theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Liam Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, which (a) Department and (b) Minister have lead responsibility for the implementation of the UK–US Technology Prosperity Deal; and what (i) structures and (ii) processes are in place to coordinate implementation across Government. \p Kanishka Narayan: The departments responsible for the implementation of the UK-US Technology Prosperity Deal are the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Their Secretaries of State have lead responsibility for the implementation of this deal.

Both departments work closely together, across government and with delivery partners to implement the deal. They also work closely with US colleagues to drive progress under the deal, including towards convening a Ministerial-Level working group as set out in the MoU.
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Liam Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology,  which (a) Department and (b) Minister had responsibility for the negotiation of the UK–US Technology Prosperity Deal. \p Kanishka Narayan: The responsible departments were the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Their Secretaries of State were responsible for negotiating the UK-US Technology Prosperity Deal.
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Fabian Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Online Safety Act 2023 prevents young people from accessing content that could adversely affect those with eating disorders. \p Kanishka Narayan: Under the Online Safety Act, social media, chat groups and other user-to-user services are required to use highly-effective age assurance to prevent children of all ages from accessing content that promotes, encourages or provides instructions for eating disorders. Providers must also consider how algorithms can impact children’s exposure to this harmful content and mitigate this risk.

All service providers must also take steps to protect children from harmful body stigma content, which is linked to significant harm arising from body or image dissatisfaction.
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Navendu Mishra:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department has had with Ofcom on mid-contract price increases by O2, in the context of levels of rises set out in customers’ contracts. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Secretary of State met and wrote to Ofcom’s CEO on 31st October to ask for its assessment of telecoms consumer protections and what could be done further, faster on transparent and fair pricing. The Secretary of State made clear that it is imperative that people feel empowered when interacting with the telecoms market, and that they can be confident they are getting a fair deal. The letter set out a number of potential measures for Ofcom to consider.

My department will continue working closely with Ofcom to ensure telecom contracts remain fair and transparent.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Health of 23 October 2025 on Impact of NHS workforce levels on cancer patients, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time taken to publish the NHS workforce plan. \p Karin Smyth: The Government will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026.

This plan will set out action to create a workforce able to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. It is important we do this in a robust and joined up way. We are therefore engaging extensively with partners to ensure this plan delivers for staff and patients.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

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Sojan Joseph:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve ambulance waiting times in (a) Ashford constituency and (b) Kent. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises that in recent years ambulance response times have not met the high standards patients should expect.

We are determined to turn things around. Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, backed by almost £450 million of capital investment, commits to reducing ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average this year. We are also tackling unacceptable ambulance handover delays by introducing a maximum 45-minute standard, supporting ambulances to be released more quickly and get back on the road to treat patients.

The latest National Health Service performance figures for the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, which serves Ashford and Kent, show that Category 2 incidents were responded to in 29 minutes 57 seconds on average, and the mean handover time was 18 minutes 10 seconds, meeting the targets set by the plan.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment has been made of the (a) condition and (b) maintenance standards of NHS hospital estates in Surrey. \p Karin Smyth: National Health Service trusts are legally responsible for managing and maintaining their estates using operational capital allocations. As part of this, they regularly assess the physical condition of their estates.

The NHS England Estates Related Information Collection survey collects data from trusts on the condition of their estates annually, including backlog maintenance, which is the projected cost of bringing all the buildings on each NHS site into acceptable condition. The latest data, from 2024/25, including from trusts in Surrey, is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2024-25

Repairing and rebuilding our NHS estate is a vital part of our ambition to create an NHS that is fit for the future through our 10-Year Health Plan. The Government’s recently published 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy set out 10-year maintenance budgets for the public estate, confirming £6 billion per year for maintenance and repair of the NHS estate up to 2034/35.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 2023 2023 UK surgical workforce census report compiled by the Royal College of Surgeons, what steps he is taking to expand surgical training capacity in the context of bottlenecks in posts. \p Karin Smyth: The 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July, set out that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need.

The plan also sets out that we will work across 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. We will set out next steps in due course.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what forecast he has made of the cost to the public purse of the planned strike of resident doctors from 14 to 19 November 2025. \p Karin Smyth: The five-day resident doctor strike in July 2025 had an estimated cost to the National Health Service of approximately £240 million, and this is a starting estimate for the planned November strike. The costs were lower than in July 2024 as a result of lower turnout. We continue to update estimates as new data becomes available, in line with receiving business as usual financial data from NHS systems.

The NHS has tried and tested plans in place to minimise the disruption and will work with partners to ensure safe care for patients continues to be available, and emergency services continue to operate.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the speed of arrhythmia diagnoses in integrated care systems. \p Ashley Dalton: As announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, £600 million of capital funding is being provided during 2025/26 to support the reduction of diagnostic waiting lists, which includes continued investment in new and expanded community diagnostic centres (CDCs).

Between July 2024 and August 2025, existing CDCs have carried out a total of 286,260 echocardiography tests and 260,040 electrocardiography tests. Many CDCs are also implementing innovative cardiac pathways to speed up diagnosis and access to treatment for patients with symptoms suggestive of cardiac disease.

We have committed to achieving the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring vape liquid and vapes to be sold separately. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is currently exploring a range of topics related to vaping and nicotine products.

On 8 October, we launched a call for evidence which examines the size and shape of vapes, vape-like devices and tanks, the components of vaping products, as well as the role of technology in these devices. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/tobacco-and-vapes-evidence-to-support-legislation/tobacco-and-vapes-evidence-to-support-legislation.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs banned the sale and supply of single use vapes due to the harm that they cause to the environment on 1 June 2025. They will continue to monitor the impact of these changes to ensure that they have the desired positive environmental impact.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will publish the date for the planned full rollout targeted lung screening as recommended by the UK National Screening Committee. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Health Service is taking crucial steps to improve cancer outcomes for patients across England, including for lung cancer. The NHS is currently rolling out the National Lung Cancer Screening Programme to people with a history of smoking.

The timescale for full implementation of the lung cancer screening programme, alongside further 10-Year Health Plan initiatives, will be specified in due course.
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Dr Rupa Huq:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to make treatment available to people with Irritable bowel syndrome. \p Ashley Dalton: We recognise the significant impact that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can have on a person’s quality of life. We want a society where every person, including those with one or more long-term conditions like IBS, receives high-quality, compassionate care.

To support the early diagnosis and effective management of IBS, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced guidance, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg61

NICE has also produced guidance specifically on the use of faecal calprotectin tests as a way of diagnosing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This is a non-invasive, inexpensive method for assessing patients, which has a 90% sensitivity for distinguishing between IBD and IBS.

The Royal College of General Practitioners has produced an e-learning module on the IBS pathway. The course covers the investigation of patients who present with lower gastrointestinal symptoms that are likely to be IBS, the red flags to look out for, how to make a confident diagnosis in primary care, and how to manage patients in line with NICE guidance.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to (a) fund and (b) implement a national awareness campaign for mouth cancer to help improve (i) early detection and (ii) public understanding of the disease. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England runs campaigns, most recently in early 2025, to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and to address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible if they notice a change in their health. The campaigns have focused on recognising a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging general body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point. This has included symptoms of mouth cancers in wider campaign messages.

In addition, NHS England is working in partnership with major supermarket chains to include messages about common cancer symptoms on the packaging of relevant products. This has included specific messaging on mouth cancer symptoms on toothpaste and mouthwash packaging.

NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including mouth cancer. This information can be found at sources like the NHS.UK website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase (a) awareness of the symptoms, (b) diagnosis and (c) treatment of ovarian cancer in Shropshire. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department recognises that many cancer patients are left waiting too long for a diagnosis and treatment, including for ovarian cancer. The Government will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more patients survive and have an improved experience across the system, including in Shropshire.

NHS England is taking a wide range of activity to increase awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer. NHS England relaunched the Help Us Help You cancer campaign in 2024, to encourage people to get in touch with their general practitioner if they notice symptoms that could be cancer. Previous phases of the campaign have focused on abdominal symptoms which, among other abdominal cancers, can indicate ovarian cancer. NHS England and other NHS organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including ovarian cancer.

As a first step to reducing waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment, the NHS has now exceeded its pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments in our first year of Government, delivering 5.2 million more appointments.

To ensure that women have access to the best treatment for ovarian cancer, NHS England commissioned an audit on ovarian cancer. The audit looks at what is being done well, where it’s being done well, and what needs to be done much better. The audit published its second report in September 2025 and officials across the Government are considering its findings.

The National Cancer Plan, due for publication in the new year, will include further details on how the NHS will improve care for cancer patients, including those with ovarian cancer in Shropshire.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Breast Cancer Awareness Month, what steps he is taking in November 2025 to promote inclusive (a) wig and (b) prosthetic services. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department and the National Health Service in England recognise that there are particular challenges for specific groups of people and for breast cancer care, particularly concerning the promotion of inclusive wigs and prosthetic services.

For wigs and accessories, NHS Supply Chain has conducted extensive engagement nationally to fully understand the provision and supply and is working closely with industry groups to support access to the wigs framework, to provide a wider range of products for NHS providers to access. Appropriateness for the wearer has been one of the fundamental focus areas of consideration in this work.

Decisions about the funding and provision of health services, including prosthetic services, 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 an NHS 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.
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Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to allow inhalers to be sold over the counter without a prescription. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: At present, inhalers used for conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are authorised as prescription-only medicines (POM). This classification reflects the clinical need for a healthcare professional to confirm diagnosis, advise on correct inhaler technique, determine appropriate dosing, monitor treatment response, and detect any adverse reactions. The prescription requirement also supports the systematic recording of use and helps prevent inappropriate or excessive use.

It is also important to note that inhalers themselves are not a class of medicine per se but a delivery device for a range of medicines.

If a manufacturer or marketing authorisation holder wishes to pursue POM to pharmacy medicine reclassification for any type of medicine or their mode of delivery, the appropriate route is to submit a major reclassification application to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This is a formal dossier that must present a robust evidential case in support of reclassification.

The MHRA publishes guidance on the requirements for reclassification applications, including what constitutes a “major” reclassification. The MHRA is open to early dialogue with sponsors to clarify expectations and help focus application efforts via the provision of scientific advice. Until such an application is received and assessed under the statutory framework, the prescription requirement remains in place.

Should a comprehensive dossier be submitted, the MHRA will consider it in line with its public-health mandate. The MHRA remains open to innovations that improve patient access and convenience, provided they uphold safety, clinical outcomes, and quality of care.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department made of the potential impact of unlimited online consultations, introduced in the new GP contract, on the ability of GPs to meet patient demand. \p Stephen Kinnock: In February 2025 the GPCE agreed to make it a contractual obligation for all GP practices to offer access to online services throughout core hours (8:00am - 18:30pm), bringing online access in line with walk-in and phone access. To support practices in preparing for this transition and to ensure they had sufficient time to make the necessary adjustments, the start date was deferred to 1 October 2025.

This change aims to improve patient access, reduce long phone queues, and help general practitioners manage demand more effectively. Experience suggests that extending online access offers significant benefits to both patients and practices. With more patients using online options, phone lines will be less busy and will open up availability for those who need additional help or more urgent care.

We understand that practices require additional resource to deliver services to their patients. That is why we have invested £1.1 billion into general practice: £160 million of this to expand the GP workforce (adding 2,000 more GPs since October 2024), and £102 million to create more clinical space which will enable the delivery of 8.3 million extra appointments.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to generate public recognition of the (a) contribution and (b) value of workers in the care sector. \p Stephen Kinnock: Every day our 1.6 million-strong adult social care workforce provides vital care and support to people of all ages.

The 2025/26 Adult Social Care recruitment campaign, Make Care Your Career, launched on 6 October 2025, and advertising is appearing on television, social media, radio, and online highlighting the amazing work that staff across the adult social care sector do, helping to ensure that it is regarded by all as a profession, and that the people who work in care are respected as professionals. These adverts will also improve understanding of careers in care, from the variety of roles to the training and progression opportunities available, while shedding light on the everyday empowering moments between real care workers and care users.

The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth, and to improve the retention of the workforce. This is why we are introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement (FPA) to the adult social care sector so that care professionals are recognised and rewarded for the important work that they do. Backed by £500m funding, which will be given to Local Authorities to support providers to improve pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce, this represents the most significant investment in improving pay and conditions for adult social care staff to date.

In addition, promoting opportunities to develop skills and knowledge is essential to raising the status of adult social care as a career. That is why we are implementing the Care Workforce Pathway, the first ever universal career structure for the adult social care workforce which sets out the knowledge, skills, and training needed to develop a career in adult social care. The Government is also committed to funding eligible care staff to complete courses and qualifications, including the new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate through the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme, with £12 million of funding this financial year.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of pre-visit notifications, in the context of mandatory electronic submissions of general opthalmic services claims. \p Stephen Kinnock: Domiciliary eye care providers are required to give advance notification to integrated care boards (ICB) of their intention to provide a National Health Service domiciliary sight test to an eligible patient. This is referred to as a pre-visit notification (PVN) and includes the details of the contractor, where the visit will take place, and the names and dates of birth of the patients booked to have a sight test. Pre-visit notifications play an important role in safeguarding vulnerable groups.

As part of the PVN process, contractors are required to seek a PVN number from their local ICB and to submit that information on the associated electronic claim form. Information about the number of PVNs submitted by optometrists is not held centrally but is held at an individual ICB level.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the white paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, on the adequacy of (a) the supply of trainee GPs and (b) levels of access to primary care services. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are aware of the white paper and officials are considering the implications for the general practice workforce and for access to primary care services.

Whilst we hugely value our international workforce and the skills and experience they bring, we are also committed to growing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join our National Health Service. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition, thereby enhancing conditions for all staff while gradually reducing reliance on international recruitment, without diminishing the value of their contributions.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to allocate funding in the Autumn Budget 2025 to improve access to NHS dentistry for children in West Dorset constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: The budget for Autumn 2025 has not yet been announced, however access to National Health Service dentistry, including for children, and addressing the issue of under-served areas remains a priority for the Government.
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Dame Caroline Dinenage:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS Workforce plan will include an expansion in the allocation of dental student places at the University of Portsmouth. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.

The independent Office for Students has statutory responsibility for allocating funding for medical and dental school places. The University of Portsmouth would be considered for any possible future allocated dental training places, as would other dental schools in the same position.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of late-night pharmacy provision in Newbury constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: Local authority health and wellbeing boards have a statutory responsibility to assess if local provision, including pharmacies’ opening hours, is adequate to meet local needs for pharmaceutical services and to publish their assessments every three years.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase access to pharmacies in North Shropshire. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government recognises that pharmacies, including in North Shropshire are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.

Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served by local pharmacies and must keep these assessments under review. The Shropshire PNA was published in September and is available to view on the council’s website.

Commissioning primary care services, including pharmaceutical services, is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs give regard to the PNAs when reviewing applications from the new contractors. Contractors can also apply to open a new pharmacy to offer benefits to patients that were not foreseen by the PNA. If there is a need for a new local pharmacy to open and no contractors apply to open a pharmacy and fill the gap, ICBs can commission a new pharmacy to open outside of the market entry processes and fund the contract from the ICBs’ budgets. In some rural areas where a pharmacy may not be viable, local general practices are permitted to dispense medicines to their patients. In addition, patients can choose to access medicines through any of the distance selling pharmacies that are required to deliver the medicines they dispense free of charge and also provide other pharmaceutical services remotely.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's plan Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, when he plans to publish more information about the intended reforms to the Better Care Fund. \p Stephen Kinnock: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan and in the 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, we will reform the Better Care Fund from the 2026/27 financial year. An announcement with further detail on this reform will be made in due course.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which blood donation centres have begun a trial of the Post Donation Testing for advanced Hb assessments. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what demographic data his Department considered when choosing blood donation centres to pilot the post donation testing for advanced Hb assessment. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many data subject access requests were received by the NHS in England in the last year for which figures are available; and how many of those requests were responded to with the requested data within (a) one and (b) three months. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Alex Burghart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to reply to the letter of 16 October 2025 from the hon. Member for Brentwood and Onager on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in Northern Ireland. \p Ashley Dalton: We received the Hon. Member’s correspondence of 16 October 2025 and responded on 4 November 2025.
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Kerry McCarthy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure early diagnosis of primary bone cancer is included in the National Cancer Plan. \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 primary bone cancer and other rare cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.

Furthermore, we have implemented non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways, designed to speed up the diagnosis of cancer by introducing a route to possible diagnosis for patients who display symptoms that could indicate cancer but do not align to specific cancers. The new NSS pathway complements current cancer diagnostic pathways, as well as providing elements that can be applied to existing pathways.

The Government welcomes the recent publication of Sarcoma UK’s sarcoma state of the nation report as it highlights the importance of early diagnosis, care co-ordination across complex pathways, research into new treatments, and survivorship. Our forthcoming National Cancer Plan, which will be published in the new year, will set out how we will improve outcomes for all cancers, including sarcoma.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

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Kerry McCarthy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2025 to Question 78048 on General Practitioners: Recruitment, whether he plans to recruit more experienced GPs whose Certificate of Completion of Training Date was more than two years ago. \p Stephen Kinnock: As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is for general practices (GPs) to determine how they run their operations, including recruitment decisions.

We are investing an additional £1.1 billion into 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 and will facilitate the recruitment of GPs. 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.

In my previous response to Question 78048, I discussed the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), which has now recruited over 2,500 GPs since being introduced in October 2024, and which was brought in as a targeted response to the risk of new GP unemployment. Every year we consult with the profession about what services GPs provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract, taking account of the cost of delivering services. This includes reviewing the terms of various schemes such as the ARRS.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_113

Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has allocated funding to (a) initiatives and (b) organisations that promote the use of the term chestfeeding. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department funds infant feeding services and support through the National Health Service, local authorities, and the National Breastfeeding Helpline.

We want all families to be able to achieve their infant feeding goals, regardless of their circumstances, and infant feeding support and advice should be available to anyone who needs it.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_114

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of people receiving NHS HIV care in England were born overseas. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency publishes data on the number of people who were newly diagnosed in England in 2025, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hiv-annual-data-tables/hiv-testing-prep-new-hiv-diagnoses-and-care-outcomes-for-people-accessing-hiv-services-2025-report

Information is not collected on residency status or nationality, and access to HIV testing, care, and treatment is free at the point of contact regardless of residency status. This is crucial to prevent mortality, morbidity, and onward HIV transmission. People who are treated for HIV and attain a suppressed viral load cannot pass on HIV to sexual partners.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_115

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the Government has delayed publication of the cancer plan. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Cancer Plan is due to be published in the new year. The decision to publish the plan in the new year was taken in consultation with key stakeholders and patient groups. We have received more than 11,000 responses to our Call for Evidence and have had significant ongoing engagement with patients, clinicians, and charities. It is right to take time to ensure it is ambitious, strategic, and sustainable, setting the direction for the next 10 years. This is essential in achieving the Prime Minister's Health Mission goal to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer and to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_116

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the national cancer plan. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Cancer Plan will be published in the new year. We have received over 11,000 responses to our Call for Evidence and have had significant ongoing engagement with patients, clinicians, and charities.

The plan will include further details on how we will improve the experience and outcomes for patients with cancer, as well as 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 (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_117

Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of people aged 75 years and over have requested a bowel screening kit by phoning the free bowel cancer screening helpline in the last two years. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Health Service bowel cancer screening programme’s published data for 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024 shows that 396,325 people self-referred or opted back into the programme within the year. This includes ‘over-age self-referrals’, those aged 75 years old and over who are not invited routinely, and also ‘late responder self-referrals’ who have not responded to the initial invitation but have later chosen to participate. This data cannot be disaggregated into each of the categories listed. This data is provided in the Bowel cancer screening standards data report 2022/23 and the Bowel cancer screening standards data report 2023/24, which are available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bowel-cancer-screening-annual-report-2022-to-2023/bowel-cancer-screening-standards-data-report-2022-23

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bowel-cancer-screening-annual-report-2023-to-2024/bowel-cancer-screening-standards-data-report-2023-24

Additional unpublished data available to the programme shows that for this time period, from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024, 224,665 requests were made for self-referrals from individuals who are aged 75 years old and over. We are unable to identify if all of these requests were made via the bowel screening helpline. The total number of people aged 75 years old and over is 5,736,072, sourced from the Patients Registered at a GP Practice, October 2025 dataset, which is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/patients-registered-at-a-gp-practice/october-2025
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_118

Janet Daby:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of defendants over the age of 18 who have been remanded by the police are released by the court at the first hearing on (a) sentence, (b) bail and (c) for other reasons. \p Jake Richards: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on pre court remands at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Remands data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.

However, data held centrally does not include details on the circumstances around the release of a defendant held on remand.

This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_119

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have been released in error from HMP Littlehey since 5 July 2024. \p Jake Richards: Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address this issue.

Totals for releases in error, including a breakdown by releasing prison (or Prisoner Escort Custody Services), are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK, and provide data up to March 2025.

Breakdowns of the number of people who have been released in error since April 2025 cannot be provided because it would form a subset of releases in error data which underpins future versions of these Official Statistics.

The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_120

Janet Daby:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of defendants under the age of 18 who have been remanded by the police are released by the court at the first hearing on (a) sentence, (b) bail and (c) for other reasons. \p Jake Richards: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on pre-court remands at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Remand data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK.

However, data held centrally does not include details on the circumstances around the release of a defendant held on remand.

The information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would incur disproportionate costs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_121

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) single sex and (b) gender neutral bathroom facilities his Department provides in its premises. \p Jake Richards: This information can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_122

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models. \p Jake Richards: Since 4 July 2024, the Department and its arm’s length bodies have spent £3,537 on the installation of electric vehicle charging facilities.

Since 4 July 2024, the Department and its arm's length bodies have spent £483,909 on the purchase of electric vehicles.

The Department estimates that the capital cost of the electric vehicles purchased is approximately £11,545 higher than comparable petrol or diesel models.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-13 conversation_123

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons had the highest rates of accidental release of prisoners in each of the last five years. \p Jake Richards: Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. On 11 November, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a five-point action plan setting out initial steps to address this issue.

Totals for releases in error, including a breakdown by releasing prison (or Prisoner Escort Custody Services), are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2024 to March 2025 - GOV.UK , and provide data up to March 2025.

The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.