Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 (a) trends in the number of deaths from mouth cancer over the past ten years and (b) the potential role of late diagnosis in these trends.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that more needs to be done to improve outcomes for patients with mouth cancer. To support earlier and faster cancer diagnosis, we are now delivering additional checks, tests, and scans at 170 community diagnostic centres. As the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and treatment, the National Health Service in England has delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week since the start of this administration.
Our forthcoming National Cancer Plan, which will be published in the new year, will have patients at its heart, and it will include further details on how we will speed up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates, including for mouth cancer.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 fund the work of the Health and Care Professions Council in regulating NHS managers.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I met with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) most recently on 29 October 2025, where work to introduce National Health Service managers into statutory regulation was discussed.
Department officials are working with the HCPC to identify the cost implications to the Government of implementing a barring mechanism for senior NHS managers, recognising that the HCPC cannot fund the implementation or operation of a barring system for senior NHS managers through registration fees levied against the 15 professions it currently regulates.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he last met the Health and Care Professions Council to discuss its planned role in regulating NHS managers.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I met with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) most recently on 29 October 2025, where work to introduce National Health Service managers into statutory regulation was discussed.
Department officials are working with the HCPC to identify the cost implications to the Government of implementing a barring mechanism for senior NHS managers, recognising that the HCPC cannot fund the implementation or operation of a barring system for senior NHS managers through registration fees levied against the 15 professions it currently regulates.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts on the protection of civilians following the capture of El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces on 26 October.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the response provided to the Urgent Question on Sudan: Protection of Civilians on 30 October.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts on the protection of Christians in Sri Lanka.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK supports the right to freedom of religion or belief for all and regularly raises the importance of religious tolerance and the protection of rights for all Sri Lankans to practise their faith. Our High Commission in Colombo regularly meet government and religious leaders, including affected minorities and civil society, to hear their concerns and support interfaith dialogues and counter discrimination work based on religion or belief. During her visit to Sri Lanka in January 2025, the former Minister for the Indo-Pacific met activists working on freedom of religion or belief issues to reaffirm the UK's commitment to protecting these fundamental rights. More recently, the Minister for the Indo-Pacific met the Sri Lankan Speaker, Justice Minister and wider ministerial delegation in October and discussed the importance of respecting human rights and having an inclusive and transparent process as part of Sri Lanka's reconciliation.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is his Department taking to (a) promote earlier detection and (b) ensure (i) dentists, (ii) GPs and (iii) other frontline health professionals are (A) trained to identify early warning signs and (B) improve timely diagnosis and referral for treatment.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The responsibility for commissioning primary care, including dentistry and diagnostic activity, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.
Dentists and other dental professionals, including hygienists, routinely check the soft tissues of a patient’s mouth for signs of cancer during dental visits and, as part of the check-up, will make an assessment and record an individual’s oral cancer risk.
Dentists will prioritise patients at a higher risk of oral cancer for more frequent recall and review in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. Members of the public who are worried about their oral health in relation to cancer should seek advice from their dentist or general practitioner (GP). Patients with symptoms of concern should be assessed and offered an urgent dental appointment based upon clinical need, in line with advice from NHS England.
We know how important it is to detect cancer and other potentially life-threatening illnesses earlier, in GPs. That’s why we recently launched Jess’s Rule, a new patient safety initiative, in memory of Jessica Brady. In honour of Jessica Brady, all GPs are encouraged to think again if they have been unable to offer a diagnosis after three appointments or if the patient’s symptoms have escalated. This could include seeking a second opinion, offering episodic continuity of care, ordering additional tests, and offering more face-to-face appointments. As well as supporting the earlier identification of the most serious, potentially fatal conditions, this approach aims to improve timely diagnosis and referral for treatments.
The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform 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.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 potential impact of migration from Employment Support Allowance to Universal Credit on care charges levied on disabled people by local authorities.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Under the Care Act 2014, the responsibility for interpreting and applying the law and the Care and Support Statutory (CASS) guidance rests with local authorities. Where local authorities decide to charge for the provision of care and support, they must follow the Care Act 2014 and the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014, and they must act under the CASS guidance.
We are aware of some concerns raised around the impact of migration from Employment Support Allowance to Universal Credit on care charges. We are actively looking into this potential impact. To date, no specific assessment has been made.