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 provide preventative health services in Stockport constituency's most deprived wards.

The Government’s mission is to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between rich and poor, through the Health Mission and 10-Year Health Plan. Our 10-Year Health Plan sets out how a shift to prevention will deliver healthier, more prosperous lives for all, but particularly for those suffering the consequences of widening levels of health inequality.

Our landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill will help deliver our ambition for a smoke-free UK and we will take decisive action to tackle the obesity crisis and create the healthiest generation of children ever, working in partnership with schools, supermarkets, and pharmaceutical companies.

We will also be asking the NHS to do more on secondary prevention, including through strengthening its vaccination and screening programmes.

The public health grant is paid to local authorities and is used to provide vital preventative services that help to support health. In 2025/26, funding for all local authorities through the public health grant will be £3.884 billion. This is an average 3.4% real terms increase in local authority public health grant funding, compared to 2024/25. This is complemented by almost £490 million of additional targeted investment in local drug and alcohol treatment, early years and stop smoking services. This represents a significant turning point for local public health services, marking the biggest real-terms increase after nearly a decade of reduced spending. Our Regional Team works with and supports North West local authorities across a wide range of portfolios that support taking action on health inequalities including children's services, smoking cessation, drug and alcohol services, physical activity and obesity, mental wellbeing, work and health, wider determinants of health and health literacy.