theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Sustainable Farming Initiative on food security. \p Daniel Zeichner: This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion being spent to support farmers over a 2-year period. Farm businesses with existing Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreements or submitted applications will see no change to their payments due to the announced closure of SFI. Forecasts published this week suggest that at the all-farm level agri-environment scheme payments are predicted to have increased substantially in 24/25.

Food security requires a long-term picture of resilience to shocks while the closure of SFI is a temporary measure, 30,000 businesses are already being supported through SFI with more in other schemes and will be for the next three years

Now is the right time for a reset: supporting farmers, delivering for nature and targeting public funds fairly and effectively towards our priorities for food, farming and nature.

This Government has recently announced a raft of new policies to help boost profits for farmers which will support continued food security. The revised capital grants will be reopened, providing access to items which boost farm productivity. We are extending the Seasonal Worker visa route for five more years, backing British produce in government catering contracts, and investing £110 million in agri-technology. A new commissioner for the tenant farming sector will be appointed, and a veterinary agreement with the EU will be sought to ease export red tape. The government will also protect farmers from low welfare trade deals and lower energy bills by connecting renewable energy to the National Grid.

Other measures include a land-use framework for food security and nature recovery, a Cross-Government Rural Crime Strategy, and a British Infrastructure Council to drive private investment in rural areas.

The Government is also committed to making the supply chain fairer, with upcoming reviews on the pig, egg, poultry, and fresh produce sectors.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Grahame Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on reducing barriers to cross-border travel for thoroughbred horses since 6 February 2025. \p Daniel Zeichner: There have been no changes to the rules for importing thoroughbred horses into Great Britain since 6 February 2025. Imports of thoroughbred horses from the European Union do not currently need to enter Great Britain via a Border Control Post and are not subject to physical checks at the border. Guidance on importing horses into Great Britain is available on gov.uk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Jon Trickett:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff their Department has seconded from Hakluyt since July 2024. \p Daniel Zeichner: Since July 2024 we have had no staff seconded into Defra from Hakluyt.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will (a) reopen and (b) ringfence funding for the (i) Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship and (ii) Landscape Recovery scheme in Devon. \p Daniel Zeichner: The 56 projects in Rounds 1 and 2 of the Landscape Recovery scheme will be continuing. Plans for any further rounds will be announced in due course.

On 11 December 2024, we launched the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier with applications opening this summer.

To support farmers, we have committed £5 billion to the farming budget over two years – more money than ever for sustainable food production.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help improve survival rates of juvenile Atlantic salmon migrating through Poole Harbour from the Rivers (a) Frome and (b) Piddle. \p Daniel Zeichner: Both Natural England and the Environment Agency are working with the Frome and Piddle Association on potential opportunities regarding salmon stocks.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Robbie Moore:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish key performance indicators of SFI24 alongside department targets. \p Daniel Zeichner: Defra is tracking contributions to outcomes and is planning to publish information this year. We recently published statistics on the area within agri-environmental schemes, which showed that 64% of England’s farmed area is in a scheme. 3.3 million hectares is in SFI 2023 and over 380,000 hectares in the SFI expanded offer.

We have published quarterly data on SFI uptake and are preparing publications on how schemes are contributing to environmental outcomes as part of our comprehensive monitoring and evaluation programme.

An update on the farming budget was recently published on our Farming Blog. It shows the following spend over the next two years (24/25 and 25/26). The information requested can be found publicly available here: https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2025/03/12/update-on-the-farming-budget/ .

The first process evaluation report covering the launch of SFI22 and SFI23 will be published this Spring.

We will update this with further evaluation work for SFI24 once this is completed. In addition, process, impact and value for money evaluations for the SFI pilot will be published this Autumn.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of managed realignment in the shore management plan on coastal (a) businesses and (b) facilities. \p Emma Hardy: We are committed to supporting coastal communities and ensuring flood and coastal erosion risk management is fit for the challenges we face now and in the future.

Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) are developed and owned by the local councils and coastal protection authorities. These provide long-term strategic plans which identify approaches for managing the flood and coastal erosion risks at every stretch of coastline.

SMPs have recently been refreshed with updated action plans. This follows several years of collaborative work between the Environment Agency and coastal groups.

The recently updated National Coastal Erosion Risk Map for England (NCERM) provides the most up to date national picture of current and future coastal erosion risk for England. This is based on a further ten years of coastal monitoring data, the latest climate change evidence and technical input from coastal local authorities. It will support and inform local decision making.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Jim Allister:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people in his Department are working on the implementation of the Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations 2024. \p Daniel Zeichner: There are approximately 20 Full Time Equivalents working closely with DAERA officials to implement obligations under the Windsor Framework.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the spend on the agriculture budget (a) so far this financial year and (b) committed for 2025-26 including (i) delinked payments, (ii) agri-environment schemes and (iii) animal health and welfare, innovation and productivity grants. \p Daniel Zeichner: The information requested can be found publicly available here.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing restrictions on setting gill nets in areas frequently used by surfers, swimmers, and paddleboarders. \p Daniel Zeichner: Decisions on an assessment of the potential merits of introducing restrictions on setting gill nets in areas frequently used by surfers, swimmers, and paddleboarders is shared between several bodies. These include Local Authorities which oversee the safety of recreational sea users, such as swimmers; Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities which manage fishing activity within the 0-6 nautical mile zone; and the Marine Management Organisation which manages fisheries beyond the 6 nautical mile zone. HM Coastguard provides safety guidance for recreational sea users including swimmers and paddleboarders.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will have discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on reversing the changes to inheritance tax for family farmers. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Harriet Cross:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to ban the use of neonicotinoids in UK agriculture. \p Daniel Zeichner: Three neonicotinoids – clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam – have not been authorised for general use as pesticides since 2018 because of the risks they pose to pollinators.

An application for emergency use of the neonicotinoid pesticide Cruiser SB, containing thiamethoxam, on sugar beet in England in 2025 was not approved.

Both during our election campaign and while in office, this Government has given a commitment to end emergency authorisations for these three pesticides. The next steps towards delivering this commitment were set out in a published policy statement and in a written statement to Parliament on 6 January.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been paid to farmers to support solar projects since 2016. \p Daniel Zeichner: The second round of the Improving Farm Productivity grant was launched under the Farming Investment Fund in January 2024 and included an offer for solar PV equipment. It is early days, but to date, over £31,000 has been paid out to farmers and horticultural businesses. The window for submitting full applications for this scheme remains open until 31 July 2025, after which Defra will continue to pay out to applicants for their projects. Successful applicants can make up to three claims once they have a Grant Funding Agreement in place but can claim as soon as parts of a project are complete.

Defra’s focus is on ensuring farming becomes more profitable as the best way to make farming businesses viable for the future. This will ensure the long-term food security this country needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Anna Sabine:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of greater access to the countryside on (a) mental and (b) physical health. \p Mary Creagh: The Government recognises the significant mental and physical health benefits that greater access to the countryside can provide. Spending time in nature is associated with improved mental and physical health, including lowering the risk of obesity and type two diabetes, reducing blood pressure and increasing levels of physical activity. There is also evidence to suggest that nature-based interventions are effective in the treatment and prevention of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety; this was demonstrated in the first phase of our Green Social Prescribing programme, which showed significant increases in participants’ wellbeing scores.

These health benefits in turn deliver economic benefit and reduce pressure on the NHS. In 2020, the estimated value of health benefits associated with outdoor recreation in the UK ranged from £6.2 billion to £8.4 billion (ONS, 2022), and it has been estimated that £2.1 billion in health costs could be saved annually if everyone in England had good access to greenspace (Natural England, 2009).

In recognition of these benefits, this Government has committed to improving the public’s access to green and blue spaces, including through initiatives such as our National River Walks.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Helen Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make the data on the use of symptomatic FIT for patients with suspected bowel cancer symptoms across each ICB publicly available. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department does not hold the data at an integrated care board level, however, data for the number of lower gastrointestinal referrals, at a practice level, with a Faecal Immunochemical Test attached, is publicly available through the Investment and Impact Fund. It can be found in the monthly data by the following codes: CAN03; and CAN04.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme claims on Covid-19 vaccinations which have been accepted following mandatory reversal based upon (a) additional evidence provided and (b) existing evidence. \p Ashley Dalton: Claimants to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) can ask for a reassessment, known as a mandatory reversal, if they disagree with the medical assessor’s decision on the eligibility of their claim. Additional evidence must be added before it is reassessed, and this can include medical records.

Between 1 November 2021, when the NHS Business Services Authority took over administration of the VDPS, and 20 March 2025, 25 claims have been awarded a Vaccine Damage Payment following a mandatory reversal. Additional evidence was provided for all of these claims.

No claims have been reassessed without additional evidence.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's contract entitled Medical Assessments: Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, procurement reference, CF-0724900D0O000000rwimUAA, whether Crawford & Company are required to respond to Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme claims within a specified time period; and whether they receive rewards on account of the speed of assessments. \p Ashley Dalton: The length of time it takes to process a Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) claim varies from case to case. This is because medical records will often be gathered from claimants’ healthcare providers before a claim undergoes medical assessment, and receiving a claimant’s records can take time.

95% of the assessments that are shared with an independent medical assessor should be returned to the VDPS administrators, the NHS Business Service Authority, within 15 working days. Sometimes this can take longer because medical assessments are complex, and these medical assessors will review individual medical records, which can be thousands of pages.

No rewards are provided within the contract.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what services the NHSBSA paid Crawford & Co; and what the budget for expenditure on the services of Crawford & Co is for the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme for 2025-26. \p Ashley Dalton: Crawford & Company currently provides a medical assessment service for the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS). The VDPS budget for 2025/26, including payments to claimants, the budget for Crawford & Company, and the budget for the operation of the scheme by the NHS Business Services Authority, is £38.6 million. Final expenditure by Crawford & Company will depend on a number of variables, including the number of claims received.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate support for people with postural tachycardia syndrome in Bedfordshire. \p Ashley Dalton: Improving health outcomes for people who live with long-term conditions, including postural tachycardia syndrome, is a key part of the Government's mission to build a National Health Service fit for the future.

The integrated care boards (ICBs), including the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB, which serves Bedfordshire, are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their population. The Government expects ICBs to take account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines and other best practice in designing their services to meet the needs of their local populations.

The NICE publishes guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of long-term conditions for use by healthcare professionals and commissioners. The NICE has produced a clinical knowledge summary on the clinical management of blackouts and syncope, which sets out how clinicians should assess and diagnose postural tachycardia syndrome.

This was last updated in November 2023, and is available at the following link: https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/blackouts-syncope/diagnosis/assessment/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the amount of (a) research into pancreatic cancer and (b) clinical trials into potential treatments for pancreatic cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.

Research is a vital part of improving diagnosis and treatment for cancer. The NIHR has invested £4.4 million to directly funded pancreatic cancer research between 2018/19 and 2023/24. These investments are pivotal to informing efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment and outcomes. An example of a recent award is the research, Translational proteomics to understand and overcome drug resistance to targeted anticancer drugs in KRAS and PIK3CA driven cancers.

Additionally, NIHR infrastructure funding supports the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical and applied research that is funded by the NIHR’s research programmes, other public funders of research, charities and the life sciences industry. In doing so, our investment plays a crucial role in underpinning the research funded by our partners.

The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pancreatic cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

The Department works closely with the National Health Service, industry, academia, research regulators and charities to make clinical research in the United Kingdom more efficient, more competitive, and more accessible, with the aim of ensuring that all patients, including those with pancreatic cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical research and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

Patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer can access relevant research and clinical trials through the NIHR online service called 'Be Part of Research', which promotes participation in health and social care research, including research into pancreatic cancer, by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Jonathan Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including nanopore sequencing-based brain tumour methylome classification in the National Genomic Test Directory. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department funded the Cancer 2.0 initiative in 2021, delivered by Genomics England in close partnership with NHS England. The three-year programme demonstrated that nanopore sequencing-based brain tumour classification demonstrates significant promise for the National Genomic Test Directory. Full validation is required before full clinical implementation can be considered.

Other genomic testing for brain cancer is already included in the National Genomic Test Directory. This testing can be delivered using a range of technologies, including whole genome sequencing (WGS) or Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology, namely large cancer gene panels, to ensure that a patient receives the most appropriate genomic testing depending on their individual circumstances.

To date no application has been made to NHS England to evaluate nanopore sequencing-based brain tumour methylome classification. If an application were received, NHS England would assess the evidence in line with the Test Directory policy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 2025-26 NHS Payment scheme consultation notice, whether there will be a deterioration in waiting times as a result of payment limits for elective services; and whether there will be (a) a nationally set floor for level of activity of each elective service in each ICB and (b) a minimum level of provision for ADHD and ASD assessments. \p Stephen Kinnock: As set out in the Elective Reform Plan, integrated care boards (ICBs) will be allocated funding needed to deliver improvements to the 18-week referral-to-treatment performance standard for consultant-led care. The 2025-26 NHS Payment Scheme consultation proposes that, as a minimum, commissioners need to ensure that the planned level of activity would deliver their target referral to treatment time improvement for consultant-led treatments, considering affordability.

The consultation also proposes that commissioners have the option of breaking down the planned level of activity into specific limits set at service, specialty or procedure level. These could consider where additional activity is required and where waiting times are already within the 18-week standard. However, there would be no requirement to break the limit down in this way.

The introduction of a payment limit is being proposed to increase commissioners’ ability to manage their finite resources prioritising the specific health needs of their populations. In planning local service provision, including for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder assessments, ICBs should consider how local funding can be deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Peter Prinsley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to ensure people with long-term health conditions can access care services near their home. \p Stephen Kinnock: Local authorities have a statutory duty to shape their care markets and deliver services to meet diverse local needs. In performing that duty, a local authority must have regard to current and likely future demand for such services and consider how providers might meet that demand.

The Government is committed to moving towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered in local communities to spot problems earlier, supporting people to stay healthier and maintain their independence for longer.

Neighbourhood Health Guidelines have been published alongside the 2025/26 NHS Operational Planning Guidance and the 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, to help integrated care boards, local authorities and health and care providers to continue to progress neighbourhood health in 2025/26. The focus for 2025/26 is on individuals with complex needs who require support from multiple services and organisations.

The Government is also launching an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. It will consider what structural reforms may be needed where health and social care meet and who should be accountable and responsible for those services. It will look at how we recruit, retain, and recognise the workforce. And it will consider how adult social care can become truly preventative, meeting people’s needs much earlier, supporting our carers and delivering on our promise to make care ‘home first’.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to mental health services for victims of domestic abuse in (a) North Cornwall constituency and (b) other rural communities. \p Stephen Kinnock: Too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long. This is why we will fix the broken system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health and that people can be confident of accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.

Nationally, we plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health mental health staff in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment. It is important that all parts of the system, including health, policing and justice services, work together to protect domestic abuse victims.

Tackling violence against women and girls is a top priority for the Government, we have a mission to halve this violence in a decade. We are working across Government to deliver a transformative approach to this, underpinned by a new strategy to be published later in 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Julia Buckley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve provision of mental health services to acute mental health patients leaving in-patient facilities. \p Stephen Kinnock: The statutory guidance on discharge from mental health inpatient settings makes clear that National Health Service mental health trusts should have a clear plan in place for the ongoing care and support that a patient requires after discharge from a mental health inpatient setting. This should cover their pharmacological, physical health, psychological, social, cultural, education, housing and finances, and any other individual needs or wishes.

Individual trusts providing mental health inpatient services are expected to closely monitor hospital discharge performance data to ensure discharge arrangements are operating effectively and safely across the system and are also subject to monitoring, inspection and regulation by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

In response to the CQC’s review of the care and treatment provided to Valdo Calocane and of services provided by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, NHS England asked every provider of mental health services to review the care received by people with serious mental illness who require intensive community treatment and follow-up but where engagement is a challenge.

Alongside this, NHS England is also developing new core standards of care for community mental health services to support the continued improvement of care.

As part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future and shift care from hospitals into the community by improving community and crisis services, NHS England is piloting new models of care in the community for those with the most serious mental illnesses. New mental health centres open in six neighbourhood areas from this spring and will provide people and their families with support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, if they are in crisis without needing to book an appointment, as well as provide housing or employment advice to support them to stay well. A key feature of the model is continuity of care whereby the same team will support people with serious mental illnesses throughout all stages of their interaction with services, including transitions between hospital and the community.

The Mental Health Bill, currently before Parliament, also aims to strengthen discharge arrangements for people detained in hospital under the Mental Health Act.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of savings from cuts to NHS England and ICB running costs will be directed to (a) primary care, (b) secondary care and (c) social care. \p Karin Smyth: Ministers will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by James Mackey, to ensure that the expected hundreds of millions of pounds worth of savings made will be reinvested in frontline services to deliver better care for patients.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the detailed results of each hospital's funding bid scoring against the Multi Factorial Review of the New Hospital Programme. \p Karin Smyth: My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, set out a credible and deliverable plan for the new hospital schemes in the New Hospital Programme (NHP) on 20 January 2025, following the conclusion of the review of the NHP. The Plan for Implementation was laid in the House Library and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome

Estimated costs for each scheme are set out in the publication. However, these are estimates and the exact funding for schemes will be determined through the review and agreement of a Full Business Case, as is usual for large infrastructure projects.

Funding has been agreed with HM Treasury to cover 2025/26. Funding beyond this will be agreed in the Spending Review in spring 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of a ban on the (a) marketing and (b) advertising of (i) e-cigarette and vaping products, (ii) non-medically licensed nicotine products and (iii) heated tobacco products on the number of adults switching from cigarettes to alternatives. \p Ashley Dalton: The health advice is clear that vaping is only recommended for adult smokers who wish to quit smoking. Youth vaping has more than doubled in the last five years with one in four children aged between 11 and 15 years old having tried vaping in 2023. It is unacceptable that vapes are deliberately promoted and advertised to children, and this must be stopped to prevent future generations from being hooked on nicotine.

The Government has published a thorough impact assessment of the measures included in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, including the prohibition on the advertising of vaping products and nicotine products.

Public health messaging and campaigns will continue to support the promotion of vapes as a quit aid for smokers, as outlined on the Better Health and National Health Service websites. Additionally, the Government is committed to supporting smokers to quit, through a range of services. We are investing an additional £70 million in 2025/26 for local Stop Smoking Services in England and are working to ensure all NHS hospitals offer ‘opt-out’ smoking cessation purposes.

All tobacco products are harmful to health. There is evidence of toxicity from heated tobacco in laboratory studies. The aerosol generated by heated tobacco also contains carcinogens, and there will be a risk to the health of anyone using these products.

The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 prohibits the advertisement and sponsorship of tobacco products, and that prohibition applies to tobacco products intended to be smoked, sniffed, sucked or chewed. It is the Department’s view that the legislation applies to any tobacco product, regardless of when it was developed, and that heated tobacco products and the heating device to be used with it are caught under this legislation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued to NHS trusts on the provision of support for long COVID (a) clinics and (b) patients. \p Ashley Dalton: Commissioning of post-COVID services transitioned from the long COVID national programme to local integrated care boards (ICBs) at the end of March 2024. Funding for post-COVID services in 2024/25 was expected to be allocated based on the 2023/24 distribution, to minimise disruption to funding flows and to maintain services.

NHS England has recently completed a long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) stocktake, aimed to provide a nationwide overview of service delivery in commissioning and contracting, assessing access, activity and outcomes. It was agreed that long COVID and ME/CFS services are rightly commissioned by ICBs, which have responsibility for ensuring coverage for their population.

To support clinical leadership in this area, NHS England has worked in partnership with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to develop a new Clinical Post-COVID Society to facilitate the ongoing sharing of best practice to support people affected by long COVID.

NHS England has published commissioning guidance for post-COVID services which sets out the commissioning, service requirements and oversight of post-COVID services by ICBs in England for adults, and children and young people. It outlines the elements that post-COVID services should comprise of and the principles of care for long COVID. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/commissioning-guidance-for-post-covid-services-for-adults-children-and-young-people/

There is specific advice for general practitioners to manage long COVID. Patients should be managed according to current clinical guidance such as that published and updated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; this is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG188
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to prophylactics for immunocompromised people for whom vaccines are not effective. \p Ashley Dalton: Decisions about what medicines to prescribe are made by the doctor or healthcare professional responsible for that part of the patient’s care, working with their patient to decide on the best course of treatment with the provision of the most clinically appropriate care for the patient always being the primary consideration. Prescribers must always satisfy themselves that the medicines they consider appropriate for their patients can be safely prescribed and that they take account of appropriate national guidance on clinical effectiveness, as well as the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care boards.

The UK Health Security Agency provides guidance on alternative treatments that are recommended to be available to those that cannot be vaccinated and information regarding prophylactics that should be used for immunosuppressed individuals who are exposed to infections. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has also issued guidance for the National Health Service on the clinical and cost effectiveness of some medicines used for prophylaxis.

Decisions on whether licensed medicines, including those for prophylaxis, should be recommended for routine NHS funding are made independently by NICE, based on the evidence of costs and benefits.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Llinos Medi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention published on 11th March 2025, how many people living in Wales were impacted by the missed invitations for routine screening. \p Ashley Dalton: No one who lives in Wales has missed a screening invitation due to this incident.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of availability of non-surgical treatments for Band Keratopathy on the NHS; and if he will consider expanding access to laser treatment as an alternative to more invasive procedures. \p Karin Smyth: No specific assessment has yet been made by the Department on the level of availability of non-surgical treatments for band keratopathy and access to laser treatment. However, the Government is committed to innovation in elective care, so that patients have access to timely and high-quality care, including patients awaiting eyecare treatment.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard that 92% of patients are treated within 18 weeks from referral, including ophthalmology patients.

In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence issues authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on best practice that helps people in the NHS make efficient, cost-effective, and consistent decisions about adopting new products.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has received notification from the NHS Business Services Authority that they will not be able to meet the 31 March 2025 deadline to provide eligible retired members of the NHS Pension Scheme with remediable service statements. \p Karin Smyth: The answer I gave on 31 December 2024 to the Hon. Member for Lewes to Question 20389 set out that the Department does not expect that the majority of affected retired members will receive their remediable service statement until after April 2025. It also confirmed that the NHS Business Services Authority will communicate revised delivery timelines for remediable service statements once these are confirmed.

The Department has robust governance arrangements in place to oversee the NHS Business Services Authority’s implementation of the remedy for affected NHS Pension Scheme members. The NHS Business Services Authority regularly reports on remediable service statement delivery plans and progress as part of these arrangements.
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Robin Swann:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mechanisms to support the (a) adoption and (b) clinical systems integration of (i) novel and (ii) rapid diagnostics into clinical pathways. \p Karin Smyth: The Elective Reform Plan (ERP), published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the 18-week standard, including reforms to diagnostic care to reduce waiting times for tests and scans.

The plan announced that integrated care boards (ICBs) will make optimal use of the new diagnostic capacity by increasing direct referrals and rolling out at least 10 straight-to-test pathways by March 2026. NHS England is working with clinicians to best determine priority pathways and implementation based on population need and where there is a clear opportunity for improving timescales and journeys to diagnosis.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issues authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on best practice that often includes recommendations to support diagnosis. NICE also develops guidance on new, innovative diagnostic technologies that helps people in the NHS make efficient, cost-effective and consistent decisions about adopting new products.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to establish full clinical guidelines for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of people with Tourette's syndrome. \p Karin Smyth: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has established a prioritisation board that takes decisions on which topics should be prioritised for the development of a clinical guideline, in line with the routing criteria set out in the NICE’s published prioritisation framework, and through engagement with experts and other interested parties. The prioritisation board is currently considering Tourette’s and tic disorders as a possible topic for guideline development, however no final prioritisation decisions have been made yet.

The NICE has produced guidance on suspected neurological conditions, which includes recommendations on treatment for tics and involuntary movements in adults and children. The guidance can be found at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127/

The NICE is also developing an Early Value Assessment on digital therapy for chronic tic disorders and Tourette syndrome, and currently expects to publish final guidance in May 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the amount of money clawed back by NHS England from primary care NHS dental practices in England that had not met their contractual targets in each year since the 2020-21 financial year. \p Stephen Kinnock: The NHS Business Services Authority publishes the details of each National Health Service dental contract, with associated contract delivery data, annually. This information includes additional NHS dental payments and deductions each year since 2015. NHS England contracts with dentists to deliver NHS dental services, with the amount of NHS dental care to deliver and financial value specified in each contract. Deductions to this amount include where a dentist does not deliver the contracted amount of NHS dental care. These publications are available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/dental-data/nhs-payments-dentists
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department plans to provide for community mental health hubs in London in each of the next three financial years. \p Stephen Kinnock: Thus far, government funding to support Early Support Hubs from 2024/25 has allowed hubs to expand their current service offer to reach at least 12,000 additional young people.

The Department has confirmed a one-year contract to support and evaluate these hubs, helping to lay the foundations of the mental health offer for young people, including through expanding the workforce, introducing Young Futures Hubs, and rolling out Mental Health Support teams to more schools.

This new funding for 2025/26 will enable Early Support Hubs to deliver at least 10,000 additional mental health and wellbeing interventions, so that more children and young people are supported. Funding decisions for 2026/27 are subject to future Spending Reviews.