Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
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 publish guidance on managing hypoglycaemia that includes (a) treatment, (b) when to seek medical help and (c) rules for those with diabetes who drive or operate heavy machinery.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published advice on the management of type 1 diabetes, including advice on managing acute hypoglycaemia, which is available at the following link:
https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/diabetes-type-1/management/
There are no current plans for the Department to publish specific guidance for distinct workforce groups.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to make the WID-easy test available in Shropshire.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently no plans to make the WID-easy test available in Shropshire. Decisions regarding resource allocation are made by local commissioners and providers based on identified priorities within the region.
The Government is supportive of the implementation of innovative diagnostic tools and tests that play a crucial role in the early detection of cancer. By embracing these advancements, the aim is to not only identify cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage, but also to improve the overall efficiency of the diagnostic process.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
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 trends in the levels of (a) gonorrhea, (b) chlamydia, and (c) syphillis in people.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Official statistics published by the UK Health Security Agency highlight trends in sexually transmitted infection diagnoses in England. Information is available from the GUMCAD STI Surveillance System and the CTAD Chlamydia Surveillance System at the following links respectively:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/gumcad-sti-surveillance-system
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ctad-chlamydia-surveillance-system
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the eligibility criteria for individuals to be considered for (a) Covid and (b) Flu vaccinations in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 and flu through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Eligibility for vaccination programmes informed by JCVI advice is set at a national level. The primary aim of the vaccination programmes remains the prevention of serious illness, resulting in hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19 and flu.
The JCVI has advised that population immunity to COVID-19 has been increasing due to a combination of naturally acquired immunity following recovery from infection and vaccine-derived immunity. COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for most people, though it can still be unpleasant, with rates of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 having reduced significantly since COVID-19 first emerged.
The focus of the JCVI advised programme has therefore moved towards targeted vaccination of the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality. These are the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed.
The Government has accepted the JCVI advice for autumn 2025 and in line with the advice, a COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to the following groups in autumn 2025:
- adults aged 75 years old and over;
- residents in care homes for older adults; and
- individuals aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed.
Flu is a recurring pressure that the National Health Service faces every winter. There is particular risk of severe illness for older people, the very young, pregnant people, and those with certain underlying health conditions. In line with the JCVI’s advice, those eligible to receive a free flu vaccine on the NHS this autumn are those who:
- are children aged two or three years old on 31 August 2025;
- are primary school aged children, from Reception to Year 6;
- are secondary school aged children, from Year 7 to Year 11;
- are children in clinical risk groups aged from six months to less than 18 years old;
- are aged 65 years old or over, including those who will be 65 years old by 31 March 2026;
- have certain long-term health conditions;
- are pregnant;
- live in a care home;
- are the main carer for an older or disabled person, or receive a carer's allowance;
- live with someone who has a weakened immune system;
- are frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme, including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers, and those that are employed by those who receive direct payments, for personal budgets, or Personal Health budgets, such as personal assistants; and
- frontline health and social care workers, who can access the flu vaccine through their employer. There are circumstances where frontline staff, employed by specific social care providers without access to employer led occupational health schemes, see cohort eligibility above, can access the vaccine through the NHS free of charge.
As with other United Kingdom vaccination programmes, the JCVI’s advice on eligibility for both of these programmes carefully considered the evidence on the risk of illness, serious disease, or death as a consequence of infection, in specific groups, as well as a cost-effectiveness analysis. The JCVI keeps their advice under review.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
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 potential impact of mandatory folic acid fortification on people with MTHFR gene variants.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s policy to mandate the fortification of non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid is aimed at reducing the incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in pregnancy. This policy is based on robust assessment of the evidence by the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and has included two public consultations.
The SACN’s assessment included consideration of individuals with a specific MTHFR gene variant that reduces their ability to process folate from their diet resulting in lower levels of folate in their blood. The two public consultations invited feedback from a wide range of stakeholders, which included individuals concerned about MTHFR gene variants.
An increased intake of folic acid will raise blood folate levels, which reduces the risk of an NTD-affected pregnancy. Therefore, mandatory folic acid fortification is likely to be beneficial to individuals with the specific MTHFR gene variant.
The Government is exploring options to evaluate the policy, which will assess health impacts across different population groups.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of pharmaceutical pollution in waterways on public health.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Environment Agency routinely monitors for a wide range of chemicals as part of their chemical surveillance of inland water bodies. In addition, the UK Health Security Agency assesses the potential public health impact of these.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 support for adults with cerebral palsy.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring that people living with cerebral palsy have access to appropriate support and services throughout their lives, enabling them to fulfil their potential and lead healthy, productive lives.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a guideline for adults with cerebral palsy, code NG119. The guideline recommends regular reviews of clinical and functional needs, clear care pathways, and access to multi-disciplinary teams and specialist neurology services. The guideline is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng119
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out a vision for a health and care system that delivers more personalised, integrated, and proactive care for people with long-term and complex conditions, including cerebral palsy. By 2027, 95% of people with complex needs should have an agreed personal care plan. These will promote shared decision-making and access to personal health budgets, giving individuals more choice and control over therapies, equipment, and support tailored to their needs. Additionally, integrated neighbourhood health teams will bring together professionals across disciplines to deliver joined-up care for people with cerebral palsy.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will undertake a review of the (a) fitting, (b) quality and (c) patient feedback on (i) post-surgery bras and (ii) breast protheses received through the NHS.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Decisions about the funding and provision of health services, including post-surgery bras and breast protheses, are the responsibility of local integrated care boards.
NHS England funded audits into primary and metastatic breast cancer to help identify and reduce inequalities and variations in care. Using routine data collected on patients diagnosed with breast cancer in a National Health Service setting, the audits bring together information to look at what is being done well, where it is being done well, and what needs to be done better. Findings were published in September 2025, and the NHS is acting on the findings.
Patient experience and outcomes remain a key priority for the Department, and we will continue to look for opportunities to improve all aspects of cancer care. The National Cancer Plan, due to be published early in the new year, will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, including people living with and beyond cancer.
Asked by: Lord Polak (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to assess the NHS’s capacity for fresh freezing of tumour and other tissue samples, and the impact of this capacity on improving access to innovative cancer testing and treatments.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pathology services in England are delivered through 27 regional pathology networks, and offer a comprehensive range of tests, including the analysis of brain tissues.
Fresh-freezing, also referred to as snap-freezing, is a standard technique used by pathology networks to preserve tissue architecture without chemical fixatives, allowing for subsequent molecular or histological analysis, typically supporting research or advanced diagnostic applications.
Individual pathology services maintain their own standard operating procedures (SOPs) for fresh tissue samples and for the snap-freezing of tissue samples. These SOPs outline local capabilities and practices.
Information on the number of NHS trusts in England that have facilities for fresh freezing brain cancer tissue samples is not currently collected. However, the extent to which fresh freezing is used across NHS trusts is likely to vary depending on the availability of neurosurgery services.
Asked by: Lord Polak (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of current (1) fresh-freezing, (2) snap-freezing, and (3) flash frozen capacity for brain cancer tissue samples across NHS trusts in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Pathology services in England are delivered through 27 regional pathology networks, and offer a comprehensive range of tests, including the analysis of brain tissues.
Fresh-freezing, also referred to as snap-freezing, is a standard technique used by pathology networks to preserve tissue architecture without chemical fixatives, allowing for subsequent molecular or histological analysis, typically supporting research or advanced diagnostic applications.
Individual pathology services maintain their own standard operating procedures (SOPs) for fresh tissue samples and for the snap-freezing of tissue samples. These SOPs outline local capabilities and practices.
Information on the number of NHS trusts in England that have facilities for fresh freezing brain cancer tissue samples is not currently collected. However, the extent to which fresh freezing is used across NHS trusts is likely to vary depending on the availability of neurosurgery services.