Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase access to healthcare services in rural areas.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan has set out a long-term vision to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future. Addressing healthcare inequity is a core focus of the 10-Year Health Plan, to ensure the NHS is there for anyone who needs it whenever they need it.
This includes ending the postcode lottery for cancer patients through introducing new training places targeted at trusts with the biggest workforce gaps, prioritising rural and coastal areas.
There are also a range of adjustments made to integrated care board funding allocations that account for the fact that the costs of providing health care may vary between rural and urban areas. These adjustments specifically support remote or sparsely populated areas.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of vaping devices that (a) contain and (b) can be configured to contain more than the standard 2ml tank capacity through (i) interchangeable and (ii) modular components on public health.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will stop vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately branded, promoted, and advertised to children and provides the Government with new powers to restrict the packaging, device appearance, and display of vapes and other nicotine products to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine.
On 8 October 2025, we launched a Call for Evidence which sought evidence on the size and shape of vapes, vape tanks, and the components of vaping products, including pods, puff-count capacity, and nicotine delivery.
We are now reviewing the responses, and these will help inform decisions around our future regulatory approach once the Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been enacted.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as part of their upcoming Circular Economy Growth Plan, will consider evidence across a range of interventions, including but not limited to the regulation of product features to support increased recyclability.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 15 January to Question 101203, on Latex: Allergies, if he will place a copy of the Expert Advisory Group on Allergy's December 2025 minutes in the House of Commons Library.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Terms of Reference for the Expert Advisory Group on Allergy, which is overseen and supported by external stakeholders, states that the meetings are confidential. Therefore, the meeting minutes are not shared publicly.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support earlier diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes in babies, toddlers and children presenting with symptoms in primary care in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local health commissioners and providers in Surrey are responsible for assessing how existing clinical guidance is being applied across primary care settings.
NHS England is undertaking a review of options for supporting primary care services in the identification of acute onset Type 1 diabetes in babies and children and in doing so will engage with relevant national organisations and partners.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, we will continue to support people living with diabetes, including through the rollout of new wearable technologies such as hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems. The rollout of HCL systems is backed by £107 million in 2026/27 and has been made available to over 23,000 additional people since 2023/24.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the consistency with which existing clinical guidance on Type 1 Diabetes is applied across primary care settings in Surrey.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local health commissioners and providers in Surrey are responsible for assessing how existing clinical guidance is being applied across primary care settings.
NHS England is undertaking a review of options for supporting primary care services in the identification of acute onset Type 1 diabetes in babies and children and in doing so will engage with relevant national organisations and partners.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, we will continue to support people living with diabetes, including through the rollout of new wearable technologies such as hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems. The rollout of HCL systems is backed by £107 million in 2026/27 and has been made available to over 23,000 additional people since 2023/24.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Hitchin)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to develop a national diagnostic and treatment pathway for craniocervical instability.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Craniocervical instability (CCI) is a complex condition managed through existing specialised neurology and spinal pathways. There is currently no single national diagnostic or treatment pathway for CCI and no plan to change that at this time. Instead, care is provided through existing specialised neurology and spinal pathways in centres with the appropriate clinical expertise.
NHS England continues to review emerging clinical evidence through its established specialised commissioning processes. We will continue to monitor developments in this area and work with NHS England to ensure that patients can access the most appropriate care based on the best-available evidence.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure health professionals are adequately trained on the differences between Functional Neurological Disorder and other neurological conditions.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the need to improve awareness and understanding of functional neurological disorder (FND) across the health system.
The Royal College of General Practitioners provides a learning course that includes a dedicated module on recognising and explaining FND, helping general practitioners (GPs) to improve early identification and understanding of the condition. Further support is provided through guidance published by the National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) on suspected neurological conditions: recognition and referral, reference code NG127, which includes detailed recommendations on recognising symptoms commonly present in FND and appropriate referral pathways.
NICE also provides a Clinical Knowledge Summary (CKS) on FND, offering practical, evidence‑based advice on diagnosis and management, supporting clinicians in distinguishing FND from structural or degenerative neurological disease.
FND is also included in a NICE guideline on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders and acquired brain injury, reference code NG252, published in October 2025. This further strengthens the evidence base and ensure clinicians have clear, up‑to‑date guidance on assessment and management within a broader neurological context.
Together, these resources ensure that health professionals, across primary, secondary, and specialist services, have access to robust, evidence‑based tools to support accurate differentiation between FND and other neurological conditions.
GPs are required to undertake continuing professional development to maintain and update their clinical knowledge, and they can access a range of training resources through professional bodies, royal colleges, and National Health Service‑funded education platforms. Decisions about mandatory training requirements are made only where there is a clear and evidence‑based need, and the current approach remains to ensure that GPs have the flexibility to tailor their learning to the needs of their patient populations.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure General Practitioners are sufficiently trained on Functional Neurological Disorder.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the need to improve awareness and understanding of functional neurological disorder (FND) across the health system.
The Royal College of General Practitioners provides a learning course that includes a dedicated module on recognising and explaining FND, helping general practitioners (GPs) to improve early identification and understanding of the condition. Further support is provided through guidance published by the National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) on suspected neurological conditions: recognition and referral, reference code NG127, which includes detailed recommendations on recognising symptoms commonly present in FND and appropriate referral pathways.
NICE also provides a Clinical Knowledge Summary (CKS) on FND, offering practical, evidence‑based advice on diagnosis and management, supporting clinicians in distinguishing FND from structural or degenerative neurological disease.
FND is also included in a NICE guideline on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders and acquired brain injury, reference code NG252, published in October 2025. This further strengthens the evidence base and ensure clinicians have clear, up‑to‑date guidance on assessment and management within a broader neurological context.
Together, these resources ensure that health professionals, across primary, secondary, and specialist services, have access to robust, evidence‑based tools to support accurate differentiation between FND and other neurological conditions.
GPs are required to undertake continuing professional development to maintain and update their clinical knowledge, and they can access a range of training resources through professional bodies, royal colleges, and National Health Service‑funded education platforms. Decisions about mandatory training requirements are made only where there is a clear and evidence‑based need, and the current approach remains to ensure that GPs have the flexibility to tailor their learning to the needs of their patient populations.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make training on Functional Neurological Disorder mandatory for General Practitioners.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the need to improve awareness and understanding of functional neurological disorder (FND) across the health system.
The Royal College of General Practitioners provides a learning course that includes a dedicated module on recognising and explaining FND, helping general practitioners (GPs) to improve early identification and understanding of the condition. Further support is provided through guidance published by the National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) on suspected neurological conditions: recognition and referral, reference code NG127, which includes detailed recommendations on recognising symptoms commonly present in FND and appropriate referral pathways.
NICE also provides a Clinical Knowledge Summary (CKS) on FND, offering practical, evidence‑based advice on diagnosis and management, supporting clinicians in distinguishing FND from structural or degenerative neurological disease.
FND is also included in a NICE guideline on rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders and acquired brain injury, reference code NG252, published in October 2025. This further strengthens the evidence base and ensure clinicians have clear, up‑to‑date guidance on assessment and management within a broader neurological context.
Together, these resources ensure that health professionals, across primary, secondary, and specialist services, have access to robust, evidence‑based tools to support accurate differentiation between FND and other neurological conditions.
GPs are required to undertake continuing professional development to maintain and update their clinical knowledge, and they can access a range of training resources through professional bodies, royal colleges, and National Health Service‑funded education platforms. Decisions about mandatory training requirements are made only where there is a clear and evidence‑based need, and the current approach remains to ensure that GPs have the flexibility to tailor their learning to the needs of their patient populations.
Asked by: Maureen Burke (Labour - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had recent discussions with Marie Curie on funding for the hospice sector.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Last year, I met key palliative care and end-of-life care stakeholders, including Marie Curie, in a roundtable format with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.
The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England, and we will consider contracting and commissioning arrangements as part of this work. We recognise that there is currently a mix of contracting models in the hospice sector. By supporting integrated care boards to commission more strategically, we can move away from grant and block contract models. In the long term, this will aid sustainability and help hospices’ ability to plan ahead.
Officials are working closely with Marie Curie and a number of other stakeholders from the hospice sector in the development of the MSF.