Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the percentage uptake of flu vaccines in children in each region of England; and what is their target uptake for children this winter.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
For England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes provisional vaccine uptake data throughout the flu season.
Monthly regional level data for general practice patients, including two- and three-year-olds and school-aged children, is available throughout the season. The following table shows the provisional vaccine uptake for two- and three-year-olds in England, by region, for the 2025 to 2026 season:
National Health Service region | Two year olds | Three year olds |
East of England | 36.8% | 37.0% |
London | 27.9% | 27.0% |
Midlands | 31.8% | 32.0% |
North East and Yorkshire | 33.6% | 33.7% |
North West | 28.2% | 29.0% |
South East | 41.2% | 41.6% |
South West | 41.1% | 40.7% |
England | 33.8% | 33.9% |
In addition, the following table shows the provisional vaccine uptake for school-aged children in England, by region:
NHS region | All primary school-aged in reception to Year 6 | All secondary school-aged in Year 7 to 11 | All school-aged children (reception to year 11) |
East of England | 43.7% | 47.9% | 45.4% |
London | 25.9% | 16.9% | 22.1% |
Midlands | 27.7% | 23.8% | 26.0% |
North East and Yorkshire | 33.4% | 19.9% | 27.6% |
North West | 29.2% | 12.6% | 22.1% |
South East | 35.1% | 15.4% | 26.3% |
South West | 37.6% | 9.3% | 25.0% |
England | 32.7% | 20.8% | 27.6% |
Providers are expected to deliver a 100% offer to eligible groups. They should ensure they make firm plans to equal or improve uptake rates in 2025 to 2026, particularly in those cohorts where uptake has been lower.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of providing weight loss drugs through the National Health Service; to what extent are is this already undertaken; and, if so, in which localities.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines should be routinely funded based on an assessment of their costs and benefits.
NICE has recommended liraglutide, under various brand names, semaglutide, under the brand name Wegovy, and tirzepatide, under the brand name Mounjaro, as treatments for obesity in adults with a high body mass index and with weight related co-morbidities. All medicines are recommended for use in specialist weight management services, with only tirzepatide also recommended for use outside of this setting.
Integrated care boards (ICBs) are legally required to fund and make available medicines recommended by NICE, including obesity medicines, usually within three months of the publication of the final technology appraisal. NICE granted a phased rollout for the use of tirzepatide in primary care to manage NHS resources and allow time to establish new obesity care pathways.
These medicines should therefore be available on the NHS in specialist weight management services, where these services are available, and tirzepatide should have started to become available in primary care from 23 June 2025. We do not hold information on whether each ICB provides access to specific medicines in its locality. ICBs are responsible for ensuring they meet their legal duties, including making funding for NICE-recommended medicines available.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of radioisotopes used by the NHS in England are imported; and what plans they have to enable radioisotopes to be manufactured in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Medical radioisotopes can be produced in different ways, and the United Kingdom has a comprehensive network of cyclotrons used for radioisotope manufacture. These tend to be placed close to point of use due to the short half-life of these products. The radioisotopes manufactured in these cyclotrons are not suitable for all use and hospitals and trusts in England use a significant number of isotopes manufactured in research reactors. There are currently no reactors in the UK that manufacture medical isotopes, and therefore all of these are imported.
The Government has made up to £520 million available through the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund to support the UK manufacture of medicine and medical technology products. This includes applications looking to establish, expand, or improve the UK-based manufacture of medical radioisotopes for diagnostic or therapeutic applications.
The Government also recently announced a £54 million funding package for eight innovative research and development projects, including £9.9 million earmarked for Project Alpha to explore how to make medical treatments from legacy nuclear material. Something that could unlock the UK’s potential to develop promising new cancer therapies.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate have they made of the effect of the agreement recently concluded between the UK and USA as part of the Economic Prosperity Deal on the cost of purchasing drugs for the NHS for each of the financial years 2025/26, 2026/27, 2027/28, and 2028/29; and whether any such costs were included in planning for the recent Budget 2025.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Every patient deserves access to the best possible treatment. This deal is a vital investment that builds on the strength of our National Health Service and world leading life sciences sector.
Costs will start smaller but will increase over time as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approves more life improving and lifesaving medicines. Total costs over the Spending Review period are expected to be approximately £1 billion. But the final costs will clearly depend on which medicines NICE decides to approve and the actual uptake of these. This is not something that we can pre-empt at this time as it depends on which drugs come to market, and which are assessed as approved for use on the NHS accordingly.
At the Spending Review we delivered a record real terms increase for day-to-day spending for the NHS in England up to April 2029. This deal will be funded by allocations made at the Spending Review, where front line services will remain protected through the record funding secured. Future year funding will be settled at the next Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the three-paper series concerning the health dangers associated with ultra-processed food, published in <em>The Lancet</em> on 18 November, what plans they have to review the safety standards for such foods.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department acknowledges the three-paper series on ultra-processed food published in The Lancet on 18 November. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) considered the evidence on the impact of processing on health, including mental health, in 2023 and 2025.
The SACN concluded that the observed associations between higher consumption of processed and ultra processed foods and adverse health outcomes are concerning. The SACN recommends that on balance, most people are likely to benefit from reducing their consumption of processed foods high in energy, saturated fat, salt, and free sugars, and which are low in fibre. The SACN’s recommendations align with existing policies for supporting healthier diets and our advice to consumers.
The SACN has made a number of research recommendations to help understand whether processing is a risk factor, over and above the nutrients and energy intake. The SACN will keep the topic of processed foods under annual review and will consider it again in 2026.
All food additives used in the United Kingdom are subject to rigorous safety assessments before they are approved for use. These assessments consider how the additive will be used, the types of foods it can be added to, and the maximum permitted levels to ensure consumer safety. Current evidence indicates that these limits are set at levels designed to protect people’s health.
The concerns regarding the packaging of ultra-processed foods containing chemicals such as phthalates, bisphenols, and per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) are indeed legitimate. These compounds have been linked to potential health risks, including endocrine disruption and reduced fertility. All materials and articles intended for contact with food must adhere to a comprehensive legal framework. This framework includes specific regulations for different material types, which are enforced under the Materials and Articles in Contact with Food Regulations.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of (1) adults, and (2) children, in England who have autism.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is varied evidence on the ‘true prevalence’ of autism, which is the proportion of the population who would meet the criteria for a diagnosis if they were to be assessed, regardless of whether or not they have received a formal diagnosis.
Part II of the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, due to be released in Autumn 2025, will give us an indication of autism prevalence. We are also exploring options through the National Institute for Health and Care Research to improve our current understanding of autism prevalence.
In respect of numbers of people diagnosed as autistic, the NHS Network Contract Direct Enhanced Service dataset shows that, as of March 2025, 968,651 people, both children and adults, had an autism diagnosis recorded in their general practice (GP) records, based on 98.21% of the GP-registered population.
Evidence shows that there is variation in rates of autism diagnosis by age. Some information on diagnosis rates by age group can be taken from the Health and Care of People with Learning Disabilities, Experimental Statistics 2023 to 2024, published by NHS England, and based on 54.7% of registered patients. This data shows that 3.41% of zero to 17-year-olds have an autism diagnosis, compared to 0.79% in adults aged 18 years old and over. Evidence suggests that diagnosis rates remain below the levels indicated by evidence on prevalence in some cohorts, such as older people, but are higher than the most recent prevalence estimates in other cohorts, such as younger people.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the proportion of young people in England who (1) have autism, and (2) entered adulthood during the last 12 months, who were issued with a transition plan as they moved from the care of children's social services to adult social services.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of local authorities to carry out an assessment when it seems that a young person is likely to need care and support into adulthood.
We are working closely with the Department for Education and other partners to understand the difficulties young disabled people and their families can face when they transition into adult social care, and to identify opportunities to better support young people at this crucial stage of their life.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of local authorities in England who publish statistics on the number of people with autism in their area.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information is not held centrally on the number of local authorities in England that publish statistics on the number of autistic people in their area, and no estimate has been made.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of local authorities in England who have a named team leader on autism-related matters; and how many do not.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No such estimate has been made by the Department.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of families in England who care for one or more autistic children; and the proportion of these needing additional care and support to ensure that their child can continue to live at home.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
This specific estimate has not been made. However, the Department for Education does hold data on the number of children that local authorities report as being autistic and who are receiving support via an education, health, and care plan or a Children in Need plan.
Local authorities have statutory duties to support certain groups of children in their area. Under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989, local authorities are under a general duty to provide support for children who are unlikely to reach or maintain a satisfactory level of health or development, or if their health or development will be significantly impaired without the provision of services, or if the child is disabled.
As a general duty, there is flexibility for local authorities to deliver a range of services based on their own specific circumstances and understanding of local needs.