theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, how clinical negligence cases involving mistakes by surgical robots will be handled. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England.

The bulk of NHSR’s workload is handling negligence claims on behalf of the members of their indemnity schemes. One of the indemnity schemes is the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST). CNST handles all clinical negligence claims against member NHS bodies where the incident in question took place on or after 1 April 1995.

The scheme covers all clinical negligence claims arising from the diagnosis, care, or treatment of patients by the Member, rather than specifying particular procedures.

In every claim pursued, NHSR assesses whether their member has been negligent in treating the patient. This will include an assessment of whether any technology employed to assist the treatment has been used appropriately.

It is important to note that surgical robots are not in anyway autonomous and are used as a surgical instrument by a qualified surgeon. This Government is setting a target of 500,000 robotic surgical operations by 2035 where the evidence supports it, in terms of faster recovery and reduced complications for patients.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

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Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question 58827 on Trandolapril, for what reason does Trandolapril continue to be unavailable to patients. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Trandolapril capsules are supplied by two suppliers in the United Kingdom, who are both continuing to experience manufacturing issues. We are unable to confirm a resupply date currently due to these ongoing issues. The Department has issued comprehensive management plans to the National Health Service, which we continue to review. These include advice on alternatives, and how to manage affected patients.
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Sir Ashley Fox:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6874 on Brain: Diseases, whether his Department plans to update the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on the recognition and referral of suspected neurological conditions. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for making decisions on whether its published guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence or emerging issues not in the scope of the original guideline.

NICE has no plans to review or update its guideline on Suspected neurological conditions: recognition and referral, code NG127, at this time.

NICE maintains surveillance of new evidence that may affect its published guidance and would consult on any proposed changes with a wide range of stakeholders if significant new evidence was to emerge.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

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Lizzi Collinge:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered adjusting prescription charges for partial emergency supplies of medication. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: There are currently no plans to adjust the prescription charge for emergency supplies of medicines. Under the Urgent Medicine Supply (UMS) element of the National Health Service Pharmacy First Service, NHS 111 can refer patients to a pharmacy to obtain an emergency supply of a medicine they regularly receive. Patients who receive an urgent supply under the UMS will be charged their usual prescription fee if they are not exempt. Where an emergency supply is made outside of the UMS, it is for the pharmacy to charge as they think is appropriate given that they will not be reimbursed by the NHS, as the medicine was not dispensed against an NHS prescription.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

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Ian Sollom:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure equitable access to genetic testing for people with motor neurone disease. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS). Testing is directed by the National Genomic Test Directory, which sets out the eligibility criteria for patients to access testing.

Genomic testing for adult-onset neurodegenerative disorders is included in the Test Directory under specific clinical scenarios including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the most common type of motor neurone disease. The Test Directory is routinely reviewed to ensure that genomic testing continues to be available for all patients for whom it would be of clinical benefit, while delivering value for money for the NHS. The directory and associated supporting material are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-genomic-test-directory-supporting-material/

The strategic and systematic embedding of genomic medicine in end-to-end clinical pathways and clinical specialities is supported by a network of seven regional NHS GMS Alliances, which play an important role in achieving equitable access to standardised end-to-end pathways of care, including genomic testing, clinical genetics, and genetic counselling services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many non-pandemic human vaccines have been licensed in the UK in the last 10 years that involved the use of beagles from MBR Acres; how many of those vaccines were later withdrawn or had contraindications added; and what contribution was made by the data from those beagles. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Answering this question would require Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) staff to go through a vast volume of data manually spanning 10 years. This is because the information is not held in such a way to be able to filter electronically by the requested category.

The Guide to Parliamentary Work sets out that there is an advisory cost limit known as the disproportionate cost threshold which is the level above which departments can decide not to answer a written question. The current disproportionate cost threshold is £850.

The Guide to Parliamentary Work is published online and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work
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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will ensure that people with (a) severe multiple disadvantage and (b) other rare conditions are included in the (i) design and (ii) delivery of services after the proposed abolition of local Healthwatch organisations. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Dr Dash’s report on patient safety across the health and care landscape was published in July 2025. The review recommends bringing together the work of local Healthwatch organisations with the engagement functions of integrated care boards and providers to ensure patient and wider community input into the planning and design of services.

These changes will improve quality, including safety, by making it clear where responsibility and accountability sit at all levels of the system. The changes will make it easier for staff, patients and service users, including those with severe multiple disadvantage and other rare conditions, to feed directly into the system to improve quality of care. We believe that patients and users will have a stronger voice once it is heard inside the system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 72364 on Electronic Patient Records, what level on the HIMMS scale will Hinchingbrooke Hospital be required to achieve before completion as part of the New Hospital Programme. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The New Hospital Programme (NHP) and the Frontline Productivity Programmes do not use the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) grading system. When frontline digitisation began, it was broadly looking to align capabilities of new electronic patient record (EPR) systems to HIMSS level 5, out of 7, but this is only a broad correlation.

Hinchingbrooke Hospital is part of North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which is currently part way through the business case process for a new EPR. Hinchingbrooke has also recently submitted its strategic outline case for their new hospital as part of the New Hospitals Programme, which is due for consideration this month.

The level of digital maturity that is required of hospitals in the NHP has been carefully assessed. All NHP sites will be required to deliver core capabilities in their digital systems which will enable the new hospitals to deliver modern, digitally enabled care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether funding will be ringfenced for independent patient advocacy and engagement services at local level after the proposed abolition of local Healthwatch. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Funding for independent patient advocacy and funding for local Healthwatch is currently not ring-fenced, and the Department has no plans to introduce a ring fence in future years.

The abolition of local Healthwatch arrangements, and transfer of their functions to integrated care boards for health, and local authorities for social care, will require primary legislation. The timing of this is subject to the will of Parliament and will happen when Parliamentary time allows.

Funding considerations will be undertaken after legislation has received parliamentary approval.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provisions in place to make NHS healthcare accessible to people who are (a) deaf or (b) have hearing loss; and whether he plans to improve these provisions. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services to meet the needs of their local population, including deaf people and people who have hearing loss.

Under the Equality Act (2010), health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged.

NHS England are rolling out a Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag which enables the recording of key information about a patient and their adjustment needs, to ensure support can be tailored appropriately.

Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of people with a disability, impairment or sensory loss.

On 30 June 2025, NHS England published a revised AIS. NHS England is working to support implementation of the AIS with awareness raising, communication and engagement, and a review of the current e-learning modules on the AIS. The intention is to ensure that staff and organisations in the NHS are aware of the AIS and the importance of meeting the information and communication needs of disabled people using NHS services.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on (a) the suitability of country-level forecasts of supply needs for medicines up to three years in advance and (b) the steps needed to reduce medicine shortages from unexpected rises in demand including for (i) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and (ii) hormone replacement therapy. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: Given the inherent global nature of medical supply chains, international collaboration is key to strengthening supply resilience. The United Kingdom is committed to working with international partners to enhance the resilience and security of medical supply chains. We regularly engage with international partners, bilaterally and multilaterally, to exchange information on approaches to strengthen medical supply chains including approaches to manage and reduce shortages.

The Department and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) both participate in the Drug Shortages Global Regulatory Working Group, an international forum of medicine regulatory authorities from the UK alongside Australia, Canada, Japan, the United States and the European Medicines Agency, with the World Health Organisation as an observer. Information is shared about shortages of medicines with a global impact, including medicines used for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and actions are taken to prevent, monitor and mitigate their impact.

While we cannot always prevent supply issues from occurring, we have a range of well-established processes and tools to manage them when they arise and mitigate risks to patients. We continue to work closely with suppliers and other stakeholders such as the National Health Service and MHRA to maintain supply of medicines used for ADHD and Hormone Replacement Treatment (HRT) across the UK during any shortages. This includes working to expedite resupply dates of the disrupted products to resolve issues as soon as possible and engaging with new suppliers of medicines to increase supply capacity and resilience, to help fill supply gaps and prevent future shortages. As a result of intensive work, the supply issues affecting medicines used for ADHD and HRT are now largely resolved.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

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Jonathan Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve access to Padcev for (a) patients who have undergone chemotherapy and (b) all patients. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service in England on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded for eligible patients based on an assessment of the evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness.

NICE issued guidance that recommends enfortumab vedotin (Padcev) with pembrolizumab (Keytruda), within its marketing authorisation, as an option for untreated unresectable or metastatic urothelial cancer in adults when platinum-based chemotherapy is suitable. It is now available for NHS patients in line with NICE’s recommendations. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta1097/chapter/1-Recommendation

NICE was unable to make recommendations on the use of Padcev in the treatment of people who have previously undergone chemotherapy as the manufacturing company, Astellas, did not provide an evidence submission. Astellas has confirmed that there is unlikely to be enough evidence that the technology is a cost-effective use of NHS resources in this population. NICE will review the position if the company decides that it wants to make an evidence submission.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the robustness of protections for patient advocates' (a) personal care interactions with NHS services and (b) their advocacy for patients. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: For people who find it difficult to understand their care or find it hard to speak up, ‘Someone to speak up for you advocates’ are available to act as a spokesperson for them. They can help with a wide range of support needs, including understanding the care and support process, helping with decisions and standing up for a patient’s rights. People can access this support through their local council.

Advocacy support is also available for anyone who wants to make a complaint about the National Health Service. Local authorities have a legal obligation to provide an Independent Complaints Advocacy Service to support people who are making or thinking about making a complaint. An NHS complaints advocate can provide support at any stage of the complaints process. The Government is providing approximately £15 million of grant funding to local authorities this year towards this service.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of sarcoma. \p Ashley Dalton: NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns in England to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and to address the barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers, including sarcoma, at an earlier point.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how the Department will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. Having consulted with key stakeholders and patient groups, the plan will be published early in the new year. It will ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. The plan will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, to improve the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer, including sarcoma.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

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Greg Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people (a) living with and (b) beyond cancer receive (i) timely and (ii) personalised support following a cancer diagnosis in Mid Buckinghamshire constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department is committed to ensuring that all cancer patients in England, including those in Mid Buckinghamshire constituency, receive timely, personalised care that is tailored to individual needs.

Where appropriate, every person in England diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including needs assessment, a care plan and health and wellbeing information and support. This includes provision of information, empowering people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer. Personalised care ensures that each person’s care is planned holistically, covering mental and physical health as well as any practical or financial concerns.

The National Cancer Plan will seek to improve the experience and outcomes for people living with cancer. Having consulted with key stakeholders and patient groups, the plan will be published early in the new year. It will look at how we can improve communication and coordination for patients, so that they feel informed and in control of their care.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the current average waiting time is from referral to treatment for prostate cancer patients in each NHS trust. \p Ashley Dalton: We recognise that there is more to be done to ensure that patients have timely access to diagnosis and treatment, and we remain committed to diagnosing all cancer types earlier, including prostate cancer.

The Government has invested £16 million towards the Prostate Cancer UK-led TRANSFORM screening trial, which is seeking to find ways to catch prostate cancer in men as early as possible.

The Department will publish a National Cancer Plan which will include details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients in England, speed up diagnosis and treatment, and ensure patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. Having consulted with key stakeholders and patient groups, the plan will be published early in the new year.

Information on the current average waiting time from referral to treatment for prostate cancer in each National Health Service trust is not held centrally. However, we do publish data on the number of people receiving treatment for cancer, broken down by cancer type and including prostate cancer, compared to the 62-day standard. This data is published monthly, and a copy of the latest publication is attached.

PQ81512, PQ81511 - Table (xlsx, 1280.9KB)
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Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77309 on Cancer, when the Cancer Operational Taskforce was established; what its remit is; who the members of the Taskforce are; and who it reports to. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department does not hold the information requested as the Cancer Operational Taskforce is a local initiative.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how the National Health Service will improve care for cancer patients in all parts of England. Having consulted with key stakeholders and patient groups, the plan will be published early in the new year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve NHS public health messaging to ensure that women understand the difference between (a) cervical and (b) ovarian cancer symptoms in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department recognises that many cancer patients are still left waiting too long for diagnosis and treatment, including for ovarian cancer. The Government will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more patients survive and have an improved experience across the system, including in Surrey Heath.

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

There is currently no screening programme for ovarian cancer. In June 2016, the UK National Screening Committee recommended not to introduce a national screening programme for ovarian cancer. This is because there is not a test that reliably picks up ovarian cancer at an early stage.

However, NHS England is taking a wide range of activity to increase early diagnosis of ovarian cancer. NHS England relaunched the Help Us Help You cancer campaign in January 2024, to encourage people to get in touch with their general practitioner if they notice symptoms that could be cancer. Previous phases of the campaign have focused on abdominal symptoms which, among other abdominal cancers, can indicate ovarian cancer.

NHS England and other NHS organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including ovarian cancer. This information outlines the differences between cervical cancer and ovarian cancer, and can be found on the NHS.UK website, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/

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

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how the NHS will improve care for cancer patients, including those with ovarian cancer in Surrey Heath. Having consulted with key stakeholders and patient groups, the plan will be published early in the new year.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people aged between 18 and 25 have epilepsy. \p Ashley Dalton: This information is not held in the format requested. However, the following table shows a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) and distinct patients where there is a primary diagnosis, or any diagnosis, of epilepsy, where the patient was aged 18 to 25 years old on admission, in 2024/25, in English National Health Service hospitals:

Primary diagnosis

Any diagnosis

Year

Admissions

Patients

Admissions

Patients

2024/25

3,717

2,708

18,409

9,839

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England

Notes:

Please be aware that this data does not represent the total number of people aged between 18 and 25 years old who have a diagnosis of epilepsy. This data only represents the number of patients aged between 18 and 25 years old with epilepsy who required hospital admission in 2024/25. The data presented here will, therefore, only represent a small proportion of the total number of people aged between 18 and 25 years old who have a diagnosis of epilepsy.
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Sammy Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential enforcement challenges associated with implementing the proposed generational smoking ban in Northern Ireland. \p Ashley Dalton: Measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will strengthen enforcement and will help to ensure the successful implementation of the smoke-free generation policy. Age of sale restrictions for tobacco products are already in place in Northern Ireland, with enforcement led by district councils. The Department of Health in Northern Ireland, through the Public Health Agency, funds tobacco control officers to conduct test purchases and support retailer compliance. These arrangements are expected to continue under the new legislative framework and will include additional products. The Department of Health in Northern Ireland is working closely with councils in preparation for implementation of the smoke-free generation policy on 1 January 2027.

The bill also gives ministers in Northern Ireland the ability to introduce a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products. This will strengthen enforcement, support legitimate businesses, and crack down on rogue retailers who breach the law. Once implemented, this will replace the existing retailer register for tobacco products in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Assembly provided its legislative consent for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill on 10 February 2025.
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Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people who are on NHS waiting lists for radiotherapy in South Cumbria. \p Ashley Dalton: We do not routinely publish data on current waiting list levels broken down to the level of specific treatment types, and so we cannot provide an estimate of the number of people who are on National Health Service waiting lists for radiotherapy in South Cumbria.

However, the Government is aware that patients in all parts of the country, including South Cumbria, can be waiting too long for their treatment. That is why the Government is taking decisive action to get the NHS diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster.

We have invested £70 million in replacing outdated radiotherapy machines across the NHS with cutting-edge technology that will speed up treatment for thousands of patients. These new machines are being rolled out across the country.
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Darren Paffey:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on the potential impact (a) emerging diagnostic technologies and (b) breath testing on (i) detection and (ii) survival rates for people for pancreatic cancer. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department has not had discussions with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on this topic, however we remain committed to improving survival rates for people with all cancers including pancreatic cancer.

The National Cancer Plan for England will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for 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.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the information available on the NHS website for patients with Ehlers Danlos syndromes. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Health Service website offers comprehensive information to the public on Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS), covering the symptoms, types, diagnosis, treatment, and how it is inherited. This includes detailed descriptions for the most common type, hypermobile EDS, as well as more serious but rarer types like vascular EDS. It also links to external sources of advice, like Ehlers-Danlos Support UK and the Hypermobility Syndromes Association, to provide a wider range of detailed, expert information.
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Laura Kyrke-Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will take steps to extend the eligibility criteria for the covid-19 booster vaccination for winter to include those who are clinically vulnerable in winter 2025-26. \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 primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious illness, involving hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19. Population immunity to COVID-19 has been increasing due to a combination of naturally acquired immunity following recovery from infection and vaccine-derived immunity. COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for most people, though it can still be unpleasant, with rates of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 having reduced significantly since COVID-19 first emerged.

The focus of the JCVI’s advised programme has therefore moved towards targeted vaccination of the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality. These are the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed.

On 13 November 2024, JCVI published advice on who should be offered vaccination in autumn 2025. On 26 June 2025, the Government accepted the JCVI’s advice, and in line with that advice, in autumn 2025, a COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to the following groups:

The Government has no plans to change eligibility for autumn 2025. It has accepted the JCVI’s advice for this campaign in full. As for all vaccines, the JCVI keeps the evidence under regular review.
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Danny Beales:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the full roll-out of the non-specific symptom pathways is being measured; and how their development has included the less survivable cancers. \p Ashley Dalton: Since 2019, NHS England and cancer alliances have been developing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with vague and non-site-specific symptoms which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Full roll out of NSS pathways has been achieved with 115 live NSS pathways across England. This is particularly relevant to less survivable cancers which are often diagnosed at a later stage due to their non-specific symptoms.

Trusts and providers are working to achieve the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS), which ensures patients are diagnosed or have cancer ruled out within 28 days of being urgently referred. NSS pathways should support patients until they are diagnosed and referred onward or their symptoms resolve, aligning with the FDS, and providers of NSS pathways should ensure patient administration systems can capture and report the NSS referral and any subsequent diagnosis.

Additionally, best practiced timed pathways to support the FDS are being developed for all suspected cancer pathways, including NSS pathways.
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Robin Swann:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of adding (a) 1,000, (b) 1,500 and (c) 2,000 additional GPs to the professional indemnity insurance cover provided by Government. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The state indemnity scheme, Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice, which is administered by NHS Resolution, already covers all clinical negligence liabilities arising in general practice under National Health Service contracts. More information on the scheme is available at the following link:

https://resolution.nhs.uk/services/claims-management/clinical-schemes/general-practice-indemnity/clinical-negligence-scheme-for-general-practice/

We do not hold an estimate of the potential impact of these additional general practitioners on claims volume and provision.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has issued guidance to integrated care boards on protecting frontline public health services. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England has issued guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) on their public health functions, for instance the guidance Delivering a quality public health function in integrated care boards, which is available at the following link:

Delivering-a-quality-public-health-function-in-integrated-care-boards-October-2022.pdf.

More recently, NHS England issued a Model Integrated Care Board Blueprint in May 2025, suggesting the functions needed for ICBs to fulfil their roles as strategic commissioners. This included ICBs providing system leadership for population health.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_136

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 34 of his Department's policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, what the outcome will be if a patient needs to spend more than their Personal Health Budget on care. \p Karin Smyth: Personal health budget holders should have regular contact with their local integrated care board (ICB) so that if their situation changes, including in relation to costs, their personalised care and support plan can be reviewed. A personal health budget review can also be requested at any time by an individual or their local ICB if circumstances have changed.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_137
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_137

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department have taken to (a) improve patient outcomes and (b) reduce waiting times for patients in Essex living with prostate cancer. \p Karin Smyth: To improve outcomes for patients with prostate cancer, including in Essex, NHS England has introduced a best-practice timed pathway for prostate cancer so that those suspected of prostate cancer receive an MRI scan first, which ensures that only those men most at risk of having cancer undergo an invasive biopsy.

The Government has also invested £16 million towards the Prostate Cancer UK-led TRANSFORM screening trial, which is seeking to find ways to catch prostate cancer in men as early as possible.

The ‘AI in Health and Care Award’ has also been established, which aims to accelerate the testing and development of AI technologies. £113 million has already been allocated to support 86 AI technologies. Three of these projects specifically relate to prostate cancer, one of which is the Paige prostate cancer detection tool, developed by the University of Oxford.

The Department will publish a National Cancer Plan later this year which will include details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across England, reduce waiting times for diagnosis and treatment, and ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_138
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_138

Dr Andrew Murrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department spent on (a) external tenders and (b) contracts for (i) translation and (ii) interpretation services in the NHS in the last 12 months for which information is available. \p Karin Smyth: The Department’s expenditure with external suppliers of translation or interpretation services from 1 October 2024 to 1 October 2025 was £32,442.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_139
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_139

David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the French model for broadband infrastructure pricing. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Department has not made any assessment of the effectiveness of the French model for broadband infrastructure pricing.

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product. We expect the regulator to assess other countries’ regulatory regime as necessary to inform its thinking.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_140
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_140

David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Ofcom’s regulatory framework for Passive Infrastructure Access promotes fair competition between Openreach and alternative network providers in rural areas. \p Kanishka Narayan: As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product. The Department regularly engages with Ofcom and industry stakeholders on these and related issues.

We provide steers to Ofcom through our Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP) for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services. Ofcom must have regard to this when making regulatory decisions, including in the context of the Telecoms Access Review.

In July, we published a consultation on a draft updated SSP that sets out the Government’s view on infrastructure sharing and the key role of competition to promote investment and the fibre roll-out. We are currently reviewing responses to the consultation and will publish our response in due course.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_141
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_141

David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department made of the potential impact of changes to the Passive Infrastructure Access pricing on the (a) efficiency and (b) reach of public investment under Project Gigabit. \p Kanishka Narayan: As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product.

For this reason, while we are engaging with Ofcom on this issue, the Department has not made any formal assessment of the impact of the current PIA pricing structure on the economic viability of rural operators. We have also not made any formal assessment of the merits of a distinct rural pricing model for the PIA product nor have made any assessment of changes to PIA pricing on Project Gigabit.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_142
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_142

Dame Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when her Department plans to publish the Government Digital and AI Roadmap. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Roadmap for a Modern Digital Government will be published this autumn.

The roadmap will outline how the Blueprint for a Modern Digital Government, launched in January 2025, will be delivered, building a modern digital government that makes life easier, drives growth and delivers smarter, more efficient public services.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_143
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_143

Ben Lake:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of reforming physical infrastructure access pricing for Project Gigabit to reduce rural build costs for alternative network operators. \p Kanishka Narayan: As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product.

For this reason, while my officials are engaging with Ofcom on this issue, the Department has not made a formal assessment of the merits of reforming physical infrastructure access pricing for Project Gigabit to reduce rural build costs for alternative network operators.

My officials are regularly engaging with Ofcom to ensure that we have the right regulatory environment in place to promote competition and investment in the fibre roll-out across the UK.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_144
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_144

Barry Gardiner:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with the Advanced Research and Invention Agency on marine geoengineering. \p Kanishka Narayan: As set out in ARIA’s Framework Agreement, ARIA has unique operational freedoms, including over its research and project choice and its procedures. This independence allows ARIA to take bold steps to better understand the world we live in, and the Government supports ARIA exploring critical areas like this.

The government is not in favour of using Solar Radiation Modification. ARIA is an independent research body, and they are conducting cautious, controlled research aimed at improving understanding of its risks and impacts. ARIA are not funding experiments that release toxic materials to the environment. The government supports ARIA’s mission to fund transformational research programmes with long-term benefits.

For further detail on ARIA’s ‘Exploring Climate Cooling’ programme specifically, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer that was provided on 2 May 2025 to Question UIN 47970.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_145
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_145

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish any guidance issued to departments on producing internal Outcome Delivery Plans. \p Josh Simons: As part of this year’s Spending Review, we committed to a new planning and performance framework by the Autumn Budget. This will confirm our approach to how departments should plan and manage performance in the future.
wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_146
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-23 conversation_146

Sarah Olney:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to publish a response to the report by the National Audit Office entitled Investigation into the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, published on 16 June 2025, HC 951. \p Anna Turley: The government does not plan to publish a formal, separate response to the National Audit Office (NAO) report, Investigation into the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, HC 951, published on 16 June 2025. The government has acknowledged and accepted the findings of the report. The report is also being reviewed by the Public Accounts Committee who will provide their recommendations in due course.

It should be noted that the government has taken significant steps to improve both the oversight and enforcement of performance standards in the Civil Service Pension Scheme administration, primarily through the new contract with Capita and enhanced internal controls. Capita has been contracted to assume full administrative responsibilities from 1 December 2025.