theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much of the £10 billion investment pledged by private firms at the Regional Investment Summit on 21 October 2025 is new investment; and how much had been previously pledged. \p Chris McDonald: All of the £10billion of investment commitments pledged by private firms at the Regional Investment Summit on 21 October 2025 is new investment. Previously pledged investments were not included in this figure.
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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has had recent discussions with Motability Operations on encouraging the sourcing of UK-manufactured vehicles. \p Chris McDonald: Motability Foundation is independent of government and regulated by the Charity Commission, so is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Scheme. DWP does however work closely with Motability Foundation and is responsible for the disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability Scheme.

As a Government, we are committed to the growth of the automotive sector and provide support through programmes such as DRIVE35, which will invest up to £2.5bn to support zero emission vehicle manufacturing in the UK, and the Electric Car Grant, which narrows the upfront cost between petrol and electric vehicles, giving thousands more drivers access to electric vehicles
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the fraudulent registration of companies using private residential addresses through Companies House. \p Blair McDougall: The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 strengthened Companies House’s powers to query or reject inaccurate or suspicious addresses, enabling the Registrar to act swiftly and decisively against misuse of residential addresses.

Many fraudulent or misused registered office addresses have been removed and replaced with default addresses and companies without appropriate addresses are struck off, protecting those whose details were used without permission.

Companies House’s systems improve continuously to detect and prevent unauthorised address use. The Government is considering the Public Accounts Committee’s recommendation for increased powers to verify new and existing company addresses and will respond in November.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-29)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of workplace (a) guidance and (b) protections for employees experiencing menopausal symptoms; and if her Department will issue new guidance to (i) small and medium-sized enterprises and (ii) other employers on reasonable adjustments. \p Dame Diana Johnson: It is important that those who experience substantial and longer-term menopausal effects should be adequately protected from discrimination in the workplace, and that employers are fully aware of the issues their employees may be experiencing at work, and their current legal obligations, including under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act).

Depending on circumstances, the Act provides protection from discrimination on grounds of sex and/or age and/or disability for employees experiencing the effects of the menopause. An employee may bring a discrimination claim under more than one of these grounds, which the courts can then consider sequentially, where appropriate.

As part of the plan to Make Work Pay, the government has committed to publishing guidance, including for small employers, on measures to consider relating to uniform and temperature, flexible working and recording menopause-related leave and absence. Guidance can currently be found on the government’s Help to Grow Site: Menopause in the Workplace - Help to Grow. We will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure the content is relevant and to raise awareness and promote best practice amongst businesses.

As part of the Employment Rights Bill, this government is taking the first steps towards requiring large employers to publish action plans alongside their gender pay gap figures; detailing the steps they are taking to narrow their gap and support employees during the menopause. These will ensure that they recognise and tackle the barriers that women still face, as well as opening up space to have broader conversations about women’s health in the workplace. Organisations will be required to detail the evidence-based steps they are taking, supported by government guidance, with the aim of speeding up progress towards workplaces that actually work for everyone.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to increase levels of employment in North Shropshire constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: From a JCP perspective, North Shropshire forms part of the Marches collective and we have been working with key stakeholders to develop the Marches Get Britain Working plan. This is currently going through final sign off before being presented to the SoS.

Three jobcentres support the North Shropshire region, as well as a youth hub, working alongside Shrewsbury Town FC Foundation, supporting Young People aged 16 -18 NEETS and 18 - 24 Universal Credit, along with Youth Employability Coaches who support young people with complex needs. The sites offer several initiatives, alongside key partners to support customers into work – WEX, MTW, Apprenticeships, SWAPs, Job Fairs.
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Mark Garnier:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of mental health on trends in the number of people who are not in education, employment or training; and whether this is reflected in support pathways. \p Dame Diana Johnson: We know that quality employment, education, and training have a positive impact on mental health, and leads to greater independence and a feeling of fully participating in society.

That is why, as set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, DWP and DfE are developing a Youth Guarantee, which will ensure that all 18–21-year-olds in England have access to education, training, or help to find a job or an apprenticeship.

This will build on the wide range of support Department for Work and Pensions already offers to help young people and those with health conditions or disabilities to move into work. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and personalised support delivered by work coaches based in Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners. One such programme is Connect to Work, a voluntary, locally commissioned Supported Employment programme. It is open for anyone who is disabled, has a health condition or is experiencing non-health related barriers to work. Participants are given a dedicated specialist employment support adviser who helps them to identify their career goals and overcome any specific barriers to employment.

The Government is also investing in mental health support services for young people. We are expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) to ensure that every school and college has access to specialist mental health professionals, providing access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Additionally, we are also launching Young Futures Hubs, which will bring together services at a local level to support children and young people, helping to ensure that young people can access early advice and wellbeing intervention.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-29)

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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many carers have a Carer’s Allowance overpayment debt as a result of breaching the earnings limit in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland (i) for which the latest data is available and (ii) in July 2025. \p Andrew Western: Liz Sayce OBE was commissioned to lead an Independent Review into overpayments of Carer’s Allowance (CA). The Government is carefully considering the recommendations of this Review which investigated how overpayments of CA related to earnings occurred, how we can best support those who have accrued them, and how to reduce the risk of these problems occurring in future. We will publish both the review and the Government’s response by the end of this year.

We do not publish the requested information as part of any official statistics release.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-29)

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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 80145 on Occupational Health, what recent discussions his Department has had with businesses on the adequacy of guidance on disclosures. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Department recognises that disclosure is a personal decision and the Support with Employee Health and Disability service, developed with the involvement of employers from smaller businesses, and disability organisations, aims to support employers in creating environments where employees feel safe and supported to disclose health conditions or disabilities.

In recognition of employers’ vital role, DWP and DBT commissioned Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the Keep Britain Working independent review as part of the Government’s wider white paper plans to Get Britain Working. This has included engagement with businesses across the UK on all aspects of health and disability in the workplace. We are shortly expecting publication of Sir Charlie’s final report.

Government is also awaiting the findings from the recent consultation on disability pay gap reporting, where reporting on disclosure rates was discussed.
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Mark Garnier:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of social factors on trends in the number of people who are not in education, employment or training. \p Dame Diana Johnson: DWP recognises that a range of social factors contribute to trends in the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). Research by the Youth Futures Foundation (published December 2023 - Risk factors for being NEET among young people - Youth Futures Foundation), has identified several key risk factors that increase the likelihood of young people becoming NEET. These include low educational attainment, often linked to early years development, socio-economic background, and parental education, as well as having a limiting health condition or disability, early parenthood, and care experience or family estrangement.

Further analysis from Impetus (2025) (Impetus Youth Jobs Gap - Exploring compound disadvantage) and the Resolution Foundation (2025) (False starts • Resolution Foundation) underscores the importance of addressing compound disadvantage: young people facing multiple challenges, such as having Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND); coming from certain ethnic backgrounds; or from an area of economic disadvantage; are more likely to become and remain NEET.

As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, our vision for a Youth Guarantee is to ensure all young people aged 18 to 21 are learning or earning, to prevent them from becoming economically inactive before their careers have even begun.

The Youth Guarantee Trailblazers, which launched in Spring 2025, are identifying and engaging young people who require additional support to connect them to opportunities. We will use the learning from the Trailblazers to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee.
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Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to monitor the potential impact of the April 2025 Statutory Sick Pay reforms on low-paid workers. \p Dame Diana Johnson: There were no reforms to Statutory Sick Pay in April 2025 other than annual uprating. From April 2026, we will be removing the Lower Earnings Limit as an entitlement criterion for Statutory Sick Pay and removing the waiting period. This means Statutory Sick Pay will be payable to all employees regardless of their earnings from their first full working day of sickness absence. The Government is committed to conducting a post implementation review of the Statutory Sick Pay measures within five years of implementation, including the impact on those in low paid employment.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reducing levels of funding for Level 7 apprenticeships on the number of nurses in training. \p Andrew Western: This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity. Apprenticeship starts by young people under 25 fell by almost 40% over the last decade.

The government therefore wants to ensure that public funding is prioritised towards those at the start of their working lives, rather than those already in work with higher levels of prior learning and qualifications.

That is why from January 2026 the government will no longer fund level 7 apprenticeships, equivalent to master’s degree level – except for young apprentices under the age of 22, and those under 25 who are care leavers or have an Education, Health and Care Plan.

This decision was informed by a wide range of evidence, including analysis by Skills England of official apprenticeship statistics and engagement with relevant stakeholders, including other government departments such as the Department of Health and Social Care. Skills England evidence also suggested that there was unlikely to be a significant or unavoidable fall in the supply of these skills in the long term, post-defunding.

The department also continues to work across government to tackle the skills needs of different sectors, including addressing the skills gaps in the health and social care industry which were identified in Skills England’s first report on driving growth and widening opportunities.

There is a complete apprentice pathway for nursing, from entry level to postgraduate advanced clinical practice. A person can join the NHS as an entry level Healthcare Assistant apprentice with a view to eventually qualifying as a Registered Nurse.

In addition, the Department of Health and Social Care will be funding ongoing provision of Level 7 apprenticeships in five professions, including Specialist community public health nurse (SCPHN) and District nurse (Community Specialist Practice Qualification).
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Mark Garnier:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) local and (b) regional factors on trends in the number of people who are not in education, employment or training. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The quarterly estimates for young people (aged 16-to-24 years) who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) in the UK can be found here: Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) - Office for National Statistics. Currently, there is no regional or local breakdown in these Official Statistics. The most recent release from the ONS shows that the NEET rate in the UK has gradually increased on the year to 12.8% in Apr-Jun 2025.

The Department for Education produces estimates of young people (aged 16 to 24 years old) who are NEET for England, which can be found here: NEET age 16 to 24, Calendar year 2024 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK. Currently, there is no Official Statistical release that shows the trends in 16–24-year-olds NEETs at the local level.

The Department for Education does produce a yearly release for those aged 16-17 at local authority level for England. This can be found here: Participation in education, training and NEET age 16 to 17 by local authority, Academic year 2024/25 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK. This uses the National Client Caseload information system to estimate the number of 16–17-year-olds in England who are not in education, employment or training.

The Get Britain Working White Paper set out our ambitions to transform employment support and tackle economic inactivity. As part of this, local areas in England are producing Local Get Britain Working Plans to develop a system-wide approach to identifying and addressing local labour market challenges.

The Youth Guarantee Trailblazers, which launched in Spring 2025, are identifying and engaging young people who require additional support to connect them to opportunities. We will use the learning from the Trailblazers to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the potential impact of supporting unpaid carers into employment on the economy. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Unpaid carers play a vital role in our communities, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. We know that for the vast majority of people, care begins at home with their families. Many people wish to play a role in caring for their friends and family, and we recognise that for some this can be a significant commitment.  We are committed to supporting carers to balance unpaid care with paid work where this is feasible.

Whilst there is no formal impact assessment of the impact of supporting unpaid carers into employment on the economy, unpaid carers who claim DWP benefits and provide care for fewer than 35 hours a week receive personalised support through their Jobcentre Plus work coach to help them find work and their work expectation is tailored to fit caring responsibilities. DWP also provides information to help carers and potential unpaid carers make informed decisions about combining work and care through their JobHelp Care choices site.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many habitual residence tests related to Universal Credit assessments have been granted in each of the last five years. \p Andrew Western: The table below gives the number of Universal Credit (UC) Habitual Residence Test (HRT) assessments that resulted in a ‘pass’ decision in the past five years.

Date Decision Entered on Admin System

Number of UC HRT 'Pass' Decisions

April 2020 to March 2021

912,000

April 2021 to March 2022

1,029,000

April 2022 to March 2023

527,000

April 2023 to March 2024

524,000

April 2024 to March 2025

798,000

April 2025 to September 2025

400,000

(Source: DWP UC HRT Administrative data)

Notes:
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many officials were investigated under their Department's disciplinary processes in each of the last 5 years. \p Andrew Western: From HR data, there are currently 911 individual staff showing on the disciplinary report as at 30/09/2025. The disciplinary report is a point in time report of all staff who are or have been undergoing disciplinary action including those cases where an investigation has been or is taking place. We are unable to provide further information as the report does not show historic data beyond live cases and those closed in the past 12 months.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unpaid carers have been supported into work through his Department's employment support programmes in the last 12 months. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Government is committed to supporting carers to balance unpaid care with paid work where this is feasible. Eligible carers may still receive benefits while working, allowing them to increase their overall income.

The information requested is currently not available. However, support provided by the department includes identifying skills gaps and referral to skills training, careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities, localised support and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry. Unemployed customers who require more intensive employment support can also be referred to the Restart programme or Connect to Work. DWP also provides information to help carers and potential unpaid carers make informed decisions about combining work and care through their JobHelp Care choices site.

The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out our ambition to reform Jobcentre Plus and create a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone, to access good, meaningful work, and support them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. The new Jobs and Careers Service will be universal to all - regardless of their barriers to work - and the principles of accessibility and inclusivity will be core to service design.
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Mr Louie French:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with local newspaper companies on the potential impact of Recommendation 4 of the Licensing policy sprint: joint industry and HM government taskforce report, published on 31 July 2025, on local newspapers. \p Ian Murray: Following the Licensing taskforce report, the Government published a Call for Evidence on reforming the licensing system on 7 October, which closes on 6 November. The Call for Evidence invites views on licensing reforms, including in relation to Recommendation 4 of the taskforce on ending the requirement for printed statutory notices in local newspapers for alcohol licences. The reforms collectively aim to create a modern, proportionate, and enabling system that supports economic growth, revitalises high streets and fosters vibrant communities.

More broadly, the Government is concerned about the sustainability of local journalism and DCMS is developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. We also recognise that local press continues to play a central role in informing local communities, and that public notices can be important in helping inform the public of decisions made by their council which may affect their quality of life, local services or amenities, or their property. We are planning a review of all types of public notice as part of the Local Media Strategy, which will more broadly consider the merits of making changes to existing requirements to place public notices in print local newspapers and also take forward final decisions on the future of alcohol licence notices.

We regularly engage with industry stakeholders on this and other key issues, including through our Local Media Strategy working group set up earlier this year to consider our overall plans for the Strategy in more detail, and welcome the industry’s input into the Call for Evidence. More will be announced on the Strategy and review in the coming months.
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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 78098 on Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation and Responsible Technology Adoption Unit, how many full time equivalent staff there were in the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation by grade at the end of the 2022-23 financial year. \p Ian Murray: The Full Time Equivalent Staff for the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation by Grade at the end of the 2022-23 Financial year is shown below.

Grade

FTE Total

A

13

A(U)

*

B

9

C

*

Senior Civil Service Pay Band 1

*

Senior Civil Service Pay Band 2

*

Grand Total

29.9

*data exempted under Section 40(2)

Some personal information has been withheld under section 40(2) (personal information) of the Act. Section 40(2) is an ‘absolute’ exemption and the department is not obliged to consider whether the public interest favours disclosing the information. Section 40(2) exempts personal information from disclosure if that information relates to someone other than the applicant, and if disclosure of the information would, amongst other things, contravene one of the data protection principles in Article 5 of the UK GDPR. In this case, I believe disclosure would contravene the first data protection principle, which provides that personal data must be processed fairly and lawfully. This information has been withheld as there were a small number of staff who met the criteria of your request . The department does not release information that affects a low number of staff as this would make them easily identifiable to the wider public.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to provide funding for charities supporting young people that do not meet the eligibility criteria for the (a) Youth Investment Fund and (b) Better Youth Spaces Fund. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government will publish the National Youth Strategy in the autumn, which will outline future priorities and funding opportunities for the youth sector.
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Mr Louie French:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions (a) she and (b) Ministers have had with (a) the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and (b) other Cabinet colleagues on the introduction of a ticket resale cap since 6 September 2025. \p Ian Murray: This Government is committed to introducing new protections for consumers on ticket resales, which is why we launched the Putting Fans First consultation on the resale of live events tickets earlier this year.

Policy responsibility for live event ticket resale is shared between DCMS and the Department for Business and Trade. Our Departments have been speaking regularly and engaging with all other relevant Departments as we consider the response to our consultation, which will be published shortly.
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Sarah Dyke:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the illegal betting market on the horseracing industry. \p Ian Murray: The issue of illegal gambling is a concern for this Government and we are committed to working closely with the Gambling Commission, the statutory regulator for gambling in Great Britain, to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Crime and Policing Bill, introduced in Parliament on 25 February 2025, will grant the Gambling Commission with new powers to more quickly and effectively take down illegal gambling websites.

Estimating the size of the illegal gambling market is difficult due to the changing nature of the sites and channels through which customers are able to access illegal activity. While research in this space is improving, further research is required to robustly estimate the extent of illegal gambling within Great Britain, who is engaging with it, and the impact that it is having on issues such as horseracing and tax revenues. This is a priority area of research for the Gambling Commission. We will continue to monitor the latest evidence in this area to improve our understanding of the illegal market.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the risk of skin gambling on young people. \p Ian Murray: Unlicensed skins gambling websites operate illegally outside of the video game ecosystem. Earlier this year, we commissioned independent research to better understand skins gambling and its impact on children and young people. The resulting rapid evidence review on skins gambling was published in September. This review and its conclusions will form part of our consideration when determining what future policy changes may be needed around how to best protect children and young people from skins gambling related harms.
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Josh Fenton-Glynn:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much NHS England spent on (a) communications and (b) public advertising relating to NHS (i) dentistry and (ii) oral health initiatives in each of the last five years. \p Stephen Kinnock: NHS England has spent no money on communications or advertising relating to National Health Service dentistry or oral health initiatives in the last five years.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local populations and to determine the priorities for investment. They are also responsible for deciding how best to communicate about their services for patients.
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Adrian Ramsay:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set out the change in the number of dental appointments available in the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board area in 2025-26 compared to 2024-25. \p Stephen Kinnock: The information requested is not held centrally. Activity within the National Health Service dental contract is measured through Courses of Treatment delivered, rather than the number of appointments.

The NHS Business Services Authority publishes Dental Statistics – England, which is an annual publication providing information on dental activity and dental workforce data for NHS dental treatments in England. This includes information on the number of patients seen by an NHS dentist and NHS dental activity at dental contract level. The latest publication for 2024/25 is available from the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202425
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Sarah Dyke:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce further financial support for community pharmacies required to take on additional dispensing of prescriptions following the closures of neighbouring community pharmacies. \p Stephen Kinnock: Integrated care boards are responsible for ensuring adequate provision of pharmaceutical services in their areas. When a pharmacy closes, patients can choose to use a neighbouring pharmacy or a pharmacy near to where they work or shop. There is no restriction on the pharmacy they can nominate to dispense their prescription or where they can seek health advice. Patients may also choose to nominate a distance selling pharmacy who will deliver medicines to their homes free of charge.

Pharmacies are paid per activity which ensures that those pharmacies get paid for the additional work they take on. Pharmacies must give a minimum of three months’ notice if they intend to close permanently. This enables nearby pharmacies to plan for any increase in their activity. Occasionally, pharmacies close unexpectedly for reasons that could not have been foreseen in advance. In areas where this causes difficulties for nearby pharmacies, integrated care boards will work with the affected pharmacies.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department has provided to prostate cancer public awareness campaigns in each of the last five years. \p Ashley Dalton: We recognise the importance of raising awareness of prostate cancer, to support earlier diagnosis. The Department does not ring-fence funding exclusively for prostate cancer public awareness campaigns. Awareness-raising is often supported via broader cancer or men’s health communication programmes, working in partnership with charities and National Health Service bodies.

The NHS, and several other local and national organisations, published information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including prostate cancer. This information can be found on the NHS website, at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/symptoms/

In January 2025, NHS England re-launched its Abdominal and urological symptoms of cancer phase of the Help Us Help You public awareness campaigns. These public campaigns aim to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner.

Cancer Alliances receive a place-based funding allocation from the NHS Cancer Programme from which they can draw down to support local awareness and early diagnosis activity. This can be used to raise awareness for a range of cancers, including prostate cancer.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the MS Society’s report entitled A Different Path: Rethinking MS hospital care, published in September 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of preventable unplanned hospital admissions for people with multiple sclerosis on (a) people with MS, (b) the NHS and (c) the economy. \p Ashley Dalton: As set out in our recently published 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, including patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

We recognise that preventable unplanned hospitals admissions for people with MS creates added pressure on acute services and are more costly for the National Health Service and the economy, when in fact most patients would prefer to be supported in the community.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service, which will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a person’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and only in a hospital if necessary.

The Neighbourhood Health Service will rebalance our health and care system so that it fits around peoples’ lives, not the other way round, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach and giving people more power and choice over the care they receive.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-29)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce regional inequalities in access to eye care services. \p Stephen Kinnock: Integrated care boards, as commissioners of primary and secondary eye care services, are required to work with local authorities to assess the current and future health, care, and wellbeing needs of their local populations. They will then set out, in joint local health and wellbeing strategies, how they will meet those needs, and this could include addressing any identified inequalities in accessing services.

Understanding patient demographics is an essential step in identifying and tackling health inequalities. The Elective Reform Plan included a commitment to publish waiting list information broken down by demographics to allow for greater visibility of potential health inequalities. Further information on the Elective Reform Plan is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/reforming-elective-care-for-patients/

This enables local health services to understand the demographics of the patients on their waiting list to better tailor services to their needs. Data on the demographics of the elective waiting list for week ending 28 September 2025 is available at the following link:

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

This data shows referral to treatment waiting times from the Waiting List Minimum Data Set for ophthalmology split by age, sex, deprivation, and ethnicity.

The Public Health Outcomes Framework Eye Health Indicator also continues to track the rate of sight loss for age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. This information is available to commissioners and can be used to drive improved local outcomes and interventions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-29)

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Ian Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England will include (a) targets to improve the early diagnosis of (i) myeloma and (ii) other blood cancers, and steps to (b) reduce the number of GP visits prior to diagnosis and (c) the proportion of patients diagnosed via emergency departments. \p Ashley Dalton: Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.

To tackle the late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancers earlier and treating them faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.

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 driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.  The Plan will be published in early 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-29)

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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding allocated to dentistry was clawed back by NHS England for each ICB area in 2024-5. \p Stephen Kinnock: Dental budgets have been ringfenced since 2023/24. The Government wants to ensure that every penny we allocate for dentistry is spent on dentistry, and that the ringfenced dental budget is spent on the patients who need it most.

The information requested on the amount of funding allocated to National Health Service dentistry that was recovered from underperforming contracts by NHS England in respect of each integrated care board area in 2024/25 is currently unavailable, as this data has not yet been validated. Once validated, data on any funding recovered from underperforming contracts by NHS England will be published in the NHS financial accounts.
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Mr Calvin Bailey:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate the UK Health Security Agency has made of the number of people who died from wildfire smoke in each of the last ten years. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has not made any estimates of deaths attributable to wildfire smoke in the United Kingdom in each of the last ten years.

Whilst there is extensive evidence of health impacts from other countries linked to wildfires, there is relatively limited, but growing, evidence specific to the UK. The UKHSA monitors the broader impact of ambient air pollution on mortality in the UK.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of NHS treatment protocols for chronic urinary tract infections. \p Ashley Dalton: No specific assessment has been made by the Department. The National Health Service treats patients with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) and chronic UTIs using the same care pathway until it becomes evident that symptoms are not resolving. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance for the NHS on the management of recurrent UTIs, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng112
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 130 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, what progress his Department has made in rebuilding medical capabilities for warfighting. \p Ashley Dalton: A series of joint wargame exercises have taken place that have been used to identify gaps in medical warfighting capabilities. These exercises continue to inform planning between the National Health Service and the Ministry of Defence to ensure both can respond to a wide range of warfighting scenarios that might affect health and patient care.

The Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS have actively worked alongside the Ministry of Defence to rebuild medical capabilities for warfighting through the introduction of the digital extraction of redacted patient notes from general practice surgeries. This has reduced the recruitment process significantly for medically trained warfighting personnel. Furthermore, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS are also reviewing how military medical staff operate across the NHS in clinical placements.
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to respond to the consultation entitled Updating labelling guidance for no and low-alcohol alternatives, published on 28 September 2023. \p Ashley Dalton: In our 10-Year Health Plan, the Government committed to exploring whether to raise the upper alcohol limit for drinks labelled as alcohol-free to 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) from 0.05% ABV, as set out in the current labelling guidance for no and low (NoLo) alcohol drink alternatives.

Our 10-Year Health Plan also included a commitment to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages.

My officials are progressing work to take forward these commitments and we will update stakeholders in due course. The timelines for delivery are yet to be determined.

Alongside the plan, a large, multi-year National Institute for Health and Care Research study is underway to examine the public health impacts of NoLo products, and we look forward to the findings of the study being available in the coming year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-29)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 15 of the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the potential merits of co-locating Job Centre services within Neighbourhood Health Centres. \p Stephen Kinnock: Our aim is to have a Neighbourhood Health Centre in each community that provides easier, more convenient access to a full range of health and care services on people’s doorsteps, bringing together National Health Service, local authority, and voluntary sector services in one building to help create a holistic offer that meets the needs of local populations.

We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While we will be clear on the outcomes we expect, and we will give significant licence to tailor the approach to local need, for example to consider the merits of co-locating Job Centre services within Neighbourhood Health Centres. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, this will mean services will look different in rural communities, coastal towns, and deprived inner cities.

The rollout of Neighbourhood Health Centres will be progressive over this Parliament, with early sites focused on the areas of greatest need.

Furthermore, the Government is committed to supporting more individuals into employment. On 9 October, the Department for Work Pensions confirmed Connect to Work funding of over £1 billion across England and Wales over the next five years, which will support 300,000 disabled people and people with health conditions and/or other complex barriers to employment to find and remain in work.

There is a range of existing Department for Work Pensions employment support depending on individual needs, including local level provision for disabled people and disadvantaged groups. This includes employment advisors in Talking Therapies, increased Work Coach Support in Job Centres, and Access to Work grants, among others.