theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's planned (a) timetable and (b) process are for reviewing Code C, Annex L of the Home Office guidance entitled Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, in the context of the ruling from the Supreme Court in the case of For Women Scotland Ltd (Appellant) v The Scottish Ministers (Respondent) of 16 April 2025. \p Dame Diana Johnson: I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to UIN 45760 on 2nd May 2025.
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Neil Coyle:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will work with (a) housing associations, (b) police authorities, (c) mayors, (d) local authorities and (e) other landlords to introduce fast track courts to tackle antisocial behaviour cases. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. Every police force in England and Wales now has a dedicated lead officer for ASB, who will work with communities to develop a local ASB action plan.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are strengthening the powers available to the police and other relevant agencies to tackle ASB quickly and effectively. ​We will crack down on those making neighbourhoods feel unsafe and unwelcoming by introducing the new Respect Order, which will carry tough sanctions and penalties for persistent adult offenders. Breaching a Respect Order will be a criminal offence, allowing police officers to immediately arrest offenders and disrupt ongoing ASB. We are also extending the maximum exclusion period for dispersal directions from 48 to 72 hours and enhancing the powers for the police to seize nuisance off-road bikes, and other vehicles which are being used in an anti-social manner, without having to first give a warning to the offender.

There are currently no plans to introduce fast-track courts for ASB.

This Government inherited a record and rising courts backlog. We have funded a record-high allocation of 110,000 Crown Court sitting days for this year to tackle the outstanding caseload, including in relation to ASB cases.
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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Mayor of London on staffing levels at the Metropolitan Police Service. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office regularly meets with the Mayor of London and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner to discuss policing issues facing the capital.

This year (2025/26), the Metropolitan Police Service will receive a total of up to £3.8 billion of funding, as set out in the police funding settlement. This is a £262.1 million increase when compared with the 2024-25 settlement, equating to a 7.4% cash increase and 4.9% real terms increase. There will also be a £65 million increase to the National and International Capital City grant to reflect the challenges faced in London.

Forces are operationally independent, and it is for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner to make local operational decisions on how best to deploy officers and staff to secure public safety. However, the Government is committed to restoring neighbourhood policing to local communities through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. In 2025/26 the Metropolitan Police Service was allocated £45,639,456 and has set out a delivery plan to grow neighbourhood policing this year by 420 (FTE) police officers and 50 (FTE) Police Community Support Officers.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds historic records relating to the Birmingham pub bombings that have not been deposited in the National Archives. \p Dame Diana Johnson: I can confirm that the Home Office do hold historic records relating to the horrific 1974 Birmingham Pub bombings that have not yet been deposited in the National Archives.

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, files can be retained by Government departments for a range of reasons, including if such documents pertain to national security matters or if they relate to ongoing investigations and proceedings conducted by public authorities. For these reasons, it has been the long standing position of the Home Office under successive governments to retain the aforementioned documents, like all security matters, this decision is kept under regular review.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to help ensure that police officers have the (a) time and (b) resources to seize (i) illegally modified and (ii) off-road bikes. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office does not centrally hold data on the number of illegally modified or off-road bikes that have been seized by police in England and Wales, and could only collate that information for the purposes of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) and the harm it causes is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, £200 million has been allocated to forces for 2025/26 to support the Government’s commitment to deliver additional personnel into neighbourhood policing. This includes ensuring that every force area will have a dedicated lead officer for anti-social behaviour who will work with communities to develop an action plan to reduce and prevent ASB.

The Crime and Policing Bill will give police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving vehicles of all types, including e-scooters and off-road and illegally modified bikes, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles. The Government also recently consulted on proposals to allow the police to more quickly dispose of seized vehicles which have been used anti-socially.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to shotgun licensing on clay pigeon shooting. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Government intends to have a public consultation later this year seeking views on the alignment of the controls on shotguns with other firearms.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which police forces provide a family liaison officer in cases of (a) murder, (b) fatal accident, (c) unexplained death and (d) suicide. \p Dame Diana Johnson: We recognise that the role of the FLO is an important one, especially when supporting families during difficult times.

However, decisions to assign an FLO in specific cases are made by individual police forces, and such decisions would therefore be an operational matter.
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Katie White:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help protect businesses facing (a) scams and (b) fraudulent activity. \p Dan Jarvis: We remain absolutely committed to protecting all of society from the threat of fraud, including businesses. The Home Office is currently developing a new fraud strategy which will include additional measures to protect businesses and educate them on the threat of fraud.

Fraud against business frequently starts with a cyber-attack. The Government also supports the network of cyber resilience centres which provide guidance to businesses to help them protect themselves against cyber threats. There are 10 centres in England and Wales with a particular focus on sole traders, micro companies and small companies.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the use of national ID cards as a means of identifying (a) illegal immigrants, (b) fugitives and (c) agents of a foreign power. \p Dame Angela Eagle: The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.
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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to representations made by the (a) Amess family, and (b) Father of the House and Rt Hon Member for Rayleigh and Wickford in their contributions to the Sir David Amess Summer Adjournment Debate in the House on 22 July 2025, if she will (i) establish a Public Inquiry into the failure of the Prevent programme in its dealings with the future killer or (ii) extend the terms of reference of the inquiry into the Southport killings, which she announced on 7 April 2025, to cover in addition the (A) murder of Sir David Amess and (B) similarities in the failures adequately to deal with either of the future killers. \p Dan Jarvis: Government published the report 'Lessons for Prevent' from the Interim Independent Prevent Commissioner on 16 July, in which Lord Anderson set out his view that the perpetrator's engagement with Prevent prior to the attack on Sir David Amess has been fully explored. The Government will act immediately on Lord Anderson's findings, building on the work that has already been completed following the Home Secretary's statement on Prevent reform in December 2024.

Currently, there is no evidence of the perpetrator having any contact with the state in a way that would have alerted authorities to his radicalisation or intent in the intervening years between his time on Prevent and his attack on Sir David. However, this intervening period does merit further exploration, so the Home Secretary has confirmed we will appoint a senior figure to scrutinise all the previous reviews that have taken place. We will act as necessary if any gaps are identified as a result of that process.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to put in place a range of measures to verify the age of people arriving in the UK seeking asylum. \p Dame Angela Eagle: I refer the Hon Member to the written ministerial statement I gave to the House on Tuesday 22 July.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to support the Pandemic Fund beyond 2025-26. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK has committed £25 million to the Pandemic Fund. We are currently working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used in future years, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) Yale University Humanitarian Research Lab, (b) Europol, (c) other international accountability bodies, (d) the International Criminal Court and (e) Ukrainian prosecutors on the (i) preservation and (ii) accessibility of data collected by that Lab. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK is committed to securing accountability for those responsible for atrocity crimes. For example, the International Criminal Court's investigation into the situation in Ukraine is ongoing, with six arrest warrants already issued for current or former senior Russian officials. The data that the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab provided to Ukraine was part of a wider accountability project, a small part of which was dedicated to the tracking of forcibly deported children. The Office of the Prosecutor General has confirmed that Yale's data on deported children has been transferred to the Ukrainian government.
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Will Stone:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to strengthen diplomatic relations with Morocco. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: On 1 June, the Foreign Secretary co-hosted the UK-Morocco Strategic Dialogue in Rabat, where he signed agreements on education, healthcare, infrastructure and trade. This signalled a step change in the relationship. The Foreign Secretary also endorsed Morocco’s autonomy proposal for Western Sahara and committed UK support to the parties and UN to reach a mutually acceptable resolution. We are taking this work forward together and remain in frequent contact.
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Steve Race:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help accelerate progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 by 2030. \p Stephen Doughty: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office are tackling the catastrophic hunger and malnutrition seen in Sudan, Gaza and beyond. We are also working to reduce the need for humanitarian assistance, supporting long-term solutions for food and nutrition security which boost economies and protect the environment. Last year, we enabled hundreds of thousands of food-insecure households to build resilience to climate and other shocks. We have invested in science and innovation for resilient food security in UK and across Africa. Our partnerships with the Gates Foundation and Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) help increase nutritious yields for farmers, while protecting critical ecosystems.
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Lewis Atkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with international partners to help tackle irregular migration to the UK. \p Stephen Doughty: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office are taking on the serious, hard work needed to tackle the global problem of irregular migration. We are getting ready to return the first set of small boat arrivals under our groundbreaking returns deal with France. We have signed a landmark agreement with Iraq to tackle illegal migration at source, and we have introduced the world’s first sanctions regime to target the people smuggling gangs and dismantle their funding and networks. Since coming to office, we’ve removed over 35,000 people with no right to be here, up 13 per cent year on year.
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Helena Dollimore:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve NHS (a) treatment for and (b) diagnosis of keratoconus. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are not aware of any issues with the diagnosis or treatment of keratoconus. Keratoconus is usually identified during a routine sight test. The National Health Service provides over 13 million free NHS sight tests annually for eligible groups.

Patient with suspected keratoconus will be referred into the hospital eye service for a definitive diagnosis and any clinically necessary treatment. For mild cases of keratoconus, glasses or a range of contact lenses can be used to correct vision. The introduction of cross-linking treatment, a treatment that uses ultraviolet light and riboflavin eye drops to stiffen the cornea, in early keratoconus, has reduced the number of patients who go on to develop advanced keratoconus, which may require surgery.
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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much has been spent on primary care NHS dental services per head of population in England in real terms in each of the last 10 years (a) inclusive and (b) exclusive of the patient charge revenue. \p Stephen Kinnock: Dental expenditure and patient charge revenue data is published each year in NHS England’s annual accounts. The annual accounts for 2024/25 have not yet been published, and so the latest published accounts data is for 2023/24.

The following table shows the expenditure per head of population in England in real terms, inclusive and exclusive of patient charge revenue:

Financial year

Price per head of population, real terms at 2023/4 prices

Inclusive of patient charge revenue

Exclusive of patient charge revenue

2014/15

£74.36

£57.26

2015/16

£77.92

£60.42

2016/17

£66.34

£48.63

2017/18

£65.71

£47.70

2018/19

£63.46

£44.86

2019/20

£65.22

£47.32

2020/21

£61.26

£55.69

2021/22

£62.13

£49.42

2022/23

£56.04

£42.19

2023/24

£53.87

£40.41

Notes:
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Mims Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to conduct regular financial audits of GP practices that are part of national chains on an (a) national and (b) local individual surgery basis. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is not the responsibility of the Department or NHS England to undertake financial audits of general practices (GPs). GPs are private businesses that are commissioned by integrated care boards to provide general medical services via a National Health Service contract. Practices have a range of auditing requirements, including disclosure of earnings, and maintaining an audit and system management function on their computer system, allowing NHS England to carry out audit functions relating to the maintenance of patient records.
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John Whitby:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve mental health provision in (a) rural and (b) agricultural communities. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are working with NHS England on a refreshed workforce plan, which will revolve around the three shifts to deliver our 10-Year Health Plan: moving more care from hospitals to communities; making better use of technology in health and care; and focusing on preventing sickness, not just treating it, including in rural and agricultural communities.

Responsibility for the onward commissioning of mental health services sits with integrated care boards (ICB). It is the role of local ICB decision-makers to consider the implications of mental health services, specific to each geography and including the perspectives of healthcare professionals, patient advocacy groups, and local authorities.

We are also committed to the rolling out Young Futures Hubs in communities in England, which will be designed with local areas, leveraging local understanding of services in each area, including rural and agricultural needs. Young Futures Hubs will develop from existing buildings and provision, identified by local areas. This will make best use of existing local assets and the successes of existing provision partnerships and support.
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Helena Dollimore:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve GP services in coastal communities. \p Stephen Kinnock: Through our 10-Year Health Plan, it will be easier and faster to see a general practitioner (GP). We will end the 8:00am scramble for appointments, train more doctors, and will guarantee a consultation within 24 hours for those who need one. It is important that funding for core services is distributed equitably between practices across the country, which is why we have committed to reviewing the GP funding formula to ensure that resources are targeted where they are most needed.

We have also delivered the biggest boost to GP funding in years, an almost £1.1 billion uplift, the biggest increase in GP funding in over a decade, with GPs now receiving a growing share of National Health Service resources.

In October 2024, we invested £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of 2,000 individual GPs into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. The new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 practices across England. This investment will deliver more appointments and improve patient care.   The Government will bring back the family doctor for those who would benefit from seeing the same clinician regularly. In doing so, we will improve continuity of care, which is associated with better health outcomes and can play an important role in managing health conditions in patients.
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Chris Webb:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the NHS budget was spent on primary care dentistry net of patient charge revenue in each year since 2010-11. \p Stephen Kinnock: Prior to 2023/24, there was no specific dental budget allocation and dentistry formed part of a wider budget including community pharmacy and optometry. NHS England accounts show the total spend on General Dental Service (GDS) and Personal Dental Service (PDS) contracts, and the income from patient charges. Some community care is delivered through PDS contracts but in general this figure is a proxy for primary dental spend.

The following table shows GDS and PDS spending, less patient charge revenue, in each year since 2014/15 for which accounts have been published, as a proportion of the total National Health Service budget:

Financial Year

GDS and PDS spending as percentage of total NHS budget

2014/15

2.39%

2015/16

2.47%

2016/17

1.95%

2017/18

1.89%

2018/19

1.76%

2019/20

1.78%

2020/21

1.83%

2021/22

1.61%

2022/23

1.41%

2023/24

1.36%

Source: NHS England

Note: The timeseries of the NHS budget is not comparable prior to 2014/15 so earlier years have not been provided.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) improve early diagnosis of glaucoma and (b) monitoring of deterioration of the condition in patients. \p Stephen Kinnock: Regular sight tests play a crucial role in the early detection of glaucoma, which is often symptomless in the early stages. Free National Health Service sight tests are available for many, including individuals diagnosed with glaucoma or aged 40 years old and over with a close family history of glaucoma. Over 13 million free NHS sight tests were provided to eligible groups in 2024/25.

Patients with suspected glaucoma will be referred for further investigation and any clinically necessary treatment. We also recognise the importance of glaucoma monitoring which can delay its progression. Integrated care boards can commission enhanced eye care services from high street optical practices, including glaucoma monitoring.

NHS England has been testing how IT connectivity between primary and secondary eye care services and the development of a single point of access, could improve the referral and triage of patients, reduce unnecessary referrals and support more patients being managed in the community to help create capacity within hospital eye services.
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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the success rate was of each local partnership using the International Recruitment Fund in re-matching social care workers to new employers in the last 12 months. \p Stephen Kinnock: In 2025/26, up to £12.5 million has been made available through the adult social care international recruitment fund for 15 regional and sub-regional partnerships to prevent and respond to exploitative practices of internationally recruited care staff. This builds on the £16 million made available in 2024/25. Between July 2024 and April 2025, approximately 16,700 people contacted the regional partnerships for support. To date, approximately 940 of these individuals have been supported into new employment, according to self-reported data provided by the regional partnerships. This data has not been independently verified by the Department or UK Visas and Immigration.

We have commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce to undertake an independent evaluation of the 2024/25 international recruitment regional fund. We expect the final report of this evaluation to be published by King's College London in 2026.
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Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when next year he expects Baroness Casey of Blackstock DBE CB to report on the first phase of her independent commission into adult social care. \p Stephen Kinnock: The independent commission, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, has begun its work on how to build a social care system fit for the future, and will first report in 2026.

The commission is independent, and Baroness Casey therefore has the autonomy to decide when in 2026 she reports on the first phase. Work implementing the commission’s recommendations will then be able to begin following publication.
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Barry Gardiner:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the ruling of Mr Justice Akenhead in the case of Corby Group Litigation v. Corby Borough Council, if he will conduct a review of the incidence of birth defects and rare cancers recorded in children by hospitals serving the population around Corby and the sites where spoil was deposited. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are aware of this issue, which is currently being looked at by the local Director of Public Health. The UKHSA will offer support if needed, and the Department is awaiting the findings before further action.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 67821 on Dementia, what steps he is taking to help tackle the increasing rates of dementia diagnosis. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan is underlined by three big shifts in healthcare: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention.

As part of this shift from sickness to prevention, we will tackle ill health, prevent premature deaths, and build a fairer country where everyone lives longer, healthier lives.

Following the 10-Year Health Plan, we will deliver the first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.

The Government is investing in dementia research across all areas, including on its causes, diagnosis and prevention. Through partnerships with patients, researchers, funders and charities, we continue to play a significant role in global efforts against the disease.
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Mr Clive Betts:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients are in medical trials at (a) Sheffield Teaching Hospital Trust, (b) Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust and (c) Nottingham University Hospital Trust. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department funds research and research infrastructure via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research. The NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) supports the delivery of health and social care research, including recruitment to clinical trials and other types of research study, in all National Health Service trusts in England.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust currently has 57,581 participants enrolled in open studies on the NIHR RDN portfolio, with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust currently having 27,033 participants enrolled in such studies, and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust with 51,654 participants. This data covers both interventional and observational studies eligible for NIHR support which are recruiting at the relevant trusts.
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Sarah Dyke:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, what his planned timescale is for NHS Foundation Trusts to deliver additional services within communities. \p Karin Smyth: As per the 10-Year Health Plan, for the very best National Health Service foundation trusts there will be a new opportunity to hold the whole health budget for a local population as an Integrated Health Organisation (IHO). The intention is to designate a small number of these new IHOs in 2026, with a view to them becoming operational in 2027.
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Gill Furniss:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measures in the NHS 10 Year Plan will support earlier diagnosis of heart valve disease in primary and community care settings. \p Ashley Dalton: The 10-Year Health Plan sets out the three big shifts the National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. All three shifts are relevant to improving outcomes for those experiencing heart valve disease.

More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their conditions closer to home and help to reduce hospital admissions.

In line with the goals of the 10-Year Health Plan, NHS England has already undertaken measures to improve earlier detection of heart valve disease (HVD). It is commissioning the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society to develop a new referral form to support the investigation of HVD. The referral form is to guide primary healthcare teams to confidently refer patients with suspected, or known, valve disease for specialist assessment and/or echocardiography, where appropriate.

NHS England is also establishing an Expert Advisory Group on HVD which brings together experts and key stakeholders from across the United Kingdom, with the aim of ensuring excellence in care whilst exploring ways to improve heart valve disease management nationwide. Additionally, NHS England is undertaking a review of health inequalities for all specialised cardiac services which will include aortic stenosis, a type of HVD. This will specifically consider the presentation of males versus females with aortic stenosis where research shows that women are likely to present with symptoms at an older age. It is also working with providers to implement a single point of access pathway for severe aortic stenosis.
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Gill Furniss:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England is taking to raise awareness of (a) heart valve disease and (b) its symptoms among the (i) population and (ii) healthcare professionals. \p Ashley Dalton: Continuous improvements have been made in the heart valve disease (HVD) pathway for service users, but there remains unwarranted variation and inequalities in terms of care for patients with HVD for example in access to surgery for aortic stenosis, a form of HVD; and late presentation which increases the risk of surgery and limits recovery after surgery.

NHS England produced an e-learning for healthcare on heart failure and heart valve disease in early 2023. This package of education supports clinicians across primary care and community settings to better recognise the symptoms, diagnose, manage, and support patients with heart failure and heart valve disease, including palliative and end of life care. In doing so, clinicians are supported to identify and manage patients in primary care where appropriate, to reduce avoidable admissions to hospital.

In 2024 NHS England commissioned the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society to develop a new referral form to support the investigation of heart valve disease. The referral form is to guide primary healthcare teams to confidently refer patients with suspected, or known, valve disease for specialist assessment and/or echocardiography, where appropriate. The resource includes:

- a comprehensive checklist to support patient referral for further assessment;

- important signs and symptoms; and

- referral pathways for suspected heart valve disease.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he is making on reducing waiting times for cancer treatment in Fylde. \p Ashley Dalton: We will reduce cancer waiting times so that patients are diagnosed and treated faster, including patients in Fylde.

We have now exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, and we have now delivered over three million more appointments as the first step to ensuring faster diagnosis and timely access to treatments.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across the country, including in Fylde, as well as speeding up diagnosis and access to treatment. It will ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-02)

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Kevin Bonavia:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase funding for prostate cancer screening. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), which advises ministers on all screening matters, does not recommend population screening for prostate cancer. As such, England does not currently have a national screening programme that requires funding from the Department.

As part of its commitment to review its recommendations, the UK NSC has commissioned an evidence review for prostate cancer screening. This will cover modelling the clinical effectiveness and cost of several approaches to prostate cancer screening. It will include different potential ways of screening the whole population and targeted screening aimed at groups of people identified as being at higher-than-average risk, such as black men or men with a family history of cancer.

Once the modelling and evidence review are complete it will be considered by the UK NSC. Subject to no further revisions being required, the UK NSC plans to hold a public consultation towards the end of 2025. After this the UK NSC will make a recommendation. Ministers will then be asked to consider whether to accept the recommendation.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the out-of-service date is of FV433 Bulldog. \p Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 May 2025 in response to Question 48996.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Decommissioning (docx, 16.3KB)
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Armed Forces Recruitment Service contract contains diversity targets. \p Luke Pollard: Defence remains committed to attracting, recruiting, retaining and developing the best talent from the broadest diversity of thought, skills, and backgrounds, to ensure our workforce is reflective of today’s society and able to meet current and future security threats.

The Armed Forces Recruiting Service (AFRS) will provide a streamlined, single-entry point for prospective recruits, with the aim of recruiting from the broadest spectrum of society to attract the best talent into the Armed Forces.

Under the AFRS contract, Serco, as the supplier, is required to comply with the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Diversity and Inclusion policy. The contract also includes Annual Mandated Performance Indicators focused on enhancing equality and diversity within the workforce.

As part of the broader Defence Diversity and Inclusion strategy 2018-2030, Levels of Ambition (LOA) exist to guide efforts in creating a more inclusive workplace and are key to attracting and retaining the best talent from across society. It is important to note that the AFRS contract remains cognisant of MOD LOA; however, there is a clear distinction between LOA and contractual diversity targets.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-02)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place an interim report in the House of Commons Library on the findings from the review of (a) blood and (b) urine tests taken from those servicemen who witnessed the tests in the 1950s of Britain's first nuclear weapons as soon as possible. \p Al Carns: This Government is resetting the relationship with nuclear test veterans and those that support them, and we remain committed to listening to their concerns and working collaboratively to address them.

As of 30 June 2025, officials have reviewed over 43,000 files, including files from the Merlin Database, as part of the exercise that is looking at points raised with me about some Nuclear Test Veterans' medical records.

I will update the House when we are in a position to share the findings of the exercise.

More information can be found in my statement to the House here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-06-30/hcws748

This Government continues to celebrate the stories of our nuclear veterans. Most recently the Universities of South Wales and Liverpool led a Government-funded oral history project which was published in early July.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-02)

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Gavin Robinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on the appeal with the Employment Appeals Tribunal on Armed Forces Pensions for people who served in the Territorial Army. \p Al Carns: In reference to the Employment Tribunal of Milroy versus Ministry of Defence. The Ministry of Defence did not agree with the judgment of the Employment Tribunal in this matter, and an appeal against the decision was lodged with the Employment Appeals Tribunal. An appeal hearing date has now been set and is due to convene on 4 December 2025. As this is an ongoing legal process we are unable to comment further at this time.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-02)

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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July to Question 67413 on France: Military Alliances, whether his Department recognises any distinction between strategic and sub-strategic nuclear capabilities. \p Maria Eagle: The UK does not categorise nuclear weapon capabilities as either strategic or sub-strategic. The UK and NATO have said that any employment of nuclear weapons against NATO would fundamentally alter the nature of a conflict.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will quantify his Department’s (a) underspend and (b) overspend in financial year 2024-2025. \p Maria Eagle: The Department's performance against its control totals for financial year 20245-25 will be set out in its Annual Report and Accounts, which will be published shortly.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the contract for the Armed Forces Recruitment Service will include specific recruitment targets for the (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy. \p Luke Pollard: We inherited a retention and recruitment crisis from the last administration and it is the policy of this Government to recover numbers in our Armed Forces and to grow the size of the Army. To deliver this we will be working with the new provider of the tri-service recruitment to deliver improvements in recruitment numbers.

From Full-Service Implementation in 2027, the Armed Forces Recruiting Service (AFRS) will deliver against annual recruitment targets and demand, which will be set by the three Services; the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force, via the Command Recruiting Support Plan (CRSP). The CRSP is generated and approved in conjunction with the single Services with the AFRS contract containing a mechanism to adjust demand during each Recruiting Year.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question 67304 on Innovate UK: Northern Ireland, what data his Department holds on the reasons for the reduction in successful bids. \p Feryal Clark: The numbers provided in the response to Question 67304 are the number of successful completed Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) projects in the specified years, and not the number of successful bids. The bids for the successful projects completing in 2022, 2023 and 2024 would have been made 3-4 years prior to completion. The number of applications in a given year may vary for many reasons and over this time period the number of applications may have been reduced by the Covid pandemic.

Innovate UK will continue to market the KTP across Northern Ireland to ensure businesses and universities understand the benefits it can bring.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-02)

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Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will review the default 60mph speed limit for rural roads. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Department for Transport is developing its Road Safety Strategy and measures to address speeding will be considered for inclusion within the strategy. The Government will set more details out in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-02)

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Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department has taken to increase public awareness of changes to the Highway Code made in 2022. \p Lilian Greenwood: Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022 introducing a hierarchy of road users, the department ran a THINK! campaign to raise awareness of the changes as they came into effect. This was followed by broader behaviour change campaigns in the summer of 2022 and 2023, to help embed the changes and encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance.

Over £2.4million has been spent on paid advertising across the Highway Code campaign, utilising channels such as radio, digital audio, video on demand and social media advertising.

We continually review our campaign priorities using data and research to make sure we are addressing the most important road safety issues to help make our roads safer.

We also continue to promote the Highway Code in partnership with other organisations, through THINK! social channels and via education resources. In addition we run three radio filler adverts year-round, encouraging motorists to maintain safe passing distances from cyclists and horse riders, to use the Dutch Reach when opening car doors to help keep cyclists safe, and to raise awareness of pedestrian priority at junctions.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Local Transport) had with the Mayor of the West Midlands on Aldridge Train Station on 15 July 2025. \p Simon Lightwood: Mayor Richard Parker and I meet regularly, with discussions covering a range of transport issues.