theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_141
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_141

Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that lessons are learned from the handling of state pension age changes to prevent similar issues in future decisions. \p Torsten Bell: As set out to Parliament by the Secretary of State in December we are developing an Action Plan, with input from the Ombudsman, so that lessons are learnt. We will publish the Action Plan in due course.

We are committed to providing clear and sufficient notice of any changes in the State Pension age, so people have the notice they need to plan for their retirement.

The Secretary of State has also tasked officials with developing a strategy for effective, timely and modern communication on the State Pension that uses the most up to date methods. This will build on changes that have already been made, for example the launch of the online ‘Check Your State Pension’ service, which gives a personal forecast of your State Pension including when you can claim it, and how much you can get.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_142

Susan Murray:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the risk that the Collect and Pay service charge system can be used to place additional financial pressure on the paying parent. \p Andrew Western: All parents are given the option to use the Direct Pay service, where no fees apply.

If a paying parent pays on time and in full on Direct Pay and there is no reason to believe they would be unlikely to pay; they cannot be forced to use the Collect and Pay service.

The 20% collection fee for paying parents is a deterrent against non-compliance and offsets the cost of action needed to recover arrears.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Susan Murray:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the average cost difference between the (a) paying and (b) receiving parents for the Child Maintenance Service Collect and Pay service charge. \p Andrew Western: Collection fees only apply to the Collect and Pay service and are intended to provide both parents with an incentive to collaborate, and offset the cost of the scheme. Entry to the service is permitted if either both parents agree to it, or if the paying parent is deemed ‘unlikely to pay’. Paying parents therefore have the more influence in deciding which service type a case goes into.

The 20% collection fee for paying parents is a strong deterrent against non-compliance. The 4% collection fees for receiving parents acknowledges the costs associated with maintaining the case and provides a financial incentive for parents to consider using, or returning to, Direct Pay, or having a family-based arrangement, where appropriate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_144

Susan Murray:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Child Maintenance Service Collect and Pay service fees on families. \p Andrew Western: The Government is dedicated to ensuring parents meet their obligations to children, taking robust enforcement action against those who do not.

Cases in Collect & Pay represent the most difficult cases, as many of these have been unwilling to pay voluntarily or have not been compliant in a Direct Pay arrangement. Cases where the paying parent has missed payments or demonstrated behaviour that suggests they are unlikely to pay, can be put on the Collect and Pay service. Fees only apply to the Collect and Pay Service. A fee of 20% is added to what the paying parent needs to pay, while 4% is deducted from maintenance paid to receiving parents. The receiving parent charge is only applied from the maintenance that the Child Maintenance Service has successfully collected.

Fees were introduced in 2014, partly with the objective to encourage greater collaboration and more family-based arrangements rather than using a statutory service.

After Collect and Pay fees were introduced an assessment was carried out by the previous government and published in The Child Maintenance Reforms; 30 Month Review of charging.

In July 2024 the government consulted on the proposal for wider reform to consolidate the CMS into a single service type where the CMS monitors and transfers payments. The consultation Improving the collection and transfer of payments, also proposed a new fee structure of just 2% for receiving parents, deducted from maintenance received; 2% for compliant paying parents, on top of maintenance owed; and 20% for non-compliant paying parents, on top of maintenance owed.

Following consideration of public responses concerning fees and other proposals in the consultation, and subsequent ministerial decisions, next steps will be detailed in the Government Response, which will be published in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_145

Susan Murray:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the Child Maintenance Service charges parents to use the Collect and Pay system. \p Andrew Western: Collection fees were introduced in 2014, with the objectives of subsidising the cost of the service; encouraging greater parental collaboration and more family-based arrangements; and encouraging compliance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_146

Aphra Brandreth:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help support people with disabilities into work. \p Alison McGovern: Whoever they are and wherever they live, we want individuals to secure appropriate work as we know that work is generally good for health and overall financial well being. We must ensure that disabled people and individuals with health conditions have the opportunity to work. The Keep Britain Working review, is an independent review looking at the role of employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces. The lead reviewer, Sir Charlie Mayfield, is expected to bring forward recommendations in Autumn 2025. This review is backed by £240m investment, announced as part of the Get Britain Working White Paper to drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate.

Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. DWP have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care and WorkWell.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_147

Adrian Ramsay:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the OBR fiscal multipliers table in the document entitled Dynamic scoring of policy measures in OBR forecasts, published by the Office for Budget Responsibility, published on 9 November 2023, what discussions she has had with the Office for Budget Responsibility on the basis for its assumption that most government spending never has a multiplier effect above 1. \p Emma Reynolds: The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for preparing forecasts for the UK economy. This includes an assessment of the impact of Government policies, where the OBR regularly review and publish papers on their approach.

The Chancellor and OBR Budget Responsibility Committee speak regularly, and there is an ongoing dialogue at official level on a range of issues. This includes the OBR’s approach to preparing forecasts for the UK economy.

The OBR assesses the demand side impacts of policy using multipliers – these estimate the impact on real GDP from government policy. The OBR’s multiplier framework is described in Dynamic scoring of policy measures in OBR forecasts.

The OBR also take account of how specific policies affect the supply side of the economy. This approach is set out in Forecasting potential output - the supply side of the economy.

The OBR have also recently published a new framework for assessing public investment which can be found in the OBR’s Discussion Paper No. 5: Public investment and potential output. This framework was used in the Autumn Budget 2024, where the OBR judged the increase in departmental capital spending to raise potential output by 1.1 percent by 2073-74.

The next OBR forecast will be published on Wednesday 26th March 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_148

Jim Shannon:To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church is taking steps to promote the (a) cultural significance and (b) history of the church organ. \p Marsha De Cordova: The Church of England works closely with the Royal College of Organists to encourage and promote the playing of the organ and encourage young people to develop their talents. The increased visibility of some high-profile players on social media is also increasing awareness of the instrument and opportunities for playing the organ in and beyond the church.

The Church of England offer grants to support the conservation of historic organs in CofE churches and works closely with organisations that promote organ culture and heritage, including the Royal College of Organists, British Institute of Organ Studies, and Institute of British Organ Building, to share policy interests and promote good practice.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_149

Jim Shannon:To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church has made of the potential impact of rural parishes on social isolation amongst elderly people. \p Marsha De Cordova: Churches in rural areas often play an important role as a community hub and a place to connect with others. The Church of England has many examples of communities tackling social isolation and loneliness; this may be through traditional offering of worship services, via a home visit for the housebound, or through providing social spaces in the church or church hall for people to gather.

Across the country, and especially in rural communities, churches run around 31,000 community-based initiatives, offering warm spaces, intergenerational children and community projects, coffee mornings, health and wellbeing groups, dementia cafés, community libraries, village shops, as well as spaces for cultural experiences and art exhibitions.

A good example of this work can be found in the research produced by the Archbishops' Commission on Reimagining Care. Commission Members visited a church-led cafe in Kirkby Thore in Cumbria, part of the Renew Wellbeing movement. This provided space for refreshments, games and quiet reflection for people of all ages, but proved particularly popular with older people.

The growing movement towards social prescribing in primary care recognises the important role that faith groups, including churches, play in the health of their communities. Churches are working closely with local GPs in many parts of the country to offer a wide range of specific activities that encourage group work or physical activity. Some good examples of this have been the development of churchyard working groups and gardening projects, community book group and discussion groups, and craft clubs, which all offer people the opportunity meet, chat and make new connections. A recent report has been published by the think-tank Theos, assessing some of the range of projects churches are engaging with, which can be found here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/research/2023/08/09/faith-in-social-prescribing
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_150

Neil O'Brien:To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed Project Spire on (a) church parishes and (b) the maintenance of historic church buildings. \p Marsha De Cordova: Project Spire is important missional activity. The anticipated impact on parishes is an increased understanding of historic links with enslavement, which exist in many parts of the Church of England, and possible ways to share, discuss and respond.

Funding for Project Spire will be sourced entirely from the Endowment Fund managed by the Church Commissioners. None of the money from parish income, or that is given to a parish church, will be used for this fund. Therefore, no direct financial impact is anticipated for parishes.

Contested heritage guidance has been developed that may support churches in considering contested monuments within churches, but this work is not part of Project Spire, which exists to respond to links between the historic endowment of the Church and enslavement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church Commissioners have made of the potential impact of the Law Commission's consultation on burial and cremation, published on 3 October 2024, on the finances of local authorities taking over the maintenance of closed churchyards. \p Marsha De Cordova: The National Institutions of the Church of England submitted a response to the Law Commission’s consultation on burial and cremation. That response supported the introduction of a statutory code of practice for local authorities’ maintenance of burial grounds, including closed churchyards.

It also agreed with the Law Commission’s proposal that the Secretary of State should have the power to reopen closed burial grounds and that where a churchyard is reopened, the local authority should continue to have responsibility for its maintenance.

Local authority finance itself is not an area within the remit of the Church of England.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-21)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-21 conversation_152

James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many 5.56mm rounds have been (a) lost or (b) stolen from his Department’s facilities since 5 July 2024. \p Luke Pollard: The security of ammunition is taken very seriously within the Ministry of Defence (MOD), and we have robust procedures in place to deter, detect and prevent loss and theft. All losses and thefts are fully and rigorously investigated.

No ammunition has been reported stolen during that period.

The below table details 5.56mm, 7.62mm, 9mm, 4.6mm, 12.7mm and .22 inch ammunition lost from MOD Facilities from 5 July 2024 until 28 February 2025. This includes military establishments, ranges, training areas and on operations.

Of the 203 7.62mm ammunition rounds detailed in the table, 200 were lost overboard in the Solent from a Navy vessel

Ammunition

Lost since 5 Jul 2024 – 28 Feb 25

5.56mm

33

7.62mm

203

9mm

18 (15 subsequently found)

4.6mm

0

12.7mm

0

.22 inch

0
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-27 conversation_1

Gill German:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to work with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology to prevent online eating disorder content from contributing to poor mental health outcomes among children and young people. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Under the Government’s Online Safety Act, all in-scope services are now required to protect their users from illegal content, and platforms likely to be accessed by children need to prevent their users from accessing eating disorder content.

We are working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Ofcom, and others as the Online Safety Act takes effect. This includes exploring further opportunities to address harmful pro-eating disorder material and misinformation shared on social media and websites.

Further research examining the causal relationship between exposure to online content and children’s health outcomes, including mental health, and how it might be mediated is needed and welcomed. Departmental policies will remain agile to emerging and future research in this space.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to his Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 905924, what the equivalent percentage numbers were for other causes of delayed discharge in (a) Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and (b) Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Information on the other causes of delayed discharge has been published by NHS England, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/discharge-delays/acute-discharge-situation-report/

The following table shows the proportion of delayed discharges for patients with a length of stay of seven days or longer in September 2025, by primary reason for discharge delay, for the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust:

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust

Hospital Process

24%

7%

Wellbeing Concerns

5%

7%

Care Transfer Hub Process

19%

16%

Interface Process

40%

43%

Capacity

13%

26%

Weekly average snapshot of the total number of people per day with a length of stay of seven or more days who no had criteria to reside but who weren’t discharged

142

222

Note: proportions do not add up to 100% due to rounding.

To support trusts with reducing delayed discharges, the Government published a new policy framework in January 2025 for the £9 billion Better Care Fund, which provides the National Health Service and local authorities with accountability for setting and achieving joint goals for reducing discharge delays, preventing avoidable emergency admissions and care home admission. Some challenged systems in need of additional support are also receiving a programme of improvement support.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for Secondary Care on 3 September 2025, Official Report, column 107WH, whether the Minister for Public Health and Women's Health plans to meet the hon. Member for Christchurch. \p Ashley Dalton: This is an issue that the Government takes very seriously. A meeting has been scheduled with the hon. Member for Christchurch.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

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Sojan Joseph:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the application of food safety regulations to (a) the vehicles and (b) the bags used by delivery drivers. \p Ashley Dalton: Food safety regulations in the United Kingdom apply to all stages of the food supply chain, including the transport and delivery of food by vehicles and in bags. These requirements are set out in the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, which implement assimilated Regulation (EU) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs. Under these regulations:

- vehicles used for food delivery must be kept clean, maintained in good condition, and designed to prevent contamination. Where necessary, they must be capable of maintaining appropriate temperatures for chilled or frozen foods;

- hot food must be kept at 63˚C or above. However, limited periods outside temperature control are permitted, to accommodate the practicalities of handling during the preparation, transport, storage, display, and service of food, provided that it does not result in a risk to health; and

- delivery bags and containers must also be kept clean and made from materials that are easily maintained and suitable for food contact. They must protect food from contamination and, where required, maintain safe temperatures during transport.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) provides guidance to food businesses on how to meet these requirements, including advice on cleaning, temperature control, and preventing cross-contamination. Businesses are expected to assess and manage these risks through their food safety management systems.

The existing legal framework is considered sufficient to ensure food safety during delivery, provided businesses comply with their responsibilities.

Local authorities are responsible for enforcing these food hygiene requirements as part of their role in regulating food businesses. Further information is available on the FSA’s website at the following link:

https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/food-safety-for-food-delivery
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

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Jenny Riddell-Carpenter:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that hospitals provide (a) (i) access to specialist support and (ii) appropriate medication management for people with Parkinson's disease and (c) staff training in Parkinson’s-specific needs. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England has established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme, which has developed a new model of integrated care to support integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including those with Parkinson’s. This focuses on providing access equitably across the country, care as close to home as possible, and early intervention to prevent illness and deterioration in patients with long-term neurological conditions. A toolkit is being developed to support ICBs to understand and implement this new model, which will include components on delivering acute neurology services, improving health equity in neurology, and improving community neurology services.

Hospital providers are responsible for ensuring that patients within hospital settings, including those with Parkinson’s, receive the appropriate medication on time, and that there are a variety of different mechanisms that can be used to support timely administration. These include:

Furthermore, NHS England is leading the Medicines Safety Improvement Programme, as part of the wider NHS Patient Safety Strategy. A focus on time critical medicines has been agreed as a priority for this programme and work is underway involving 80 NHS trusts, with 48 of them receiving active support for innovation and improvement.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it, including for patients with Parkinson’s.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he is making on finding (a) a cure and (b) improved treatments for people with Huntingtons disease. \p Ashley Dalton: We recognise the significant challenges faced by those living with rare diseases such as Huntington’s disease. Although there is currently no cure for the disease, there are efforts to ensure that innovative treatments and research opportunities reach patients and improve outcomes for those affected by Huntington’s disease. The Department supports research into Huntington’s disease through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR invests not only in individual studies but also in world-class research centres, a dedicated delivery workforce, and specialist facilities across the National Health Service. This infrastructure supports pioneering research into Huntington's, including the positive preliminary results for a novel gene therapy reported last month. The NIHR’s Be Part of Research service helps people find and participate in relevant research. There are eight Huntington’s disease studies currently recruiting.

The UK Rare Diseases Framework identifies four main priorities, including improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs. In February 2025, we published the England annual action plan, which outlines the steps we have taken to advance this priority.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

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Andrew George:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that workforce planning maintains the full complement of (a) staffing and (b) skills needed to deliver the highly specialised sarcoma services commissioned by NHS England commissions across all fifteen Specialist Sarcoma Centres in England. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, including for the delivery of cancer services. The plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it, including for patients with sarcoma. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.

Cancer Alliances are a valuable part of how we transform and improve cancer services across the country. The way that alliances work with primary care, trusts, and integrated care boards (ICBs) across their geography, as well as charity and other partners, gives them a unique perspective on the workforce. ICBs and trusts have primary responsibility for the workforce, but alliances can bring together expertise from across these different ICBs and trusts to deliver new training where there are specific skill gaps, championing the introduction of new roles, or transforming the way people or pathways work to improve productivity.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

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Andrew George:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England plans to take to maintain access to the Peninsula Soft Tissue Sarcoma Service in Cornwall. \p Ashley Dalton: The Peninsula Soft Tissue Sarcoma Service continues to provide cancer care to patients suspected of having or having been diagnosed with sarcoma at sites across Devon and Cornwall, including in the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro (RCHT). However, RCHT has notified NHS England that it is unable to continue to provide the commissioned service in its entirety due to consultant workforce issues that it has been unable to resolve.

NHS England recognises the concerns of sarcoma patients locally, and discussions are ongoing to agree a sustainable future service model. Further information will be shared in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people referred to the London North West University Hospital were (a) diagnosed with cancer and (b) had cancer ruled out within (i) 28 days and (ii) 62 days in each quarter since the start of 2022-23. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England publishes data for the three cancer waiting time standards monthly, and this data can be broken down to a provider level, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/

Since July 2025, NHS England has published Faster Diagnosis Standard data broken down by those who were diagnosed with cancer and those who had cancer ruled out. However, this data is not publicly available at a provider level.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-27 conversation_10

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a national standard offering for glaucoma testing. \p Stephen Kinnock: Integrated care boards are responsible for assessing the health needs of their local population and for commissioning primary and secondary eye care services to meet them, which could include glaucoma referral filtering services.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline on the diagnosis and management of glaucoma, reference code NG81, recommends that people planning eye care services should consider commissioning referral filtering services, for example, repeat measures, enhanced case-finding, or referral refinement, for chronic open angle glaucoma and related conditions. This guideline is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng81

The Getting It Right First Time programme is currently developing best practice guidance for glaucoma services to support the adoption of high standards across the pathway, from detection onwards.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

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Sir Ashley Fox:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to continue funding for Nursing Associate Apprenticeships. \p Karin Smyth: There are currently no plans to change NHS England's existing funding arrangements for nursing associate apprenticeships.

The Apprenticeship Levy, which is managed by the Department for Work and Pensions, is also used to fund nursing associate apprenticeships in the National Health Service. Employers with an annual pay bill of over £3 million contribute 0.5% of their payroll to the Apprenticeship Levy to fund and expand apprenticeship opportunities across the country, including for nursing associates.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

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Gill German:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on (a) the number of people living with long COVID and (b) the (i) severity and (ii) duration of their symptoms: and what assessment he has made of research required to help improve (A) care and (B) support. \p Ashley Dalton: The most recent data from the Winter COVID-19 Infection Study, a joint study carried out by the Office for National Statistics and the UK Health Security Agency, shows that, for the period 8 February 2024 to 6 March 2024, an estimated 1,140,000 people, or 1.9% of the population, in private households in England and Scotland reported experiencing long COVID-19 symptoms more than twelve weeks after a COVID-19 infection.

Of these, an estimated 839,000 people reported that day-to-day activity had been limited, of which an estimated 251,000 reported that day-to-day activity had been limited a lot.

Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council, we have invested over £57 million on research into long COVID, with almost £40 million of this through two specific research calls on long COVID. The funded projects aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of clinical care.

This includes funded clinical trials to test and compare different treatments such as antihistamines, anticoagulants, and anti-inflammatory medicines. We continue to fund new studies regularly. A list of trials currently recruiting participants is available via the NIHR Be Part of Research website, at the following link:

https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/results/search-results?query=Long%20COVID&location=
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the availability of donors for stem cell transplants. \p Ashley Dalton: The United Kingdom aligned stem cell registry (a national register managed collaboratively by Anthony Nolan, DKMS UK, NHS Blood and Transplant and the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry) has over 2.3 million potential stem cell donors registered.

The Department is taking action to increase the number of people on the UK aligned stem cell registry through funding the DHSC Stem Cell Programme (£2.4 million for the period 2022-25). The programme is being delivered by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and Anthony Nolan. It aims to enhance the resilience of the UK's stem cell supply by strategically recruiting donors to the UK aligned stem cell registry. It focuses on recruiting those most likely to donate, and on addressing health disparities through targeted campaigns, with a focus on ethnic minority communities.

By increasing the pool of potential donors, the programme seeks to improve the availability of matches in the UK, ultimately reducing waiting times for patients in need of stem cell treatment. Funding to both organisations has been extended by 1 year (2025/26).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase (a) awareness and (b) the availability of Naloxone in public locations. \p Ashley Dalton: Naloxone forms a key part of the Government’s plan to reduce drug related deaths, and we are committed to raising awareness of, and expanding access to, naloxone across the country.

To expand access to naloxone, in December 2024, the Department amended the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. This legislation enables more services and professionals to supply naloxone, which in turn makes it easier for people at risk to access it. The Department is continuing to work with the other UK nations and front-line services to ensure naloxone reaches all those who need it.

We also published guidance on GOV.UK earlier this year that sets out essential practical information such as who can supply naloxone, the products available, how to use naloxone and other basic lifesaving tools, and the training required. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/supplying-take-home-naloxone-without-a-prescription

As naloxone is a prescription-only medication, only those that are listed in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 are able to supply naloxone without a prescription. However, the Department is currently considering options to do more in both expanding access to naloxone and raising awareness of the medication.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-27 conversation_15

Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of recent (a) disability benefit and (b) social care policy changes on (i) polio survivors and (ii) people with post-polio syndrome. \p Ashley Dalton: Any changes to Personal Independence Payment eligibility will come after the Timms Review, an ambitious and inclusive review that aims to ensure we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence, including through employment.

To ensure lived experience is at the heart of its work, the review will be co-produced by disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts. We are committed to concluding the review by autumn 2026, when it will report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for a final decision.

Under Section 18 the 2014 Care Act, local authorities are required to meet the needs of adults in their area who meet the eligibility criteria, which would include polio survivors and people with post-polio syndrome with eligible needs. The Care Quality Commission is assessing how well local authorities are meeting their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-27 conversation_16

Chris Coghlan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the Covid-19 vaccination eligibility criteria on (a) clinically vulnerable people who qualified for vaccination in Autumn 2024 and (b) levels of hospital capacity during the 2025–26 cold and flu season. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government’s policy on groups eligible for vaccination programmes is based on the advice of the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Over time, the risk from COVID-19 has reduced across the United Kingdom population, through exposure to the virus, changes in the virus and vaccination.

The JCVI carefully considered the latest evidence on the risk of illness, serious disease in specific groups, as well as cost-effectiveness analysis, to provide the Government with advice on the autumn 2025 programme. The evidence indicates that whilst the risk from COVID-19 is now much lower for most people, adults aged 75 years old and over, residents in care homes for older adults, and those who are immunosuppressed are those at highest risk of serious COVID-19 disease. A more targeted vaccination programme, aimed at individuals, with a higher risk of developing serious disease, and where vaccination was considered potentially cost-effective, was advised for autumn 2025.

Whilst current COVID-19 vaccines provide good protection against hospitalisation and/or death for those at highest risk, they provide very limited protection against acquiring COVID-19 infection or mild illness, meaning any potential public health benefit of reducing transmission is much less evident.

Long term health consequences following COVID-19 infection, including post-COVID syndromes, such as long COVID, have been discussed at meetings of the JCVI. It remains uncertain whether getting extra COVID-19 vaccine doses has any effect on the chances of developing long COVID, how it progresses, or how it affects people.

The JCVI has proactively published an updated list of Research Recommendations, encouraging future investigations on the exploration of data and evidence on the benefit of vaccination amongst post-COVID syndromes, and those with underlying medical conditions who are not currently eligible.

The JCVI keeps all vaccination programmes under review. Accordingly, the Government will consider any additional advice from the JCVI in due course. Further information on the details of the modelling and analysis considered are within the 2025 and spring 2026 advice, on the GOV.UK website.

Information is collected on hospital bed occupancy and on the reason for hospital admissions. It is, however, not possible to determine which admissions associated with COVID-19 were for individuals who were eligible for vaccination in autumn 2024 but no longer eligible in autumn 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-27 conversation_17

Layla Moran:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to introduce screening for asymptomatic heart conditions in young people in sports settings. \p Ashley Dalton: In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening and which supports implementation.

The UK NSC last reviewed screening for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in people under the age of 39 years old in 2019 and concluded that population screening should not be offered. Further information is available at the following link:

https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/sudden-cardiac-death/

The UK NSC is currently examining the evidence for SCD screening and will open a public consultation to seek comments from members of the public and stakeholders on this in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-27 conversation_18

Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the role of industry advertising in reducing the rate of alcohol harms. \p Ashley Dalton: As highlighted in the Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England, the Government recognises that alcohol harms are increasing in the United Kingdom, and that to help tackle these harms a multi-faceted approach that includes prevention, harm reduction, and treatment is required.

In the plan, the Government has committed to increasing the awareness of the harms by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages.

There are several pieces of research underway which will strengthen the evidence base on the impact of alcohol marketing on the levels of consumption and the associated harms. Alongside the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, we will consider this new evidence when it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-27 conversation_19

Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the system used to alert volunteers when a defibrillator is used. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department has not made an assessment. The Circuit, the national defibrillator registry, is independently operated by the British Heart Foundation. The Circuit notifies the guardian of the defibrillator when it has been used and action to replace the pads is required.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-27 conversation_20

Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to publish a timeline for strengthening voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling. \p Ashley Dalton: In Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, the Government committed to strengthening and expanding existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages. The plan can be accessed on the GOV.UK website, at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future

Department officials are progressing this work at pace and, at the appropriate time, we will consult with stakeholders on the best ways to communicate the necessary information on the health risks to consumers through alcohol labels. The timeline for implementing mandatory alcohol labelling is yet to be determined, and will take into account the full range of stakeholder views and consultation responses.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-27 conversation_21

Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential benefits of creating NHS-approved meal planning kits. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department for Health and Social Care and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, alongside other Government departments, are funding research on recipe boxes through the SALIENT food systems trials. The trial is partnering with a commercial recipe box company to understand whether recipe box subscriptions can lead to healthier dietary quality, are feasible and acceptable across the population, and can improve users’ capabilities to prepare food that they value. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.salientfoodtrials.uk/

Government dietary advice is encapsulated in the UK national food guide, the Eatwell Guide, which shows how to construct a healthy balanced diet and guides food and drink choices. The guide is aimed at the general population and can be used flexibly regardless of budget or personal dietary requirements. The Department promotes the guide’s principles through platforms such as the NHS.UK website and social marketing campaigns, including Healthier Families and Better Health. Further information about the respective campaigns is available at the following links:

https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/

The Healthier Families website also contains a selection of healthy recipes for those who are looking for further support in planning healthier meals.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-27 conversation_22

Anna Dixon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to strengthen statutory guidance related to the legal duty to commission palliative care services included in the Health and Care Act 2022. \p Stephen Kinnock: Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative care and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.

The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which can include hospice services, available within the ICB catchment. There are no current plans to update the statutory guidance.

The ICBs are expected to follow the statutory guidance in exercising their functions and must pay due regard to it in the planning, commissioning, and delivery of palliative care and end of life care services.

Additionally, NHS England has a legal duty to annually assess the performance of each ICB in respect of each financial year and to publish a summary of its findings. This assessment must assess how well the ICB has discharged its functions.