the World Health Organisation Resolution to include chronic kidney disease in its priority list of non-communicable diseases. \p Ashley Dalton: The United Kingdom actively engaged in negotiations on the World Health Organization (WHO) resolution, Reducing the Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) through the Promotion of Kidney Health and Strengthening Prevention and Control of Kidney Disease, in advance of the 156th WHO Executive Board in February 2025. The Executive Board recommended adoption of all resolutions considered to the World Health Assembly, including this one, subject to ongoing budget discussions. If adopted, the resolution will apply to the UK as a Member State of the WHO. We remain committed to tackling NCDs, including kidney disease, domestically and internationally.
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Will Stone:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to review the Department’s approach to tackling alcohol harm; and whether he will consider introducing an alcohol strategy in this Parliament. \p Ashley Dalton: Under our Health Mission, the Government is committed to prioritising preventative public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. The Department will continue to work across Government to better understand how we can best reduce alcohol-related harms.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential (a) structural and (b) social causes of obesity. \p Ashley Dalton: Obesity is a complex public health issue with multiple interacting factors impacting over a life course. Genetic and physiological factors, growth and development early in life, eating and physical activity behaviours, individual beliefs and attitudes and broader environmental (structural), economic and social drivers play a role in determining obesity. As such, the assessment of social and structural factors influencing obesity, diet and physical activity has been, and will continue to be, integral to our assessments.

This includes, for example: assessment of National Diet and Nutrition Survey data by index of multiple deprivation (IMD); assessment of Health Survey for England and National Child Measurement Programme data on overweight and obesity by region and IMD; assessments set out within Theme 4 of the UK food security report; assessments of Active lives adult survey data and Active lives children and young people survey on physical activity by local authority, region and England, and by IMD; assessment of data on fast food outlets in the built-up environment by local authority, region and England, and by IMD; impact assessments including regulations restricting the placement of less healthy products in key selling locations in store and online; and consideration of vulnerable groups, racially and ethnically diverse groups and health inequality underpins all risk assessments undertaken by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, which advises the Governments of the four United Kingdom nations on nutrition related matters.

Under the Health Mission, the Government is committed to prevention and to tackling obesity, creating a fairer and healthier food environment.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered funding public health campaigns to educate young people on the risks of cannabis use within a regulated market. \p Ashley Dalton: Cannabis is controlled as a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.The Government recognises the clear medical and scientific evidence of the harms of this drug.

The Government will continue to work with our partners to discourage drug use and to alert people, particularly young people, to the potential dangers of cannabis.

The Government has a drug information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce drug misuse and its harms by increasing awareness, particularly for young people and parents. FRANK offers easy to read information on the risks of using cannabis and basic harm reduction advice. Information on cannabis is available at the following link:

https://www.talktofrank.com/drug/cannabis

The website also has details of drug treatment services and support organisations.
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Jade Botterill:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) prevent and (b) increase the early detection of chronic kidney disease through the 10-year health plan. \p Ashley Dalton: The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts the National Health Service needs to be fit for the future, namely from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving the prevention and detection of chronic kidney disease in all parts of the country.

The 10-Year Health Plan will build on the NHS Health Check which aims to prevent heart disease, stroke and kidney disease among adults aged between 40 and 74 years old, and engages over 1.4 million people a year.

Earlier diagnosis will help people manage their conditions, prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all support the early detection of many long-term conditions such as chronic kidney disease.
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Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce obesity rates amongst children under the age of 16 in East London. \p Ashley Dalton: The prevention of ill health is a clear priority for the Government, and the cornerstone of this is supporting children to live healthier lives. We face a childhood obesity crisis, and the Government will take action to tackle the root causes of obesity head on, easing the strain on the National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.

The Government has already laid secondary legislation to restrict advertisements of less healthy food and drink to children on TV and online from 1 October 2025, announced changes to the planning framework for fast food outlets near schools and is committed to banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 years old.

We are also working collaboratively across Government to deliver a resilient food system that promotes health and food security. The Food Strategy will work to provide healthier, more easily accessible food to help people live longer, healthier lives.

Officials in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities regional teams work closely with local partners including local authorities and the NHS to support them with local initiatives to promote a healthy lifestyle and tackle obesity. In London, there is Every Child a Healthier Weight Delivery Plan. This helps to drive partnership action on healthy weight across the NHS, local and regional government and wider partners. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.adph.org.uk/networks/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Every-Child-a-Healthier-Weight-Delivery-Plan-ECAHW-Final090523.pdf
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of vaccination rates for routine childhood immunisations in (a) Birmingham, Edgbaston, (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) monitors trends in the level of childhood vaccination rates by upper tier local authority (UTLA), region and country level.

Edgbaston falls within the Birmingham UTLA. From 2013/14 to 2023/24, coverage of the first dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR1) vaccine in children aged five years old has decreased by 7.1 percentage points to 87.0% in Birmingham and 3.5 percentage points to 91.9% in the West Midlands. In comparison, the 2023/24 MMR1 coverage in England was 91.4%.

The most recent figures, published in December 2024, show immunisations coverage across all vaccines in children aged one and two years old was 80% or higher in Birmingham and 87% or higher in the West Midlands, in comparison to 87% or higher in England overall. Coverage was slightly lower in children aged five years old, at or above 74% in Birmingham and at or above 82% in the West Midlands, in comparison to 81% or higher in England overall. No local authority in the West Midlands had coverage exceeding the World Heath Organization (WHO) target of 95% in all the routine childhood immunisations.

Data on coverage of all routine childhood immunisations are published quarterly by UKHSA, and annually by NHS England. They are available at the following links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cover-of-vaccination-evaluated-rapidly-cover-programme-2024-to-2025-quarterly-data

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-immunisation-statistics/england-2023-24
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

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Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help tackle the levels of diabetes among (a) Black and (b) South Asian people. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England has established a focused engagement campaign, using social media and more traditional approaches, to raise awareness and boost uptake from these groups as part of its approach to address the poorer outcomes for those of south Asian and black ethnicity.

NHS England has provided funding of £3 million to systems to provide clinical leadership to ensure that clinical diabetes metrics, such as the eight key diabetes care processes and treatment targets, are reviewed at integrated care board level and unwarranted variation identified. A resource hub of materials has been set up on Future NHS, including examples of innovation and best practice for improvement of care process delivery, and achievement of treatment targets.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_351

Jonathan Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support individuals living with Cauda Equina Syndrome with access to (a) treatment, (b) rehabilitation and (c) financial assistance. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as cauda equina syndrome. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community: these include improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs.  We remain committed to delivering under the Framework and published the annual England action plan in February 2025.

The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme is a national NHS England programme designed to improve the treatment and care of patients through in-depth review of services, benchmarking, and presenting a data-driven evidence base to support change.

GIRFT has worked collaboratively with a multidisciplinary group of more than 60 health professionals to develop an interactive pathway for those patients with suspected cauda equina syndrome, designed to support clinical teams to diagnose and treat the condition without delay and improve patient outcomes. The pathway offers best practice along all stages of the patient pathway, including post-operative care and best practice for surgical techniques, pain control and other post-operative support, which includes a section on finances. More information is available at the following link:

https://girft-interactivepathways.org.uk/cauda-equina-1/
wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_352
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_352

Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of vaccination rates among babies and children for tuberculosis in (a) Birmingham, Edgbaston constituency, (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) monitors trends in the level of childhood vaccination rates, including Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination, at upper tier local authority, region and country level.

Official vaccine coverage estimates, for the BCG vaccine, are measured for eligible children in England at three months and 12 months of age and are published quarterly by UKHSA. These are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cover-of-vaccination-evaluated-rapidly-cover-programme-2024-to-2025-quarterly-data

Annual estimates are published by NHS England at local authority level, and are available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-immunisation-statistics/england-2023-24

Edgbaston falls within the Birmingham Upper Tier Local Authority. The latest data, published in December 2024, captures BCG coverage at the age of three months for children born April to June 2024 and at age 12 months for children born July to September 2023. Measured at three months, coverage was 87.0% in Birmingham and 87.1% in the West Midlands. Measured at 12 months, it was 85.3% in Birmingham and 87.0% in the West Midlands. These figures are higher than the coverage of 78.4% at 3 months and 84.1% at 12 months in England.
wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_353
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_353

Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made on the potential merits of a total ban on the advertising of unhealthy food across all media. \p Ashley Dalton: No such assessment has been made. However, we are implementing restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food or drink products on television and online from October 2025. This includes a 9pm watershed on television and a 24-hour restriction on paid-for advertising of these products online. These restrictions are expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from United Kingdom children’s diets per year and reduce the number of children living with obesity by 20,000. We continue to review evidence of the impacts on children of advertising for less healthy food and drink products and will consider where further action is needed.
wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_354
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_354

Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of tuberculosis in (a) Birmingham, Edgbaston constituency (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands. \p Ashley Dalton: The latest annual and quarterly Tuberculosis (TB) reports for England, published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), include detailed data analysis up to the end of 2023 and provisional data up to the end of 2024; this includes the West Midlands and Birmingham city local authority area. The full report and data tables are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tuberculosis-in-england-2024-report

TB notification rates in the West Midlands showed a steady decline between 2012 and 2019, after which notification rates plateaued before beginning to increase in 2022. In 2023, the TB rates for the West Midlands rose by 7.8%, giving the West Midlands the second highest TB notification rate after London.

Provisional data for 2024 indicates a continued and accelerated rise, namely 22.2%, in TB notifications in the West Midlands, increasing from 538 to 709 cases. This is the largest rise in any region during 2024 and is likely due to more arrivals into the area from high TB incidence countries and a backlog in testing and treatment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Further analysis for the West Midlands region is being undertaken.

Within the West Midlands, Wolverhampton and Birmingham City have the highest rates. In 2023 Birmingham City saw a 17% increase in the number of TB notifications compared to 2022, from 184 to 216.

UKHSA provides three-year annual incidence rates for West Midlands and Birmingham City on the ‘Fingertips’ website. The three-year annual incidence rate for the West Midlands is significantly higher than the national rate for England. Birmingham City’s three-year annual incidence rate ranks 19th highest among local authority areas in England. Further information is available at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/TB#page/1/gid/1/ati/502/iid/91359/age/1/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

There are currently no published analyses of ward level data; therefore, data specific to Edgbaston is not available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_355

Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ban fast food outlets near schools. \p Ashley Dalton: On 12 December 2024, the Government published the revised National Planning Policy Framework for local government. As part of this, local authorities were given the stronger, clearer powers they have told us they need to block new fast-food outlets near schools and where young people congregate, unless the location is in a designated town centre.

The framework also indicates that applications should also be refused where there is evidence that a concentration of such uses is having an adverse impact on local health, pollution or anti-social behaviour.
wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_356
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-17 conversation_356

Luke Myer:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure cleanliness in NHS hospitals to prevent infections and (b) address instances where contractors responsible for cleanliness fail to meet their obligations. \p Ashley Dalton: Hospitals are responsible for ensuring that third-party service providers (e.g., cleaning, catering, maintenance staff) adhere to infection prevention and control (IPC) standards. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) evaluates whether hospitals have effective oversight of subcontractors and whether their services meet regulatory cleanliness and safety standards. More information on these CQC inspections is available at the following link:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/what-we-do/how-we-do-our-job/our-infection-prevention-control-inspections

Guidance for the cleaning of healthcare environments is contained in the NHS England national IPC manual. The manual is mandatory for all healthcare staff delivering services within the National Health Service in England. This includes the safe management of the care environment, linen and blood and body fluid spillages, and more information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/national-infection-prevention-and-control-manual-nipcm-for-england/chapter-1-standard-infection-control-precautions-sicps/#1-6