theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Andy McDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the nations and regions of Great Britain will be reflected in the governance structure of Great British Railways. \p Simon Lightwood: The Railways Bill will include a statutory role for devolved governments and Mayoral Strategic Authorities in governing, planning, managing, and developing the railway under Great British Railways (GBR). We have had continuous proactive and productive engagement with Scottish and Welsh Government Officials and Ministers throughout the Bills development. This engagement will ensure that the Devolved Governments are represented within Great British Railways governance.

Great British Railways (GBR) will work collaboratively with devolved leaders and local stakeholders to ensure rail services meet local needs. Empowered local GBR business units will engage with devolved and local authorities on their priorities and strategies.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she will review the Airports National Policy Statement. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government published a letter to potential promoters inviting proposals for a third runway at Heathrow to be brought forward by the summer. The Government is now assessing the proposals against the criteria set out in the letter. Once this is complete the Government will move quickly to review the Airports National Policy Statement. We will update on the timings for the review as soon as possible. However, when conducting the review, the Secretary of State will comply with the requirements in the Planning Act 2008, including consultation, publicity and parliamentary requirements.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to support increasing the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels in addition to legislating for the certainty mechanism. \p Simon Lightwood: The SAF Bill, currently before the House, will deliver a SAF Revenue Certainty Mechanism that will help unlock investment in UK SAF production. In addition, we are building demand through the SAF Mandate introduced on 1 January. We are also supporting the growth of UK SAF production through the Advanced Fuels Fund, under which £63 million has been allocated across 17 UK projects for this financial year.
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Lizzi Collinge:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with (a) landowners and (b) Natural England on the (i) risk of wildfire in areas of moorland that is not actively managed and (ii) potential impact of policies of non-intervention in rewilded moorland areas. \p Mary Creagh: This Government has engaged with public and private landowners, and Natural England, throughout the consultation process on amending The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021. The revised regulations, which were laid before Parliament on 9 September 2025, aim to make these landscapes more resilient to wildfire. We are encouraging land managers to develop good quality wildfire management plans.

We also held workshops with a wide range of land managers to inform the new Heather and Grass Management Code. This is being drafted by Natural England and will set clear standards for managing habitats including moorlands.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled Roadmap to rebuild trust in water sector unveiled in major new report, published on 21 July 2025, what proportion of the £104 billion water infrastructure investment will be funded by (a) water companies, (b) the public purse and (c) private third-party investors. \p Emma Hardy: Over the next five years water companies will spend £104 billion on investment and operation combined. This is more spending than at any previous price review.

Ofwat set out in its final determinations that £44 billion of this spending would be on new infrastructure and resources.

In the first instance, this will be provided by private investors. Ofwat has estimated that investors will provide £12.7 billion in new equity during the spending period. The remainder will be funded by water companies, in part through debt in order to spread the costs of investment over the lifetime of the new assets.

In line with the funding model for the water industry, debt and equity investors will be repaid over time through customer bills.

Business plans for all water companies have been published by Ofwat.

Water company investment plans will require no contributions from general taxation.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of granting National Trail status to the Icknield Way. \p Mary Creagh: The Government remains committed to enhancing access to nature and will continue to work closely with Natural England, National Trails UK and relevant partners to understand and respond to the needs of our National Trails.

We currently have no plans to create any new National Trails. We will be completing the King Charles III England Coast Path and Coast to Coast in 2026, as well as developing the nine new national river walks.
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Bob Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether Monkeys will be included in the government's proposed hunting trophy ban. \p Mary Creagh: Defra is continuing to engage with relevant stakeholders to help determine the most appropriate scope for the ban on the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern. Species of conservation concern are listed primarily on Appendices I and II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) according to the level of threat international trade has on their conservation status. This includes a large number of primate species.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release New drainage standards tackle pollution in England’s communities, published on 19 June 2025, if he will list the (a) flooding and (b) drainage experts that were consulted prior to the development of the new standards. \p Emma Hardy: A range of stakeholders including expert consultants, devolved administrations, local authorities, arms length bodies, water companies, drainage experts, environmental groups and developers were consulted.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-08-29)

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Michelle Welsh:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a cap on the amount of self-funding for care payable by any person. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government inherited a commitment to implement charging reforms in October 2025, including a cap on personal care costs. Regrettably, funding for these reforms had not been guaranteed, preparations for full rollout were not on track, and thus it was impossible to deliver these reforms by October.

This Government remains committed to reforming the adult social care sector and we have launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The Terms of Reference are sufficiently broad to enable Baroness Casey to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future, including considering the affordability of care costs if she sees fit.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-27)

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Yasmin Qureshi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the merits of removing references to minimally processed and nutritious food from the HFSS promotions guidance on 1 June 2023. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to tackling the childhood obesity crisis and to raising the healthiest generation of children ever.

The Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 were laid during the previous Parliament. The regulations provide for restrictions on the promotion and placement in retail stores and their online equivalents of certain foods and drinks that are high in fat, salt, or sugar, or which are ‘less healthy’.

In 2023, the implementation guidance accompanying these regulations was updated to provide some additional points of clarification, which included removing a reference to the term “minimally processed and nutritious food”. This was done to ensure the guidance remained in-line with the legislation, which does not reference minimally processed food. The legislation itself was not changed and still restricts the promotion of less healthy foods that contribute to childhood obesity. Therefore, no assessment was made of the merits of removing references to “minimally processed and nutritious food” from this document.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-27)

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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many admissions there have been to hospital due to (a) tuberculosis and (b) complications from tuberculosis in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those admissions were due to tuberculosis contracted outside of the UK. \p Ashley Dalton: This information is not held centrally. NHS England collects and publishes data on the causes of hospital admissions, however there is no routine reporting on tuberculosis admissions. NHS England makes hospital admission data available in the National Health Service’s Hospital Episode Statistics publication, which is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/services/hospital-episode-statistics

The UK Health Security Agency uses epidemiological tools, such as whole genome sequencing, to better understand the transmission of tuberculosis. However, it is not possible to determine the proportion of the individuals admitted to hospital who contracted tuberculosis outside of the United Kingdom.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-27)

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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many admissions there have been to hospital due to (a) malaria and (b) complications from malaria in each of the last five years. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) holds data on all malaria cases diagnosed in the United Kingdom by the Malaria Reference Laboratory and Public Health Scotland. The UKHSA publishes malaria statistics in an annual report, the latest version of which, covering 2023, is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/malaria-in-the-uk-annual-report/malaria-imported-into-the-uk-2023

The UKHSA does not routinely publish data on hospital admissions due to malaria or complications from malaria.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-27)

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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on confirmed cases of waterborne illness linked to exposure to (a) Salmonella and (b) Leptospira at UK bathing waters since 2020. \p Ashley Dalton: There have been no reported outbreaks of salmonella spp. associated with recreational water use in the time period requested since 2020.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) undertakes surveillance of Salmonella spp. infections. No information is available on the suspected cause of gastrointestinal infection for individual cases, unless salmonellosis cases are epidemiologically linked to an outbreak.

The UKHSA also undertakes routine surveillance for leptospirosis infections in humans, and publishes a quarterly report on the common animal-associated infections, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/common-animal-associated-infections-2024/common-animal-associated-infections-england-second-quarter-2024#leptospirosis

Exposure history is not well reported by cases. Water sources may be in the United Kingdom or abroad, and do not necessarily reflect where the infection was acquired. The following table shows the most recent figures of confirmed cases of leptospirosis in each quarter, from Quarter one of 2020 to Quarter two of 2024:

Year

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Confirmed leptospirosis cases

51

54

52

70

30

Potential exposure to water source

18

17

16

21

6
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Anneliese Dodds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that UK visitors to malaria-infected countries are aware of the need to take chemoprophylaxis effectively. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK Health Security Agency undertakes proactive communications with the public to raise awareness of the risk of malaria and to promote consultation with an appropriate healthcare professional before travel. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/travel-associated-infections-approaching-pre-pandemic-levels

Travellers to malaria-endemic areas are encouraged to have a pre-travel consultation with a healthcare expert in travel health. This enables an individualised risk assessment and personalised advice to be given on measures to reduce the risk of malaria and other health risks.

The National Travel Health Network and Centre provides information for United Kingdom travellers on safe and healthy travel and effective strategies to prevent infection, including chemoprophylaxis. Further information is available at the following link:

https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/factsheet/52/malaria
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve fracture liaison services for people aged over 50 in Lincolnshire. \p Ashley Dalton: Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) are a globally recognised care model, and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%.

FLS are commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs), which make decisions according to local need. This includes the Lincolnshire ICB. We remain committed to rolling out FLS across every part of the country by 2030.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the number of older people with unmet health and care needs in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: Direct estimates of unmet health and care need at a local level are not available. Assessing unmet health and care need is complex, particularly as it is multi-faceted, and validated data is not always available at a constituency level. For national level insights, please see Age UK’s State of Health and Care of Older People in England 2024 report, which is available at the following link:

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/discover/2024/september/state-of-health-and-care-of-older-people-in-england-2024/

We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to which will set out a long-term vision to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future. Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the NHS is there for anyone who needs it, whenever they need it.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS services are responsive to the (a) complex and (b) long-term needs of people living with chronic kidney disease. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England has established a renal Clinical Reference Group to deliver change across the National Health Service, to accelerate improvements in the diagnosis of, and treatment for, people living with kidney disease.

Increasing access to home therapies for kidney issues is a priority for NHS England, and this is reflected in its inclusion in the Renal Transformation toolkit, published in 2023. This recommends that 20% of all patients on kidney replacement treatment should receive treatment at home.

NHS England is improving access to home dialysis for children, supported by a robust network of nurses and clinicians who can move care from hospitals to homes. This approach is working, with rates of home dialysis ranging from 64% to 76% across the 10 NHS paediatric dialysis centres.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to (a) support and (b) expand community-based physical activity programmes specifically designed for older people. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government and the National Health Service recognise that prevention will always be better and cheaper than a cure. Reducing physical inactivity in people of all ages, including in older people, is important in helping people live longer, healthier lives, and a key part of the Department’s shift from treatment to prevention.

The Department supports the NHS, together with local authorities, to provide a range of community services to support older people, such as exercise on referral and social prescribing, aquatic/swimming classes, dance classes, and fall prevention training through strength and balance classes. The Government continues to encourage local authorities to invest in and prioritise leisure facilities and community-based services.

In addition to the above, the NHS Better Health Campaign promotes ways for people of all ages to move more, and signposts to digital support like the NHS Active 10 walking app, an accessible way of building movement into everyday life.
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Juliet Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing free Covid-19 vaccine boosters to people with long Covid. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The JCVI stated in its advice for the autumn 2024 COVID-19 vaccination programme that there remains considerable uncertainty regarding the impact of additional vaccine doses, beyond the primary vaccination, on the risk, progression, and outcome of post-COVID syndromes. The JCVI advised that better data is needed on the impact of additional vaccine doses on the occurrence and severity of post-COVID syndromes in the current era of omicron sub-variants of the COVID-19 virus, and high population immunity. This advice is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-autumn-2024-vaccination-programme-jcvi-advice-8-april-2024/jcvi-statement-on-the-covid-19-vaccination-programme-for-autumn-2024-8-april-2024

On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on the COVID-19 vaccination programmes in spring 2025, autumn 2025, and spring 2026. This advice is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-in-2025-and-spring-2026-jcvi-advice/jcvi-statement-on-covid-19-vaccination-in-2025-and-spring-2026

The Government has accepted the JCVI’s advice on eligibility for the spring 2025 COVID-19 vaccination programme, to include those aged 75 years old and above, those aged six months old or above with immunosuppression, and those living in care homes for older adults. The Government response is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/advice-accepted-on-spring-2025-covid-19-vaccination-programme

The Government is considering the advice for autumn 2025 and spring 2026 carefully, and will respond in due course.
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Sir Andrew Mitchell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the backlog for cancer treatment in the West Midlands. \p Ashley Dalton: We will improve National Health Service cancer waiting time performance so that cancer patients are diagnosed and treated faster, including patients in the West Midlands.

We set out expectations for renewed focus on cancer targets in the Elective Reform plan, published on 6 January 2025. Our reforms to cancer care will see thousands of patients starting treatment within two months, and across the NHS we have already hit our target of delivering two million extra operations, scans, and appointments seven months early.
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Juliet Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support people with long Covid. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England has invested £314 million since the start of the pandemic to provide care and support for people with long COVID. This includes establishing specialist clinics throughout England to assess adults, children, and young people who are experiencing long-term effects of COVID-19 infection. A further £86.7 million of funding was included in integrated care board core allocations for 2024/25, and specific regional funding was also allocated for assurance and system support.

These services offer physical, cognitive, and psychological assessment, and, where appropriate, refer patients onto existing services for treatment and rehabilitation. Further information can be found via the National Health Service website, at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/post-covid-syndrome-long-covid/

Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council, we have invested over £57 million on research into long COVID, with almost £40 million of this through two specific research calls on long COVID. The funded projects aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of clinical care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-27)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve (a) early diagnosis and (b) prevention strategies for chronic kidney disease in primary care settings. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England’s Renal Service Transformation Programme (RSTP) highlighted the importance of prevention and of optimising screening, detection, and treatment. Regional NHS England Renal Networks are working in partnership with integrated care systems to deliver the RSTP’s aims, and to help develop effective strategies for their local populations.

NHS England recognises the importance of kidney disease, not only in preventing the progression of kidney disease but also in reducing cardiovascular events. A customer relationship management steering group has been established which aims to focus on the prevention of these common condition that often co-exist.

NHS England has expanded the scope of the work under the Prevention and Long-Term Condition Programme Board to include consideration of opportunities for improving the prevention of kidney disease.

The NHS Health Check programme is a core component of England’s cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme, which aims to prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, and some cases of dementia. The programme assesses for high blood pressure and high blood sugar, which are risk factors for the development of both chronic kidney disease and CVD. Where an individual’s NHS Health Check indicates high blood pressure or high blood sugar, it is for the general practitioner to consider the results, and then, if required, undertake further clinical investigation and treatment where appropriate.

Diabetes is a leading cause of kidney disease. People at risk of developing type 2 diabetes can also be referred by their general practitioner into the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme. The programme is highly effective, cutting the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 37% for people completing the programme, compared to those who do not attend.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to local NHS services for older people. \p Ashley Dalton: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning healthcare services that meet the needs of their local populations. When ICBs exercise their functions, they have a duty to reduce inequalities between persons with respect to their ability to access health services and to reduce inequalities between patients with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of health services.

Further, as part of the Government’s five long-term missions, we have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future.

The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our NHS 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 support for older people in all parts of the country.

More care and support delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all support patients closer to home.

The 10-Year Health Plan will also set the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with a combination of health and care needs, such as older people.  It will set out how to support and enable health and social care services, and wider services, to work together better to provide that joined-up care.
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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May to Question 51941 on Paraneoplastic Encephalomyelitis: Diagnosis, whether the NHS routinely sends blood samples to the US for analysis when testing for Paraneoplastic Encephalomyelitis. \p Ashley Dalton: There are a number of laboratories in England which provide blood testing for paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis, although the Department has not made a specific formal estimate of how many there are. Several National Health Service laboratories across the United Kingdom also offer diagnostic testing for paraneoplastic antibodies. In England, these laboratories include the University College London Queen Square Institute of Neurology, and the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The NHS in England does not routinely send blood samples to the United States for analysis when testing for paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis. There are specialised laboratories within the UK which the NHS in England uses to conduct these tests.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential barriers to access to Primary Healthcare in rural areas. \p Stephen Kinnock: We acknowledge the urgent challenge of ensuring that rural areas have the resources needed to continue serving their patients. To address this, we are increasing capacity in general practices by recruiting more general practitioners (GPs), ensuring the necessary workforce is in place to provide integrated, patient-centred services.

We have invested £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme which has enabled the recruitment of over 1,500 recently qualified GPs across England since October 2024. This will increase the number of available appointments, secure the future pipeline of GPs, and alleviate the pressure on those currently working in the system.

We have also delivered the biggest boost to GP funding in years, an £889 million uplift, with GPs now receiving a growing share of National Health Service resources. The new 2025/26 GP Contract includes key reforms to improve access to GPs, including making sure patients can request appointments online throughout core hours.
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Margaret Mullane:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the NHS 10-Year Plan reflects the specific (a) workforce, (b) training and (c) capacity needs of children's palliative care services. \p Stephen Kinnock: As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we have been carefully considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative care and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and stakeholders.

The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and children’s palliative care and end of life care services, will have a big role to play in that shift.

A central part of our forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce, including how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the National Health Service needs to care for patients, including those with palliative care and end of life care needs, across our communities.

We will also publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again. We will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it, including for those with palliative care and end of life care needs.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve access to paediatric eye care services in West Dorset constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning primary and secondary eye care services in their areas to meet patient needs.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) address high turnover and (b) improve management practices in the care sector. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government recognises that the adult social care sector faces significant workforce challenges and recognises the scale of the reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth, and to improve the retention of the domestic workforce. That is why we are introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement to the adult social care sector, so that care professionals are recognised and rewarded for the important work that they do.

We are supporting the professionalisation of the adult social care workforce, through expanding the Care Workforce Pathway, including registered manager and deputy manager roles. The pathway will set out how people can develop across a long-term career in adult social care with support and training, attracting people to join and remain in the sector

We are also continuing to fund the Learning Development Support Scheme to help people build their skills and careers in care. The scheme is backed by up to £12 million this financial year, and includes qualifications to enhance the quality of care more broadly, as well as opportunities to develop leadership and management skills.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-27 conversation_20

Ian Sollom:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) take steps to launch an independent public inquiry to assess the effectiveness of the steps taken by Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in relation to concerns raised by families about surgery undertaken by Ms Kuldeep Stohr and (b) meet with affected families in St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: Andrew Kennedy KC has been appointed as the independent chair of a clinical review taskforce which is undertaking an external, independent, and retrospective clinical review of all surgeries carried out by Kuldeep Stohr while she was employed by the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) from 2012.

The CUH has commissioned Verita, an organisation specialising in healthcare investigations, to undertake a separate external and independent review of what was known and when it was known, regarding concerns about Ms Stohr’s clinical practice and competence, and any missed opportunities to identify and address concerns earlier.

The CUH is maintaining communication with the affected families. Each family has a named contact and is receiving written updates. We are clear that affected patients and families must continue to be supported throughout the process, so that they can be provided with the answers they deserve.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-27 conversation_21

Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for NHS eye examinations. \p Stephen Kinnock: Free National Health Service sight tests are widely available across the country, from any optical practice with a contract to provide NHS sight testing services. We are not aware of patients facing undue delays in accessing these services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-27 conversation_22

James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Almost million more pupils get access to mental health support, published on 16 May 2025, whether the mental health support measures for young people will apply up to the age of 18. \p Stephen Kinnock: Mental health support teams cover school pupils and further education learners, including those up to the age of 18 years old.

They work directly with school and college staff, alongside National Health Services, to provide professional advice, easing the pressure on school staff and allowing them to help young people get the right support and stay in education.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-27 conversation_23

Sir Julian Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to encourage GP practices to provide walk-in appointments for (a) farmers and (b) other occupations where attending at a set time can be a challenge. \p Stephen Kinnock: General practices are independent businesses contracted to provide National Health Services, and have autonomy to manage appointments in the way that best suits their patient population, including determining what services are available on a walk-in basis. To accommodate patients who may not be able to access general practices during core opening hours, integrated care boards in England are required to provide general practice out of hours services from 18:30 to 08:00 on weekdays, all weekends, and on bank holidays.

Walk-in patients can also access care in other settings. Under Pharmacy First, community pharmacists can provide advice for minor illnesses and supply some prescription-only medicines without a prescription from a general practitioner, either following a referral or a walk-in. Patients with urgent but not life-threatening medical needs can also visit urgent treatment centres without an appointment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-27 conversation_24

Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many qualified ophthalmic (a) consultants and (b) doctors there are who are able to treat glaucoma; how many people have glaucoma; and what estimate he has made of trends in these numbers over the next 10 years. \p Stephen Kinnock: The UK National Screening Committee does not recommend screening for glaucoma because it is not clear if the tests which are available are accurate enough to be used in a screening programme. Regular sight tests are important in detecting glaucoma, which is why we recommend everyone having a sight test at least every two years. Free National Health Service sight tests are available for many, including children, those aged 60 years old and over, individuals on income-related benefits, and those diagnosed with, or considered at risk of, glaucoma.

The Department does not hold information on the absolute numbers of people living with glaucoma at any one time in England, and therefore no estimate has been made on the numbers of people who will have glaucoma in the next 10 years. Data is also not held centrally on the number of qualified ophthalmic consultants and doctors who are able to treat glaucoma in the NHS.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-27 conversation_25

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of Early Access Programmes on equity of access to (a) tofersen and (b) other innovative treatments. \p Karin Smyth: Early access schemes for unlicenced medicines, where approval may be obtained in other markets, including where a licence exists but a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence decision is not available, are managed by companies to benefit patients.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) provides a route for the supply of new medicines to United Kingdom patients on an unlicensed basis, prior to receiving a marketing authorisation. The EAMS aims to give patients with life threatening or seriously debilitating conditions early access to medicines that show early signs of having a major advantage over existing therapeutics.

The EAMS is a two-step process, with the first step being a Positive Innovative Medicine designation, and the second step being the publishing of a Scientific Opinion. Medicines have to be successful at both of these stages to have access to patients through this scheme.

We are currently reviewing the recently submitted Torfersen, but cannot comment on its progress. The MHRA recognises the importance of rapid assessment, and is committed to doing so in a timely manner.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-27 conversation_26

Sir Julian Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to provide mobile health services to support rural agricultural communities where (a) committing and (b) travelling to appointments at set times can be a challenge. \p Karin Smyth: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning healthcare services that meet the needs of their local populations. When ICBs exercise their functions, they have a duty to reduce inequalities between persons with respect to their ability to access health services, and to reduce inequalities between patients with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of health services.

The Department recognises that providing services in rural areas comes with significant additional costs, for example, in travel and staff time. That is why the funding formula used by NHS England to allocate funds to ICBs includes an element to better reflect the needs in some rural, coastal, and remote areas.

The Department also wants ICBs to ensure that travel is not a prohibitive factor. There is a longstanding policy in the National Health Service that if you are eligible, you may be able to claim a refund for reasonable travel costs to receive services that are not primary medical, dental, or ophthalmic, following a referral by a healthcare professional. That scheme, the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme, continues to apply.

Furthermore, NHS England strives for digital services to improve healthcare access. NHS England published the Inclusive digital healthcare: a framework for NHS action on digital inclusion in September 2023, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/inclusive-digital-healthcare-a-framework-for-nhs-action-on-digital-inclusion/

This framework highlights that certain groups, including people living in areas with inadequate broadband and mobile data coverage, especially rural and coastal areas, face higher risks of both digital exclusion and health inequalities. The framework is designed to ensure NHS services are accessible to people who are digitally excluded.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-27 conversation_27

Andrew Lewin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing paramedics to (a) carry and (b) use fentanyl as an analgesic agent. \p Karin Smyth: The Department remains committed to exploring the extension of medicine responsibilities for non-medical professionals. This will support the aim that patients are cared for, and treated by, the most appropriate healthcare professional to meet their needs, where it is safe and appropriate to do so. Many regulated healthcare professionals have already received extended medicine responsibilities and the Department is committed to assessing the impact that these changes have had on patient care.

Regarding the extension of paramedics’ medicine responsibilities, there is a process in place for making changes to ensure proposals are safe and beneficial for patients. Officials are carefully considering proposals relating to a range of healthcare professionals, including paramedics, and the use of fentanyl as an analgesic agent, as part of wider work.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-27 conversation_28

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer 6 May 2025 to Question 48666 on NHS: Disclosure of Information, if will he take steps to compensate NHS staff who signed non-disclosure agreements upon leaving the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: The term non-disclosure agreement is not used in the National Health Service. A non-disclosure agreement is a general term used to describe any kind of legal agreement which sets out requirements, known as confidentiality clauses, that prohibit or restrict the sharing of certain information to other parties. These terms are usually in the interests of both the employer and the employee concerned. In the NHS this relates to contracts of employment and settlement agreements.

Settlement agreements, which may include confidentiality clauses, can legitimately be used for a range of employment issues that are unrelated to whistleblowing and are legally binding. Both the employer and the employee concerned must take their own legal advice before entering into such an agreement. Some settlement agreements may include a non-contractual, or special severance, payment, but not all will do so.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-27 conversation_29

Navendu Mishra:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for patients with Parkinson's disease to see a neurologist in (a) Stockport and (b) Greater Manchester in the latest period for which data is available. \p Karin Smyth: The Department does not hold data at the required level of granularity to provide the average waiting time for a first neurology appointment for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-27)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-27 conversation_30

Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on publishing a timeline to bring forward legislative measures to end trail hunting. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Hunting Act 2004 makes it an offence to hunt a wild mammal, such as Foxes, with dogs except where it is carried out in accordance with the exemptions in the Act.

The aim of Trail Hunting is to simulate traditional hunting as practised before the Hunting Act came into force. The trails are laid along a route that might be taken by the traditional quarry, through hedgerows and woods, along ditches, across fields, to simulate the natural movement of the wild mammal, e.g., a fox, as much as possible.  The most common method of laying the trail is to drag a scent infected sock or cloth along the ground. The scent occasionally lifted for a distance and dropped again, thus allowing the hounds to cast (search for the scent if they lose it). The Huntsman and followers often do not know where any of the trails have been laid, so that the days hunting will mimic its realistic form.

The Government made a manifesto commitment to ban Trail Hunting as part of a set of measures to improve animal welfare. Work to bring this forward is at a very early stage and there is not yet an agreed timetable.