theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department provides to help small and micro food businesses to (a) understand and (b) comply with food hygiene certification requirements. \p Ashley Dalton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has developed and published many materials on the FSA website to support businesses to meet the requirements set out in food hygiene legislation. The website is available at the following link:

http://www.food.gov.uk/

We know that small and micro businesses can face additional challenges when trying to access and understand legal requirements, so there are several free tools which have been designed to guide small and micro businesses including Safer Food Better Business (SFBB), as well as Safe Catering Guidance for Northern Ireland.

The practical and easy-to-use packs will help small businesses to:

- comply with food hygiene regulations;

- show what they need do to make and store food safely including how to clean effectively;

- train staff and support them to use good hygiene practices;

- protect business's reputation; and

- improve food hygiene rating scores.

There are also additional supplementary packs for SFBB available to support sectors such as childminders, residential care homes, retailers, and businesses serving Indian and Chinese cuisines.

In addition, the FSA website has a dedicated Business Guidance section which provides information such as how to start a food business safely, starting a food business from home and selling food for delivery. It hosts free online food safety courses on allergen management and root cause analysis.

The FSA regularly runs campaigns across various social media platforms to inform food businesses of the available materials to support their compliance with hygiene requirements.
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John Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many permanent civil servants in his Department are staff without assigned posts; and how many are placed in an equivalent (a) people action team, (b) priority movers list, (c) redeployment register, (d) talent pool and (e) skills match hub in the most recent period for which data is available. \p Karin Smyth: As of 6 June 2025, the Department has five civil servants without a permanent assigned post. These individuals are undertaking temporary assignments until a permanent post can be found. The Department does not hold any of the equivalent programme categories as requested, from people action team to skills match hub. As such, no individuals are allocated to these.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to reduce the number of clinical (a) radiologists and (b) oncologists who leave the workforce below the age of 50. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, to ensure the retention of our hardworking and dedicated staff, including oncologists and radiologists.

The Government recognises that a cancer-specific approach is needed to meet the challenges in cancer care, and to improve outcomes for people living with cancer. Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients. We will continue to ensure that we train the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it, and the cancer plan will reflect this.

NHS England continues to lead on a range of initiatives to boost retention, including supporting staff wellbeing, focusing on improving organisational culture, and promoting flexible working opportunities. Partial retirement is now also available as an alternative to full retirement, enabling NHS staff, with the agreement of their employer, to draw down some or all their pension whilst continuing to work and build up further pension, subject to a reduction in pensionable pay.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to fund improved provisions for addiction support services in (a) South Holland and The Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug or alcohol problem can access the help and support they need, and we recognise the need for evidence-based, high-quality treatment.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing the local need for alcohol and drug prevention and treatment in their area, and for commissioning services to meet those needs. In addition to the Public Health Grant, in 2025/26, the Department is providing Lincolnshire with £3,382,494 from the Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant and £217,783 from the Individual Placement and Support grant to improve drug and alcohol services and recovery support, which includes housing and employment. All funding is provided at the Lincolnshire level, and it is for Lincolnshire County Council to determine how to meet need in South Holland and The Deepings.

Alongside the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are increasing our efforts to support smokers to quit and have invested an additional £70 million in 2024/25 and 2025/26 for all local authority commissioned stop smoking services in England. In each financial year, Lincolnshire has been allocated £1.1 million to invest in local stop smoking services, in addition to existing spend on these services from the Public Health Grant. The purpose of this investment is to boost capacity and demand for evidence-based support to quit smoking, and ensure we secure a smoke-free United Kingdom where no one is left behind.

In April 2025, a new statutory levy on gambling operators, expected to raise around £100 million per year, was introduced to fund the research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms. The levy will be distributed across the three workstreams with 50% allocated to NHS England, alongside appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, to commission the development of effective treatment and support services at national and sub-national levels.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to help increase the effectiveness of Sure Start for reducing (a) child hospitalisations and (b) overall child health. \p Ashley Dalton: The long-term evaluations of Sure Start show large-scale, holistic interventions can be effective in improving children’s health, reducing hospitalisations, and delivering positive impacts on long-term health and development outcomes.

The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme builds on lessons learned from Sure Start about the benefits of integrated, multi-agency workforce and place-based support to improve baby and child health outcomes. The programme places health services at the heart of support for families, particularly for babies, from conception to the age of two years old.

The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme is being extended in 2025/26, with £126 million being made available for families to deliver on the Plan for Change and to give every child the best start in life.
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Ruth Cadbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for women aged over 50 to receive a mammogram. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England is committed to providing equitable access to breast screening services for eligible women aged 50 years old and over across the country, including in West London.

In West London, women aged 50 to 70 years old are invited for breast screening every three years as part of the NHS Breast Screening Programme, to the screening sites at the West of London Breast Screening Service (WOLBSS). There has been a surge in demand recently, following the disruption caused during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To address the increased demand for screening services post-COVID recovery, NHS England is working with the WOLBSS to improve appointment availability. This includes extending clinic hours, offering weekend clinics, investing in workforce recruitment and training, and targeting areas with lower screening uptake.

The information requested on average waiting times is not held centrally for screening mammograms.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on delivering the UK five-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2024 to 2029. \p Ashley Dalton: Following publication of the 2024 to 2029 UK AMR National Action Plan in May 2024, the Department is preparing the first annual report, summarising the progress made to date.

The organisations responsible for delivery provide regular updates to the Department, and the appropriate governance structures ensure that delivery is kept on track and that progress is being made on the national action plan’s commitments and targets, alongside managing programme risks.

The Department has also commissioned an evaluation of the 2024 to 2029 UK AMR National Action Plan, which will assess the implementation of antimicrobial resistance policy, provide evidence on the effectiveness of the national action plan, and inform future antimicrobial resistance policy development and implementation.
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Dame Caroline Dinenage:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to make it his policy to ensure that integrated care boards recommend high-intensity focused ultrasound to people with localised prostate cancer outside London. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has developed interventional procedures guidance on high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment for prostate cancer and focal therapy using HIFU for localised prostate cancer. This type of guidance considers if interventional procedures are safe and work well enough for wider use in the National Health Service, and both pieces of guidance acknowledge that there is a lack of evidence on quality-of-life benefits and long-term survival.

The NICE’s guidelines recommend that HIFU should not be offered to people with localised or locally advanced prostate cancer, other than in the context of controlled clinical trials comparing their use with established interventions.
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Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to the reduce the financial pressures of long-term care for people ineligible for state support. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Nadia Whittome:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing free homecare. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Carla Lockhart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to tackle the sale of (a) illegal and (b) unregulated vaping products to children and young people. \p Ashley Dalton: The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will strengthen enforcement and crack down on rogue retailers selling illegal and unregulated vape products to children and young people. The bill introduces new £200 fixed penalty notices in England and Wales for certain tobacco and vape offences, including underage sales, enables the introduction of a retail licensing scheme in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and enables the introduction of a new registration scheme for tobacco, vape, and nicotine products sold in the United Kingdom’s market.

The Government is investing £10 million of new funding in 2025/26 into Trading Standards, to support the enforcement of illicit and underage tobacco and vape sales in England, and to support the implementation of the measures in the bill. This funding is being used to boost the Trading Standards workforce by recruiting approximately 80 new apprentices. The new funding will also support the storage and recycling of seized illicit vapes, the additional work to identify and seize illicit vape consignments at ports, and the training of Trading Standards officers on the new single use vapes ban.

The devolved administrations will need to fund the delivery of the devolved measures in the bill for their nations. The Barnett formula will apply in the usual way, and it is for the devolved administrations to allocate their funding in devolved areas as they see fit.

The introduction of a new Vaping Products Duty in October 2026 will provide civil and criminal powers to HM Revenue and Customs, in order to assess for duty and seize products and equipment used to produce or transport illicit vape products.
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John Whitby:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is his Department taking to increase awareness about the risks of skin cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department continues to advise patients to follow National Health Service guidance on reducing the risk of skin cancer. This advice is available publicly on the NHS website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/melanoma-skin-cancer/

NHS England run Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address the barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that cancer test results requested by secondary care are routinely shared with patients' GPs in a timely manner. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is supporting NHS England to ensure that information on diagnoses and treatment, including cancer test results, are shared between services routinely and in a timely manner.

NHS England has been supporting National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts in acquiring and developing the effectiveness of their electronic patient records, and support is available to bring trusts to an optimum level of digital maturity which will further reduce barriers to the sharing of information needed to treat patients. Further information can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/data-and-clinical-record-sharing/

The Department supported the NHS’s Connecting Care Records programme which joins up information based on the individual rather than through one organisation. Through targeted investment, local Connecting Care Record systems have been established in all integrated commissioning board areas. 97% of trusts and 92% of primary care networks are now connected, in order to share information such as medications, allergies, test results, and clinical correspondence.

Furthermore, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has announced the intention for there to be a single patient record which would provide a comprehensive patient record, reducing duplication when patients have to repeat their medical history when interacting with the NHS.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) publish a strategy to help improve the (i) diagnosis and (ii) detection of less survivable cancers and (b) ensure comprehensive (A) commissioning and (B) diagnostic capacity in (1) non-specific symptoms pathways, (2) urgent suspected cancer pathways and (3) GP direct access. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department is working to develop a new National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve the diagnosis and detection of less survivable cancers.

As set out in the new plan for reforming elective care, the Government is committed to improving diagnostic capacity for cancer patients. Providers have been asked to identify local opportunities in both community diagnostic centres (CDCs) and hospital based diagnostic services to improve performance against the NHS Constitution standard for diagnostics and the cancer faster diagnosis standard, to reduce the number of patients waiting too long for a confirmed diagnosis of cancer and to start treatment.

The 2025/26 capital guidance confirmed that £1.65 billion of capital funding will be allocated to support National Health Service performance across secondary and emergency care across 2025/26 more broadly. This includes £0.6 billion which has been provisionally allocated for interventions to increase diagnostic capacity, including expanding existing CDCs, as well as building up to five new CDCs in 2025/26.

To expand diagnostic capacity in the non-specific symptom pathway (NSS), the NHS is rolling out rapid diagnostic centres (RDC) as part of the NSS pathway, where patients suspected of having cancer can get the right tests at the right time in as few visits as possible. RDC pathways promote the continuous improvement of cancer diagnostics.

The NHS is also expanding direct access to diagnostic scans across all general practices through the national roll out of fast track testing, helping to cut waiting times and speed up cancer diagnosis or cancer all-clear for patients, including developing and delivering at least 10 straight-to-test pathways by March 2026.
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Henry Tufnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to consult people with restless legs syndrome in the development of (a) policy and (b) clinical treatment guidelines. \p Ashley Dalton: Involving the relevant patient advocacy organisations, including people with lived experience of restless legs syndrome, is central to developing our policies for the National Health Service, to improve patients’ experience of services.

The consultation on our 10-Year Health Plan received over 270,000 contributions, including responses from NHS staff and patients. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention.

The Department has also convened a new United Kingdom wide neuro forum, which brings together the devolved administrations, health services, and Neurological Alliances of all four UK nations. The forum will share learnings across the UK, and will discuss important neurology service transformation and workforce challenges, as well as best practice examples and potential solutions.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has not developed any guidelines on the diagnosis and/or management of restless legs syndrome, but has commissioned a Clinical Knowledge Summary (CKS) on the diagnosis and clinical management of restless legs syndrome, updated in February 2025, which can be used as a source of information for healthcare professionals, and which is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/restless-legs-syndrome/

CKS topics are written by an expert multidisciplinary team with experience of primary care, supported by a network of specialist external reviewers.
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of rebalancing policy levies between electric and gas bills. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Over this Parliament the Government will be working relentlessly to translate the much cheaper wholesale costs of clean power into lower bills for consumers. This will be core to every decision we make.

This is a complex issue and decisions will be made which must be informed by robust research and analysis. We will ensure we keep fairness and affordability at the forefront of our minds throughout this process.
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Dave Doogan:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the deliverability of the X-Links project with Morocco. \p Michael Shanks: The Government is considering – without commitment – the viability and merits of the Xlinks Morocco-UK Power Project, a private sector-led proposal for a large-scale renewable energy project between the UK and Morocco.

As part of this consideration, we are actively assessing a range of issues including the project’s deliverability and technical viability, value for money, legal issues and the project’s alignment to wider government policy. This work continues at pace, and we will provide an update on our considerations in due course.
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Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress his Department has made in developing an online consumer advice service for retrofit. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government recognises that access to trusted and impartial energy efficiency and clean heat advice is crucial. The Government runs several digital services on GOV.UK, supported by a national phoneline, aimed at households. We are now streamlining these services into a single user journey to make it even easier for households to access information, including funding options and trusted installers.

We encourage SMEs to visit the UK Business Climate Hub, which provides information and advice to SMEs on how to reduce energy use and carbon emissions.
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David Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for Energy of 21 May 2025 to the Scottish Parliament's Economy and Fair Work Committee, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure a 20% renewable liquid fuel blend in oil heating. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Renewable liquid fuels are a limited resource, and the Government expects sustainable biomass to be prioritised where there are limited alternatives for decarbonisation. Renewable liquid heating fuels are also much more expensive to use than other heating solutions.

Before taking decisions on whether to support the use of renewable liquid fuels in heating including as a 20% blend, the Government would require stronger evidence on their affordability for consumers, and the availability of sustainable feedstock.
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on reducing energy bills in Wales. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussion with the Devolved Administrations on a wide range of issues.

The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. This, combined with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run is how we will drive down energy bills and make cold homes a thing of the past

We recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. This is why we delivered the Warm Home Discount to around 3 million eligible low-income households last winter. We have recently consulted on the expansion of the Warm Home Discount, giving more eligible households £150 off their energy bills. These proposals would bring around 2.7 million households on a qualifying means-tested benefit into the scheme – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to around 6 million. The consultation closed on 24 March and DESNZ is considering the responses received

I have been clear with suppliers that they should do all that they can to support their customers – including vulnerable consumers – who may be struggling with their bills. I would urge any consumers who are struggling to pay their bills to speak to their supplier, local authority, or Citizens Advice who may be able to provide help and support.   The Government is continuing to work with Ofgem and energy suppliers to ensure energy bills remain fair and affordable while we transition to clean power by 2030.
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Dr Rosena Allin-Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department plans to announce phase two of the non-domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards. \p Sarah Jones: The Government consulted on strengthening the non-domestic PRS Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards to EPC C by 1 April 2027, and EPC B by 1 April 2030. We are currently reviewing the policy design, including the timelines for introduction, to ensure that it remains fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants. We plan to publish a response to the consultations as early as possible this year.
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Dr Rosena Allin-Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of proceeding with phase 2 of the non-domestic minimum energy efficiency standards. \p Sarah Jones: Non-domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards are a key tool in helping businesses reduce their energy bills and strengthen the UK’s energy security, with the potential to deliver £millions in annual energy bill savings from the proposed EPC B deadline. This policy is a part of government’s mission to deliver clean power by 2030 and accelerate to Net Zero. The standards required under the regulations will also generate demand for skilled building retrofit and energy assessor jobs, building on the existing grants for training.
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Dame Caroline Dinenage:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing regulation of the fertility industry. \p Karin Smyth: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) published Modernising Fertility Law in November 2023, its recommendations for updating the regulatory framework in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health met with the HFEA Chair on 30 July 2024 to discuss these proposals and asked for the key issues to be prioritised.

The Government is currently considering this latest advice from the HFEA about the priority issues for law reform covering their regulatory powers.
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Dr Rosena Allin-Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the (a) efficacy and (b) efficiency of NHS Pathways. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is taking action to improve the efficacy and efficiency of NHS Pathways across the health system.

The NHS Pathways clinical content and assessment protocols are consistent with the latest advice from the respected bodies that provide evidence and guidance for medical practice. In particular, NHS Pathways is concordant with the latest guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the UK Resuscitation Council, and the UK Sepsis Trust.

The NHS Pathways Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) is a triage product used to support urgent and emergency care in England, and is embedded in NHS 111 and 999 telephony service, and NHS 111 online. It is continuously reviewed to ensure it remains safe, effective, and efficient. The system is developed and maintained by a group of experienced National Health Service clinicians with an urgent and emergency care background. The safety of the clinical triage process is overseen by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the relevant royal colleges, and clinical professional groups endorse and approve the CDSS.

The NHS triages patients waiting for elective care, including surgeries, through clinical prioritisation, ensuring the order in which patients are seen reflects clinical judgement on need as well as taking into account overall wait time.

The Government is taking action to improve efficacy and efficiency of NHS Pathways across the health system. The recently published Elective Reform Plan commits to reforming outpatient care through clinical pathway transformation. Reform will include doing more activity in the community and increasing the opportunities for patients to be referred straight to diagnostic tests without the need to first see a consultant, reducing unnecessary follow-up appointments and freeing up clinical time for those who need it most. The Elective Reform Plan also makes changes to advice and guidance to support more patients being cared for outside of hospitals, avoiding 800,000 unnecessary referrals each year.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department issues to NHS England on extending the legal duty to provide care for asylum seekers to individuals with rejected asylum applications; and whether that guidance is mandatory. \p Karin Smyth: Guidance for the National Health Service has been published, and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-entitlements-migrant-health-guide

The guidance underlines the need for NHS bodies to act in line with the relevant legislation. This includes legislation determining the circumstances under which an individual may continue to be exempt from NHS charges for care when an asylum application has been rejected.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many nursing positions for the provision of care in corridors have been advertised in NHS hospitals since 4 July 2024. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not hold the information requested.
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Dame Caroline Dinenage:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Agency on the closure of the Apricity business. \p Karin Smyth: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) advised the Department about the closure of the on-line service for fertility patients, Apricity, on 24 December 2024. The Apricity service did not fall under the HFEA’s current regulatory remit as it offered advice, diagnostic testing and prescribing but did not offer fertility treatment services directly. No discussions have therefore been held.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times people have been called more than twice per day by NHS Blood and Transplant seeking blood donations in the last 12 months; and whether he is taking steps to ensure that the frequency of calls from NHS Blood and Transplant is not excessive. \p Andrew Gwynne: In 2024, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) attempted 8,532,133 outbound calls to all donors across whole blood, platelets, and plasma for medicine. Of this total figure, 37.5%, or 3,199,031, call attempts resulted in a donor receiving up to three call attempts in a single day. Multiple attempts in a single day are generally to offer last minute appointments to eligible donors, or to ensure a session has a suitable blood mix ahead of sessions taking place.

NHSBT recently launched a new automated system to better target donors and reduce the number of calls needed to fill appointments and collect the appropriate mix of blood needed while meeting donor preferences for contact.

The NHSBT National Contact Centre will call a phone number up to three times a day, or three times within a five-day period, before resting the record, with no further call attempts, for a minimum of 21 days. Occasionally, NHSBT will make additional calls to priority donors, breaking the 21 day ‘rest’ period. This is often where particular blood group stocks are low, or demand exceeds supply.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the incoming US presidency on healthcare research in the UK. \p Andrew Gwynne: The United Kingdom’s world-class health research ecosystem makes us a natural and leading partner for the United States’ research community and life sciences. The United States ranks the highest in the number of co-authorships, between UK researchers and researchers in international organisations, of peer reviewed biomedical journal papers. The Government will continue to encourage close working between our respective research funders to support cutting-edge, collaborative research between the UK and the United States.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_8

John McDonnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring NHS trusts to develop long-term plans for the (a) cancer and (b) diagnostic workforce including (i) training and (ii) consultant posts. \p Andrew Gwynne: The Government recognises that a cancer-specific approach is needed to meet the challenges in cancer care, and to improve outcomes for people living with cancer. Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new national cancer plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients. We will continue to ensure that we train the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it, and the cancer plan will reflect this.

In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again. We will ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_9

Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that funding for radiotherapy cancer treatments addresses regional inequalities in access to (a) advanced radiotherapy techniques and (b) radiotherapy satellite centres; and if he will include an assessment the potential implications for his policies of such inequalities in the NHS 10 year plan. \p Andrew Gwynne: NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring healthcare needs of local communities are met. These responsibilities include considering adequate healthcare provision, care, and wider support for local populations, including in remote and rural areas. This includes radiotherapy treatment. The Government will work to ensure that the best standard of healthcare is available no matter where people live.

Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the National Health Service is there for anyone who needs it whenever they need it. We have established 11 working groups to take forward policy development that will feed into the plan. This includes working groups focused on how care should be designed and delivered to improve healthcare equity, alongside ensuring that access to healthcare services is effective and responsive.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_10

Mrs Sharon Hodgson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of people who developed secondary breast cancer after completing the 10-year recommended hormone therapy in the latest period for which data is available. \p Andrew Gwynne: The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. The NDRS does not hold data on the number of people who developed secondary breast cancer after completing the 10-year recommended hormone therapy. Further information on the NDRS is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_11

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many organs were donated for transplant in 2024. \p Andrew Gwynne: The following table shows the number of organs donated, the number of donors, and the number and percentage of organs donated that were transplanted, from the UK Transplant Registry, between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024, as of 10 January 2025:

United Kingdom solid organ donor type

Number of donors

Organs donated

Organs transplanted

Living donors

938

938

938 (100%)

Deceased donors

1,385

4,513

3,787 (84%)

Note: there are many reasons why organs cannot be transplanted, including the organ being clinically unsuitable.

Figures are subject to change due to the delayed notification of living organ donor transplants and the current proximity to the end of 2024.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_12
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_12

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the time taken to diagnose (a) mouth and (b) throat cancer. \p Andrew Gwynne: No specific assessment has been made on the adequacy of mouth and throat cancer diagnosis waiting times.

However, it is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer as early and quickly as possible, to treat it faster, and ultimately to improve outcomes.

The Department is committing to improving waiting times for cancer treatment, starting by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, to support faster diagnosis and access to treatment.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_13
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_13

Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the radiotherapy tariff was last updated; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential need for further updates. \p Andrew Gwynne: The NHS Payment Scheme (NHSPS) replaced the national tariff from 1 April 2023. Following consultation, some amendments have been made for 2024/25, which came into effect on 1 April 2024. The amendments in the 2024/25 NHSPS included specialist radiotherapy services. In September 2024, a revised set of 2024/25 prices was published, which includes radiotherapy services and workforce tariffs. These prices have been updated to reflect a revised cost uplift factor for 2024/25.

NHS England held a series of workshops in October 2024 to set out, and seek feedback on, potential proposals for the 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme, and other aspects of the NHS finance system expected to come into effect from 1 April 2025.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_14
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_14

Mrs Sharon Hodgson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the frequency of sunburn in children and young people under 18. \p Andrew Gwynne: The Department continues to advise patients to follow National Health Service guidance on sun protection. This advice is available publicly on the NHS.UK website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/sunscreen-and-sun-safety/

It includes guidance on the extra care that should be taken for babies and children.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_15
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_15

Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many radiotherapy machines are (a) over the 10-year recommended age and (b) at risk of being out of date by the end of 2025; and how many of such machines he plans to replaced with funding announced in paragraph 2.71 of the Autumn Budget 2024. \p Andrew Gwynne: The Government will continue to support the provision of radiotherapy machines, however, since April 2022 the responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines has been with local systems. NHS England will allocate funding to trusts to purchase new radiotherapy machines, and trusts may purchase different types of machines. Therefore, it is not yet known how many machines will be purchased.

The number of radiotherapy machines in use which are over the 10-year recommended age is not published by NHS England.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_16
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_16

Kim Leadbeater:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 21525 on Influenza: Vaccination, whether he plans to expand the eligibility criteria for winter flu vaccinations in the context of trends in the number of people with flu in winter 2024-25. \p Andrew Gwynne: Eligibility for the seasonal influenza vaccination programme is based on the advice and recommendations of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). This advice is kept under regular review.

Trends in influenza activity varies across the season, and from season to season. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes weekly flu surveillance reports, which are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2024-to-2025-season

The UKHSA has confirmed that during this season so far, flu activity has been higher than in the winter of 2023/24, but similar to levels seen in the 2022/23 season.
wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_17
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-16 conversation_17

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide a breakdown of spending on brain cancer research in 2023-24. \p Andrew Gwynne: Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.5 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24. Cancer is a major area of NIHR spend, reflecting its high priority.

In the financial year 2023/24, total NIHR spending on direct research awards on brain cancer was £2.1 million spent across 22 active studies, with a total lifetime value of £11.8 million. In the same year, our wider infrastructure investments, which enable the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical, and applied research funded by ourselves, charities, and industry partners, allowed an additional 1,107 people to participate in potentially life-changing brain cancer research in the National Health Service.

In addition to direct research awards, NIHR infrastructure funding enables the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical, and applied research supported by other funders. These investments allowed an additional 1,107 people to participate in potentially life-changing brain cancer research in in the NHS in the same period.