theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Alex Burghart:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Minister for the Cabinet Office's Oral Statement of 24 June 2025 on the National Security Strategy, Official Report, columns 974-76, what estimate he has made of the proportion of GDP spent on broader resilience and security spending in the most recent period for which data is available. \p Emma Reynolds: The National Security Strategy 2025 was published on 24 June 2025. It confirms that by combining an increase in funding with recognition of the vital contribution the Single Intelligence Account plays to our national defence, the UK will spend 2.6% on NATO qualifying defence spending from 2027. This will be considered core spending.

NATO provides reporting guidelines for the 1.5% defence and security related spending. It will include investments that raise the overall resilience of our societies, such as energy security, telecommunications, and infrastructure, as well as the execution of defence plans, expanding industrial capacity and innovation and counter hybrid actions.

Along with all other NATO allies, the UK will report against the new categories of defence spending at the next NATO reporting deadline.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to reduce the tax gap. \p James Murray: A key part of restoring economic stability and fiscal responsibility is closing the tax gap. Unpaid tax deprives UK public services of vital funding and puts businesses who pay the right tax at a competitive disadvantage.

At the Budget last autumn, the Government introduced the most ambitious package ever to close the tax gap, ensuring more individuals and businesses pay the taxes they owe and raising £6.5 bn in additional tax revenue per year by 2029-2030. At the Spring Statement, the Government built on this and announced a package of measures to further close the tax gap and raise over £1 billion more.

The announcements since the start of this Government will see 5,500 more compliance officers, alongside 2400 staff in HMRC's debt management teams to ensure those who can afford to pay their tax debts do so.

The Government is also delivering on its commitments to prosecute more tax fraudsters, to introduce a new HMRC reward scheme for informants, to tackle 'phoenixism', and to overhaul HMRC's approach to offshore tax non-compliance. The Government has also set out its plans to go further in the future to make it easier for taxpayers to pay the right tax through a modern and digital tax system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Mark Garnier:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department is taking steps to align the Digital Gilt Instrument programme with (a) the common domain model and (b) other international standards. \p Emma Reynolds: In April the government issued a market engagement notice for the pilot digital gilt instrument (DIGIT) to understand both the current landscape of services available or in development in the UK and what potential investors want to see from a DIGIT issuance. This included questions aimed at understanding how important interoperability would be for meeting the project’s objective to catalyse the growth and adoption of DLT in UK financial markets.

The department is in the process of analysing responses to inform the design of DIGIT ahead of issuing an invitation to tender in the coming months.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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James Wild:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Valuation Office Agency scrapped in government drive to slash inefficiencies, published on 28 April 2025, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the expected 5 to 10 per cent of additional savings in VOA administrative costs by 2028-29 on full time equivalent. \p James Murray: The potential impact of the expected additional savings in the Valuation Office Agency’s administrative costs and Full Time Equivalents (by 28/29) will be determined as detailed plans are developed and implemented.
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Greg Smith:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with the Chair of the Independent Review of the Loan Charge on the progress of that review. \p James Murray: Ministers have not held discussions with the independent reviewer of the Loan Charge since the review was launched. However, the review team has confirmed that they expect to conclude in the summer, and the government will respond to their report by Autumn Budget 2025.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the average amount of tax paid by each person in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26. \p James Murray: In 2024-25, HMRC expect the average amount of Income Tax paid by income tax payers to be £7,950.

In 2025-26, HMRC expect the average amount of Income Tax paid by income tax payers to be £8,270.
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Ms Stella Creasy:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to resume the implementation of the Single Trade Window. \p James Murray: It remains the government’s intention to deliver a single trade window (STW). The government is committed to minimising administrative burdens and frictions experienced by businesses trading internationally.
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Damian Hinds:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of merging the Valuation Office Agency and HMRC when dealing with businesses, in the context of changes to Agricultural Property Relief. \p James Murray: On 28 April 2025, the government announced that the Valuation Office Agency’s functions will be brought into HMRC by the end of this financial year. This will combine the expertise and experience of both organisations in policy, valuations and programme delivery to support the government to deliver change more effectively. The move will improve the experience for taxpayers and businesses.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason betting companies operating primarily (a) over the phone and (b) by direct debit are included in the proposed single Remote Betting and Gaming Duty. \p James Murray: The Government is consulting on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote gambling into one.

The definition of ‘remote gambling’ in the Gambling Act 2005 means gambling in which persons participate by the use of remote communication.

“In this Act “remote communication” means communication using —

a) the internet,

b) telephone,

c) television,

d) radio, or

e) any other kind of electronic or other technology for facilitating communication”

The consultation asks respondents to share views on whether this definition is appropriate for the proposed Remote Betting and Gaming duty (RBGD). As such, I would encourage interested parties to respond to it.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's changes to employers' National Insurance Contributions on trends in the level of employment in the hospitality sector. \p James Murray: A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer National Insurance contributions (NICs). The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

The Office for Budget Responsibility also published the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO), which sets out a detailed forecast of the economy and public finances.

With all policies considered, the OBR's March 2025 EFO forecasts the employment level to increase from 33.6 million in 2024 to 34.8 million in 2029.

The Government decided to protect the smallest businesses from the changes to employer NICs by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, and more than half of all employers will either gain or will see no change.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will exempt hospitality businesses from the business rates surcharge. \p James Murray: To deliver our manifesto pledge, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27. This permanent tax cut will ensure that RHL businesses benefit from much-needed certainty and support.

This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so we intend to apply a higher multiplier from 2026-27 on the most valuable properties - those with rateable values of £500,000 and above. These represent less than one per cent of all properties, but cover the majority of large distribution warehouses, including those used by online giants.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many times their Department has accepted in full the position of the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s (a) findings and (b) recommendations on (i) issuing an apology and (ii) other forms of redress in the last 10 years. \p Darren Jones: We have looked at the compliance data we hold regarding parliamentary organisations (from 2020/21 onwards) and there are no compliance items listing HM Treasury as a named organisation. The PHSO hasn’t Upheld or Partly Upheld an investigation into HM Treasury in the last 10 years.
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Liam Conlon:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to help increase returns on investments from pension schemes for people in (a) Beckenham and Penge constituency and (b) other areas. \p Torsten Bell: The first part of the landmark Pensions Review has concluded with the publication of the Final Report of the Pensions Investment Review on 29 May 2025.

The ambitious reforms outlined in the Final Report will drive scale and consolidation in both the multi-employer defined contribution pensions market and the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales. They will unlock billions of pounds in investment for productive assets, improve efficiency, and deliver better returns for savers. Estimates suggest the measures could increase a Defined Contribution pot at retirement by £5,900 for an average earner who saves over their career.

To deliver these reforms, the Government has introduced the Pension Schemes Bill, providing the necessary legislative framework to implement these reforms, alongside wider pension reforms that are focused on improving returns for pension savers. The Bill received its first reading on 5 June 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-01)

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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the number of pensioners who will need to pay back the Winter Fuel Payment through tax system, in each financial year between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2029. \p Torsten Bell: From this winter 2025-26 Winter Fuel Payment eligibility will be expanded in England and Wales. Pensioners with incomes below or equal to £35,000 will benefit from Winter Fuel Payments. About 9 million individuals will benefit from a Winter Fuel Payments this winter. Winter Fuel Payments will be paid automatically meaning any pensioner receiving a State Pension or DWP benefit or who has previously received a Winter Fuel Payment will not need to make a claim.

There are about 2 million individuals with an income above £35,000. Those who receive a Winter Fuel Payment will have the full amount of their Winter Fuel Payment recovered via HMRC. Pensioners do not need to take any immediate action, and those that wish to opt out of receiving the winter fuel payment can do so.

Winter Fuel Payments are devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding is available for (a) local authorities and (b) other organisations to (i) maintain and (ii) develop (A) heritage and (B) leisure buildings. \p Chris Bryant: Organisations are able to apply for funding to maintain and develop heritage buildings through the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Arms-Length Bodies.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund awards grants ranging from £3,000 to over £5 million for projects that conserve and enhance heritage, making it accessible to everyone. Last year it invested £330 million. Historic England, the government’s statutory advisor on the historic environment, offers grants for the repair and conservation of historic buildings, monuments, and landscapes that are of national importance.

In February of this year, the Secretary of State announced an additional £20 million in funding for the heritage sector, more than doubling the support for Heritage at Risk to £15 million.The Architectural Heritage Fund is delivering the £4.85m Heritage Revival Fund, which supports community organisations to take ownership of, adapt and reuse heritage assets. In addition, DCMS directly funds the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which provides grants towards VAT paid on repairs and maintenance to the nation's listed places of worship.

The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions. Additional funding for grassroots sport facilities is also provided through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, which is delivering £98 million in funding across the UK in 2025/26.
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Mr Louie French:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the limit on prizes for society lotteries. \p Stephanie Peacock: Society lotteries are a vital fundraising tool for many charities, community groups, sports clubs and other non-commercial organisations. We want to see them continue to thrive, alongside the National Lottery.

The Government has taken the decision not to make further changes or to abolish society lottery limits at this time. Independent research shows that the existing society lottery sales limit only impacts one operator and increasing the annual sales limit could result in a decrease in National Lottery participation.

The Government wants a lotteries sector centred on one national lottery - The National Lottery - whilst continuing to support the hundreds of wider society lotteries that exist. This model has worked successfully for the last 30 years and created the conditions for the National Lottery to flourish and support life changing projects, alongside a thriving society lotteries sector.

Further information on this can be found in a Written Ministerial Statement published on Thursday 26 June 2025.
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Mr Louie French:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the growth in unregulated large-scale prize draws on National Lottery ticket sales. \p Stephanie Peacock: Prize draws are a significant and growing market. We want people who participate in prize draws to be confident that proportionate protections are in place.

We will be introducing a Voluntary Code for prize draw operators later this year. This Code will provide a uniform approach across the sector to strengthen player protections, increase transparency and improve accountability.

This approach allows us to take swift action collectively with the sector. The success of this code will dictate whether this Government decides that greater regulation may be required, including legislation.

Further information on this can be found in a Written Ministerial Statement published on Thursday 26 June 2025.

The independent research into the prize draws sector was published on 26 June 2026 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-report-online-prize-draws-and-competitions-market-study-assessment-of-harm-and-review-of-potential-interventions). The research gathered views from lottery stakeholders on the perceived impact of the prize draw market on the lotteries sector, including the National Lottery, but did not make a full assessment of this impact.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase opportunities for people to visit (a) theatres, (b) galleries and (c) museums. \p Chris Bryant: This Government is committed to increasing opportunities for people to visit theatres, galleries, and museums.

This year the Government is delivering a £270 million Arts Everywhere package, providing a major boost for arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings to allow people across the nation to benefit from access to the arts and culture on their doorstep. The package includes:

A new Creative Foundations Fund to invest £85 million to support arts and cultural organisations, including theatres, across England to resolve urgent issues with their estates, ensuring they can be enjoyed by visitors for many more years to come.

Support for museums through the £20m Museum Renewal Fund, £25m Museum Estate and Development Fund, and £120m Public Bodies Infrastructure Fund, supporting cherished institutions to continue providing valued opportunities for visitors.

£3.2 million for four cultural education programmes which will enhance access to the arts for children and young people.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the UK–India Cultural Cooperation Agreement on economic growth in the UK. \p Chris Bryant: The Programme of Cultural Cooperation, which the Secretary of State signed with her Indian counterpart, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Culture last month, creates opportunities for the UK’s cultural sectors to reach a market of over 1.4 billion people. The agreement enables institutional level partnerships and reduces bureaucratic barriers, and will boost cultural exchange. In the context of India’s ambitious push to develop world-class institutions and facilities, this will create new opportunities for cultural exports.

Together with the DCMS Creative Industries Sector Plan and our new Free Trade Agreement, the Cooperation Agreement will cement the UK’s position as a global creative powerhouse. It will grow the potential for UK Creative Industries to export and create jobs across the UK.
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking through the Creative Foundations Fund to increase access to arts and culture across the UK. \p Chris Bryant: The government understands that cultural infrastructure must be fit for the future and ensure everyone has access to high quality institutions in the places they call home. The new Creative Foundations Fund will invest £85 million to support arts and cultural organisations across England to resolve urgent issues with their estates. This will ensure their buildings and infrastructure will provide improved user experience for visitors and ensure they can be enjoyed by visitors for many more years to come.

Guidance for the fund was published at the end of May and Arts Council England will be accepting Expressions of Interest from 30 June. With grants available from £100,000 and up to £10 million, this fund is a significant opportunity for organisations to address their capital needs.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many matter starts there have been for (a) legal help public law level one, (b) family help public law lower level two, (c) legal help private law level one and (d) family help private law lower level two in the last five years for which data is available. \p Sarah Sackman: The requested information can be found in the below tables:

Public Family Law

Financial Year

Fee Level 1

Fee Level 2

2020-21

1,542

12,371

2021-22

1,351

13,325

2022-23

1,110

13,363

2023-24

1,238

14,638

2024-25

1,266

15,623

Private Family Law

Financial Year

Level 1

Level 1 and 2

Level 2

2020-21

5,056

655

42

2021-22

5,541

875

40

2022-23

5,151

776

30

2023-24

5,425

910

55

2024-25

5,596

1,003

92

Data is derived from the Legal Aid Agency’s (LAA) Official Statistics, which can be found at: Legal aid statistics data files - GOV.UK. The LAA also publishes a more user-friendly tool to analyse this data which can be accessed here.

Please note that as Public Law and Private Law Family cases are delivered as Controlled Work, legal aid providers are permitted to self-grant legal aid under delegated functions. This means there is no application to the LAA. Data is therefore derived from claim submissions sent to the LAA at the end of the case. It is possible therefore that a small number of cases reported in the table above were opened in the previous financial year.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Law Commission report entitled Building families through surrogacy: a new law, published on 28 March 2023, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of implementing the recommendation on taking away a mother’s parental rights at birth* on levels of risk of adverse mental health effects for the mother should she change her mind after birth. \p Sarah Sackman: The Ministry of Justice has not carried out an assessment of the potential impact of implementing this recommendation.

The Government will publish a response in due course. Any consideration of this specific recommendation and its implications would form part of this wider work.
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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make it her policy to implement all recommendations made in the Ministry of Justice report entitled Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Children Cases, published in June 2020, as part of her Department's planned Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. \p Sarah Sackman: The Government was elected with a mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. As part of this we are committed to ensuring everyone involved in private law children cases in the family courts is protected from harm and that the welfare of the child is always the court’s paramount consideration when making decisions about children’s lives.

In May 2023, the Ministry of Justice published a delivery update which outlined the progress made against the recommendations of the Final Report on Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Children Cases. This can be found on GOV.UK.

The Ministry of Justice has already taken forward many of the actions it committed to following the report, including announcing family court reforms, such as expanding our Pathfinder programme in the family court which is improving the experience of children, and domestic abuse survivors in private law court proceedings relating to children. The Government will be publishing its new cross-government strategy later this summer, which will outline how we aim to meet our ambition to tackle violence against women and girls.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times their Department has accepted in full the position of the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s (a) findings and (b) recommendations on (i) issuing an apology and (ii) other forms of redress in the last 10 years. \p Alex Davies-Jones: The Ministry of Justice does not keep records of or track all the findings and recommendations made by the Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman.
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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to improve (a) data and (b) evidence collection in response to her Department's report entitled Intergenerational offending: A narrative review of the literature, published on 5 June 2025. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Official Statistics on the scale of parental imprisonment were published in July 2024 and can be found at: Official Statistics in Development: Estimates of children with a parent in prison - GOV.UK.

Further work is ongoing to refine these estimates. Additionally, analysis has started with the aim of providing more in-depth understanding of the impact of parental imprisonment on children, looking at factors such as demographics and education. This work will provide valuable insights, with the intention of driving meaningful change in policy and support for affected children.

The Areas of Research Interest publication reflects our ambition to improve the evidence base on intergenerational offending. This is used as the basis for ongoing conversations, collaboration and challenge with experts in academia, research organisations and funding bodies, and can be found at: Areas of Research Interest.
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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to support children with a parent in prison. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Having a parent in prison is considered an adverse childhood experience and can have a significant impact on a child’s life chances. This Government has committed to ensuring these children are identified and offered the support they need to thrive.

We are working closely with the Department for Education to determine how to effectively identify and support these children. We understand the importance of driving forward this agenda and officials from both Departments are working with a wide range of stakeholders, including sector experts and those with lived experience, to support the development of policy proposals.

Prisons across England and Wales already offer a range of services to maintain family relationships including social visits, family days, prison voicemail and collaborations with organisations such as the award-winning charity led initiative Storybook Mums and Dads, enabling parents in prison to record bedtime stories for their children.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to tackle smuggling in prisons. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Prisons in England and Wales have a range of specialist staff and equipment to tackle the smuggling of drugs, mobile phones, weapons and other contraband into prisons. This includes X-ray body scanners, airport-style Enhanced Gate Security, X-ray baggage scanners, detection dogs, and other specialist equipment to alert staff to the potential presence of drugs on a range of items and materials.

We are also working hard to deter, detect and disrupt drones being used to smuggle contraband into prisons. Our approach is multi-faceted and includes physical security countermeasures, exploring additional legislation and working across Government and with international partners on this global issue.

We are investing over £40 million in physical security across 34 prisons in this financial year. This includes around £10 million on anti-drone measures such as secure windows and improved netting at 15 prisons.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2025 to Question 58502, how many prisons currently hold regular chess activity sessions. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: The Ministry of Justice is aware of research that is in progress in relation to regular chess sessions across the prison estate. To date, no formal assessment has been made of any effect on re-offending.

As chess is not a structured physical activity, it is not included in the management information that is collected centrally. To determine how many prisons hold regular chess sessions, it would be necessary to consult each individual establishment, and this could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2025 to Question 58502, what the total discretionary budget across the prison estate for (a) education and (b) sports in 2024-2025. \p Sir Nicholas Dakin: Non-discretionary spending on education in the adult prison estate and part of the private prison estate is funded from the Prison Education Framework budget. Governors are able to supplement this with provision from the Dynamic Purchasing System budget (£12.6 million in 2024-25).

Funding for sport forms part of the budget for measures at establishment level aimed at reducing re-offending. As the sport element is not disaggregated, it is not possible to give a budget figure for this provision.
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Juliet Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS dentists were employed in (a) Broxtowe constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) the East Midlands in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2024. \p Stephen Kinnock: The following table shows how many National Health Service dentists were employed in 2011/12 and 2023/24 in the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), which includes the Broxtowe constituency, as well as regional figures for the Midlands:

Year

Number of dentists employed in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB

Number of dentists employed in the Midlands

2011/12

448

4,016

2023/24

578

4,454

Notes:
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) recruit and (b) retain General Practitioner doctors in (i) North Cornwall constituency and (ii) other rural areas. \p Stephen Kinnock: In the North Cornwall constituency, as of 30 April 2025, there were 61.5 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors in general practices (GPs), an increase of 2.4 FTE compared to April 2024.

We acknowledge the urgent challenge of ensuring that rural areas have the resources to continue serving their patients and that patients can access primary healthcare in rural areas. To address this, we are increasing capacity in practices by recruiting more GPs, ensuring the necessary workforce is in place to provide integrated, patient-centred services.

We have invested £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, which has enabled the recruitment of over 1,700 recently qualified GPs across England since October 2024. This will increase the number of available appointments, secure the future pipeline of GPs, and alleviate the pressure on those currently working in the system. We’ve also delivered the biggest boost to GP funding in years, an £889 million uplift, with GPs now receiving a growing share of National Health Service resources. The new 2025/26 GP Contract includes key reforms to improve access to GPs, including making sure patients can request appointments online throughout core hours.

Our commitment to growing the GP workforce includes addressing the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encouraging them to return to practice.  We know that high workloads can be a key driver for GPs reducing their contracted hours or leaving the profession altogether. That’s why we are tackling morale through drivers such as growing the workforce and reducing bureaucracy through our Red Tape Challenge to improve job satisfaction and reduce the risk of burnout.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department provides to GPs to help improve the (a) early recognition and (b) management of ME in (i) Wiltshire and (ii) areas in Wiltshire with limited specialist services. \p Ashley Dalton: Earlier this year, NHS England completed a long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), stocktake to provide a national overview of service delivery in commissioning and contracting, assessing access, activity, and outcomes. The findings confirmed widely recognised challenges, as well as significant variation in care delivery across England, and a lack of comprehensive activity data.

The Department is working with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme on ME/CFS for healthcare professionals, including general practitioners in Wiltshire, with the aim of supporting staff to be able to provide better care and improve patient outcomes. Sessions one and two of the e-learning programme are now available at the following link:

https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/mecfselearning?nodeId=7288

The third session is currently being finalised and will be launched later in 2025.

The Medical Schools Council will promote the NHS England e-learning programme on ME/CFS to all United Kingdom medical schools, and will encourage those medical schools to provide undergraduates with direct patient experience of ME/CFS. The General Medical Council (GMC) is the regulator of medical schools, and it is important that education is reenforced at different stages of medical training. Royal colleges play an important role in this. The GMC has included ME/CFS in the content map for the new national exam, so all medical schools will need to teach it as a subject.

We are developing a final delivery plan for ME/CFS, which we aim to publish in due course. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease in Wiltshire and throughout England.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on disparities in diabetes outcomes in different regions of (a) England and (b) Wales. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England, through the National Diabetes Audit (NDA), collects and publishes comprehensive data on diabetes care and outcomes across England. The NDA is a national clinical audit that measures the effectiveness of diabetes healthcare against National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines and quality standards. It is a key resource for identifying and addressing regional disparities in diabetes services.

The most recent NDA annual report, for 2023/24, was published 12 December 2024 and is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/clinical-audits-and-registries/national-diabetes-audit/dashboards

Data can be viewed at national, regional, integrated care board, primary care network and practice level. An example of data that can be viewed at regional level is the proportion of people receiving all eight NICE-recommended care processes. In 2023/24, 47.2% of people with type 1 diabetes in England received all eight processes. The same year, 62.4% of people with type 2 diabetes in England received all eight care processes. Regional performance varies for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. For instance, the highest achieving regional area saw completion of type 2 eight care processes at 72.2% and the lowest 58.5%. A further example is diabetes prevalence and variation between the least and most deprived quintiles. The audit reports a general practitioner-recorded prevalence of type 2 diabetes of approximately 3.5 million adults in England, with data showing that 23.6% of this cohort are in the most deprived quintile, compared to 15% in the least deprived quintile.

The NDA collects and publishes some data from Wales, which is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/national-diabetes-audit/complications-and-mortality-2009-2023
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will conduct a review of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government recognises that concerns have been raised regarding the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS). Ministers are currently considering a number of options for reforming the scheme. In parallel, the Department has been working with the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the scheme, to take steps to improve the VDPS by modernising operations, and processing claims at a faster rate.
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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 22 May 2025, HCWS652, whether programmatic advertisements served to UK residents on non-UK sites will be covered by the regulations. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government has committed to implementing advertising restrictions for less healthy food and drink on television and online as part of its ambition to raise the healthiest generation of children ever. These restrictions are expected to remove up to 7.2 billion calories from United Kingdom children’s diets per year and deliver £2 billion in health benefits.

As set out in the Communications Act 2003 (as amended by the Health and Care Act 2022), the online restrictions will apply to advertisements which are intended to be accessed principally by people in the United Kingdom. The Advertising Standards Authority, as the frontline regulator, will issue guidance to set out how this will be enforced. As also set out in legislation, video on demand (VOD) and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services that are under the jurisdiction of the UK, and therefore regulated by Ofcom, will be subject to the 9:00pm television watershed. Whereas VOD and IPTV services not regulated by Ofcom, and therefore outside of UK jurisdiction, will be subject to the 24-hour online restrictions.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of (a) trends in the level of access to and (b) the adequacy of cardiovascular care services in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: The Frimley Health and Care Integrated Care Board (ICB), which covers Surrey Heath, has been working with partners to improve cardiovascular services in the area.

This includes work with the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust on a range of improvements to pathways and the adoption of innovation, such as using artificial intelligence with echocardiography and with primary care nurses and primary care to support blood pressure improvements. The Frimley ICB also plans to expand new pathways for ‘breathlessness’ to cover a wider geographical area, improving access for those that require this service.

Furthermore, the Frimley ICB has been working with pharmaceutical companies on a range of initiatives to improve cardiovascular health, such as clinics delivered by nurses and clinical pharmacists for people with chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and/or hypertension.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to make the NHS chickenpox vaccination available to all children. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is considering the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s recommendation, published in November 2023, to introduce a varicella, also known as chickenpox, programme into the immunisation schedule for children.

It is important that any proposed change to the childhood immunisation schedule is comprehensively assessed to maintain the high standards of the United Kingdom’s world-leading vaccination programmes and ensure the best value for money for taxpayers.

The Government will make a final decision about whether to introduce a chickenpox programme, including the eligibility and timing of any potential programme, when this work has concluded.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data he holds on the number of people with late stage cancer diagnoses broken down by religious group. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects and analyses diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. The religion of patients is not collected or stored by the NDRS. Further information on the NDRS is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs
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Sadik Al-Hassan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of care for bladder cancer in each region; and if he will hold discussions with NICE guidelines on the time taken to update its guidelines on bladder cancer care. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department is committed to improving cancer care in all regions of England, including for bladder cancer patients. The National Health Service has exceeded their pledge to deliver an extra two million appointments, having now delivered over three million more appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to diagnosis and treatment.

The National Cancer Plan, due for publication later this year, will include further details on how the NHS will improve care for bladder cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and access to treatment. Furthermore, it will ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. These actions will help bring this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.

Reducing inequalities and variation in cancer diagnosis and treatment is a priority for the Government and will be included as a key area of focus in the plan.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is in the process of updating its guideline on the diagnosis and management of bladder cancer, following the NICE prioritisation board’s decision that this work should proceed. The NICE’s current guideline on the diagnosis and management of bladder cancer is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng2

This work will be a partial update of the guideline, to include the recommendations on treating non-muscle invasive bladder cancer and muscle-invasive bladder cancer, and on managing locally advanced or metastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancer. NICE also plans to update the section of the guideline on diagnosing and staging.

NICE will set a provisional timeline for the update in due course and will share updates on its website as the update progresses.
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Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Integrated Care Boards are (a) adequately resourced and (b) trained to commission effective care pathways for patients with aplastic anaemia. \p Ashley Dalton: Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as aplastic anaemia.

The majority of the treatment pathway for aplastic anaemia is an integrated care board commissioning responsibility. Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is an NHS England specialised commissioned service that covers aplastic anaemia, and NHS England has published two national service specifications, one for adults and one for children. The HSCT specifications set out the standards that the providers of the service must meet, which includes access to a range of multidisciplinary staff, including psychological support and nurse specialists trained in communication and counselling.