Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what impact assessment was made of the decision to withdraw the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme guidance; and whether his Department considered the findings of the Cochrane review entitled Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test for prostate cancer screening by Franco et al, published on 15 May 2026.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Despite some recent misinformed media coverage, I can confirm to the Hon. Members that there has been no change to the policy in respect of prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing for men aged over 50 years old. Any such man who is concerned about prostate cancer, regardless of whether they have symptoms, remains free to make an appointment with their general practitioner, raise their concerns, and ask for a PSA test, exactly as they have done in the past. No impact assessment was therefore made when the guidance in this area was consolidated and updated in June, as there was no change in policy to assess.
The two main studies from the Cochrane review were included in the UK National Screening Committee modelling when they made their most recent recommendation regarding prostate cancer screening, and it should be noted that the Cochrane review came to the same statistical conclusions as the UK National Screening Committee regarding ‘mortality reduction", sometimes called lives saved, from PSA testing and subsequent treatment.
With regard to the next review of prostate cancer screening, I refer the Hon. Members to the article published by the UK National Screening Committee on 11 August 2026, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the findings of the Cochrane review entitled Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test for prostate cancer screening by Franco et al, published on 15 May 2026.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Despite some recent misinformed media coverage, I can confirm to the Hon. Members that there has been no change to the policy in respect of prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing for men aged over 50 years old. Any such man who is concerned about prostate cancer, regardless of whether they have symptoms, remains free to make an appointment with their general practitioner, raise their concerns, and ask for a PSA test, exactly as they have done in the past. No impact assessment was therefore made when the guidance in this area was consolidated and updated in June, as there was no change in policy to assess.
The two main studies from the Cochrane review were included in the UK National Screening Committee modelling when they made their most recent recommendation regarding prostate cancer screening, and it should be noted that the Cochrane review came to the same statistical conclusions as the UK National Screening Committee regarding ‘mortality reduction", sometimes called lives saved, from PSA testing and subsequent treatment.
With regard to the next review of prostate cancer screening, I refer the Hon. Members to the article published by the UK National Screening Committee on 11 August 2026, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the UK National Screening Committee will next review its recommendation on prostate cancer screening.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Despite some recent misinformed media coverage, I can confirm to the Hon. Members that there has been no change to the policy in respect of prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing for men aged over 50 years old. Any such man who is concerned about prostate cancer, regardless of whether they have symptoms, remains free to make an appointment with their general practitioner, raise their concerns, and ask for a PSA test, exactly as they have done in the past. No impact assessment was therefore made when the guidance in this area was consolidated and updated in June, as there was no change in policy to assess.
The two main studies from the Cochrane review were included in the UK National Screening Committee modelling when they made their most recent recommendation regarding prostate cancer screening, and it should be noted that the Cochrane review came to the same statistical conclusions as the UK National Screening Committee regarding ‘mortality reduction", sometimes called lives saved, from PSA testing and subsequent treatment.
With regard to the next review of prostate cancer screening, I refer the Hon. Members to the article published by the UK National Screening Committee on 11 August 2026, which is available at the following link:
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the Climate Security Taskforce's planned timetable is for holding its first meeting; and whether a record of that meeting will be published.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Taskforce on the National Security and Resilience Risks of a Changing Climate and Nature Loss will meet for the first time in the Autumn. A record of that meeting will not be published to allow for open and candid discussion among participants. The public will be kept informed of the Taskforce’s progress and outputs, and we will set out our approach to this in due course.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department still produces Emerging Trends reports, which were bi-annual publications highlighting key developments and their implications produced by the Defra Futures Project.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has no plans to publish a 5th Edition of the Global Megatrends report at present. We continue to routinely monitor both long-term and short-term emerging trends and risks, including through engagement of our expert committees.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has (a) produced and (b) plans to produce a fifth edition of the global megatrends report that was published in 2024.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has no plans to publish a 5th Edition of the Global Megatrends report at present. We continue to routinely monitor both long-term and short-term emerging trends and risks, including through engagement of our expert committees.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of its policies on family visas.
Answered by Mike Tapp
The Family routes were established in 2012 aimed at enabling family life, while promoting financial independence and integration.
Reform is overdue. The system has become too complex, inconsistent and open to abuse, with British citizens facing the strictest requirements.
We are introducing a new family policy that will create a fairer and more consistent framework.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to issue guidance to insurers on communicating flood risk to homeowners whose insurance policies rely on Flood Re.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government works closely with Flood Re and the insurance industry to improve awareness and understanding of flood risk. Flood Re made a recommendation in their 2024 Quinquennial Review that insurers are required to make clear on their policy documents that a policy has been ceded to Flood Re which Government accepted www.floodre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Flood-Re_QQR-2024_Digital.pdf.
They are also developing Flood Performance Certificate pilots which will provide clearer, trusted information on a property’s level of risk and resilience for use by householders, insurers and lenders. Piloting will begin later this year, with wider rollout to follow.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of closure of the Flood Re scheme in 2039 on the availability of mortgages for properties at high risk of flooding.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Government is engaging with the insurance industry and other stakeholders to examine whether the rationale to end the Flood Re scheme in 2039 as planned remains appropriate, or whether we need reconsider this timing in the light of the challenges of climate change. Consideration of mortgage availability for properties at high risk of flooding is included as part of this.
In 2025/26, Flood Re provided cover for over 353,000 household policies, with 742,000 properties benefitting since the scheme’s launch. As at March 2026, the average home insurance quote following a flood claim was around c.£1,316, compared with approximately £4,400 prior to Flood Re.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of uncertainty over the future of Flood Re on mortgage availability for properties at high risk of flooding.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Government is engaging with the insurance industry and other stakeholders to examine whether the rationale to end the Flood Re scheme in 2039 as planned remains appropriate, or whether we need reconsider this timing in the light of the challenges of climate change. Consideration of mortgage availability for properties at high risk of flooding is included as part of this.
In 2025/26, Flood Re provided cover for over 353,000 household policies, with 742,000 properties benefitting since the scheme’s launch. As at March 2026, the average home insurance quote following a flood claim was around c.£1,316, compared with approximately £4,400 prior to Flood Re.