Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how often the UK National Screening Committee met in 2024; and in what format it met.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) usually meets three times a year. In 2024 the UK NSC met twice, firstly in March, in an online format, and again in November, in person with online facilities available. The June meeting did not take place as it fell in between the pre-election period of 25 May to 4 July ahead of the United Kingdom general election. Information about the UK NSC’s meetings and minutes can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-nsc-meetings-and-minutes
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 implications for his policies of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition's report entitled SACN statement on the WHO guideline on non-sugar sweeteners: summary, published on 2 April 2025.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In its statement, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) concluded that the evidence of a risk to health from consuming non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) is inconsistent. It also made a precautionary recommendation that intakes of NSS be minimised. With greater certainty of the impact of sugars on health, the SACN recommended that “swapping sugars for NSS may help reduce sugar intake from foods and drinks (and so reduce energy intake), at least in the short term. The long-term goal is to limit both sugar and NSS intake”.
A number of Government policies encourage businesses to reduce sugar levels in products. As a result of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, the sugar levels of the drinks included within the levy have reduced by nearly half, or 47% specifically, and through other policies reductions of approximately 15% have been seen in breakfast cereals, with reductions of over 13% and approximately 7% also having been seen in yogurts and ice creams, respectively. Sugar levels in pre-packed milk-based drinks have also reduced by approximately 32%.
For the levy, the sugar that has been removed has largely been replaced with sweeteners, although this is not the case for all of the drinks included in the scope of the levy where sugar levels have been reduced. Sweeteners have not been used in food products to such a great extent, which is generally due to legislative or business-related restrictions, the latter largely arising because of consumer concerns around their usage.
It is ultimately up to businesses to decide if and the extent to which they use sweeteners in their products, where these are permitted for use. It is recognised, however, that there are benefits to not replacing the sugar removed with sweeteners as these maintain a highly sweet taste in a product, rather than allowing palates to adapt to having less sugar in food and drink.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 help ensure that patients in emergency departments of hospitals are treated in appropriate spaces.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so patients can be treated with dignity.
Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out steps that we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding.
We will also publish new clinical operational standards for the first 72 hours of care which will support better hospital flow, aimed at reducing overcrowding and long waits.
We have been taking key steps to ensure the health service is prepared for the colder months. This includes taking actions to try and reduce demand pressure on accident and emergency departments, increasing vaccination rates and offering health checks to the most vulnerable, as well as stress-testing integrated care board and trust winter plans to confirm they are able to meet demand and support patient flow.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the change in obesity rates has been among young adults in the last 10 years.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes data from the Health Survey for England (HSE) which collects data annually on measured height and weight of adults in England which is used to calculate the prevalence of obesity in the population.
The following table shows the prevalence of obesity among young adults aged between 16 and 24 years old from 2012 to 2022, the latest period for which data is available:
Survey year | Percentage of adults aged between 16 and 24 years old living with obesity |
2012 | 13.1% |
2013 | 11.1% |
2014 | 10.8% |
2015 | 16.4% |
2016 | 11.3% |
2017 | 15.5% |
2018 | 13.5% |
2019 | 12.9% |
2020 | no data |
2021 | 7.9% |
2022 | 13.9% |
Source: HSE
Notes:
Obesity prevalence among young adults has remained stable in the last 10 years, with some variation in the estimates which may be due to the small sample size of the HSE when split by age. It is expected that data from the 2024 survey will be published in early 2026.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to hold discussions with the hospitality sector on the promotion non-sugar sweeteners.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Most people are regularly consuming double the recommended amount of free sugars. Diets high in sugar increase the risk of tooth decay and weight gain. Being overweight or living with obesity is associated with a range of negative health impacts such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some kinds of cancers.
On 2 April 2025, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published its position statement on the World Health Organisation guideline on non-sugar sweeteners. SACN concluded that the evidence of risk to health, including type 2 diabetes, from consuming non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) is inconsistent. SACN also made a precautionary recommendation that intakes of NSS should be minimised. As there is greater certainty of the negative impact of sugars on health, including type 2 diabetes, SACN recommended that “swapping sugars for NSS may help reduce sugar intake from foods and drinks (and so reduce energy intake), at least in the short term. The long-term goal is to limit both sugar and NSS intake”.
It is up to businesses to decide whether they choose to use NSS when reformulating products to reduce sugar levels. While some businesses have used them, others have chosen not to which may be due to legislative restrictions on their use in some products or in recognition of consumer preferences. It is recognised, though, that there are benefits in businesses not using NSS as this maintains a highly sweet taste in a food or drink and does not allow people’s palates to adapt to a less sugary taste. This applies to businesses in all sectors.
The Soft Drinks Industry Levy has led to reductions of 47% in sugar levels in drinks in scope. Much of this reduction has been delivered by using NSS. Many reformulated drinks are available in the out of home sector as well as supermarkets.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of women who did not have a postnatal check-up with their general practitioner after six to eight weeks in each of the last three years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold this information. NHS England has published guidance written in collaboration with the Royal College of General Practitioners on the six-to-eight week postnatal check-up for all women who have given birth. This provides an important opportunity for general practitioners to listen to women in a discreet, supportive environment to provide personalised postnatal care for their physical and mental health and support them with family planning.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 effectiveness of the NHS England Help Us Help You campaign on cancer symptom awareness.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England recognise the importance of directly targeting awareness campaigns at areas that we know will make a difference, to increase awareness of cancer symptoms and encourage people to get checked.
NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns 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 are evaluated in line with best practice, considering media metrics, campaign awareness, understanding and intention to act, along with analysis of operational data.
The most recent phases of Help Us Help You, which ran between January and March 2025, saw increases in symptom knowledge and intention to act. NHS England is undertaking operational data analysis, with early data showing an increase in cancer diagnosis at the same time as campaign activity. 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 at an earlier point.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects to receive the report of the latest review of prostate cancer diagnosis from from the UK National Screening Committee.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) received two evidence review reports about screening for prostate cancer and is considering them alongside experts. Subject to no further revisions being required, a public consultation will start this calendar year. This will run for three months as usual, and the UK NSC will then make a recommendation on prostate cancer screening. Once the recommendation is made, ministers will consider whether to accept it or not.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 67821 on Dementia, what steps he is taking to help tackle the increasing rates of dementia diagnosis.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan is underlined by three big shifts in healthcare: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention.
As part of this shift from sickness to prevention, we will tackle ill health, prevent premature deaths, and build a fairer country where everyone lives longer, healthier lives.
Following the 10-Year Health Plan, we will deliver the first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.
The Government is investing in dementia research across all areas, including on its causes, diagnosis and prevention. Through partnerships with patients, researchers, funders and charities, we continue to play a significant role in global efforts against the disease.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the outcome of the Prostate Cancer UK-led TRANSFORM screening trial will be shared with Health Departments in each of the devolved institutions.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The TRANSFORM screening trial, funded in partnership with Prostate Cancer UK, is investigating new prostate cancer screening methods. This national randomised control trial will provide data to policymakers for a decision on recommending prostate cancer screening. Results will be shared with the UK National Screening Committee, representing all four nations.