Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
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 the number of specialists able to carry out (a) ADHD and (b) autism assessments.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan 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 the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.
Autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments are carried out by multiple professional groups and often form only a part of their roles. NHS England has recently launched an England-wide survey of the learning disability and autism workforce, which will also capture staff undertaking ADHD assessments, and the data is expected to be reported in 2026.
In addition to this, NHS England provides autism training for psychiatrists to develop enhanced skills and confidence in diagnosis. It is also piloting a neurodevelopment credential for doctors to develop specialist neurodevelopmental skills.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
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.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
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.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that increases in the National Living Wage are matched by sustainable funding for local authority social care budgets.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Spending Review 2025 allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.
The Government took the cost pressures facing adult social care, including increases to the National Living Wage, into account as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the 2024 Autumn Budget process.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Dpartment holds on the average waiting times for (a) ADHD and (b) autism diagnosis for (i) primary school age and (ii) secondary school age children.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information is not held centrally in the format requested, but some data on waiting times for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism assessments for children aged 0-17 is available on the NHS England website at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mi-adhd/august-2025
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential (a) merits of introducing a preventative screening programme for (i) kidney and (ii) chest conditions and (b) impact of such a programme on (A) early detection, (B) patient outcomes and (C) long-term cost savings to the NHS.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) reviewed the evidence to screen for kidney disease (glomerulonephritis) in 2011 and recommended against screening because
However, the National Health Service Health Check assesses for high blood pressure and high blood sugar which are risk factors for the development of both chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Where an individual’s NHS Health Check indicates high blood pressure or high blood sugar, it is for their general practitioner to consider the results, and then, if required, undertake further clinical investigation and treatment where appropriate.
The 10-Year Health Plan outlines our intention to publish a Modern Service Framework for CVD, which will identify the best evidenced interventions, set clear quality standards, drive innovation in CVD prevention and management, and reduce unwarranted variation.
The UK NSC’s recommendation to screen for lung cancer was accepted in 2023 and a national programme is in the process of being rolled out.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
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 Penalty Charge Notices issued for maternity exemption certificates that could not be validated but who were eligible for the exemption on pregnant women and new mothers.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The maternity exemption, known as matex, and penalty charge notices (PCNs) are administered by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) on behalf of the Department. The NHS BSA has adopted a policy of waiving the penalty charge for the matex, if a patient’s midwife or other clinician is able to submit a completed application for an exemption certificate within 60 days of receipt of the PCN. The matex certificate issued during this 60-day grace period can only be backdated one month from the date of application which means that the patient is still liable for any prescription charges that should have been paid before a valid matex certificate was put in place.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
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) the potential merits of adding fluoride to drinking water and (b) the potential impact of this on oral health for children.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Water fluoridation is an evidence based, effective public health intervention for improving the oral health of children and adults. The 2022 Health Monitoring Report showed that five-year-olds were less likely to experience dental caries, and less likely to experience caries of high severity, in areas with a fluoridation scheme. Further information is available at the following link:
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our plans to expand water fluoridation in the north east of England by 2030, and that we will assess further rollout in areas where oral health outcomes are worst.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take with the Department for Education to monitor the potential impact of the (a) expansion of free school meal eligibility and (b) changes to School Food Standards on children's health.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Free school meals offer a critical nutritional safety net to those children who require it most. Expanding the eligibility criteria to all families in receipt of universal credit will provide 500,000 more children with access to a nutritious lunchtime meal each school day from September 2026. The Government is now considering how best to monitor the impact of the expansion of free school meal eligibility and the update the School Food Standards on child health.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of eligible families were in receipt of Healthy Start in Southampton Itchen constituency on 9 June 2025.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link:
https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/
The NHSBSA does not hold data on the number of families receiving Healthy Start and does not currently hold data on the number of people eligible for Healthy Start. The NHSBSA does not hold data on local constituencies. The table below shows the number of people on the digital scheme in the relevant local authorities as of 23 May 2025:
Local authority | Number of people on the digital scheme |
Blackpool | 1,434 |
City of Bristol | 2,778 |
County of Herefordshire | 736 |
Southampton | 1,677 |
Worthing | 348 |
Brighton and Hove | 1,041 |
East Suffolk | 1,129 |
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
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 ensure adequate availability of Premarin in the NHS; and what steps he is taking to support patients who are unable to access it.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Premarin tablets remain available. However, the supplier of Premarin has debranded this product, which means the product's brand name, Premarin, has been removed and it is now available and known under its generic name, which is conjugated oestrogens tablets.