Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) patients and (b) medical professionals on increasing (i) investment and (ii) clinical trials into cancer treatments.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the National Cancer Plan for England, published in February, which sets out the steps we are taking in a range of areas to improve cancer diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes, including for research and clinical trials. The National Cancer Plan for England is available at the following link:
I also refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 24 February 2026 to the Hon Member for Sheffield South East to Question 113042.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps her Department has taken to increase funding for cancer research.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the National Cancer Plan for England, published in February, which sets out the steps we are taking in a range of areas to improve cancer diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes, including for research and clinical trials. The National Cancer Plan for England is available at the following link:
I also refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 24 February 2026 to the Hon Member for Sheffield South East to Question 113042.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) teachers and (b) head teachers on mental health support for students.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to improving mental health support for children and young people and the department engages regularly with education sector bodies and school leaders. We are expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school and are accelerating rollout to achieve full national coverage by 2029.
The department also provides guidance and resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, developed by working with schools to ensure their needs are met. Resources include a hub for mental health leads, the Targeted Support guidance and Hub and a non-statutory guidance to support schools to take a holistic, preventative approach to mental health and wellbeing, available at:
Additionally, we are developing a new mental health strategy for England, to be published later this year. This involved a call for evidence on prevention and support, including from education and training settings, on how to maximise existing policies, such as MHSTs and community-based mental health services.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase awareness of mental health support in schools.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to improving mental health support for children and young people and the department engages regularly with education sector bodies and school leaders. We are expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) to provide access to specialist mental health professionals in every school and are accelerating rollout to achieve full national coverage by 2029.
The department also provides guidance and resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, developed by working with schools to ensure their needs are met. Resources include a hub for mental health leads, the Targeted Support guidance and Hub and a non-statutory guidance to support schools to take a holistic, preventative approach to mental health and wellbeing, available at:
Additionally, we are developing a new mental health strategy for England, to be published later this year. This involved a call for evidence on prevention and support, including from education and training settings, on how to maximise existing policies, such as MHSTs and community-based mental health services.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 prevent suicide amongst young people.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 16 June in response to Question 7050, which sets out the action being taken nationally on this issue.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) healthcare professionals and (b) mental health support services on suicide prevention.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Further to the answer provided on 7 September in response to Question 22521, the Government has recently renewed its partnership with the Premier League to tackle male suicide and increase access to and understanding of mental health support, via the Premier League’s Together Against Suicide initiative with Samaritans.
In developing and delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy, the Department continues to engage with healthcare professionals, mental health and suicide prevention services, voluntary and community sector organisations, charities, and bereaved families.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent male suicide.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Further to the answer provided on 7 September in response to Question 22521, the Government has recently renewed its partnership with the Premier League to tackle male suicide and increase access to and understanding of mental health support, via the Premier League’s Together Against Suicide initiative with Samaritans.
In developing and delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy, the Department continues to engage with healthcare professionals, mental health and suicide prevention services, voluntary and community sector organisations, charities, and bereaved families.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of people rough sleeping in England.
Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government publishes rough sleeping management information, including data on the nationality of people sleeping rough, how many people sleeping rough have left the armed forces within the last 85 days and the number of people sleeping rough over the course of the month who have moved into accommodation, as well as the number of people sleeping rough over the course of the month who had previously moved into settled accommodation. You can access the latest data on gov.uk here.
As well as this, the government’s analytical annex to our National Plan to End Homelessness includes research about the causes of rough sleeping, which you can find on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of new regulatory costs, including new packaging costs, on pubs.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
The potential impact of regulatory changes on pubs is carefully considered as part of policy development, and the Government regularly engages with the pub industry to understand the pressures businesses face. With regard to Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging, we are aware of concerns about the classification of packaging that is disposed of through commercial waste streams, including through pubs. We are working closely with stakeholders on this issue.
We are reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens and supporting pubs to grow. The National Licensing Policy Framework for England and Wales has set a new strategic direction for licensing authorities to have greater regard for growth when considering licensing applications and decisions. We also extended opening hours during the Men’s Football World Cup and are backing “pavement pints” by making it easier for hospitality businesses to serve food and drink outside.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her department has made of the effectiveness of treatment offered in the UK for gliomas.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Hon. Member’s specific questions on gliomas and glioblastomas have been extensively dealt with in previous written answers, and I would refer him most recently to the answers of 3 March, 23 June, 29 June, 1 July, 15 July, 16 July and 20 July, in response to the respective Questions 115098, 9896, 10911, 11208, HL1675, HL1674, and HL1673.
More generally, through the National Cancer Plan, the Government is making rare cancers a priority. We have committed to being in the top quartile across 28 countries for survival of 14 less common cancers by 2035, including brain tumours, where survival rates currently rank 22nd out of 24 countries measured.
The Department recognises that general practitioners may rarely encounter specific rare cancers, which can make diagnosis more challenging. The plan includes measures to improve recognition and prevent missed diagnoses in primary care, including Jess's Rule, which supports clinicians to review and reconsider cases where symptoms remain unexplained or worsen over time.
Patients with rare cancers will also benefit from NHS England’s move to specialist multi-disciplinary teams that cover multiple providers. This will enable patients to benefit from the expertise of specialist centres and access the best evidence-based care. The Department and NHS England are working with rare cancer charities to strengthen support for patients, including providing guidance to clinical staff and connecting patients with specialist charities, peer communities, and expert sources of advice through the Diagnosis Connect Programme.