theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of drugs-related deaths; and what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland on this issue. \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 evidenced-based, high-quality treatment, to reduce the number of drug related deaths.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing the local need for drug and alcohol 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 a total of £310 million in additional targeted grants to improve drug and alcohol services and recovery support, which includes housing and employment.

The Department has an action plan in place to reduce drug and alcohol-related deaths, which is currently being reviewed to ensure that it is grounded in the latest understanding of the drivers of drug and alcohol related deaths, and is responding to these. In 2024, the Department published guidance for local authorities and their partnerships on how to review adult drug and alcohol-related deaths and near-fatal overdoses, to prevent future deaths.

Alongside the funding allocations, the Department has a range of existing and forthcoming best practice resources and guidance that supports those working in the sector to tailor drug and alcohol treatment services to meet local needs, to improve treatment outcomes. The commissioning quality standard provides guidance to local authorities on how to ensure they have a shared understanding of local need, including the experiences of diverse populations. The commissioning quality standard is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commissioning-quality-standard-alcohol-and-drug-services

The Department continues to work with all local areas to address unmet needs and drug and alcohol misuse deaths, and to drive improvements in the continuity of care. This includes the Unmet Need Toolkit, which can be used by local areas to assess local need and plan to meet it.

As health is a devolved matter, each administration of the United Kingdom takes its own decisions on the provision of treatment and other action to address drug related deaths. Nonetheless, it is important that the four nations work together and share learning to tackle the health harms that drugs pose. This includes through our UK wide legislation to expand access to take home naloxone that has been developed in close partnership with devolved administrations. We will continue to work closely with colleagues in the devolved administrations, to share learning and align our approaches where appropriate.
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Juliet Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support people with Multiple Sclerosis. \p Ashley Dalton: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services for their local population, including for multiple sclerosis (MS). The Government expects ICBs to assess the demand for service provision when designing their local services.

There are initiatives to support better care for patients with neurological conditions like MS, across England. These include the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which aims to improve MS care by supporting the National Health Service to address variations in care and by promoting best practice.

The Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit, published by NHS England’s RightCare Programme, supports healthcare systems in improving the care of individuals living with progressive neurological conditions, including MS. It aims to enhance local services and reduce hospital admissions by focusing on preventative care and by optimising the delivery of services.

NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP) is a multi-year programme to develop a new model of integrated care for neurology services. The NTP has collaborated with clinicians and patient groups to create specific pathways for MS, aiming to improve the quality and coordination of care.

NHS England is also updating its Specialised Neurology service specification, which includes MS. Service specifications define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care.

Our 10-Year Health Plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed, to move healthcare from the hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from treatment to prevention. We also plan to publish our refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver a transformed health service over the next decade and to treat patients wherever they live in England, including those with MS, on time again.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many men have been diagnosed with testicular cancer in the last 12 months. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Disease Registration Service in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects and analyses diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. Using the Rapid Cancer Registration Data set, there were 1,929 diagnoses of testicular cancer, code ICD10 C62*, between March 2024 and February 2025, the latest available data. Further information on the Rapid Cancer Registration Data set is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-sets/rcrd
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on taking steps to keep the NHS data of serving military personnel confidential. \p Karin Smyth: My Rt. Hon. friends, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Secretary of State for Defence, are united in their commitment to ensuring serving military personnel receive excellent health services through the Defence Medical Services working in partnership with the National Health Service.

The Defence Medical Services provide primary healthcare for serving personnel. All serving personnel will have a Defence Health Record which records their healthcare through their military service, whether provided by the Defence Medical Services or the NHS. Serving personnel are provided with a medical care summary and a patient’s full Defence Health Record can be provided on request from their NHS general practitioner (GP).

There is an existing process for the transfer of healthcare information to the NHS when they leave the Armed Forces. A secure email gateway exists between the Ministry of Defence and NHS networks, permitting the secure transmission of email classified up to, and including, OFFICIAL SENSITIVE PERSONAL material.

To improve the transfer of healthcare information, the Defence Medical Services are working towards a greater interoperability with NHS systems and the electronic transfer of medical records from Defence Medical Services to NHS GPs.
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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase recruitment of social care workers. \p Stephen Kinnock: English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care (ASC).

The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the ASC sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth and improve the recruitment and retention of the domestic workforce. This is why we are introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement so that care professionals are recognised and rewarded for the important work that they do. As we work towards a Fair Pay Agreement, the Government will engage all those who draw upon care, as well as those that work to provide care and support. We will also consult local authorities, unions, and others from across the sector.

We are supporting the professionalisation of the ASC workforce, through expanding the Care Workforce Pathway, including registered manager and deputy manager roles. The Pathway will set out how people can develop across a long-term career in adult social care with support and training; attracting people to join and remain in the sector.

The Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund (MSIF) will provide over £1 billion for adult social care to local authorities over 2025/26. MSIF is designed to support increased adult social care capacity and improve market sustainability. One of the three target areas local authorities can spend their allocation on is increasing adult social care workforce recruitment and retention.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure access to NHS dentistry in new housing estates. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure all new and existing housing developments have an adequate level of healthcare infrastructure. This is alongside guidance on how developer contributions from new housing developments can be better negotiated and used towards delivering local health services and infrastructure.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.

ICBs are responsible for having local processes in place to involve patient groups, and for undertaking oral health needs assessments, to identify areas of need. For the West Dorset constituency, this is the NHS Dorset ICB.
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Siân Berry:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has for departmental funding arrangements for the recruitment of 8,500 additional mental health workers. \p Stephen Kinnock: To reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future, we will publish a 10-Year Health Plan as part of the Government’s five long-term missions. We are listening to and co-designing the plan with the public and health and care staff. A central part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities.

Our mission is to improve mental health care across the spectrum of need which fluctuates across the life course from poor wellbeing to common mental health disorders to severe mental illness. Therefore, we are focusing on ensuring the NHS is providing the right support to the right people at the right time.

The NHS has funding to pay for staff recruited in 2025/26 because the Government has maintained the Mental Health Investment Standard. Future funding for the NHS, including mental health services, will be determined by my Rt. Hon. friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the Spending Review for 2026/27 and beyond.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increases in employer National Insurance contributions on (a) levels of staff costs for homecare providers and (b) the delivery of social care services. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government assessed the impact of the cost pressures facing adult social care as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process. This assessment took account of a range of factors that could affect the delivery of social care services, including changes to employer National Insurance Contributions.

To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government has made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26. There is also an extra £502 million of support for local authorities in England to manage the impact of changes to employer National Insurance Contributions announced at the Autumn Budget 2024.

In addition, the Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.
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Katie White:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to reinstate the NHS and Care Volunteer Responders scheme within the new infrastructure of the National Health Service. \p Karin Smyth: The NHS Volunteer Responders programme was first established as part of the COVID-19 response and then adapted to respond to other organisational pressures. However, a model that worked well in a national crisis is no longer the most cost-effective way of facilitating the contribution of our much-valued volunteers. There are no plans to reinstate the scheme.

Whilst the NHS and Care Volunteer Responders service is ending, the NHS Volunteer recruitment portal is available, with 70 health and care organisations advertising opportunities. As the service grows, every National Health Service or voluntary organisation in health will be able to post opportunities and recruit volunteers to support their local communities, with a full launch of the service planned for later this year.

There are also over 72,000 volunteers who continue to support NHS trusts directly in over 300 different volunteer roles, which are unaffected by the closure of the NHS Volunteer Responders programme.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish an impact assessment on the (a) proposed abolition of NHS England and (b) planned 50% reduction in the combined workforce of (i) NHS England and (ii) the Department for Health and Social Care. \p Karin Smyth: It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. Evidence from these ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate. Furthermore, the Government is committed to transparency, and will consider how best to ensure the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes and impact of both the abolition of NHS England and the reduction in workforce.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with NICE on reducing overprescribing. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has had no recent discussions with either the Royal Pharmaceutical Society or the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on reducing overprescribing.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, how the savings in the NHS were calculated. \p Karin Smyth: Details of the efficiency plan were published alongside the Spending Review, and are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/departmental-efficiency-delivery-plans

The savings are derived by applying the productivity target for each sector to the level of associated spending. Improving National Health Service productivity is backed by a nearly 50% increase to NHS technology and transformation spend since 2025/26, with a total investment of up to £10 billion by 2028/29.

The plan will deliver efficiencies across all healthcare services, such as electives, urgent and emergency care, community health, mental health, primary care, and other services, primarily through the combined impact of operational and clinical improvements, technology and digital transformation, and workforce initiatives.

These efficiencies will be reinvested back into the NHS and will support the transformation in the 10-Year Health Plan.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of NHS Trusts provide free parking to patients. \p Karin Smyth: National Health Service trusts decide locally on whether they charge for parking on their sites. The published Estates Return Information Collection gives a breakdown of NHS trusts charging for hospital parking for patients and visitors combined.

The latest figures from 2023/24 show that 34% of NHS trusts do not charge hospital car parking for patients and visitors. The data on this is collected in the Estates Return Information Collection (ERIC) and available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2023-24

More widely, some patients already receive free hospital car parking as this is provided to those in ‘most need’. This is defined as frequent outpatient attenders, parents of children staying overnight, disabled blue badge holders and NHS staff working overnight. All NHS Trusts that charge for hospital car parking have implemented this commitment.
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to include Chronic UTIs in the (a) 10-year Health Strategy and (b) next iteration of the Women’s Health Strategy. \p Karin Smyth: The 10-Year Plan will set out how we tackle the inequities that lead to poor health. This will include how we will improve access to, and the experience of care for, conditions such as chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs). More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all support people to manage their conditions, including chronic UTIs, closer to home.

We are aware that recurrent UTIs are more prevalent in women. The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future, and our focus is on turning the commitments in the Women's Health Strategy into tangible actions to improve health for women.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS appointments were missed in the last 12-months. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not hold data on the number of missed appointments across the whole National Health Service. In the year from April 2024 to March 2025, the latest provisional data indicates that there were 8.1 million outpatient appointments not attended by the patient, representing 5.6% of all appointments.
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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS Trusts on ensuring that community rehabilitation is offered as a viable alternative to (a) medicine and (b) surgery. \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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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the projected total cost of redundancy packages arising from the proposed changes to NHS England and DHSC; and what estimate he has made of the net financial benefit after these costs are accounted for. \p Karin Smyth: The future Department will be smaller, more agile, and more efficient, delivering value for money for the public and empowering our health system to improve health and care for patients.

We recognise that to achieve this, there will be some short-term upfront costs as we undertake the integration of NHS England and the Department, but these costs and more will be recouped in future years because of a smaller and leaner centre.

By the end of the process, we estimate that these changes will save hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services. At this stage it is too early to say what the upfront costs of integration are, including any redundancy, while transition planning is ongoing.
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Christine Jardine:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce waiting times for gender identity services. \p Karin Smyth: The Government and NHS England are committed to implementing the recommendations of the Cass Review in full. NHS England developed an ambitious two-year action plan which sets out how they will continue to transform and improve gender services, helping to tackle waiting lists, whilst ensuring safe and holistic care.

NHS England has opened three children and young people’s gender services in the North-West, London, and Bristol. A fourth East of England service will open later this year. These services operate under a fundamentally different model and embed multi-disciplinary teams in specialist children’s hospitals. The Government is pleased to say that these services have begun seeing patients from the national waiting list.

NHS England remains on schedule to deliver a gender clinic in each region of England by 2026, helping to improve the care offered to children and young people with gender dysphoria and/or incongruence.

The Government is also working to bring down waiting lists and improve care offered in adult gender services. NHS England has increased the number of adult gender dysphoria clinics in England from seven to 12, with the rollout of five new adult gender pilot clinics since July 2020. Furthermore, NHS England is currently carrying out a review of adult gender services, with the aim of producing an updated service specification. The review, which is chaired by Dr David Levy, will examine the model of care and operating procedures of each service, and will carefully consider experiences, feedback, and outcomes from clinicians and patients.
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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies on neighbourhood health of the York Frailty Hub. \p Ashley Dalton: 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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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of Integrated Care Boards to deliver services effectively (a) during and (b) after proposed structural reforms. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England has asked integrated care boards (ICBs) to act primarily as strategic commissioners of health and care services and reduce duplication of responsibilities within the health and care structure. To deliver on this commitment, ICBs have drafted and shared their delivery and resource plan including staffing management in accordance with the guidance set out in Sir Jim Mackey's letter of 1 April 2025 and the Model ICB framework. NHS England is working with ICBs to review and implement these plans.

NHS England is working closely with ICBs to ensure these changes do not compromise quality of care or the statutory responsibilities of ICBs.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to the NHS was of missed appointments in 2024. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not hold data on the overall cost to the National Health Service of missed appointments.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) analysis and (b) modelling he used for the target of 50% reduction in staff across (i) NHS England and (ii) his Department; and whether that target was based on (A) internal performance reviews, (B) external advice and (C) financial modelling. \p Karin Smyth: The future Department will be smaller, more agile, and more efficient, delivering value for money for the public and empowering our health system to improve health and care for patients. To realise this vision, the new Department will be stripped of duplication and bureaucracy. It will also need to operate very differently from the current arrangement, making important decisions about what it does and does not do and transforming ways of working.

As part of these changes, we are intending to reduce the headcount across the Department and NHS England which will deliver hundreds of millions of pounds of savings each year which can be recycled into front line service delivery. Work is progressing to now take forward the detailed design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions and responsibilities. The precise reduction agreed will be done through careful design, deliberation and consultation in the spirit of making sure that the set-up is right for the longer term.
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Esther McVey:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the dates of the consultation period with pharmaceutical companies, as agreed at the Commission on Human Medicines Antidepressant Risk Minimisation Expert Working Group meeting on 1 May. \p Karin Smyth: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will seek the advice of the independent Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) on the final recommendations of the Antidepressant Risk Minimisation Expert Working Group, following the next meeting in July 2025.

If the CHM advises the MHRA to request changes to the antidepressant product information, the MHRA will write to all of the pharmaceutical companies affected in accordance with standard timelines and procedures for requesting variations to product information.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 22 May 2025 on NHS Workforce, HCWS663, what the evidential basis is for the reduction of NHS England costs by 50%; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that reduction on (a) patient care, (b) access to services and (c) regional health inequalities. \p Karin Smyth: We are intending to reduce the headcount across the Department and NHS England, which will deliver hundreds of millions of pounds of savings each year which can be recycled into front line service delivery. Work is progressing to take forward the detailed design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, along with plans for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilities. The precise reduction agreed will be done through careful design, deliberation, and consultation, in the spirit of making sure that the set-up is right for the longer term.

It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. Evidence from these ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate. Furthermore, the Government is committed to transparency, and will consider how best to ensure the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes and impact of both the abolition of NHS England and the reduction in workforce.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the number of hyperbaric chamber on divers based in the Midlands. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England is committed to ensuring equitably accessible, high-quality services, for anyone who requires hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). We will meet our obligations to do so through implementing plans to deliver the commissioning intentions set out during the public consultation which took place last year. Further information on the public consultation is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/reviewing-hyperbaric-oxygen-services-consultation-guide/#:~:text=Background-,Background,Manual%20of%20Prescribed%20Specialised%20Services

It is proposed that the number of commissioned HBOT centres in England is reduced from eight centres to six centres. The geographical scope of these services will ensure that there is no more than four hours travelling time, by road, from coastal locations, the furthest borders, or between neighbouring commissioned HBOT centres, which is in line with good practice guidelines.
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Layla Moran:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of updating the existing regulations on (a) composition, (b) marketing and (c) labelling of commercial infant and toddler foods. \p Ashley Dalton: 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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Rachael Maskell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies on community mental health services of the Trieste Model of mental health care. \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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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the decision by NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board to close Westbourne Surgery. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department understands that the general practice (GP) partners at Emsworth Medical Practice have arrived at the decision to propose the closure of the Westbourne Branch Surgery and that the proposed date of closure is 27 June 2025.

There are no plans to review the decision by NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board to close Westbourne Surgery. There is a high bar set out in guidance for intervention by my Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in contested reconfiguration cases, who would expect all avenues of local resolution to be exhausted before a call-in request is made.

Responsibility for the delivery, implementation, and funding decisions for services ultimately rests with the appropriate National Health Service commissioner, in this case, NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB), rather than the Department. The closure of a GP surgery is an issue that is considered and decided upon by local commissioners following an application from a GP provider.

Local health and care organisations are best placed to make decisions on commissioning services for their communities, working with local authorities, stakeholders, and local populations to meet people’s needs.

When a practice does close, patients will be informed of the closure and advised to register at another local practice of their choice within their area. Commissioners must put in place appropriate measures to ensure that the affected patients have access to GP services.
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Chris Coghlan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his letter to the hon. Member for Dorking and Horley, dated 4 June 2025, if he will set out the legislative vehicles his Department are considering to address the identified shortcomings in mental capacity law. \p Stephen Kinnock: On 4 June 2025, I wrote to Fiona Laskaris and the Hon. Member for Dorking and Horley, Chris Coghlan MP to confirm my commitment to review the full range of policy and legislative levers in relation to the practical application of mental capacity law. This important work requires careful consideration. The most recent meeting with officials was on 17 June, and we will set out our plans in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-23)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to (a) monitor and (b) assess the impact of the Dentistry Rescue Plan in West Dorset constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the West Dorset constituency, this is the NHS Dorset ICB.

We are working with NHS England, the NHS Business Services Authority, and the ICBs to set out the requirements for monitoring and reporting progress against the 700,000 urgent appointments, which will enable us to identify where further support is needed. Data on the number of dentists recruited under the Golden Hello scheme is regularly collected by NHS England. As of 6 May 2025, in England, there were 66 dentists in post with a further 24 dentists who have been recruited but are yet to start in post under this scheme. A further 231 posts are currently being advertised.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_263

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy that newly qualified dentists deliver a minimum amount of NHS work after graduating. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry, but it will take time and there are no quick fixes. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions. The Department consulted on an NHS tie-in for graduate dentists last year, and we are considering the responses. The Government position on this proposal will be set out in due course.
wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_264
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_264

Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 45856 on Blood: Donors, how many and what proportion of the donors deferred due to the donor’s recent travel to other countries were of (a) African, (b) Caribbean, (c) mixed white and African heritage and (d) mixed white and Caribbean heritage. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS Blood and Transplant is responsible for blood donation in England. The following table shows the number and proportion of deferrals due to the donor’s recent travel to other countries for those of African, Caribbean, mixed white and African, and mixed white and Caribbean heritage, from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, the most recent data available:

Ethnicity

Number of deferrals due to donor’s recent travel to other countries

Proportion of total deferrals due to donor’s recent travel to other countries

Black- African

651

10.56%

Black- Caribbean

88

1.43%

Mixed white and black African

31

0.50%

Mixed white and black Caribbean

40

0.65%
wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_265
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_265

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Operation Gull is continuing to operate in Northern Ireland. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Operation Gull is informed by intelligence and is carried out in keeping with this principle.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_266

Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department’s report entitled Understanding asylum seeker and refugee vulnerabilities and needs, published on 22 May 2025, what was the methodology for the vulnerability identification framework: and how (a) gender and (b) sexual orientation fit this framework. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The report in question was produced under the previous government in 2022. Sections 2 and 3 of the report detail at length the methodologies and definitions underpinning the research.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_267

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many hotels her Department has purchased for the temporary accommodation of asylum seekers since January 2025. \p Dame Angela Eagle: None.
wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_268
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_268

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that decisions made using AI in law enforcement can be (a) explained, (b) reviewed, and (c) challenged. \p Dame Diana Johnson: It is for operationally independent Chief Constables to decide when and how they use AI-enabled or algorithmic tooling.

However, the adoption of these technologies by law enforcement must be lawful, transparent, ethical and underpinned by robust data and governance arrangements. These principles are set out in the ‘Covenant for Using AI in Policing’ which all Chief Constables have signed.

The Home Office is working closely with the AI portfolio of the National Police Chief’s Council and the Police Chief Scientific Advisor to ensure policing has the resources and support it needs to abide by these principles consistently. This includes working with a range of academics from leading universities on a ‘responsible AI checklist’ and producing a detailed ‘AI playbook for policing’, akin to those produced for government departments.
wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_269
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_269

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish a hate crime action plan. \p Dame Diana Johnson: There is no excuse for violence or abuse driven by hatred and discrimination and we support the police in taking the strongest action against the perpetrators of these appalling offences.

This Government is carefully considering how best to strengthen the response to hate crime going forward so we can tackle this offending head on.

The Government funds an online hate crime reporting portal called True Vision, designed so victims of all types of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report. We are also continuing to fund the National Online Hate Crime Hub which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime.
wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_271
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_271

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help disrupt county lines operations in Lincolnshire. \p Dame Diana Johnson: To deliver our pledge to halve knife crime in the next decade, it is crucial that we tackle the drug gangs that run county lines through violence and exploitation. That is why we are investing £42m this financial year (25/26) in the County Lines Programme, to target exploitative drug dealing gangs whilst breaking the organised crime groups behind this trade.

Between July 2024 and March 2025, law enforcement activity through the County Lines Programme taskforces has resulted in more than 1,200 deal lines closed, 2,000 arrests (including the arrest and subsequent charge of over 800 deal line holders) and 2,100 safeguarding referrals of children and vulnerable people. Over 320 children and young people also received dedicated specialist support through the County Lines Programme support service in that time.

While the the majority of lines originate from the areas covered by the Metropolitan Police Service, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police, and Greater Manchester Police, county lines is a national issue which affects all forces. That is why, through the Home Office-funded County Lines Programme, we fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response. The County Lines Programme taskforces regularly conduct joint operations with other forces, and we have established a dedicated fund which provides local forces with additional funding to tackle county lines, including Lincolnshire Police.

The National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) also regularly coordinates weeks of intensive action against county lines gangs, which all police forces take part in. The most recent of these took place 25 November to 1 December 2024. During this period, law enforcement activity delivered by Lincolnshire Police resulted in 18 individual arrests, and £10,000 in cash and £33,000 worth of drugs being seized.

As committed to in the Government’s manifesto, we have introduced a new offence of child criminal exploitation in the Crime and Policing Bill to go after the gangs who are luring children into violent crime. We are also introducing a new criminal offence of ‘coerced internal concealment’ as an amendment to the Bill, which will crack down on the dangerous practice of anyone, including gang leaders, who forces people to hide items inside their bodies to avoid detection often as part of horrendous and exploitative drugs trade.
wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_272
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_272

Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle hate crime against LGBTQ+ people. \p Dame Diana Johnson: There is no excuse for violence or abuse driven by hatred and discrimination, and we support the police in taking strong action against those crimes.

We have a robust legislative framework in place to respond to hate crimes, including those which target sexual orientation and transgender identity.

The Government is carefully considering our next steps to tackle the full range of hate crime offences, and we have committed to ensuring parity of protection under aggravated offences.

The Government funds an online hate crime reporting portal called True Vision, designed so victims of all types of hate crime do not have to visit a police station to report. We are also continuing to fund the National Online Hate Crime Hub which supports individual local police forces in dealing specifically with online hate crime.
wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_273
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-23 conversation_273

James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending British National (Overseas) nationality status to BN(O) visa holders' dependents residing in the United Kingdom. \p Seema Malhotra: Registration for British National (Overseas) status closed on 1 July 1997 and no new applications can now be made. BN(O) visa holders’ dependants who are on the BN(O) route in the UK may apply for British citizenship after 5 years’ qualifying residence, and being free from immigration time restrictions for a further year.