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 accessibility of TG6 blood tests for diagnosis of gluten ataxia.

While National Health Service specialised services commissions care for some rare ataxias, gluten ataxia is commissioned within integrated care board-commissioned neurology services. Decisions on the provision of diagnostic tests, including blood tests, are therefore a matter for local NHS systems. Therefore, no specific assessment has been made.

The Government remains committed to improving the lives of people living with rare diseases, including gluten ataxia, through the UK Rare Diseases Framework and the England Rare Diseases Action Plan 2026, including helping patients get a final diagnosis faster.