theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) positive and (b) negative (i) HIV, (ii) hepatitis B and (iii) hepatitis C tests were performed in emergency departments as part of the opt-out blood-borne virus testing scheme in each month since January 2025. \p Ashley Dalton: This information is not available as the data is currently unvalidated.

Over the first 24 months of the opt-out bloodborne virus testing in emergency departments programme, 1,981,590 HIV tests, 1,502,799 hepatitis C virus tests and 1,185,678 hepatitis B virus tests have been completed.

An interim report on the programme is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bloodborne-viruses-opt-out-testing-in-emergency-departments/public-health-evaluation-of-bbv-opt-out-testing-in-eds-in-england-24-month-interim-report
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Sarah Bool:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what metrics are used to track early diagnosis in blood cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department continues to support the National Health Service to diagnose and treat cancer as early and fast as possible. There have been improvements in the prognosis of blood cancer patients, with patients now living twice as long. However, we recognise that because of the damaged NHS this Government inherited, patients with cancers with non-specific symptoms such as blood cancer, are waiting too long for diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. However, the Department will continue to engage with blood cancer charities and key stakeholders to determine how to support the best outcomes for blood cancer patients.

At this time no current assessment has been made on the potential merits of a proxy measure for early diagnosis in unstageable blood cancers. However, we remain committed to making improvements across different cancer types and reducing disparities in cancer survival. Early cancer diagnosis is also a specific priority within the NHS’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities. The NHS currently track early diagnosis in stageable blood cancers by combining the percentage of diagnoses within stage 1 or 2, as it would for any other stageable cancer.

Furthermore, to tackle late, emergency setting diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England with blood cancers being one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), through the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Services, collects information on how many people in England have cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms. The NDRS website also shows the number of people treated for different tumour types by treatment type, as well as survival rates, mortality rates, and data on urgent suspected cancer referrals. Further information is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/cancer-data-hub

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients in England, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will ensure patients, including those with blood cancer, have timely access to the latest treatments and technology.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 67468 on Diseases: Undocumented Migrants, what information her Department holds on the number of irregular migrants who were found to have an infectious disease upon arrival in each of the last three years. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) does not routinely collect or hold data on communicable disease by visa status for new arrivals to the United Kingdom. However, if an outbreak occurs, data associated with outbreak cases may be collected.

There was an outbreak of diphtheria among this group in 2022 and 2023. Monthly data on these cases is published by UKHSA and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diphtheria-cases-among-asylum-seekers-in-england-2022/diphtheria-cases-among-asylum-seekers-in-england-weekly-data-tables

No cases were reported in 2024, and two cases have been confirmed so far in 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide certainty on funding to voluntary organisations delivering drug and alcohol treatment services. \p Ashley Dalton: Local authorities, both upper tier and unitary, are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services as part of their public health responsibilities. In addition to the Public Health Grant, in 2025/26 the Department is providing a total of £310 million in additional targeted grants to improve drug and alcohol treatment services and recovery support. This funding can be used by local authorities to support voluntary organisations to deliver drug and alcohol treatment services.

To better support upper tier and unitary local authorities’ vital public health work, from 2026/27 we will bring together over £4 billion of public health funding for local government, by consolidating service specific grants into the Public Health Grant. It is our intention to publish indicative Public Health Grant funding alongside the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year, with final multi-year Local Authority Public Health Grant allocations published early in the new year. This will give local authorities more advanced notice of their total funding allocations, further empowering them to plan more effectively and better manage their services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Dr Simon Opher:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy that prioritisation for (a) medical evacuation and (b) treatment of children from Gaza is based solely on (i) clinical urgency and (ii) medical need. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is working urgently to get some of the critically ill and injured children medically evacuated from Gaza.

I refer the hon. Member to Written Statement HCWS899 by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
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Jas Athwal:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of migraines on (a) the economy and (b) levels of (i) presenteeism and (ii)absenteeism. \p Ashley Dalton: The Joint DWP and DHSC Work and Health Directorate was set up in 2015 in recognition of the significant link between work and health and to improve employment opportunities for disabled people and people with health conditions, including people with migraines. As part of the mission-led Government, regular cross-governmental collaboration takes place on work and health.

The Government recognises that long-term sickness continues to be the most common reason for economic inactivity among the working age population. In 2024, there were 3.1 million days lost through sickness absence where the reason given was ‘headaches or migraines’.

As part of the Get Britain Working Plan, more disabled people and those with health conditions will be supported to enter and stay in work, by devolving more power to local areas so they can shape a joined-up work, health, and skills offer that suits the needs of the people they serve.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the NHS on its policy of informing Sickle Cell patients when they are not given Ro matched blood. \p Ashley Dalton: DHSC are working in partnership with NHS Blood and Transplant, NHS England and the National Blood Transfusion Committee to deliver on the recommendations detailed in the infected blood inquiry, which includes improving digital patient records and communications for patients receiving transfusions. A blood genotyping programme has also been introduced, enabling detection of previously undetectable antibodies that could cause complications. To meet the clinical need to provide better matched blood for patients with conditions like sickle cell disorder, NHS Blood and Transplant is actively recruiting donors from Black heritage backgrounds.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding has been allocated to support (a) GP surgeries and (b) health visitors in delivering the chickenpox vaccine as part of the MMRV jab. \p Ashley Dalton: From January 2026, the measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccination programme will form part of the routine childhood immunisations offered in England. The MMRV vaccine will be offered at general practices (GPs) as part of routine infant vaccination appointments.

GPs are funded for vaccines through a mix of national contracts and service-based payments from NHS England. They receive a base fee per patient on their list, plus payment of an Item of Service (IoS) fee for specific vaccines.

From 1 April 2025, following negotiations for the 2025/26 GP contract, GPs have received an IoS fee of £12.06 for the delivery of MMR vaccines, in line with other routine childhood immunisations. The IoS of £12.06 will also apply to the delivery of MMRV vaccinations from January 2026.

NHS England is working with local systems to establish a pilot scheme in some areas across England which will explore delivery of the Government’s manifesto commitment to enable vaccinations to babies and young children as part of health visits. Pilots are currently in the development stage, but funding has been allocated in 2025/26 to support delivery of this programme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Katie Lam:To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will review the House's procurement frameworks to prioritise UK-manufactured goods and support domestic supply chains. \p Nick Smith: Parliament endeavours to purchase British goods and support domestic supply chains where it is possible and appropriate to do so.

Parliament has procured its frameworks in accordance with applicable law, and has no imminent plans to review those frameworks. Under current legislation and guidance, specifying the origin of goods or services is only permitted if it is necessary to do so in order for our requirements to be understood. The legislation expressly provides that any requirement specifying the origin must allow for equivalents where these exist.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many additional staff have been employed to carry out face-to-face PIP assessments since July 2024. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The number of additional health professionals (HPs) employed to conduct face-to-face Personal Independence Payments (PIP) assessments is not held. This is because the data cannot be split to show the HPs recruited to deliver a specific type of assessment and the majority of the suppliers have multi-skilled HPs who deliver across multiple channels.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will place a copy in the Library of the House a copy of the letter of 11 November 2024 to Chief Executives of local authorities on out-of-area accommodation placements. \p Alison McGovern: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer to question UIN 14450 given on 20 November 2024.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the British Muslim Trust will be contractually obliged to use the Government's new definition of Islamophobia when recording anti-Muslim hatred under Combating Hate Against Muslims fund; and if he will publish a copy of the contract. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The British Muslim Trust and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have signed a Grant Funding Agreement, rather than a contract. It is not a stipulation of the Grant Funding Agreement that any specific definition is used by the British Muslim Trust. The prospectus set out that to apply for funding an organisation must ‘be willing to record and monitor instances of anti-Muslim hate crime in such a way that is consistent with the government’s working definition of anti-Muslim hate or Islamophobia, should the government choose to adopt a definition in future’.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2025 to Question 68060 on Islamophobia, whether the Working Group has had a meeting with MCB; and whether they have received evidence from the MCB. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Working Group is an independent, non-statutory body which will provide advice to ministers on a definition of anti-Muslim hatred/islamophobia. Ministers will consider the advice that the independent working group provides.

The Working Group have engaged with a range of stakeholders and proposed definition by the independent Working Group should reflect a wide range of perspectives from different communities. The terms of reference set out that the Working Group should work within HMG’s published engagement standards. The Government has a non-engagement policy with the MCB and that position has not changed.

The Group launched a Call for Evidence to build on the extensive engagement they’ve already undertaken. It was open to the public and any individual or organisation was able to submit evidence.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-29)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the proposed new socio-economic duty will apply to the (a) Sentencing Council and (b) Parole Board. \p Seema Malhotra: The socio-economic duty will require specified public bodies to actively consider how their strategic decisions might help to reduce the inequalities of outcome associated with socio-economic disadvantage. We are currently working toward commencement of the duty, which includes drafting statutory guidance that will clarify how the duty can be applied effectively and include more detail on which public bodies the duty applies to.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve funding for prostate cancer research in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is one of the largest areas of spend at over £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.

These investments are pivotal towards efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment, and outcomes. The TRANSFORM trial is an important example of this. In November 2023, the Government and Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK) announced the £42 million TRANSFORM screening trial to find the best way to screen men for prostate cancer, to find it before it becomes advanced and harder to treat. PCUK is leading the development of the trial, with the Government contributing £16 million through the Department.

Additionally, the Frimley Park Integrated Care System, located within the constituency, is part of the NIHR Research Delivery Network, and plays a key role in supporting the delivery of research, including into prostate cancer.

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including prostate cancer.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure appropriate funding is allocated for (a) early diagnosis and (b) effective monitoring of foetal valproate spectrum disorder. \p Ashley Dalton: Everyone who has been harmed from sodium valproate has our deepest sympathies.

Early diagnosis and the effective monitoring of foetal valproate syndrome is being considered as part of NHS England’s commissioned Fetal Exposure to Medicine Pilot project. The pilot project is being led by the Newcastle Upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust and the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. The pilot project started in December 2024 and will run for 18 months, and provides assessment, expert advice, and treatment planning for people impacted by sodium valproate and other anti-seizure medications. The pilot project will be presenting initial learning and key themes, including any additional investment requirements identified, to NHS England at the end of September to inform discussions about future service delivery models and options for wider coverage across England.

Commissioners will consider additional funding requests, alongside the need to maintain all existing services and other statutory funding duties.
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Jonathan Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the planned timescale is for the abolition of Healthwatch England. \p Ashley Dalton: The closure of Healthwatch England and the transfer of its functions will require primary legislation. The Dash review of patient safety across the health and care landscape, published in July 2025, recommends that the strategic functions of Healthwatch England are transferred into the new patient experience directorate of the Department. The timing of this is subject to the will of Parliament, and will happen when parliamentary time allows.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women in Wiltshire accessed perinatal mental health services in each of the last five years; and what the average waiting time was for an initial assessment in each year. \p Stephen Kinnock: Information on the number of women accessing perinatal mental health services in Wiltshire, provided by the NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, and Wiltshire Health and Care over the last five years to May 2025, is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-services-monthly-statistics

NHS England has advised that the average time between referral and assessment for patients using the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire specialist community perinatal mental health team was as follows:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

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Sadik Al-Hassan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2025 to Question 54542 on Drug Prices, how many of the commercial arrangements involving indications-specific pricing were for indications for (a) rare and (b) ultra-rare cancers. \p Karin Smyth: Between January 2020 and March 2025, NHS England entered into 62 commercial agreements involving indication-specific pricing for cancer indications. Of these:

NHS England determines whether a cancer indication is considered rare or ultra-rare based on the incidence of the eligible patient population for a given National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Technology Appraisal, rather than the overall incidence of the broader cancer type. The following definitions have been applied:
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support NHS Trusts with (a) additional pharmacist staff salaries, (b) the cost of additional monitoring blood tests and (c) additional service delivery costs when new drug treatments are funded for NHS patients. \p Karin Smyth: The 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme, published on 4 April 2025, governs transactions between providers and commissioners of secondary healthcare by setting the rules for determining the amount payable for the provision of healthcare services. In short, it defines the basis for fairly reimbursing National Health Service trusts for the work they do. More information on the scheme is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/25-26-nhs-payment-scheme/

Prices in the scheme have been updated to reflect the latest NHS pay awards. The 2025/26 prices have been calculated in part by updating 2024/25 pay award prices, published in September 2024. for inflation and efficiency;

The scheme includes a published list of 2025/26 prices reflecting the latest pay awards, which are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-nhs-payment-scheme/

This list includes the price paid to NHS trusts for persons who solely require a blood test. High-cost drugs, which can include those that have just received approval, are excluded from prices and are subject to separate agreement on appropriate funding between providers and commissioners.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of cannabis use on risk of heart disease death. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department is committed to reducing the harm from all illicit drugs. Any illegal drug use, including cannabis, can be harmful, due to both the immediate side-effects and long-term physical and mental health problems. It can, for some, have a negative impact on their fertility. Cannabis use can also contribute to and exacerbate existing mental health problems or can accelerate their development in people predisposed to mental health problems.

There are various studies on the potential impact of cannabis use on the risk of heart disease death. The study, Cardiovascular risk associated with the use of cannabis and cannabinoids: a systematic review and meta-analysis, was recently carried out and published in the British Medical Journal’s Heart journal where findings revealed positive associations between cannabis use and major adverse cardiovascular events.

More information on the impact cannabis has on health can be found on the National Health Service website and Talk to FRANK, the Government’s drugs information and advice service. The Talk to FRANK website also has basic harm reduction advice and details of drug treatment services and support organisations.

We know that drug treatment is protective, and the number of places in treatment for people who use non-opiate drugs, including cannabis, is being increased by 30,000 compared to 2021/22, including 5,000 more places for young people in treatment. The number of people in England receiving treatment for problems with cannabis use increased from 63,854 in 2021/22 to 74,931 in 2023/24.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the UKHSA's guidance entitled Epidemiological evidence review in the UK and EU, following implementation of the Waste Incineration Directive, published on 9 June 2025, what assessment his Department has made of that guidance; and what role his Department played in (a) drafting the guidance and (b) reviewing the draft guidance. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is consulted by the Environment Agency (EA) on environmental permit applications to operate municipal waste incinerators (MWIs), in their role as regulator in England. UKHSA reviews the latest scientific evidence on the health impacts of emissions from MWIs. The overall evidence analysed by UKHSA does not suggest an association between exposure to emissions from modern well-run incinerators and adverse physical health effects.

UKHSA reviewed epidemiological studies in European countries with measured physical human health outcomes which were published after implementation of the Waste Incineration Directive in 2000. This criterion ensured that the studies considered in the review were applicable to United Kingdom MWIs and considered health effects from the emissions from the incineration process only. UKHSA will continue to review its advice as new evidence on the health effects of incinerators is published in peer-reviewed journals.

The Department of Health and Social Care has noted the guidance which has been provided to relevant departments and their agencies. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs leads on waste management policy and the legislation relating to MWI, and the EA regulate MWI under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016, which are available at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/1154/contents

UKHSA responds to consultations on environmental permits received from the EA.
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Charlotte Nichols:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the potential impact of (a) diamorphine assisted therapy, (b) safe consumption rooms and (c) other drug harm reduction services on the level of ambulance call-outs. \p Ashley Dalton: Harm reduction measures are vital and can have an impact on preventing overdoses, reducing the spread of infections, and engaging people into drug treatment. However, most of these outcomes would not be seen in ambulance data. The Department does not collect information on the potential impact of diamorphine assisted therapy (DAT), safe consumption rooms and other harm reduction services on the level of ambulance call outs. Identifying the impact of interventions typically delivered to small groups within broader populations at risk of overdose on ambulance call outs would be challenging due to other factors influencing overall levels and it is unlikely to be possible to do this robustly within an English context.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

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Josh Fenton-Glynn:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 60400 on Mental Health Service, how many referrals made to mental health services in (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23; and (c) 2023-24 by primary reason for referral received a (i) suspected and (ii) confirmed diagnosis within (A) fewer than 18 weeks, (B) 18 and 24 weeks, (C) 24 weeks and 12 months, (D) 12 and 18 months, (E) 18 and 24 months, and (F) more than 24 months from the date of referral in each NHS England Region as of 24 June 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: NHS England has confirmed the information requested is not held as data is either not available or would not provide a representative answer to the questions. NHS England collects information in the Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS) on people in contact with secondary mental health services with a diagnosis of a mental health disorder. The MHSDS is a large, complex dataset so to balance the burden on the National Health Service, some tables/fields are mandatory whereas others are not. The diagnoses tables are not mandatory so not all providers necessarily submit this information. The recording of diagnoses within MHSDS needs to be entered using clinical coding which some providers may be unable to do for various reasons. Additionally, it can take a while for a diagnosis to be confirmed for some patients. There are also other data quality issues around non-completion of the diagnosis information. We are working with providers and partner organisations to address such issues.
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Natalie Fleet:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many additional urgent dental appointments have been made available in Bolsover constituency in 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Bolsover constituency, this is the Derby and Derbyshire ICB.

We will deliver 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments per year, and ICBs have been making extra appointments available from 1 April 2025. The Derby and Derbyshire ICB is expected to deliver 16,298 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.

ICBs are recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

The Government’s ambition is to deliver fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.
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Fred Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health. \p Stephen Kinnock: The latest adult psychiatric morbidity survey, published on 26 June 2025, provides data on the prevalence of both treated and untreated mental health disorders and neurodevelopmental conditions in the adult population in England, those aged 16 years old and over. This is the first survey since 2014 and covers the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of part 1 of the survey are available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/adult-psychiatric-morbidity-survey
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to reform the units of dental activity system before the proposed full contract reform in 2026-27. \p Stephen Kinnock: There are no current plans to fully reform the units of dental activity (UDA) system before 2026/27. As a first step to reforming the dental contract, we are consulting on a package of changes to improve access to, and improve the quality of, National Health Service dentistry, which will deliver improved care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The reforms include new payment proposals for some treatments, which would be converted to UDAs for the purposes of reconciliation. Further information on the consultation is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms

The consultation was launched on 8 July 2025 and will close on 19 August 2025.

We are committed to more fundamental contract reform, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. We want a contract that matches resources to needs, improves access, promotes prevention, and rewards dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. There are no perfect payment models, and careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system so that we deliver genuine improvements for patients and the profession.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing national guidance for autism diagnosis to reflect differences in how males and females (a) experience and (b) present neurodivergence. \p Stephen Kinnock: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline, Autism spectrum disorder in under 19s: recognition, referral and diagnosis, sets out considerations for clinicians when assessing for autism, including highlighting that this condition may be under-recognised in women and girls. The guidelines are available at the following links:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg142

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg128

NICE has committed to updating these guidelines; however, this work has not yet been scheduled into NICE’s work programme. NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services in April 2023.
wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_15
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_15

Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects the next Learning from Lives and Deaths report to be published. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Learning from Lives and Deaths reports are a crucial source of evidence which help to identify the key improvements needed to tackle health disparities and prevent the avoidable deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people. We are committed to publishing the latest report soon after Parliament returns, alongside a Written Ministerial Statement.
wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_16
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_16

Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Government’s immigration policies on trends in the level of recruitment of internationally educated nurses into (a) the NHS and (b) social care roles; and whether he has prepared contingency plans for a reduction in the level of recruitment. \p Stephen Kinnock: The immediate changes to the skills thresholds outlined in the Immigration White Paper relate to roles below Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) level 6. Nurses meet the new skill threshold of RQF level 6 and in turn remain eligible for the Health and Care Worker visa.

The Government is committed to developing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join our National Health Service. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition, thereby enhancing conditions for all staff while gradually reducing reliance on international recruitment, without diminishing the value of their contributions.

We acknowledge that the adult social care sector faces significant challenges in the recruitment and retention of the nursing workforce and we recognise the need for a strong emphasis on retaining nurses within adult social care, by supporting and valuing the workforce.

The Department continues to monitor adult social care workforce capacity, bringing together national data sets from Skills for Care’s monthly tracking data, the Capacity Tracker tool, and intelligence from key sector partners.
wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_17
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_17

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's publication, Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, published on 3 July 2025, who will be responsible for producing the agreed care plans for people with complex needs. \p Stephen Kinnock: Our 10-Year Health Plan will ensure that people with complex needs are supported to be active participants in their own care. As part of this, 95% of people with complex needs or long-term conditions will have an agreed personalised care plan by 2027. Care plans will be a feature of the developing Neighbourhood Health Service, which will deliver more care in local communities and move away from a one-size-fits-all approach, giving people more power and choice over the care they receive.

Work is currently underway to determine how care plans in the wider Neighbourhood Health Service will be delivered, including who will be best placed to coordinate and support delivery of care plans.
wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_18
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_18

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of people who entered the UK on a social care work visa in each of the past ten years who are (a) still in the UK and (b) still working in social care. \p Stephen Kinnock: In February 2022, care workers became eligible for the Health and Care Visa and were added to the Shortage Occupation List. Senior care workers were added to the list of eligible occupations for the Health and Care Visa in January 2021, therefore, we are not able to provide data on this visa route prior to this time. Published data on entry clearance visa grants for the "Caring Personal Services" occupation code (613) illustrates the broad trend in international recruitment into adult social care in recent years.

This shows that 37,091 Health and Care Worker visas were granted to main applicants under the Caring Personal Services category in 2022. Volumes peaked in 2023, with 107,772 grants, before falling to 9,539 in 2024. This data does not include in-country visa grants.

The Department does not hold data that directly links visa status to ongoing employment in adult social care or residence in the United Kingdom over time. As such, it is not possible to estimate the number or proportion of individuals who entered the UK on a social care work visa and who are still in the UK or working in the social care sector. Individuals may cease working in the sector for a variety of reasons, for example to return to their country of origin or to switch to another immigration route.
wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_19
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_19

Uma Kumaran:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that young people are able to develop creative skills. \p Janet Daby: The government published its Industrial Strategy and eight Sector Plans, including for the creative industries, on 23 June.

Skills are central to the strategy, recognising their vital role in enabling young people to succeed regardless of background and in supporting the UK’s future economic success.

Skills England will ensure the UK has the workforce to support growth sectors such as the creative industries by identifying and addressing current and future skills needs.

New shorter duration and foundation apprenticeships will help more people learn new skills at work and provide high-quality entry pathways for young people.

From April 2026, short courses in areas such as digital and artificial intelligence (AI) will be funded through the growth and skills levy and will support skills within the creative industries.

The government believes creative subjects are important elements of the rounded, enriching education every child deserves. The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is seeking a curriculum that readies young people for life and work, including creative subjects and skills, with the final report due autumn.

We are launching a National Centre for Arts and Music Education in 2026 to support excellent teacher training in the arts and boost partnerships between schools and arts organisations.
wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_20
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_20

Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding she has allocated to expand (a) vocational and (b) technical training routes in the West Midlands. \p Janet Daby: This government is making a substantial investment in skills, with £3 billion of additional funding across the Spending Review period, including an additional £1.2 billion a year by 2028/29.

This includes continuing to invest in apprenticeships and the growth and skills offer to meet priority skills gaps identified by Skills England and the needs of business.

This builds on previous rounds of 16-19 funding agreed for 2025/26 of over £400 million extra funding and making available additional funding of over £190 million in the 2025/26 financial year for the 2025/26 academic year.

The department will spend over £1.4 billion through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) in the 2025/26 academic year. West Midlands Combined Authority’s devolved ASF budget for the 2024/25 academic year was £133.7 million.

We have also made £155 million available to support schools, colleges and local authorities with increased National Insurance contributions.

The recent Infrastructure Strategy confirmed almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35, rising from £2.4 billion in 2025/26, to improve the condition of the school and college estate.

This increased funding and investment for skills in England will help to boost the provision of vocational and technical education and training in all areas of the country, including the West Midlands.
wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_21
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_21

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question 63031 on Asylum: Private Rented Housing, whether community cohesion is a material consideration when assessing the suitability of a local area for asylum accommodation. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave him on 8 July in response to Question 63031.
wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_22
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_22

John Lamont:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many small boats crossing the English Channel have been towed by French authorities into UK waters in each month from January 2022 to June 2025. \p Dame Angela Eagle: None.
wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_23
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_23

John Lamont:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much of the funding allocated to support (a) joint working arrangements and (b) enforcement plans agreed with French Government on 27 February 2025 to tackle people smuggling gangs has been used. \p Dame Angela Eagle: As part of the UK-FR Joint Leaders’ Declaration, published on 23 March 2023, the United Kingdom has agreed to contribute €209m to reduce instances of irregular migration to the UK in the Financial Year 2025-26.
wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_24
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_24

Paula Barker:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2025 to question 63076 on Deportation: Mental Health, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of not recording (a) the number of failed asylum seekers with mental health issues and (b) the reporting rate to her Department of failed asylum seekers on national security. \p Dame Angela Eagle: Section 95 support is provided to failed asylum seekers who have dependants under the age of 18 in their household at the time their asylum claim and any appeal is finally rejected (for as long as the youngest child remains under 18).

Other failed asylum seekers are supported under section 4(2) of the 1999 Act if they would otherwise be destitute and meet conditions set out in the Immigration and Asylum (Provision of Accommodation to Failed Asylum-Seekers) Regulations 2005.
wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_25
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-04)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-08-04 conversation_25

Jeremy Corbyn:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether Israel is in possession of nuclear weapons. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Israel has never declared a nuclear weapons programme. The UK Government continues to encourage Israel to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non nuclear-weapon State. We regularly monitor all global nuclear developments and will continue to work with international partners to reduce nuclear risks, strengthen the non-proliferation regime and advance multilateral nuclear disarmament.