theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many new cadet detachments in (a) schools and (b) communities he plans to create through the Cadet Expansion Programme in the 2025-26 financial year. \p Al Carns: The Cadet Expansion Programme (CEP) is a joint Department for Education and Ministry of Defence initiative, underway since 2012, which aims to increase the number of cadet units in schools, and the number of cadets within those units. The CEP does not cover cadet units in the community.

Given the fantastic benefits which can be gained from the cadet experience the Government wants more young people to be able to become cadets. Our recently published Strategic Defence Review recommended an expansion of Cadet Forces across the country by 30% by 2030 – both in-school and community-based. We will bring forward more detail in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-20)

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David Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of transferring surplus warrior infantry fighting vehicles (a) awaiting disposal or (b) due to be decommissioned by 2030 to Ukraine. \p Luke Pollard: Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) are key platforms for the British Army to meet Defence Commitments.

Although small numbers are scheduled for disposal, these will have been selected in line with serviceability and suitability for role. As such, without substantial investment, they are not likely to offer significant capability to Ukraine and providing such small numbers would only increase the diversity of Ukraine’s armoured vehicle fleet – increasing their logistic and training burdens.

The UK will continue to work with Ukraine to identify how best to help them to resist Russian aggression.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-20)

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Shockat Adam:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56822 on Israel: Military Aid, how often his Department reviews its military training arrangements with the Israel Defence Forces. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence keeps under careful consideration its policy on training being provided in the UK.

Fewer than five IDF personnel are currently enrolled in non-combat military academic courses in the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-20)

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Carla Denyer:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56822 on Israel: Military Aid, if he will make it his policy to stop this training. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence keeps under careful consideration its policies on training being provided.

Fewer than five IDF personnel are currently enrolled in non-combat military academic courses in the UK.
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Gideon Amos:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the number of sitting days of the Independent Panel to Access Impact Payments. \p Al Carns: The Government recognises the importance of timeliness in delivering this important recognition. The Independent Panel convened for its first sitting within days of their appointment on 13 May 2025, demonstrating the Government's commitment to delivering the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS) at pace. Further sittings are taking place in June, with several more scheduled in the coming months.

We expect to increase the frequency of sittings, up to two per week and will continue to monitor progress, assessing whether further increases would provide benefits without compromising the integrity of the process. Increasing the number of sitting days may expedite the processing of applications but must be balanced with ensuring the process remains thorough and robust. Evidence gathering is the longest and most complex part of the process, requiring information to be collected from a variety of sources, including historical records. This work must be conducted carefully to ensure fairness for applicants and the responsible management of public funds.

As of 9 June 2025, the FRS had received 1,067 applications and 44 Veterans had received payments. We have been prioritising payment to the elderly and those with serious health conditions to ensure they receive support as quickly as possible, with the first payments issued as planned within 15 weeks of the scheme going live to these prioritised groups. Some cases are more complex and require additional time due to the unique and individual circumstances involved; we envisage the FRS speeding up once these are completed.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a salary sacrifice car scheme for armed forces personnel. \p Al Carns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 June 2025 to Question 57620 to the hon. Member for The Wrekin (Mark Pritchard).

Armed Forces: Pay (docx, 15.9KB)
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Martin Rhodes:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of veterans eligible for the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme. \p Al Carns: We are unable to estimate how many people were affected by the historic policy on LGBT Service personnel and who are therefore eligible for the Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS). This is due to the varying ways in which personnel were impacted, with some being dismissed or discharged, and others choosing to leave due to the culture whilst others continued to serve.

Defence’s LGBT Restorative Action team have mounted communications campaigns to drive awareness of, and encourage, eligible LGBT Veterans to claim under the FRS since the Scheme was announced. We continue to work with local councils, the NHS, LGBT and military charities, and Veterans network to better inform affected Veterans of the FRS and how to apply. Defence has also allocated £90,000 worth of grants to charities, including Fighting With Pride, to support Veterans with their FRS applications.

As of 9 June 2025, the FRS had distributed £2.2 million in payments, prioritising elderly applicants and those with serious health conditions to ensure timely support for those most in need. The first payments were issued within 15 weeks of the scheme going live, and while some complex cases require additional time, the Ministry of Defence is committed to ensuring all eligible individuals receive the support they are entitled to.

The Government encourages those affected by the Ban to visit gov.uk for further information, guidance, and support on how to make an application: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/veterans-of-the-lgbt-ban-financial-recognition-scheme
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Esther McVey:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help tackle battlefield antimicrobial resistance. \p Al Carns: Defence Medical Services (DMS) has several mature policies and capabilities in place designed to mitigate the risk of Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the deployed space, from antimicrobial policy and stewardship to infection prevention and control strategies.

DMS is developing an AMR strategy to ensure Defence can manage the current threat and respond to future risks, including balancing the needs of the wounded with the threat of resistance.

DMS is at the forefront internationally in capturing data on AMR from the conflict in Ukraine, with active collaborations with Ukrainian colleagues which have resulted in a number of academic publications on AMR and conflict.

AMR tools and resources have been developed to help healthcare professionals to improve infection prevention and control practices, and to help improve prescribing. Best practice can reduce the use of antimicrobials and reduce the risk of resistance developing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-20)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the (a) efficiency and (b) cost-effectiveness of its property management services. \p Al Carns: The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) continues to drive for both improved performance and increased value for money from all its Estates Management contracts.

The DIO has conducted a series of reviews to capture lessons learned from the delivery of the Future Defence Infrastructure Services Accommodation contracts and commissioned external audits of Industry Partners (IP)s performance. The Department also has the contractual right to withhold elements of profit for non-performance of Key Performance Indicators by its IPs, and continually assesses Property Management Contract Supplier performance. Performance is monitored on a monthly basis including oversight at Chief Executive level.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-20)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ministry of Defence managed properties are currently leased to third parties; and what criteria are used to determine leasing arrangements. \p Al Carns: As at 1 June 2025, there are approximately 3,209 properties leased to third parties that are managed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

There is no set criteria used by MOD to determine leasing arrangements.

Leasing arrangements are dependent on various factors including the type of lease, the use of the property, its location, proximity to military infrastructure, the condition of the property and the proposed length of the agreement.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the proposed Security Pact with the EU will be based on the 2018 EU template for third-country participation in EU defence and foreign policy structures. \p Luke Pollard: At the UK-EU Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU agreed a unique and bespoke Security and Defence Partnership. The Partnership has been designed to complement our core bilateral security partnerships and support this Government’s commitment to NATO, which remains the cornerstone of Euro-Atlantic security.

The partnership documents frames cooperation through dialogues, information exchange and identification of collaborative opportunities including case-by-case involvement in EU initiatives.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timetable is for publishing the Veterans' Strategy. \p Al Carns: This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country. I am leading work across Government and with Civil Society with a strategy that outlines our vision for these remarkable men and women and the outcomes we wish to achieve. Announcements will be made in due course.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many homes occupied by families from (a) RAF Shawbury, (b) RAF Cosford and (c) Clive Barracks do not have up to date electrical safety certificates. \p Al Carns: The number of occupied Service Family Accommodation (SFA) homes at RAF Shawbury, RAF Cosford and Clive Barracks (Ternhill) that do not have up to date gas safety certificates or electrical safety certificates as at 18 June 2025, is shown in the following table:

Number of occupied SFA with Expired Gas Safety Certificates

Number of occupied SFA with Expired Electrical Safety Certificates

Shawbury

0

0

Cosford

4

0

Ternhill (Clive Barracks)

0

1

The safety of Service personnel and their families is the Departments highest priority, and it is unacceptable for any family to be living in a home without the necessary checks.

It remains a top priority to gain access to these homes to carry out this work. Access has been attempted to all of these properties at least three times, and the Chain of Command has been asked to assist.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Annex 3, Clause 2, of the UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia [CS Mauritius No.1/2025], when the Joint Commission will first meet. \p Luke Pollard: The date of the first meeting of the Joint Commission has not been set. Once the Treaty enters into force, the Joint Commission shall meet at least twice a year or more frequently on the request of either the UK or Mauritius.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to improve living conditions at Clive Barracks; and whether he plans to relocate troops stationed there. \p Al Carns: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently undertaking an extensive review of its entire Service Family Accommodation (SFA) portfolio, to determine how the department will invest to strengthen housing standards for forces families.

The Defence Housing Strategy, to be published later this year, will set out wider plans to improve the standard of Service family homes.

The majority of SFA at Clive Barracks meets or exceeds the Decent Homes Standard and MOD Policy states that SFA below the Decent Homes Standard should not be allocated to families.

In Financial Year 2024-25, 121 SFA at Clive Barracks received replacement doors and windows, and 52 SFA received replacements roofs, including new loft insulation.

Following a recent survey Single Living Accommodation (SLA) at Clive Barracks has been identified as requiring no repairs or minor repairs only. No SLA improvement works are programmed.

Clive Barracks has been identified for closure under the Defence Estates Optimisation Portfolio, as such, work has been limited to routine and planned preventative maintenance.

All troops accommodated at Clive Barracks will be relocated ahead of the closure of the site, in 2029.
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Esther McVey:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff network events took place in his Department in May 2025; and what the names of those events were. \p Al Carns: Information is not held centrally on the Ministry of Defence’s employee network events which encompass a wide range of interests and activities. Network events specifically related to diversity are only tracked where central funding has been requested: no such diversity network events took place in May 2025.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether (a) current and (b) former (i) civil servants and (ii) politicians will be required to give evidence to the grooming gangs inquiry; what steps her Department is taking to ensure accountability of public officials involved in the handling of grooming gang cases; and whether public officials found to have engaged in wrongdoing will be liable to prosecution. \p Jess Phillips: The National Inquiry will utilise existing legislation in the Inquiries Act 2005 to appoint an independent chair who will determine the conduct and procedure of the inquiry. We will announce further details on the inquiry, including the appointment of an independent chair, in due course.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that British National (Overseas) passport holders are afforded (a) access to the UK’s digital eGates at border control and (b) equal treatment to British passport holders in all other respects. \p Seema Malhotra: The Immigration White Paper, published in May 2025, sets out new measures on a wide range of immigration and border issues, including our vision to revolutionise the UK border by using technology to make visible change to security, flow and the passenger experience. This includes investigating options to expand eGate eligibility and the use of automation to more cohorts, including British National (Overseas) passport holders.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of immigration cases involve the use of interpretation services paid for by the state. \p Seema Malhotra: Obtaining the specific information requested would involve collating and verifying information from multiple systems owned by multiple teams across the Home Office and, therefore, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Abtisam Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken for the consideration of Administrative Reviews of immigration casework. \p Seema Malhotra: The allocation of resources across competing demands within the immigration system requires that prioritisation decisions are made, but the Home Office continues to work hard to meet the timescales set out in public guidance for the processing of AR applications.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of foreign nationals entering the UK as delivery drivers under temporary work schemes. \p Seema Malhotra: Under the current Immigration Rules, the UK operates no Temporary Work schemes that enable the recruitment of delivery drivers from overseas.
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Claire Hanna:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) British and (b) Irish citizens emigrated from Northern Ireland in 2024. \p Seema Malhotra: The Home Office does not hold this information.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been (a) arrested and (b) prosecuted for riding e-scooters on (i) public roads and (i) pavements in each of the last three years. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The data requested is not held centrally.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce shop theft in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level, up 20% on year up to December 2024. We will not stand for this.

We are providing £5 million over the next three years to continue to fund a specialist analysis team within Opal, the National Policing Intelligence Unit for serious organised acquisitive crime, to crack down on the organised gangs targeting retailers.

We are also investing £2 million over the next three years in the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) which provides a resource for both police and businesses to learn, share and support each other to prevent and combat crime.

Via the Crime and Policing Bill we will repeal the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, which means it can only be tried a magistrate’s court. This will send a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously. Also included in the Bill is a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.

I chair the Retail Crime Forum which brings together the retail sector, security providers and law enforcement agencies to ensure we understand the needs of all retailers and to promote collaboration, share best practice and to work collectively to tackle the serious issue of retail crime. This includes the development of a new strategy to tackle shop theft published by policing, retail sector representatives and industry as part of collective efforts to combat shop theft.

The strategy builds on previous progress made by police and retailers but provides a more comprehensive and intelligence-led approach to tackle all perpetrators of shop theft – not just organised criminal gangs.
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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of fraudulent insurance claims that have been made by people who stage road traffic collisions to gain compensation there have been in the last 12 months. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government recognises the harm caused by these types of fraudulent claims. This is why we have launched an Insurance Fraud Charter with key insurance firms to agree a series of voluntary measures to reduce fraud against the sector and consumers.

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau reports that there has been 118 reports of Insurance related Fraud in the past 13 months.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce knife crime in Nottinghamshire. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission and we are determined to tackle the scourge of serious knife crime on our streets.

To date, we have implemented a ban on zombie-style knives and zombie-style machetes and a ban on ninja swords will come into effect from 1 August 2025. We will also be running an extended surrender scheme in July to allow knives and offensive weapons to be handed in safely and securely. Limiting the availability and accessibility of knives and dangerous and illegal weapons is a central part of our work.

To that end, we have also announced “Ronan’s Law”, following an independent review into online knife sales by Commander Stephen Clayman, the national policing lead on knife crime, which set out a range of measures including strengthening age verification and delivery checks and reporting bulk sales to the police. These changes are now included in the Crime and Policing Bill currently passing through Parliament.

In the Crime and Policing Bill, we are also increasing the penalties for illegal sales of knives, creating a new offence of possessing a knife with the intention to commit unlawful violence and providing the police with a new power to seize knives when they believe they are likely to be used in connection with unlawful violence.

In Nottinghamshire, the Government has allocated c.£1.5m for the Hotspot Action Fund in 2025-2026 to deliver high visibility patrolling and problem-oriented policing tactics in the areas with the highest densities of knife crime and Anti-Social Behaviour (‘hotspots’).

Through our Young Futures Programme, the Government will introduce Prevention Partnerships across the country, including in Nottinghamshire, to intervene earlier and ensure that children and young people who are vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.

As we continue to design the Young Futures Programme, we want to ensure that it learns from and builds on the work of the Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) in this regard. In 2025/26 we are investing £47m via the Home Office in core grant funding to VRUs, including making over £1.1m available to the Nottinghamshire VRU this year.

This funding will support the delivery of a range of early intervention and prevention programmes, such as youth workers in custody, school and community settings, sports programmes, mentoring, healthy relationships programmes, and intensive cognitive behavioural therapies for individuals involved in or at risk of serious violence, to divert young people away from crime.

A further £14.3m in grant funding has been made available across all 43 local policing body areas to deliver the Serious Violence Duty with £139k available to Nottinghamshire.
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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) women-only and (b) family-only hotels staffed exclusively by women for female refugees. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration and asylum system under regular review, and works closely with our accommodation providers, the police and a range of other experts and stakeholders to provide the best possible safeguards for female asylum seekers against violence and abuse.
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Esther McVey:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2025 to Question 52848 on Offenders: Foreign Nationals, what steps her Department is taking to support the police when immigrants who have arrived in the UK illegally are housed in communities, in the context of the absence of data on those people being electronically monitored by nationality. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office communicates regularly with local police forces, and with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, to assess the operational implications of housing asylum seekers in different areas and regions around the country, and will always do what is necessary to protect the safety and security of each local community affected.
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Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54430 on Undocumented Migrants: English Channel, what steps her Department is taking to remove small boat arrivals who fail criminality checks. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office conducts mandatory identity and security checks on all small boat arrivals.

In line with the Refugee Convention, we will deny the benefits of protection status to those who commit particularly serious crimes and are a danger to the community or those who are a threat to national security.

Anyone convicted of a particularly serious crime resulting in a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, and are considered a danger to the UK, will be denied asylum and will be considered for removal from the UK. Those refused protection status who cannot be removed will be subject to regular review until they can be removed at the earliest opportunity.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, where she plans to relocate irregular migrants living in hotels in Lancashire by 2029. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office continues to work with a range of stakeholders and consider a range of options to fulfil its statutory obligations, and deliver our commitment to reduce overall cost of asylum accommodation, including the use of hotels, by the end of this Parliament.
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Alex Sobel:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the evaluation of the move-on period pilot extension; and whether her Department plans to further extend the pilot. \p Dame Angela Eagle: In December, the Home Office operationalised a pilot to extend the grace period to 56 days. It is important that we take the necessary time to evaluate the impact of the interim measures, including overall net costs to taxpayers, before deciding whether to make the measures permanent. We will make further announcements in the normal way in due course.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the safety of town centres during summer 2025 in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: This is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, £200 million has been allocated to forces for 2025/26 to support the Government’s commitment to deliver additional personnel into neighbourhood policing. Surrey Constabulary has been allocated £2,588,427 and will deliver an increase of 25 police officers by 31 March 2026.

The Home Office is also providing £66.3 million funding in 2025-26 to forces in England and Wales to deliver high visibility patrols in the areas worst affected by knife crime, serious violence and anti-social behaviour. Surrey Police will receive £1,000,000 of this funding.

In addition to this, the Safer Streets Summer Initiative is a government-led initiative to tackle anti-social behaviour (ASB), street crime and retail crime in town centres this summer, and to increase local confidence through increased collaboration at a local level. It will be led by Police and Crime and Commissioners, in partnership with Chief Constables and other key local partners such as councils, schools, health services, business, transport and community organisations.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of rural crime in (a) Bedfordshire and (b) the East of England; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce that level. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Rural crime can have devastating consequences for countryside communities and the agricultural sector. That is why this Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas.

Under our Safer Streets Mission reforms, rural communities will be safeguarded, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent theft of farm equipment and fly-tipping.

The Government is committed to strong neighbourhood policing for everyone in England and Wales, wherever they live. On 10 April, the Prime Minister outlined further details about our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, including that by July, every community, including rural communities, will have named and contactable officers dedicated to addressing their issues.

This financial year we will be providing the first Home Office funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU), as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). The funding boost of over £800,000 in total will help the units tackle those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.

This will allow these specialist units to continue their work in tackling rural and wildlife crime which can pose unique challenges for policing given the scale and isolation of rural areas.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities NPCC-Wildlife-Rural-Crime-Strategy-2022-2025.pdf (nwcu.police.uk). We are working closely with the NPCC to deliver the next iteration of their strategy, to ensure the government’s Safer Streets Mission benefits every community no matter where they live, including rural communities.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 53973 on Defending Democracy Taskforce, if she will publish the conclusions of the review into harassment and intimidation. \p Dan Jarvis: The Defending Democracy Taskforce is reviewing its levers for preventing the harassment and intimidation of elected representatives, identifying gaps and vulnerabilities, and developing recommendations to strengthen our response.

I will update the House on progress in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-20 conversation_137

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to proscribe Palestine Action. \p Dan Jarvis: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 18 June to Question 59335.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-20 conversation_138

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on preparedness for a future pandemic. \p Ashley Dalton: The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job. As we work to bring the two organisations together, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.

Ensuring the United Kingdom is prepared for a future pandemic is a top priority for the Government, embedding lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, and aiming to have flexible, adaptable and scalable capabilities that can respond to any infectious disease or threat.

The Government will continue to ensure pandemic preparedness throughout the transition and beyond, while also using the opportunities presented by the two organisations coming together.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-20 conversation_139

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support people suffering with chronic urinary tract infections in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: Appropriate treatment and support for people with chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) are dependent on receiving an accurate diagnosis. Diagnostic tests for chronic UTIs, such as urinalysis and urine culture, are widely available across all pathology networks in England, including Surrey. Ensuring accurate diagnostic testing not only aids more effective identification of infection but can also reduce unnecessary prescribing and overprescribing of broad-spectrum antimicrobials and directly benefit patients in Surrey Heath who will get the right treatment sooner.

General practitioners can request testing for chronic UTIs via several pathways, including at point-of-care, via community diagnostic centres, or via laboratories. Laboratories across England adhere to stringent quality standards for diagnostic tests, including the UK Accreditation Standard ISO 15189, and implement robust internal and external quality assurance schemes. Together, these measures ensure the accuracy and reliability of diagnostic testing.

Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Department is supporting work to understand the research gaps on UTIs that matter most to patients, carers and clinicians. This is through a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership (PSP), led by Antibiotic Research UK, Bladder Health UK and The Urology Foundation. This partnership will publish its findings in spring 2026. The aim of the Chronic and Recurrent UTI PSP is to identify the unanswered questions about chronic and recurrent UTIs from patient, carer and clinical perspectives and then prioritise those that patients, carers and clinicians agree are the most important for research to address.

NHS England is also supporting research into newer, more accurate point-of-care tests for UTIs, such as via the Toucan study.

More information on the study is available at the following link:

https://www.phctrials.ox.ac.uk/recruiting-trials/toucan-platform-for-uti-diagnostic-evaluation
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-20 conversation_140

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the report by Asthma Lung UK entitled Lung conditions kill more people in the UK than anywhere in Western Europe, published on 28 February 2022. \p Ashley Dalton: The report from Asthma + Lung UK highlights the relatively high mortality rate in the United Kingdom from lung conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. It asks for better and faster diagnosis, new treatments, new technology, and more action on prevention. These are consistent with the Government’s policies and priorities.

The Government has committed to delivering three big shifts that the National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.

This will support earlier diagnosis, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including respiratory conditions, closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. Taking action to reduce the causes of the biggest killers, such as enabling a smoke free generation through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, can further help prevent lung conditions.

On COPD and asthma specifically, the NHS is investing in the provision of more and better rehabilitation services for respiratory patients. This has the objective of improving outcomes through early diagnosis including via spirometry tests, and through increased access to treatments.

The NHS RightCare COPD pathway has been rolled out nationally and defines the optimal service for people with COPD. Furthermore, the National Respiratory Audit Programme aims to improve quality of care, services, and clinical outcomes for patients with asthma and COPD, by collecting and providing data on a range of indicators and pulmonary rehabilitation activity. A national programme of work is underway to support systems with improving access to Pulmonary Rehabilitation for the eligible population. Pulmonary rehabilitation is effective for people with COPD, improving exercise capacity or increased quality of life in 90% of patients who complete a programme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-20 conversation_141

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to identify (a) undiagnosed patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and (b) COPD patients who are managed in primary care that should have their management escalated to specialist care in Greater Manchester ICB. \p Ashley Dalton: Respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a clinical priority and the National Health Service is investing in the provision of more and better rehabilitation services for respiratory patients. This has the objective of improving outcomes for people with COPD through early diagnosis including via spirometry tests, and through increased access to treatments.

The NHS RightCare COPD pathway has been rolled out nationally and defines the optimal service for people with COPD. Furthermore, the National Respiratory Audit Programme aims to improve quality of care, services, and clinical outcomes for patients with asthma and COPD, by collecting and providing data on a range of indicators and pulmonary rehabilitation activity.

A national programme of work is underway to support systems with improving access to Pulmonary Rehabilitation for the eligible population; increase capacity of provision to reduce waiting lists; and improve the quality and consistency of rehabilitation programmes through accreditation. Pulmonary rehabilitation is effective for people with COPD, improving exercise capacity or increased quality of life in 90% of patients who complete a programme.

Within NHS Greater Manchester, action being taken to address COPD includes:

- improving equity of access to diagnostic spirometry and fractional exhaled nitric oxide, particularly for disadvantaged population groups;

- increasing capacity and reducing waiting times for pulmonary rehabilitation services;

- increasing vaccination uptake and focusing on secondary prevention of pneumonia;

- running smoking cessation services; and

- introducing a respiratory standard to improve quality in general practice in managing COPD.

This standard utilises a tool to identify patients with COPD who are at the highest risk and asks practices to do an enhanced review and management of these patients to help manage their COPD better.

Data on the average time to diagnosis of COPD following patient contact with their general practitioner (GP) is not available. COPD diagnosis typically involves a spirometry test, and data related to such tests may be available at the level of individual GP practices and secondary care providers but is not yet routinely collected in national datasets or in Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board. Furthermore, the test is also used in the diagnosis of other respiratory conditions, not just COPD.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-20 conversation_142

Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of high-density retirement housing schemes in rural areas that do not have corresponding funding for local healthcare infrastructure on demand for (a) GPs, (b) ambulances and (c) other NHS services. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and this means we require world class infrastructure across the NHS estate. We recognise the challenges that areas of significant housing and population growth can place on primary care infrastructure.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning, planning, securing, and monitoring health services within their system boundaries through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The NHS has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient medical services, including general practices, in each local area. It should take account of population growth and demographic changes associated with new retirement developments, alongside other housing growth.

Integrated care systems’ estates infrastructure strategies have been developed to create a long-term plan for future estate requirements and investment for each local area and its needs. These strategies help manage existing estates and take any future requirements into account when considering how best to deliver local services.
wrans/answers2025-06-20 conversation_143
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-20 conversation_143

Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how NHS England assessed (a) geographic coverage and (b) patient travel time in its hyperbaric oxygen therapy  commissioning criteria; and how this was factored into final decisions. \p Karin Smyth: The contract for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) services, also known as recompression, was reviewed in 2024, as existing contract terms expired. This included an update of the service specification using the published full methods process, and a public consultation on the proposal to reduce the number of commissioned providers in England from eight to six centres. Further information on the service specification, the published full methods process, and the consultation is available, respectively, at the following three links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy-services-all-ages-Service-specification-January-2025.pdf

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/methods-national-service-specifications/

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

The updates to the specification seek to ensure timely access to treatment for the most acutely unwell patients with the specification requiring:

- the delivery of care that is integrated with other services, including the emergency department, critical care, and other healthcare professionals as required; and

- facilities should be capable of receiving patients in any diagnostic category who may require advanced life support either immediately or during HBOT.

The geographical scope of the six services will ensure that there are no more than four hours travelling time by road from coastal locations, from the furthest borders, or between neighbouring commissioned HBOT centres, which is in line with good practice guidelines.