theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Claire Young:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of taking legislative steps to establish community energy clubs. \p Michael Shanks: The Government recognises the role community groups play in our efforts to tackle climate change, and has tabled an amendment to the Great British Energy Bill, which clarifies that Great British Energy may support renewable energy projects involving or benefitting local communities.

The Government has also announced the Great British Energy Community Fund, to provide funding and support to community energy stakeholders, helping to increase the roll out of renewable energy projects.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he made representations to the Chinese Government on (a) the bounties placed by the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities on Hong Kongers living in the UK (b) concerns over human rights, (c) the effect of Hong Kong’s National Security Law and (d) the detention of Jimmy Lai during his recent visit to China. \p Michael Shanks: This Government continues to stand firm on the issue of human rights in China, including relating to Hong Kong and Jimmy Lai. The recent visit by the Secretary of State gave the opportunity to discuss issues that matter to the UK with senior levels of the Chinese government, including areas where we disagree.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Neil Coyle:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department plans to take to support households with district heating with increases in energy costs. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government is introducing regulation in January 2026 which aims to provide district heating consumers with comparable protections to existing gas and electricity regulations.

The heat network regulator, Ofgem, will have powers to investigate and intervene where heat network prices charged to consumers appear to be disproportionate or unfair.

Ofgem’s regulatory oversight will be supplemented by statutory redress through the Energy Ombudsman who, from April 2025, will have the same powers to hear complaints and make legally binding decisions as they do in gas and electricity markets. Consumers will also be able to seek advice and advocacy assistance through Citizens Advice.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Calum Miller:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the press release entitled Households near new pylons to save hundreds on energy bills, published on 10 March 2025, if he will take steps to provide similar funding to communities affected by renewables schemes. \p Michael Shanks: We have announced bill discounts for new transmission infrastructure projects because many communities will live close to this infrastructure without enjoying the direct, tangible benefits coming from other technologies, such as local jobs and investment.

However, in the Clean Power Action Plan, we made clear that where communities host clean energy infrastructure, we will ensure they benefit from it. There are many options in this area including community funds and shared ownership, which we are exploring.

In the interim, we intend to publish guidance for onshore wind in England and Solar Energy UK has also committed to publishing guidance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what percentage of the capacity of the Eaton Socon sub-station will be used by the proposed new town at Tempsford. \p Michael Shanks: I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to him on 3 March to Question UIN 35005.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has had recent discussions with the Energy Ombudsman on (a) trends in the number of billing inaccuracies and (b) the impact of billing inaccuracies on customers. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to work with energy suppliers to improve energy infrastructure in the South of England to enable communities near army bases to install smart meters. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Department is not aware of any evidence that the proximity of army barracks to a premises impacts energy suppliers’ ability to install smart meters.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Solicitor General, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of referring the sentencing of Nicholas Prosper to the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme. \p Lucy Rigby: The Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme allows the Law Officers to refer a sentence which appears unduly lenient to the Court of Appeal for it to review. If referred, the Court has the power to increase the sentence if it agrees that it is unduly lenient.

There is a high threshold for a successful ULS reference. The sentence must be not just lenient but unduly so, for example if the sentencing judge made a gross error or imposed a sentence outside the range of sentences reasonably available in the circumstances of the offence.

In this specific case, I can confirm my office has received a number of requests to review the sentencing of this individual under the ULS scheme.

The Attorney General and I have 28 days from the date of sentence to consider the case and decide whether to refer it to the Court of Appeal.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of waiting times for orthopaedic footwear through NHS Surgical Appliances Departments. \p Karin Smyth: No recent estimate of waiting times for orthopaedic footwear through National Health Service Surgical Appliances Departments has been made.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning the majority of health and care services, including podiatry services, in England. ICBs arrange healthcare services to meet the needs of their local population within the available resources, and to reduce inequalities in access to, and outcomes from, healthcare services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Sarah Green:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of clinical specialists in Parkinson's disease that will need to be recruited in each of the next five years. \p Karin Smyth: No specific assessment has been made.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Sarah Green:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for the diagnosis of a neurological condition in the last 12 months. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not hold data specifically on the time taken to reach a confirmed diagnosis of a neurological condition. There is no national dataset that measures the exact time from referral to confirmed diagnosis, as pathways vary by condition and may involve multiple tests and consultations.

We recognise the importance of timely diagnosis and remain committed to delivering the National Health Service constitutional standard for 92% of patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029. We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring lists and waiting times down. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard.

Additionally, by expanding community-based services for routine monitoring and follow up, employing artificial intelligence for productivity, and investing in digital tools and data, as outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan, we can ensure that consultants’ time is reserved for complex cases, including specialist diagnostic assessments, for patients with neurological conditions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to review workforce speciality training allocations in the NHS; and if he will take steps to increase the number of (a) training posts and (b) permanent positions for newly qualified doctors in (i) General Practice, (ii) sexual health, (iii) haematology specialties and (iv) other positions. \p Karin Smyth: As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July, we will work across the Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training. The Plan also sets out that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need.

In acknowledgement of doctors’ concerns about jobs and access to training places, the Government made an offer to the British Medical Association’s Resident Doctors Committee to double the previously announced increase in specialty training places in the 10-Year Health Plan to 2,000, bringing 1,000 of these forward to next year, create an alternative training pathway, and take steps to prioritise UK medical graduates and doctors with significant NHS experience for specialty posts. The new specialty training posts will focus on specialties where there is greatest need. On top of this commitment, NHS England has already made changes to the specialty training application process this year to reduce competition and support UK graduates.

The Government has committed to training thousands more general practitioners (GPs) and has increased the number of available GP training places by an additional 250 from September 2025. This brings the total number of GP training places to 4,250 per year.

As self-employed contractors to the NHS, it is for GPs to determine how they run their operations, including staffing arrangements.

We are investing an additional £1.1 billion in GPs to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest cash increase in over a decade. The 8.9% boost to the GP Contract in 2025/26 is greater than the 5.8% growth to the NHS budget as a whole.

Since October 2024, we have funded primary care networks with an additional £160 million to recruit recently qualified GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. Over 2,500 individual GPs have now been recruited, preventing them graduating into unemployment. This was a measure to respond to feedback from the profession and to help solve an immediate issue of GP unemployment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to fund the work of the Health and Care Professions Council in regulating NHS managers. \p Karin Smyth: I met with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) most recently on 29 October 2025, where work to introduce National Health Service managers into statutory regulation was discussed.

Department officials are working with the HCPC to identify the cost implications to the Government of implementing a barring mechanism for senior NHS managers, recognising that the HCPC cannot fund the implementation or operation of a barring system for senior NHS managers through registration fees levied against the 15 professions it currently regulates.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Sarah Green:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to publish regular reports on workforce numbers in neurological services. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has no plans to publish regular reports specifically on workforce numbers in neurological services.

However, NHS England already publishes monthly data on the National Health Service Hospital and Community Health Service workforce in England. This includes data on doctors working in specialities that support neurological services who are employed by NHS provider trusts and integrated care boards.

A time series containing recent data, including selected preliminary statistics for August 2025, can be found within the July 2025 publication of statistics, within the file NHS Workforce Statistics, July 2025 Doctors by Grade and Speciality. Within this file, the full-time equivalent numbers of doctors working in specialities that come under neurological services are available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics

There are many other professions who are key to the delivery of neurological services, such as nurses, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists. However, the data published on these professions is not detailed enough to show the service delivery area which these professions work in.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Stuart Andrew:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) anticipated and (b) actual level of demand for health services was in 2025–26; and whether the actual level of demand has increased in line with the trends since the end of the pandemic. \p Karin Smyth: Demand and costs for health services in 2025/26 was assessed and agreed with HM Treasury through the 2021 Spending Review negotiations, which are not published, as per standard practice. The national analysis takes into account the effect of population ageing and wider demographic changes, and also a range of estimates to understand how particular demand increases will affect the National Health Service, for example the cost of introducing new drugs, treatments, and policies designed to make sure patients are assessed and receive care in the most appropriate setting, for example through neighbourhood health models.

The 2025/26 operational planning guidance sets out the need for integrated care boards and trusts to deliver targets across primary, community, and acute care, including mental health services. It sets out the expectation for NHS organisations to reduce their cost base by at least 1% and to achieve 4% improvement in productivity, in order to deal with demand growth within the finances available and ensure effective demand management.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of pharmaceutical pollution in waterways on public health. \p Ashley Dalton: The Environment Agency routinely monitors for a wide range of chemicals as part of their chemical surveillance of inland water bodies. In addition, the UK Health Security Agency assesses the potential public health impact of these.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Mike Martin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of mandatory folic acid fortification on people with MTHFR gene variants. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government’s policy to mandate the fortification of non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid is aimed at reducing the incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in pregnancy. This policy is based on robust assessment of the evidence by the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and has included two public consultations.

The SACN’s assessment included consideration of individuals with a specific MTHFR gene variant that reduces their ability to process folate from their diet resulting in lower levels of folate in their blood. The two public consultations invited feedback from a wide range of stakeholders, which included individuals concerned about MTHFR gene variants.

An increased intake of folic acid will raise blood folate levels, which reduces the risk of an NTD-affected pregnancy. Therefore, mandatory folic acid fortification is likely to be beneficial to individuals with the specific MTHFR gene variant.

The Government is exploring options to evaluate the policy, which will assess health impacts across different population groups.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will have discussions with his international counterparts on the potential merits of creating an international symposium of experts on Type 1 Diabetes and Eating Disorders to (a) share best practice and (b) agree consensus guidance on diagnosis and treatment. \p Ashley Dalton: There are regular opportunities for ministers to meet with their international colleagues on a range of health issues to discuss best practice and learning. For this reason, there are no current plans to arrange a specific symposium on diabetes.

NHS England will continue its type 1 diabetes and disordered eating (T1DE) pilots, which have demonstrated that integrating diabetes and other health services, including mental health services, can significantly enhance the quality of life for people with T1DE and ultimately save lives.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Kerry McCarthy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to encourage (a) breast cancer screening and (b) cervical screening programmes to raise awareness of other gynaecological cancers. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England works to ensure that core public information on screening is easily accessible and understandable to the public, and it regularly and systematically reviews this information.

For example, earlier this year, NHS England updated its cervical screening guidance to include that cervical screening is not a check for other cancers of the reproductive system, such as ovary, womb, vulval, or vaginal cancer. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-description-in-brief/cervical-screening-helping-you-decide--2
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of mandatory calorie labelling on menus on (a) eating habits and (b) measures of health beyond calorie intake. \p Ashley Dalton: Legislation requires large businesses in England, those with 250 or more employees, to display calorie information on non-prepacked food and soft drinks.

The policy aims to support consumers to improve eating habits by making healthier choices for themselves and their families when eating out or getting a takeaway, with clear information about the calorie content of potential purchases.  The policy may also impact measures of health beyond calorie intake by encouraging businesses to reformulate and provide lower calorie options, helping to create a healthier food environment.

The published impact assessment estimated that by lowering calorie consumption amongst people living with overweight or obesity, the policy would produce NHS savings of £430 million and social care savings of £477 million over 25 years.

We continue to evaluate the impact of the Out of Home Calorie Labelling Regulations and will publish a post-implementation review within five years of implementation which will consider the effectiveness and impact of the policy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve support for adults with cerebral palsy. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to ensuring that people living with cerebral palsy have access to appropriate support and services throughout their lives, enabling them to fulfil their potential and lead healthy, productive lives.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a guideline for adults with cerebral palsy, code NG119. The guideline recommends regular reviews of clinical and functional needs, clear care pathways, and access to multi-disciplinary teams and specialist neurology services. The guideline is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng119

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out a vision for a health and care system that delivers more personalised, integrated, and proactive care for people with long-term and complex conditions, including cerebral palsy. By 2027, 95% of people with complex needs should have an agreed personal care plan. These will promote shared decision-making and access to personal health budgets, giving individuals more choice and control over therapies, equipment, and support tailored to their needs. Additionally, integrated neighbourhood health teams will bring together professionals across disciplines to deliver joined-up care for people with cerebral palsy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will undertake a review of the (a) fitting, (b) quality and (c) patient feedback on (i) post-surgery bras and (ii) breast protheses received through the NHS. \p Ashley Dalton: Decisions about the funding and provision of health services, including post-surgery bras and breast protheses, are the responsibility of local integrated care boards.

NHS England funded audits into primary and metastatic breast cancer to help identify and reduce inequalities and variations in care. Using routine data collected on patients diagnosed with breast cancer in a National Health Service setting, the audits bring together information to look at what is being done well, where it is being done well, and what needs to be done better. Findings were published in September 2025, and the NHS is acting on the findings.

Patient experience and outcomes remain a key priority for the Department, and we will continue to look for opportunities to improve all aspects of cancer care. The National Cancer Plan, due to be published early in the new year, will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, including people living with and beyond cancer.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England plans to introduce standardised national protocols for interpreting oxygen saturation thresholds in children with chronic cardiac conditions. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Paediatric Early Warning System (NPEWS) was launched in England in November 2023. The use of NPEWS allows for a standard approach to recognition and escalation of concern when a child might be deteriorating. NPEWS works by assigning a score to varying levels of physiological values including oxygen saturations, depending on how far from normal those values are.

Recent evaluation by the Liverpool DETECT study group has found that NPEWS predictive performance remained very good within cohorts of children with and without cardiac disease.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 73482 on Integrated Care Boards: Finance, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of the use of five-year population projections on the level of funding from his Department for the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB. \p Karin Smyth: Allocations are determined through a complex, weighted capitation formula that incorporates multiple factors beyond population projections, including age, sex, need, and cost adjustments. Isolating the effect of a single component would not accurately reflect the complexities of the overall methodology.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase access to weight loss injections for long-term conditions. \p Ashley Dalton: Weight loss injections are currently recommended for use on the National Health Service for the treatment of obesity and/or type 2 diabetes. To be routinely used in the NHS in England, a medicine normally needs a marketing authorisation from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) that shows it is safe and efficacious, and then a positive National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) appraisal to show if it is a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. NICE is currently developing guidance on the use of semaglutide for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and, subject to licensing, liver fibrosis, without cirrhosis, caused by metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

Most recently, NICE recommended semaglutide, brand name Wegovy, and tirzepatide, brand name Mounjaro, as treatments for obesity, in adults with a high body mass index and at least one weight-related comorbidity such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and/or cardiovascular disease.

Until recently, these medicines were only available in specialist weight management services. From 23 June tirzepatide started to become available in primary care. This will help to increase access. Access is being prioritised for those with the highest clinical need first. The NHS will look at different service models including digital and community options and the roll out will be sped up if possible. As set out in the Government’s new 10-Year Health Plan, we are committed to expanding access to these medicines and will work closely with industry and local systems to test new models of care and identify innovative ways to do this.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 73473 on Health Services: Apprentices, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of funding the provision of those Level 7 apprenticeships in each of the next five years. \p Karin Smyth: Funding for the continuation of Level 7 apprenticeships in five professions has been agreed by NHS England and the Department for courses starting from 1 January 2026 up to 31 March 2029. Funding can be used by employers to cover education costs which would previously have been funded through the apprenticeship levy.

Final expenditure is subject to the number of actual apprenticeship starts in each year. However, total funding will be capped annually, aligned to 2023/24 start numbers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to remove VAT on defibrillators. \p Ashley Dalton: Tax policy is a matter for HM Treasury. The Government provides VAT reliefs to aid the purchase of automated external defibrillators through VAT refunds on purchases made by local authorities, including parish councils, and VAT reliefs for purchases made through voluntary contributions where a defibrillator is donated to eligible charities or the National Health Service.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the trends in the levels of (a) gonorrhea, (b) chlamydia, and (c) syphillis in people. \p Ashley Dalton: Official statistics published by the UK Health Security Agency highlight trends in sexually transmitted infection diagnoses in England. Information is available from the GUMCAD STI Surveillance System and the CTAD Chlamydia Surveillance System at the following links respectively:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/gumcad-sti-surveillance-system

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ctad-chlamydia-surveillance-system
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to make the WID-easy test available in Shropshire. \p Ashley Dalton: There are currently no plans to make the WID-easy test available in Shropshire. Decisions regarding resource allocation are made by local commissioners and providers based on identified priorities within the region.

The Government is supportive of the implementation of innovative diagnostic tools and tests that play a crucial role in the early detection of cancer. By embracing these advancements, the aim is to not only identify cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage, but also to improve the overall efficiency of the diagnostic process.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to publish guidance on managing hypoglycaemia that includes (a) treatment, (b) when to seek medical help and (c) rules for those with diabetes who drive or operate heavy machinery. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published advice on the management of type 1 diabetes, including advice on managing acute hypoglycaemia, which is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/diabetes-type-1/management/

There are no current plans for the Department to publish specific guidance for distinct workforce groups.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's report entitled Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation programme for adults aged 80 years and older: JCVI advice, published on 16 July 2025, whether the NHS is offering the respiratory syncytial virus vaccine to (a) all adults aged 80 years old and over and (b) all residents of adult care homes. \p Ashley Dalton: In advice published on 16 July 2025, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that the routine respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) programme be extended to also include adults aged 80 years and older, and all residents in a care home for older adults.

During a debate on Accident and Emergency Waiting Times on 22 July 2025, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, confirmed to the Hon. Member that we had already accepted the JCVI advice to extend the routine RSV programme and reassured you that the Department was working at pace on implementation. He did not confirm plans or timings to implement the advice.

At Oral Answers to Questions – Health and Social Care, on 21 October 2025, my Rt. Hon. Friend told the Hon. Member that we had delivered on the commitment to extend the routine RSV programme to adults aged 80 years and older, and all residents in a care home for older adults. His response referred to the acceptance of the JCVI advice and ongoing work to implement that advice. The RSV programme could not be expanded ahead of this winter. However, we have updated the eligibility of the catch-up programme for 7579-year-olds so anyone who turned 80 on or after 1 September 2024 but has not yet come forward for vaccination can continue to do so. Initially, those who turned 80 in the first year of the programme only remained eligible until 31 August 2025, but that has now been extended.

The Department is in discussions with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency on potential implementation. The Department is exploring delivery options and their impact, including on other vaccination programmes, to ensure any changes deliver the best value for money. We will make a final decision about whether and how to implement the JCVI’s advice, including the timing of any expansion to the older adult RSV programme, when this work has concluded.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Cancer Plan will commit to producing symptom awareness campaigns. \p Ashley Dalton: Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan, which will be published in the new year. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer as quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, and to improve outcomes.

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns in England to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and to address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_26

Jo White:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to develop a modern service framework for kidney disease. \p Ashley Dalton: As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, as well as an overall quality strategy, the National Quality Board will oversee the development of a new series of service frameworks.

The modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the necessary support for delivery.

Early priorities will include cardiovascular disease, severe mental illness, and the first ever service framework for frailty and dementia. The Government will consider other long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_27

Darren Paffey:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending eligibility for the Autumn 2025 COVID-19 vaccination to individuals under the age of 75 who, while not classified as immunosuppressed, have (a) COPD, (b) limited mobility and (c) other chronic health conditions that may increase their vulnerability to serious illness. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious illness, resulting in hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19.

The JCVI has advised that population immunity to COVID-19 has been increasing due to a combination of naturally acquired immunity following recovery from infection and vaccine-derived immunity. COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for most people, though it can still be unpleasant, with rates of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 having reduced significantly since COVID-19 first emerged.

The focus of the JCVI advised programme has therefore moved towards targeted vaccination of the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality. These are the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed. The Government has accepted the JCVI’s advice for autumn 2025 and in line with the advice, a COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to the following groups:

- adults aged 75 years old and over;

- residents in care homes for older adults; and

- individuals aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed.

As for all vaccines, the JCVI keeps the evidence under regular review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_28

Margaret Mullane:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to improve (a) early diagnosis and (b) treatment of silicosis in the NHS. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to increasing the capacity of respiratory services and is improving access to these services through new community diagnostic centres (CDCs). All standard and large CDCs are required to offer diagnostic respiratory tests which can diagnose silicosis, such as spirometry and full lung function tests as part of their core testing offer.

The National Health Service has specialist centres for diagnosing and managing lung diseases that cause scarring, such as silicosis. NHS Interstitial Lung Disease clinics offer expert care from specialist respiratory doctors and nurses, often with access to additional services like lung function testing and research facilities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_29

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of ovarian cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: We are committed to reducing waiting times for diagnosis and treatment of cancer, including for ovarian cancer. We will support the National Health Service to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography.

The Government is investing an extra £26 billion in the NHS and opening up community diagnostic centres (CDCs) at evening and weekends, to help diagnose cancer earlier. We are now delivering additional checks, tests and scans at 170 CDCs.

Furthermore, NHS England has completed the national roll-out of Non-Specific Symptom pathways to support faster diagnosis of cancer in patients who present with symptoms that do not align with a single cancer site.

We have exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million appointments, having now delivered over five million more appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to treatment.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and improving this country’s cancer survival rates.

Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years. To do this, we will deliver targeted improvements and interventions, drive research and innovation, focus on prevention, and ensure patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_30

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the food industry on the proposed update of the Nutrient Profiling Model. \p Ashley Dalton: As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis to ease the strain on our National Health Service and create the healthiest generation of children ever. This includes implementing junk food advertising restrictions on TV and online, introducing mandatory healthy food sales reporting for large businesses and setting new targets to increase the healthiness of sales in all communities, and boosting the impact of our advertising and promotions restrictions by applying the updated Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM).

The existing advertising restrictions and the location and volume price promotions restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink use the NPM 2004/5 to determine which products are ‘less healthy’ and therefore in scope of the restrictions. The NPM 2004/5 is out of date, and we committed in the 10-Year Health Plan to updating these standards to reflect the latest dietary advice. This will strengthen the restrictions and more effectively target the products of most concern to childhood obesity.

We have started to engage with stakeholders across sectors of the food and drinks industry and will continue this ahead of and during a consultation period in 2026 on the policy application of an updated NPM to ensure stakeholders can feed in their views.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_31

Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of banning vaping inside pubs on the economic viability of community pubs. \p Ashley Dalton: The Tobacco and Vapes Bill provides the Government with powers to make most public places and workplaces that are smoke-free also vape-free.

Many businesses and enclosed public places, including pubs, already have voluntary schemes in place to prohibit vape usage inside their premises. We plan to consult on making most indoor settings, that are subject to existing smoke-free legislation, vape free.

Exactly which settings should become vape-free will be a matter for secondary legislation and will be subject to a full consultation. We will undertake full impact assessments before any regulations are made, including the likely impact on businesses.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_32

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to HM Treasury's and HMRC's document entitled Strengthening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy - consultation, published on 28 April 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of lowering trends in the level of sugar consumption on trends in the level of artificial sweetener consumption. \p Ashley Dalton: No formal assessment has been carried out by the Government to date. While businesses are required to declare the sweeteners that have been used in products in the ingredients panel on food packaging, they are not required to provide information on the amounts of sweetener that have been used. Without this information, it is not possible to undertake a robust assessment of the levels of sweeteners that are used in products or consumed or how this has changed over time.

United Kingdom legislation dictates the amount of additives, including sweeteners, that can be used and in which products, along with any specific conditions of use. Compliance is monitored by the Food Standards Agency and supported in assessing the safety of additives by the independent Committee on Toxicity.

On 2 April 2025, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published a position statement on the World Health Organization guideline on non-sugar sweeteners. The SACN concluded that the evidence of a risk to health from consuming non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) is inconsistent. The SACN made a precautionary recommendation that intake of NSS be minimised. With greater certainty of the impact of sugars on health, the SACN recommended that “swapping sugars for NSS may help reduce sugar intake from foods and drinks (and so reduce energy intake), at least in the short term. The long-term goal is to limit both sugar and NSS intake”.

The SACN also recommended that the Government monitor the sweetener content of food and drinks, evaluate the impact of policies on intakes of sweeteners and compel industry to make publicly available data on the amounts of individual NSS within foods. The SACN also made several research recommendations including exploration of innovative ways to reliably monitor exposure to NSS.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-19 conversation_33

Sarah Green:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that clinical staff working in neighbourhood health teams have adequate expertise in Parkinson’s Disease. \p Ashley Dalton: The Neighbourhood Health Service will bring together teams of professionals closer to people’s homes to work together to provide comprehensive care in the community. We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations, and this could include staff with expertise in Parkinson’s care.

While we will be clear on the outcomes we expect, we will also give significant licence to localities to tailor their approach to local need. Integrated care boards will, therefore, develop workforce models to reflect local population needs, with flexibility for neighbourhoods to design teams that fit their demographics and health priorities.