theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Layla Moran:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has drafted a response to the ICJ opinion of 22 October 2025 entitled Obligations of Israel in relation to the Presence and Activities of the United Nations, Other International Organizations and Third States in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The purpose of the Advisory Opinion is to inform the work of the UN General Assembly, and as such there is no requirement for the UK to draft a response. Since this Government came to office, we have been very clear that Israel has an obligation under International Humanitarian Law to ensure the provision of aid in Gaza and that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has a critical role in delivering the humanitarian response. This was reflected in our oral statement to the Court on 1 May. The Court's Advisory Opinion confirms that view. As the Foreign Secretary said on 2 December, we continue to urge the opening of all crossings and unrestricted access for humanitarian aid.
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Jessica Morden:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Caribbean counterparts on migration on the island of Hispaniola. \p Chris Elmore: The UK is deeply concerned about the serious security and humanitarian crisis in Haiti, which is driving significant migration pressures on Hispaniola and neighbouring islands. We are working with international partners to address this, including through the creation of the Gang Suppression Force and support for UN sanctions on those responsible for instability in Haiti. In October, I spoke with the Haitian Foreign Minister, Jean-Baptiste, and the Dominican Vice Minister for Multilateral Affairs, Rubén Silié Valdez, about the significant challenges in Haiti. The Minister for International Development also met the Haitian Foreign Minister on 17 November. During my visit to Jamaica last week, migration from Haiti to nearby islands was raised in discussions with partners.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance has been issued by (a) his Department and (b) NHS England on expenditure on flags. \p Karin Smyth: The Department follows general Government guidance on flying flags, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flying-flags-a-plain-english-guide/flying-flags-a-plain-english-guide

Neither the Department nor NHS England has issued guidance regarding expenditure on flags.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Newbury constituency will receive one of the 100 neighbourhood health centres due to be set up by 2030. \p Stephen Kinnock: At the Autumn Budget, we announced our commitment to deliver 250 Neighbourhood Health Centres (NHCs) through the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild Programme. This will deliver NHCs through a mixture of refurbishments to expand and improve sites over the next three years and new-build sites opening in the medium term. The first 120 NHCs are due to be operational by 2030 and will be delivered through public private partnerships and public capital.

Nationwide coverage will take time, but we will start in the areas of greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowest, including rural towns and communities with higher deprivation levels, targeting places where healthy life expectancy is lowest and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.

Integrated care boards and local health systems will be responsible for determining the most appropriate locations for NHCs.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to improve community-based glaucoma care services. \p Stephen Kinnock: Integrated care boards are responsible for assessing the health needs of their local population and for commissioning primary and secondary eye care services to meet them. This can include the commissioning of enhanced eye care services from high street optical practices, such as glaucoma referral refinement services and glaucoma monitoring.

The Getting It Right First Time programme is currently developing best practice guidance for glaucoma services to support the adoption of high standards across the pathway, from detection onwards.
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Shockat Adam:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that Integrated Care Boards provide equal levels of funding for children's hospices. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework for England. I refer the Hon. Member for Leicester South and the Rt. Hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green to the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1087 I gave to the House on 24 November 2025.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are providing £80 million for children’s and young people’s hospices over the next three financial years, giving them stability to plan ahead and focus on what matters most, caring for their patients.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase support for voluntary and charitable organisations providing dementia support services in Hampshire. \p Stephen Kinnock: The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs), and may include services provided by voluntary or charitable organisations. We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

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 Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia and will set national standards for dementia care and redirect National Health Service priorities to provide the best possible care and support.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has considered the potential merits of a national bulk buying energy contract for GP practices in England. \p Stephen Kinnock: General practices (GPs) are run by independent contractors and are commissioned by integrated care boards to provide National Health Services primary medical services. Decisions around energy contracts are devolved to individual practices.

Practices’ arrangements for utilities. such as gas and electricity, vary depending on the basis or terms of each practice’s occupation of its premises. For example, some GPs have flexibility to choose energy contracts, whereas others lease premises inclusive of utilities, or pay a service charge including energy costs, where the landlord or property manager determines the energy suppliers.

Where GPs occupy NHS owned estate, GPs may benefit from any centralised energy purchasing initiatives the Government has put in place, such as Supply of Energy 2.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the increase in employers' National Insurance contributions on trends in the level of NHS staff on (a) GP practices, (b) care providers and (c) the health sector in Devon. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are investing an extra £1.1 billion in general practice, the biggest cash increase in a decade. That funding has allowed us to recruit an extra 2,500 general practitioners and improve access for patients.

General practices are valued independent contractors who provide over £13 billion worth of NHS services. Every year we consult with the sector both about what services they provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract, taking into account the cost of delivering services.

This Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure that 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 hugely value the critical role that health care providers play, we are determined to address the issues they face.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what amount of charges were issued by NHS trusts for treatment to non-UK residents not entitled to free secondary healthcare in each of the last three financial years; how much of that amount was successfully recovered in each of the last three financial years; and what the outstanding amount is. \p Karin Smyth: We have taken ‘non-UK residents’ to mean chargeable overseas visitors. The Department publishes data on the income identified from chargeable overseas visitors in England as part of the Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts. The cash payments received by the National Health Service from overseas visitors are also published annually in the consolidated NHS provider accounts. The information for the last three years is available at the following links:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6745b836e7cf64050b8098c4/consolidated-nhs-provider-accounts_annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024_print-ready.pdf (page 79)

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/676150ef26a2d1ff18253415/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-2024-web-accessible.pdf (page 284)

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65b2a4fc5f8ce2000d3ae544/consolidated-provider-accounts-2022-to-2023-print.pdf (page 74)

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65b236c81702b10013cb1289/DHSC-Annual-report-and-accounts-2022-2023-web-accessible.pdf (page 275)

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/consolidated-provider-accounts-21-22-final.pdf (page 66)

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63e50dc0d3bf7f05c8e947a8/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2021-2022_web-accessible.pdf (page 319)

NHS charges can be recovered up to six years from the date of invoice, and therefore the amount recovered in a year does not necessarily mean it was identified in the same financial year.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of community dementia services in England. \p Stephen Kinnock: The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

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 Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia, and will set national standards for dementia care and redirect National Health Service priorities to provide the best possible care and support.
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Sarah Olney:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will commission an independent national review into the use of allocation tools in Children’s Continuing Care, with recommendations on legality, safeguarding and transparency, and lay the report before Parliament. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to ensuring that all children, including those with complex health needs, receive appropriate care and support whenever and wherever they need it.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of services to meet the varied needs of their local populations, including for children’s continuing care. It is for ICBs to judge the appropriateness of using allocation tools in their local context. ICBs should also ensure that any use is in line with regulatory and privacy obligations and with the principles of the National Framework for Children and Young People’s Continuing Care. The framework, published by the Department, provides guidance to support ICBs and local authorities to assess and agree support for children whose needs cannot be met through existing universal or specialist services.

For these reasons, there are no plans to commission an independent national review at this time.
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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the lack of female-form CPR mannequins on survival rates for women experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is continuing to take action to increase cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) awareness and training, including NHS England leading sessions on first aid, CPR, and the use of defibrillators both in the community and in schools, under the Restart a Heart programme. This training should help to increase confidence in performing CPR on women.

NHS England has trained over 35,800 adults and children in CPR and defibrillation in the last 13 years, and 2,134 this year so far. NHS England delivers the sessions via their resuscitation team and via their community first responders.
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Sarah Pochin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the soft drinks industry levy on reducing obesity and related illnesses. \p Ashley Dalton: Government data shows that sugar levels in drinks in scope of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) reduced by 47% between 2015 and 2024, removing approximately 57,000 tonnes of sugar from these drinks. This has had benefits across all socio-economic groups.

The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS), an ongoing Government-funded survey of food consumption and nutrient status in the United Kingdom, shows that sugar intakes of older children and adolescents reduced between 2014 and 2019, and the amount of sugar coming from soft drinks reduced.

Academic modelling papers suggest that the following benefits may have been realised as a result of the reductions in sugar seen in drinks in scope of the SDIL:
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the long-term (a) health, (b) educational and (c) social outcomes of individuals born with cleft palate syndrome; and what steps his Department is taking to monitor these outcomes. \p Ashley Dalton: The Cleft Registry and Audit Network (CRANE) is a national register and clinical audit funded by NHS England to evaluate and report on the delivery of cleft services to children born with a cleft lip and/or palate in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. The 2024 Annual Report states that cleft lip and/or palate is a common condition, affecting one in 660 births and between 2021 and 2023, as 2,609 children were registered on CRANE, which is approximately 870 per year.

As part of their development activities, CRANE has previously linked with national educational data in England and found that attainment gaps exist between those with a cleft and the general population.

The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), is currently funding a £2 million study to improve outcomes for individuals with cleft lip and/or palate by addressing variation in unmet needs.

This study aims to understand, and subsequently develop a tool to help address, the clinical, psychosocial, educational, and patient-reported needs of young adults with cleft lip and/or palate when they move from child to adult health services.

The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including cleft palate.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to NHS dental services for disabled patients in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire. \p Stephen Kinnock: Integrated care boards are responsible for assessing the needs of their population and ensuring that the relevant dental services are available.

We recognise that certain groups of patients may find it difficult to access dental care. Community dental services are available to people whose additional needs may mean they are not able to be treated at high street dental practices. Under the Equality Act 2010, health and care organisations, including dental practices, have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments in their approach and provision to ensure that services are as accessible to disabled patients as they are for everybody else.
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Danny Beales:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of eye care services. \p Stephen Kinnock: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary and secondary eye care services to meet local need. We are not aware of any issues with the availability of sight testing services. The decision to commission enhanced eye care services will be determined by local ICBs following a local needs assessment.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of closer NHS and social care integration on reducing the time taken for hospital discharges in West Dorset constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 December 2025 to Question 95574.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to ensure women’s health hubs and community diagnostic centres are utilised to support earlier diagnosis of gynaecological cancers, including ovarian cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: Reducing the number of lives lost to cancer in England, including ovarian cancer, is a key aim of the National Cancer Plan which will be published in the new year. The plan will set out in further detail how the Government will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including ovarian cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.

The Government knows that many ovarian cancer patients are still left waiting too long for a diagnosis and treatment and so will push to get the National Health Service diagnosing and treating it faster, so that more patients survive the disease and have an improved experience across the system. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and modernisation efforts needed to return to the 18-week constitutional standard by the end of this Parliament. The plan commits to transforming and expanding diagnostic services and speeding up waiting times for tests, a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the referral to treatment 18-week standard. This includes expanding existing community diagnostic centres (CDCs), as well as building up to five new ones in 2025/26, to support the NHS to return to meeting the elective waiting time constitutional standard. The plan also commits to CDCs opening 12 hours per day, seven days a week, delivering more same-day tests and consultations and an expanded range of tests, many of which can support the diagnosis of gynaecological cancers, including ovarian cancer.

To support early diagnosis, NHS England is taking a wide range of activity to increase awareness of ovarian cancer. NHS England relaunched the Help Us Help You cancer campaign on the 8 January 2024, to encourage people to get in touch with their general practitioner if they notice, or are worried about, symptoms that could be cancer. Previous phases of the campaign have focused on abdominal symptoms which, among other abdominal cancers, can be indicative of 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. This information can be found at sources including the NHS website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/
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Bob Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the forthcoming testing regime for vaping products will require imported liquids to undergo the same emissions and ingredient analysis as UK-made liquids before being placed on the UK market. \p Ashley Dalton: Powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill allow us to establish a new product registration scheme for tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products, including testing requirements.

On 8 October 2025, we published a call for evidence on a number of topics related to tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products, including the proposal to introduce a new product registration scheme. The evidence gathered will inform development of policy and a subsequent consultation next year.

Any new testing requirements introduced following consultation will apply to products produced in the United Kingdom and those imported into the UK.
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Bob Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will publish a timetable for introducing product-verification checks under the new vape registration scheme, in order to assist Trading Standards in identifying non-compliant high-capacity devices at point of sale. \p Ashley Dalton: Powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill allow us to establish a new product registration scheme for tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products. On 8 October 2025, we published a call for evidence on a number of topics related to tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products. This includes the proposal to introduce a new product registration scheme.

In the call for evidence, we are seeking information on how best to implement the registration scheme. The evidence gathered will inform development of policy and a subsequent consultation next year.
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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve recruitment and training of specialists in Ehlers-Danlos syndromes. \p Ashley Dalton: We recognise that doctors can find it challenging to diagnose Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) because of the wide range and variability of symptoms, and that the most common type, hypermobile EDS, currently has no specific genetic test.

Resources such as the Royal College of General Practitioners’ EDS Toolkit, now maintained by Ehlers-Danlos Support UK, are helping general practitioners (GPs) to better recognise, respond to, and manage EDS and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) in primary care. For rarer genetically confirmed types of EDS, NHS England commissions a national diagnostic service for EDS.

A primary goal of the national diagnostic service is to educate referring doctors about the diagnosis, investigation, and management of patients with complex and atypical forms of EDS. While the service focuses on rare types and accepts referrals from secondary and tertiary care, its development of guidelines and educational initiatives also benefit GPs who are on the front line of patient care.

Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we are introducing neighbourhood health centres, and deploying multidisciplinary teams to provide holistic support to people with EDS. Patients will benefit from enhanced NHS App functionality, including My Medicines and My Health, and will be able to self-refer to specialist services where appropriate.

Additionally, the 10-Year Health Plan’s commitments on artificial intelligence will give clinicians advanced tools for faster diagnosis, predictive analytics, and personalised care planning. For people with long-term conditions like EDS, this means earlier interventions, better monitoring of complex needs, and more time for clinicians to focus on patient-centred care rather than administrative tasks. The plan also commits to 95% of people with complex needs to have a personalised care plan by 2027.

The Government will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026. It will set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. By setting out how we will train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs, the 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure that services are more accessible, proactive, and tailored for all patients, including those with EDS.
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Bob Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the level of resources required by the MHRA to implement the new registration and testing regime for vaping products established under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. \p Ashley Dalton: No assessment has yet been made as the registration scheme is still in the early stages of policy development. On 8 October 2025, we published a call for evidence on a number of topics related to tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, including the proposal to introduce a new product registration scheme.

However, given the nature of vaping products, which are not healthcare products, officials from the Department and the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) are considering whether OPSS would be better placed to oversee the future register. The Department and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency will continue to be responsible for the current notification systems until further notice.

Powers in the bill will allow us to charge a fee for the ongoing and continuous registration of products. Exact details on fees, as well as the future registration scheme, will be subject to future consultation.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support patients with overlapping conditions such as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Long Covid, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder, Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS), and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS). \p Ashley Dalton: The Department recognises the complex needs of people living with overlapping conditions such as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), long COVID, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, hypermobility spectrum disorders, postural tachycardia syndrome, and mast cell activation syndrome. Our approach focuses on improving care coordination and access to appropriate services.

For ME/CFS, we have published a cross-government final delivery plan, which sets out actions to boost research, improve professional education, and enhance support for daily living, including community-based services and better benefit assessments. While the plan is specific to ME/CFS, it acknowledges overlaps with other complex, multi-system disorders and commits to exploring synergies during implementation.

Additionally, the 10-Year Health Plan aims to transform services and outcomes for people living with complex conditions by prioritising integrated, personalised care. The plan focuses on earlier diagnosis and promotes multidisciplinary teams and community-based services to deliver coordinated support closer to home, reducing reliance on hospital care. Digital innovations, including remote monitoring and personalised care planning, will help manage long-term conditions more effectively. The Plan also commits to 95% of people with complex needs to have a personalised care plan by 2027. Personalised care plans will improve support for people with complex needs by ensuring that care is tailored to the individual and coordinated across services.

In addition, research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research into post-viral syndromes and autonomic disorders will help improve understanding autonomic dysfunction and overlapping conditions, accelerate innovation and deliver evidence-based care for patients with complex, multi-system health needs.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many sexual assaults there were in NHS hospitals by staff by the nationality of the assailant in each of the last ten years. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to tackling the appalling crimes of rape and sexual assault. NHS England has introduced a comprehensive package of measures to improve sexual safety across the National Health Service. NHS England has made tackling sexual misconduct in the NHS a priority, with all trusts and integrated care boards (ICBs) now signed up to the Sexual Safety Charter for the NHS.

NHS England is investing in improving the collection and analysis of sexual violence data to support organisations to implement policies that reduce incidents of sexual misconduct in the NHS. NHS providers have a mandatory duty to notify the Care Quality Commission (CQC) of all incidents that affect the health, safety, and welfare of people who use services, including allegations of sexual assault. The provider must also notify the police if a crime has been committed. The CQC uses the information to monitor the safety of services and to ensure that providers have dealt with incidents appropriately. The CQC publishes reports about the services they inspect on their website.

Data relating to sexual assault in NHS hospitals is currently held at NHS trust level. Local police forces hold data where there has been a report to the police of sexual assault. For assaults on NHS staff, the NHS Staff Survey now includes questions about staff experiences of sexual misconduct. Results from the 2024 staff survey show 3.66% experienced unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature from colleagues.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will provide guidance, resources, and risk assessment tools to general practitioners to support discussions with patients eligible for targeted prostate cancer screening. \p Ashley Dalton: My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will consider the final recommendation of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) on screening for prostate cancer when it is received. At that point, he will make a decision on implementation, including any resources that may be required for general practitioners and other healthcare professionals to support his decision.

It is anticipated that the final recommendation will be provided in early 2026 after the conclusion of a 12 week consultation which opened on 28 November 2025. This seeks views on an evidence review and a draft recommendation to:
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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve public confidence in performing CPR on women experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England runs training sessions on first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and the use of defibrillators both in the community and in schools, under the Restart a Heart programme. This training should help to increase confidence in performing CPR on women. NHS England has trained over 35,800 adults and children in CPR and defibrillation in the last 13 years, and 2,134 this year so far. NHS England delivers the sessions via their resuscitation team and via their community first responders.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-11 conversation_69

Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of piloting a national early-detection scheme for Type 1 Diabetes, in the context of seeking to deliver long-term savings and reducing unplanned hospital admissions. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England has published a RightCare toolkit which sets out what good quality diabetes care looks like for children and young adults and which includes guidance on timely and accurate diagnosis.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment, and care of children and young people with type 1 diabetes.

Through our National Institute for Health and Care Research, we have supported the establishment of the Early Surveillance for Autoimmune diabetes, or the “ELSA” study. This study is exploring the feasibility and benefits of screening for type 1 diabetes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-11 conversation_70

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has assessed the potential impact of annual funding cycles for the Nursery Milk Scheme on suppliers and delivery partners. \p Ashley Dalton: The Nursery Milk Scheme is a statutory scheme which allows registered early years childcare settings to claim one-third of a pint of milk for all children under the age of five years old who attend the setting for at least two hours per day. The statutory nature of the scheme means that it is not impacted by annual funding discussions, and these discussions therefore have no impact on the childcare settings who use the scheme, or on the suppliers who supply them.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-11 conversation_71

Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the patterns of social engagement by young men about issues concerning (a) anabolic steroids and (b) image and performance enhancing drugs are captured as part of improving men's health literacy. \p Ashley Dalton: On 19 November 2025, to coincide with International Men’s Health Day, we published the first ever Men’s Health Strategy for England. The strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community, and family networks, and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention, respiratory illness, prostate cancer, and heart disease.

We are taking a range of actions to improve men’s health literacy. For example, our landmark partnership with the Premier League will bring together football clubs and the Government to improve health literacy, particularly around mental health and suicide prevention. We are also ensuring health literacy improvements are embedded at the community level, building the evidence base on heath literacy in men, and identifying ways to build media literacy skills in men to help them critically assess health information and protect against misinformation that harms health.

We will consider the impacts on young men in the implementation of the strategy. The strategy sets up a strong foundation for improving how we think and act on men's health and we will learn, iterate, and adapt as new challenges emerge. As a first step, we will work with the Men's Health Academic Network and the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector to develop and publish a one-year-on report, highlighting the improvements made and where future efforts will need to be targeted.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-11 conversation_72

Bob Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance he plans to issue to local Trading Standards teams on identifying high-capacity non-compliant disposable vapes under the powers created by the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. \p Ashley Dalton: It has been illegal for businesses to sell or supply single-use vapes since 1 June 2025. The Government is investing £10 million of new funding in Trading Standards in 2025/26, to support the enforcement of illicit and underage tobacco and vape sales. As part of this package, we have provided training to over 760 Trading Standards officers on the single-use vapes ban, ensuring they have a strong understanding of the regulations and are confident in enforcing them.

Through this programme, we are also funding the Vaping Expert Panel, which provides guidance to Trading Standards officers on vaping products to support the consistent enforcement of regulations. The panel has published 20 pieces of guidance, and Trading Standards officers are able to contact the panel if they would like further clarification or advice.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-11 conversation_73

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2025 to Question 93572, what steps he is taking to protect NHS staff from second hand vape. \p Ashley Dalton: National Health Service trusts have a duty of care to both staff and patients, as outlined in the NHS constitution, to ensure a safe working and care environment.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will also give the Government powers to make public places and workplaces that are smoke-free also vape-free. This includes National Health Service settings. Many places already have voluntary vape-free restrictions in place. Exactly which settings should become vape-free, along with the scope and detail of the regulations, will be a matter for secondary legislation and will be subject to a consultation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-11 conversation_74

Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve continuity of care for people with drug treatment needs on release from prison, including ensuring effective links between prison and community drug treatment services. \p Ashley Dalton: Everyone who has drug and/or alcohol treatment needs is assessed in prison and offered a referral to a treatment or recovery service on release. The Department works closely with national partners and with local authorities to improve continuity of care between prison and community drug and alcohol treatment systems. To support this, the Department has published a continuity of care self-assessment toolkit, and shares actionable data and good practice with drug and alcohol partnerships on a regular basis. The continuity of care self-assessment toolkit is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/continuity-of-care-from-prison-to-community-self-assessment-tool

This work has enabled more people than ever to receive the treatment they need following their release from prison. The proportion of adults released from prison and successfully starting community treatment within three weeks of release was 53% in 2023 to 2024. This is a 10% increase from the proportion reported in 2022 to 2023, at 43%, and is 23% higher than when this data was first reported in 2015 to 2016, at 30%.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-11 conversation_75

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help increase uptake of the HPV vaccine. \p Ashley Dalton: Uptake rates in England remain high by international standards but adolescent vaccine coverage for human papillomavirus (HPV) has fallen since the COVID-19 pandemic, although evidence suggests coverage trends have stabilised more recently. National Health Service commissioned School Aged Immunisation Service providers have robust catch-up plans in place for the adolescent vaccination programme. There are established approaches to offering catch-up vaccination, and further work is underway to explore options for strengthening the catch-up offer. Currently, those who miss out on vaccination via the school-based offer can catch-up via the general practice (GP) HPV campaign, which went live from July 2025. GPs have been asked to invite unvaccinated individuals aged 16 to 24 years old for their HPV vaccine as a requirement of the GP Contract. The campaign runs until 31 March 2026, with girls remaining eligible until they are 25 years old, as do boys born after 1 September 2006.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes and provides a range of supporting materials to health professionals on both the 12- and 13-year-old HPV offer and the vaccine programme for those at higher risk. For example, further information on the HPV vaccination programme over all and the HPV vaccination programme for men who have sex with men is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hpv-vaccination-programme

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hpv-vaccination-for-men-who-have-sex-with-men-msm-programme#resources

The UKHSA also works closely with charities and academics to develop resources that can be used to raise awareness of HPV and the importance of vaccination, including for boys.

NHS England, in conjunction with regional colleagues, has produced an HPV vaccination school-aged immunisation improvement and uptake plan for internal operational NHS use, as part of their commitment to improving vaccine coverage.

In addition, NHS England has improved digital communications on vaccinations, including expanding the NHS App, and has improved access to the HPV vaccine outside of schools through community clinics at convenient times and locations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-11 conversation_76

Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer to Question 85849 on Mechanical Thrombectomy: Health Services, what estimate he has made of the time taken for a patient to be transferred from the referring centre to a hospital offering thrombectomy services after the decision to accept the patient for care. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Stroke Service Model and the National Service Model for an Integrated Community Stroke Service set out an evidenced based pathway for joined-up stroke care throughout the patient journey. The service model sets out that all acute stroke patients should have rapid access to a stroke unit within four hours and receive an early multidisciplinary assessment.

The Department does not hold information on transfer times to thrombectomy units in the format requested. The proportion of patients that had access to a stroke unit within four hours has risen to 51.3%, from 47.7% in 2024.

Presently there are 24 Comprehensive Stroke Centres offering mechanical thrombectomy services in the NHS in England, covering six out of the seven NHS regions. NHS England has committed that all NHS regions in England will have access to 24/7 mechanical thrombectomy by April 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-11 conversation_77

Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will introduce a national screening programme for prostate cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), that advises ministers in all four nations of the United Kingdom, has carried out an evidence review to look at screening for prostate cancer. It is only where the UK NSC is confident that screening provides more good than harm that a screening programme is recommended.

On 28 November 2025, the UK NSC opened a 12- week public consultation on a draft recommendation to:

After the consultation closes, in early 2026, the UK NSC will make a final recommendation on screening for prostate cancer. Ministers will consider whether to accept the recommendation at this time.