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 awareness of prostate-specific antigen tests among travel insurers.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

PSA tests are blood tests that measure the amount of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in blood. Raised levels, often in combination with other symptoms, can be an indication of prostate cancer, though not exclusively. PSA tests have previously been used as a screening tool in asymptomatic populations, but their limitations mean they are not currently recommended for population-level screening. To find better ways of testing for prostate cancer, the Government is investing £16 million into the Prostate Cancer UK-led TRANSFORM screening trial, which aims to identify more effective approaches for detecting prostate cancer earlier.

While the Department has no plans to target insurers with information about PSA, the NHS website has clear and accurate information about PSA testing that can be referred to. Where someone has had a PSA test and they are concerned about their travel insurance, they should discuss this directly with their insurers. Different insurers may take a different view of the relevant factors in determining the price of insurance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will answer Questions (a) 81421 of 13 October 2025 on Covid-19 (b) 82016 of 14 October 2025 on prostate cancer screening and (c) 83882 of 21 October 2025 on health misinformation.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 10 November 2025 to Question 81421, on 26 November 2025 to Question 82016, and on 19 November 2025 to Question 83882.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have been identified as high fire risk in the latest Condition Data Collection by local authority area.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

237 schools and colleges in England had RAAC confirmed in areas of their buildings, none of which are in Shropshire. By the end of this Parliament, every school and college in England that isn't being fully or substantially rebuilt will be RAAC-free. All schools having RAAC permanently removed through the school rebuilding programme will be in delivery, with over half already underway.

The department’s current Condition Data Collection 2 (CDC2) programme is visiting every government-funded school in England to collect data about the condition of their buildings. CDC2 is a high-level, non-invasive, visual inspection of condition and not a structural survey. It does not collect structural risks, nor data on school compliance with all statutory and legislative responsibilities, including fire safety.

It is the responsibility of those who run our schools to ensure that fire risk assessments are undertaken regularly. The department provides guidance about fire safety to these responsible bodies, including in the ’Good estate management for schools’ guide, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools contain (a) RAAC and (b) other structural risks in the most recent Condition Data Collection for (i) Shropshire, (ii) North Shropshire and (iii) England.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

237 schools and colleges in England had RAAC confirmed in areas of their buildings, none of which are in Shropshire. By the end of this Parliament, every school and college in England that isn't being fully or substantially rebuilt will be RAAC-free. All schools having RAAC permanently removed through the school rebuilding programme will be in delivery, with over half already underway.

The department’s current Condition Data Collection 2 (CDC2) programme is visiting every government-funded school in England to collect data about the condition of their buildings. CDC2 is a high-level, non-invasive, visual inspection of condition and not a structural survey. It does not collect structural risks, nor data on school compliance with all statutory and legislative responsibilities, including fire safety.

It is the responsibility of those who run our schools to ensure that fire risk assessments are undertaken regularly. The department provides guidance about fire safety to these responsible bodies, including in the ’Good estate management for schools’ guide, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the estimated backlog of fire-safety-related repairs is across the school estate in (a) England, (b) Shropshire and (c) north Shropshire; and what proportion of that backlog relates to schools built before 1980.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Since the 2014/15 academic year, the risk protection arrangement (RPA) has received a total of 551 fire-related claims from members. 52 claims were from the West Midlands, 4 from Shropshire and 2 claims were specifically from North Shropshire.

Schools and their responsible bodies are not obliged to notify the department of fires at their premises and we therefore do not routinely collect or record this data more widely, nor information on fire-safety-related repairs.

The department provides guidance about fire safety to bodies responsible for schools, including in the ‘Good Estate Management for Schools’ guide, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety. It is the responsibility of those who run our schools to ensure that a fire risk assessment is undertaken and kept up to date, reflecting the specific characteristics of the building for which it was written.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many fires have been recorded in (a) North Shropshire constituency, (b) Shropshire, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England’s school estate in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Since the 2014/15 academic year, the risk protection arrangement (RPA) has received a total of 551 fire-related claims from members. 52 claims were from the West Midlands, 4 from Shropshire and 2 claims were specifically from North Shropshire.

Schools and their responsible bodies are not obliged to notify the department of fires at their premises and we therefore do not routinely collect or record this data more widely, nor information on fire-safety-related repairs.

The department provides guidance about fire safety to bodies responsible for schools, including in the ‘Good Estate Management for Schools’ guide, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety. It is the responsibility of those who run our schools to ensure that a fire risk assessment is undertaken and kept up to date, reflecting the specific characteristics of the building for which it was written.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will work with patients and charities in the development of a successor to the UK Rare Diseases Framework.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Patient voice is an underpinning theme of the UK Rare Diseases Framework, and we are committed to ensuring that the patient voice is a key driver of the action plans published under this framework. The UK Rare Diseases Framework was published following the National Conversation on Rare Diseases, which received nearly 6,300 responses. This helped identify the four priorities of the framework in tackling rare diseases: helping patients get a final diagnosis faster; increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals; better coordination of care; and improving access to specialist care, treatment, and drugs.

The Government remains committed to improving the lives of those living with rare conditions, and will be publishing the next England Rare Diseases Action Plan for rare disease day in 2026, as in previous years. We recognise that despite the progress that has been made, there remains considerable unmet need for people living with rare conditions. Ministers from all four nations have agreed to extend the UK Rare Diseases Framework by one year, recognising the continued relevance of its four priorities. We will continue to engage with the rare diseases community to help shape the next steps.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a timeline for refreshing the UK Rare Diseases Framework.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Patient voice is an underpinning theme of the UK Rare Diseases Framework, and we are committed to ensuring that the patient voice is a key driver of the action plans published under this framework. The UK Rare Diseases Framework was published following the National Conversation on Rare Diseases, which received nearly 6,300 responses. This helped identify the four priorities of the framework in tackling rare diseases: helping patients get a final diagnosis faster; increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals; better coordination of care; and improving access to specialist care, treatment, and drugs.

The Government remains committed to improving the lives of those living with rare conditions, and will be publishing the next England Rare Diseases Action Plan for rare disease day in 2026, as in previous years. We recognise that despite the progress that has been made, there remains considerable unmet need for people living with rare conditions. Ministers from all four nations have agreed to extend the UK Rare Diseases Framework by one year, recognising the continued relevance of its four priorities. We will continue to engage with the rare diseases community to help shape the next steps.

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 address regional variation in access to rare disease care.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases. England’s 2025 Rare Diseases Action Plan was published in February and reports on actions to address health inequalities for people with rare conditions.

Within the National Health Service specialised commissioning portfolio, there are over 80 highly specialised services (HSS) including for rare diseases. Every three to four years, the geographical spread of patients accessing NHS England commissioned highly specialised services is reviewed, most recently in 2024. The analysis looks for variations in the spread of patients accessing the service that may warrant further investigation. Where the analysis found unexpected variation, providers have been asked to develop action plans to address these inequities. Providers who have been successful in reducing variation have also been asked to share this good practice.

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 levels of awareness of tongue ties, also called ankyloglossia, of (a) midwives and (b) expectant mothers.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and support for infant feeding plays an important role in achieving this.

Midwifery, health visiting, and infant feeding teams are central to supporting families with infant feeding. This includes identifying feeding challenges and providing tailored support for breastfeeding and bottle feeding. We are currently refreshing the guidance for The Healthy Child Programme, which includes health visiting services, to strengthen service quality and promote consistency in service delivery.

Dedicated paediatric surgery days are being introduced within integrated care boards, using existing NHS estate in day surgery or hub settings, to boost surgical activity for children and young people. Surgical hubs play a key role in delivering increased activity and ensuring timely access to planned care.

We are also strengthening local support for tongue-tie through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, which is investing £18.5 million in 2025/26 to improve infant feeding services in 75 local authorities in England. Local authorities are working with local health partners to improve access to timely tongue-tie support and treatment. In some areas, new tongue-tie clinics have been set up so that more families can access timely support.

For expectant parents, the majority of NHS trusts offer free antenatal education services, including caring for the baby and feeding. We are working with NHS England to improve the quality of antenatal classes.

Information about the symptoms and treatment of tongue-tie is also available on the NHS website and the Best Start in Life email programme for parents.

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 (a) speed and (b) quality of (i) detection and (ii) treatment of tongue ties, also called ankyloglossia, in babies.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and support for infant feeding plays an important role in achieving this.

Midwifery, health visiting, and infant feeding teams are central to supporting families with infant feeding. This includes identifying feeding challenges and providing tailored support for breastfeeding and bottle feeding. We are currently refreshing the guidance for The Healthy Child Programme, which includes health visiting services, to strengthen service quality and promote consistency in service delivery.

Dedicated paediatric surgery days are being introduced within integrated care boards, using existing NHS estate in day surgery or hub settings, to boost surgical activity for children and young people. Surgical hubs play a key role in delivering increased activity and ensuring timely access to planned care.

We are also strengthening local support for tongue-tie through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, which is investing £18.5 million in 2025/26 to improve infant feeding services in 75 local authorities in England. Local authorities are working with local health partners to improve access to timely tongue-tie support and treatment. In some areas, new tongue-tie clinics have been set up so that more families can access timely support.

For expectant parents, the majority of NHS trusts offer free antenatal education services, including caring for the baby and feeding. We are working with NHS England to improve the quality of antenatal classes.

Information about the symptoms and treatment of tongue-tie is also available on the NHS website and the Best Start in Life email programme for parents.

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 help improve care for bottle-fed babies with tongue ties.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and support for infant feeding plays an important role in achieving this.

Midwifery, health visiting, and infant feeding teams are central to supporting families with infant feeding. This includes identifying feeding challenges and providing tailored support for breastfeeding and bottle feeding. We are currently refreshing the guidance for The Healthy Child Programme, which includes health visiting services, to strengthen service quality and promote consistency in service delivery.

Dedicated paediatric surgery days are being introduced within integrated care boards, using existing NHS estate in day surgery or hub settings, to boost surgical activity for children and young people. Surgical hubs play a key role in delivering increased activity and ensuring timely access to planned care.

We are also strengthening local support for tongue-tie through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, which is investing £18.5 million in 2025/26 to improve infant feeding services in 75 local authorities in England. Local authorities are working with local health partners to improve access to timely tongue-tie support and treatment. In some areas, new tongue-tie clinics have been set up so that more families can access timely support.

For expectant parents, the majority of NHS trusts offer free antenatal education services, including caring for the baby and feeding. We are working with NHS England to improve the quality of antenatal classes.

Information about the symptoms and treatment of tongue-tie is also available on the NHS website and the Best Start in Life email programme for parents.

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 support male carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers and is committed to ensuring they receive the support they need. Through measures set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are supporting carers by making them more visible, empowering their voices in care planning, joining up services, and streamlining caring tasks through a new ‘MyCarer’ section in the NHS App. We are also expanding access to mental health care through 24/7 neighbourhood services, new emergency mental health departments, and enhanced support via the NHS App, all of which will be available to carers experiencing mental ill health.

Local authorities have duties under the Care Act 2014 to support unpaid carers. To help them fulfil these duties, the 2025 Spending Review provides for an increase of over £4 billion in funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.

On 19 November, we published the Men’s Health Strategy. The strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community and family networks and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention, respiratory illness, prostate cancer, and heart disease.

As Minister of State for Care, I also chair a regular cross-Government meeting with ministers across departments to consider how we can work together to provide unpaid carers with the recognition and support they deserve.

The Department has no current plans to introduce a multi-year funding scheme for support groups specifically for male carers, but we will continue working across government and with local authorities to ensure that unpaid carers of all genders are able to access appropriate support.

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 trends in the rates of mental ill health among male carers.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers and is committed to ensuring they receive the support they need. Through measures set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are supporting carers by making them more visible, empowering their voices in care planning, joining up services, and streamlining caring tasks through a new ‘MyCarer’ section in the NHS App. We are also expanding access to mental health care through 24/7 neighbourhood services, new emergency mental health departments, and enhanced support via the NHS App, all of which will be available to carers experiencing mental ill health.

Local authorities have duties under the Care Act 2014 to support unpaid carers. To help them fulfil these duties, the 2025 Spending Review provides for an increase of over £4 billion in funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.

On 19 November, we published the Men’s Health Strategy. The strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community and family networks and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention, respiratory illness, prostate cancer, and heart disease.

As Minister of State for Care, I also chair a regular cross-Government meeting with ministers across departments to consider how we can work together to provide unpaid carers with the recognition and support they deserve.

The Department has no current plans to introduce a multi-year funding scheme for support groups specifically for male carers, but we will continue working across government and with local authorities to ensure that unpaid carers of all genders are able to access appropriate support.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider the potential merits of a multi-year funding scheme for support groups for male carers.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers and is committed to ensuring they receive the support they need. Through measures set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are supporting carers by making them more visible, empowering their voices in care planning, joining up services, and streamlining caring tasks through a new ‘MyCarer’ section in the NHS App. We are also expanding access to mental health care through 24/7 neighbourhood services, new emergency mental health departments, and enhanced support via the NHS App, all of which will be available to carers experiencing mental ill health.

Local authorities have duties under the Care Act 2014 to support unpaid carers. To help them fulfil these duties, the 2025 Spending Review provides for an increase of over £4 billion in funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.

On 19 November, we published the Men’s Health Strategy. The strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community and family networks and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention, respiratory illness, prostate cancer, and heart disease.

As Minister of State for Care, I also chair a regular cross-Government meeting with ministers across departments to consider how we can work together to provide unpaid carers with the recognition and support they deserve.

The Department has no current plans to introduce a multi-year funding scheme for support groups specifically for male carers, but we will continue working across government and with local authorities to ensure that unpaid carers of all genders are able to access appropriate support.

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 awareness of support groups for male carers.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the vital role of unpaid carers and is committed to ensuring they receive the support they need. Through measures set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are supporting carers by making them more visible, empowering their voices in care planning, joining up services, and streamlining caring tasks through a new ‘MyCarer’ section in the NHS App. We are also expanding access to mental health care through 24/7 neighbourhood services, new emergency mental health departments, and enhanced support via the NHS App, all of which will be available to carers experiencing mental ill health.

Local authorities have duties under the Care Act 2014 to support unpaid carers. To help them fulfil these duties, the 2025 Spending Review provides for an increase of over £4 billion in funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.

On 19 November, we published the Men’s Health Strategy. The strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community and family networks and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention, respiratory illness, prostate cancer, and heart disease.

As Minister of State for Care, I also chair a regular cross-Government meeting with ministers across departments to consider how we can work together to provide unpaid carers with the recognition and support they deserve.

The Department has no current plans to introduce a multi-year funding scheme for support groups specifically for male carers, but we will continue working across government and with local authorities to ensure that unpaid carers of all genders are able to access appropriate support.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to help support the road haulage of meat products following the implementation of the EU Entry-Exit System.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The government continue to engage the European Commission and member states, and have been working particularly closely with France, to understand their plans for the progressive rollout of EES and to ask for flexible and pragmatic implementation to minimise delays for passengers and freight.

We are also supporting ports and carriers to make sure they have the right technology and processes in place to make EES registration as smooth as possible.

The government have been assured by Kent and Medway Resilience Forum that comprehensive traffic management plans are in place to monitor and respond to any disruption caused by EES registrations at the juxtaposed ports in Kent.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on the steps it is taking to ensure women undergoing outpatient hysteroscopy procedures in (a) North Shropshire and (b) England do not experience pain during those procedures.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is unacceptable that some women have such poor experiences of hysteroscopies.

The National Health Service website page on hysteroscopy was updated in January 2024. This provides information on preparing for and recovering from a hysteroscopy, including pain relief options. The importance of pain relief is reiterated in guidance from both the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the College of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare.

In Shropshire, Telford, and Wrekin all patients receive comprehensive information about the procedure before their appointment, including advice on pain management. Patients can access both local anaesthetic and general anaesthetic for the procedure.

Patients can additionally access local and general anaesthetic and there is a patient advocate always present during the procedure to provide continuous support and aid in pain management.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build an NHS fit for the future. Through our 10-Year Health Plan and the renewal of the Women’s Health Strategy we are delivering our commitment that never again will women’s health be neglected.

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 NHS Getting it right first time guidance for hysteroscopies.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme’s role is to provide guidance to National Health Service trusts to help improve the delivery of services and, in doing so, it follows the professional standards and recommendations of the professional bodies.

GIRFT has worked closely with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy to support hospital trusts in improving women’s choices and appropriate settings for gynaecological procedures, such as hysteroscopy and endometrial ablation, acknowledging the shift to more day case and outpatient procedures.

Since the report was published, GIRFT has responded to feedback from patients, adding an addendum to the 2021 report and amending one recommendation to reiterate the imperative that all women undergoing day case and outpatient procedures are given clear and accurate information to enable them to make informed decisions about their preferred treatment setting and pain control. Ultimately, the decision on care setting for this procedure must be made with the patient, after due consideration of all relevant information.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2025 to Question 87461 on Arts: West Midlands, what steps she is taking to include policies relating to local authorities outside of mayoral strategic authorities within the Creative Industries Sector Plan.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

There are creative industries clusters and micro clusters in every part of the UK and they are equally crucial to growth. We are keen to ensure that there are no cultural not-spots in the country and that everyone has an equal chance to pursue a career in the creative industries whether they live in a major metropolitan area or not.

The CI Sector Plan includes a universal offer to drive growth in the creative industries in any place in the UK, outlining new measures to break down barriers such as access to finance, supply of skills, and new support to kickstart innovation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the requirement to dispose of unused specialist invalid food products as medical waste on level of food waste.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Through the implementation of the NHS Clinical Waste Strategy and the National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink, NHS England is actively working to reduce both clinical and food waste across the system.

The Clinical Waste Strategy promotes appropriate waste segregation and treatment to minimise unnecessary incineration and environmental harm. Meanwhile, the food standards encourage healthcare providers to reduce food waste through improved planning, monitoring, and sustainable practices. It is widely accepted that any medication that is provided via clinical provision should be disposed of as offensive waste. Any unused food products that are still in their packaging can be disposed of through the agreed food waste system.

NHS England continues to monitor the implementation of these strategies and welcomes further evidence or insights that could inform future assessments or policy development in this area.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) track school days lost due to dental problems and (b) reduce that number through preventive oral health programmes.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The use of absence Code M and Code I allows schools to track pupils’ medical appointments and illness respectively. Accurate use and tracking of absence codes enables schools to know their pupils, understand why they are absent and provide appropriate support when it is needed.

Medical appointments and dental appointments are both marked using Code M. Schools are not expected to routinely request evidence of a medical or dental appointment. However, parents should get the school’s agreement in advance if it has not been possible to book the appointment outside of school hours.

If schools request further information about the nature of the medical appointment or illness, additional details may be recorded on the school’s Management Information System.

The Department of Health and Social Care is taking action to prevent dental problems, where tooth decay is the most significant for children. This includes implementing a national supervised toothbrushing programme, introducing healthier baby food standards and placing restrictions on junk food advertising.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions (a) Single Living Accommodation units and (b) Service Family Accommodation homes in (i) north Shropshire and (ii) Shropshire have experienced loss of (A) heating and (B) hot water for over 24 hours in each year since 2015.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The tables below provide a breakdown of the number of occasions a loss of (A) heating and (B) hot water for over 24 hours were reported, broken down by accommodation type and year.

Single Living Accommodation (SLA)

North Shropshire:

Shropshire:

Data for the loss of heating and hot water of over 24 Hours in SLA prior to April 2018 is not held.

Service Family Accommodation (SFA)

North Shropshire:

Shropshire:

Data for the loss of heating and hot water of over 24 hours in SFA prior to 2022 is not held.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Single Living Accommodation units and (b) Service Family Accommodation homes in (i) north Shropshire and (ii) Shropshire have recorded (A) defective fire alarms, (B) missing fire doors and (C) non-compliance with modern fire safety standards in each year since 2015.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The tables below show reported (A) defective fire alarms and (B) missing fire doors in Single Living Accommodation (SLA) across Shropshire and North Shropshire, as at 18 November 2025. Data prior to 1 April 2018 is not held.

Shropshire

North Shropshire

Information on (C) compliance with modern fire safety standards is not held. This is because all SLA buildings are complaint with standards in place at the time of their construction.

(b) Service Family Accommodation

Service Family Accommodation in Shropshire and North Shropshire does not include flats, communal spaces, or Houses in Multiple Occupation. Therefore, homes in this area are not subject to the Fire Safety Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and fire doors and alarms are not required. However, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation must ensure smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are installed and maintained.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Single Living Accommodation units in (a) north Shropshire and (b) Shropshire have been assessed as being in condition grade (i) A, (ii) B, (iii) C, (iv) D and (v) deemed uninhabitable in each year since 2015.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This information is not held in the format requested.

For Single Living Accommodation, the condition grade is determined by categories, as detailed in the tables below:

(a) North Shropshire:

(b) Shropshire:

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Single Living Accommodation units and (b) Service Family Accommodation homes in (i) north Shropshire and (ii) Shropshire have recorded (A) Legionella, (B) unsafe water temperatures, (C) failed water hygiene checks and (D) all of the above in each year since 2015.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The tables below give the number of reports of (A) Legionella in Single Living Accommodation (SLA) across Shropshire and North Shropshire, as at 18 November 2025.

Data prior to 1 April 2018 is not held.

Shropshire

North Shropshire

For SLA, information on the number of reports of (B) unsafe water temperatures and (C) failed hygiene checks can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

For Service Family Accommodation, no (A) Legionella incidents, (B) unsafe water temperatures, or (C) failed water hygiene checks have occurred in Shropshire or North Shropshire since April 2022. Data prior to April 2022 is not held. Data prior to April 2022 is not held as the Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) contract started in 2022, hence why data starts from April 2022.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Single Living Accommodation units in (a) north Shropshire and (b) Shropshire were (i) flats, (ii) dormitories, (iii) container-type accommodation and (iv) other types of accommodation in each year since 2015.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The tables below provide a breakdown of Single Living Accommodation (SLA) in (a) North Shropshire and (b) Shropshire:

Information prior to 1 January 2023 is not held.

(a) North Shropshire:

(b) Shropshire:

* A dormitory is a room with multiple occupancy.

** Bedspaces identified as ‘Container-Type’ are modular temporary accommodation units.

*** Bedspaces identified under ‘Other’ are those with individual bedrooms.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many formal complaints have been made by personnel regarding (a) Single Living Accommodation and (b) Service Family Accommodation conditions in (i) north Shropshire and (ii) Shropshire in each year since 2015.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The tables below provide a breakdown of the number of complaints received broken down by accommodation type and since April 2022.

Single Living Accommodation (SLA)

Service Family Accommodation (SFA)

Data prior to April 2022 is not held.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when details of further NHS dental contract reforms are planned to be published; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing more flexible commissioning models to support mixed dental practices to expand access to care and deliver more preventive services.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government's response to the recent consultation on National Health Service dental contract reforms will be published shortly.

We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability.

Commissioners can use flexible commissioning where they identify a need that cannot be met effectively through the provision of mandatory services. In doing so, they must satisfy themselves that these arrangements are appropriate and offer good value for money.

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 to ensure the dental workforce is equipped and supported to deliver (a) fluoride varnish and (b) other preventive interventions within neighbourhood health settings.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Our Neighbourhood Health Service will provide opportunities for dental care professionals to work as part of neighbourhood teams. We have consulted on changes to improve access to, and the quality of, National Health Service dentistry. To support practices to make better use of the skill mix of their team and to improve delivery of fluoride varnish, we have proposed introducing a new course of treatment for children for fluoride varnish to be applied by suitably trained dental nurses. Public consultation closed on 19 August, and the Government will publish a response shortly.

We have also published guidance on how dental health professionals can improve the oral and general health of their patients, including fluoride varnish and other preventative interventions. This is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-prevention

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 improve working conditions for dental care professionals.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Dental care professionals, including dental therapists, dental hygienists, and dental nurses, play a vital role within our dentistry teams and are highly valued members of the workforce.

We recently held a public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and improve the quality of, National Health Service dentistry, which will deliver better care and seek to make NHS dentistry a more attractive workplace.

The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response shortly.

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 improve helipad access at hospitals in the Midlands Air Ambulance region.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Air ambulances form a vital part of the emergency response to patients in critical need. The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with NHS England and the Department for Transport on helipad accessibility for air ambulances across the country including the Midlands.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development, if she has made a recent assessment of delays in processing visa applications for British nationals at the Consulate of Spain in Manchester.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The process for obtaining a Spanish visa is a matter for the Spanish authorities, and any issues with that process will need to be raised with the Spanish consulate themselves.

Sewage discharge in the Severn and Avon

Tenth anniversary of Storm Desmond

Cumulative disruption proposals and the right to protest

Tackling van and tool theft

Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week 2025

Found: Chinook Helicopters: Accidents 20 Oct 2025 | 78845 Asked by: Helen Morgan To ask the Secretary