Written questions by Bennett.

Whether UK Health Security Agency microbiology laboratories have the capability to carry out group B Streptococcus-specific enriched culture medium testing in accordance with the Public Health England guidance on Standards for Microbial Investigations B 58.

The provision of group B streptococcal microbiological laboratory testing is under review with clinical stakeholders. At present, this service, with respect to enriched culture medium testing, in accordance with Public Health England’s guidance on Standards for Microbial Investigations B 58, is not offered within regional UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) microbiology laboratories. The Bacteria Reference Department in UKHSA Colindale had specific accreditation under the United Kingdom Accreditation Service for group B Streptococci testing, which provides confirmation of group B Streptococci status and typing, based on the identification of 10 polysaccharide antigens.

What information his Department holds on regional variations in access to group B Streptococcus testing; and what steps are being taken to reduce those variations.

The UK National External Quality Assessment Service’s (NEQAS) microbiology service, hosted by The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), has introduced a group B Streptococcus Screening External Quality Assessment scheme as of April 2025. The UKHSA does not currently collect regional variations in the provision of group B testing services.

What recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that patients receiving (a) stem cell transplants and (b) other cell therapies have access to specialist psychological support (i) before, (ii) during and (iii) after treatment.

As stipulated by NHS England in the blood and marrow transplantation (BMT) service specification, BMT services, which include stem cell transplants, should ensure that a full range of support staff is available, including social workers, and psychological, physiotherapy, pharmacy, and radiology support, for stem cell transplant recipients. BMT service providers are also expected to be accredited by the Joint Accreditation Committee of the International Society for Cellular Therapy and the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (JACIE), and the requirement for psychology support staff is also reflected in the eighth edition of the JACIE standards. For wider cell therapies, psychological support has been a requirement as part of any CAR-T core multidisciplinary team since 2018. It is also an important component for any commissioned advanced therapy medicinal product.

What steps his Department is taking to help tackle disparities in the incidence of group B Streptococcal infections among different (a) ethnic and (b) socioeconomic groups.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has co-ordinated periods of enhanced surveillance of invasive group B Streptococcal (GBS) in infants younger than 90 days, allowing for a greater understanding of the risk factors and outcomes of infection, which is vital in identifying opportunities for prevention. For example, a population-wide data analysis on race and ethnicity in neonatal GBS in England between 2016 and 2020 revealed marked differences in invasive GBS rates among black and minority ethnic infants. Further details of this study are available at the following link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35979728/ The UKHSA is working to identify target groups for future GBS vaccination through epidemiological analysis of invasive and non-invasive disease phenotypes in adults and children, and to identify ethnic disparities in rates of infant and maternal GBS. The UKHSA has also been progressing the development of maternal carriage studies to investigate differential rates of carriage according to ethnicity and other characteristics, including socioeconomic factors.

What steps he is taking to ensure that future changes to the (a) soft drinks industry levy and (b) other measures relating to sugar are responsive to the needs of people with Type 1 Diabetes who require continued access to affordable high sugar foods.

The prevention of ill health is a priority for the Government. We are committed to tackling obesity as a core part of our health mission, to support people to live longer, healthier lives and raise the healthiest generation of children.Most of the population are consuming double the free sugar recommendations of 5% total daily calorie intake. Diets high in sugar increase the risk of tooth decay and weight gain. Being overweight or living with obesity is associated with a range of negative health impacts such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some kinds of cancers.People with type 1 diabetes should only consume high sugar drinks in the event of hypoglycaemia, because of not eating enough carbohydrates or taking too much insulin. With proper management, hypoglycaemia should be a rare event, and the consumption of high sugar drinks kept to a minimum. In addition, high sugar drinks are available at a variety of price points.Diabetes UK has provided an online summary of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) and put this in the context of diabetes and its management. It includes advice on the use of drinks to treat hypoglycaemia and highlights that other products can also be used for this purpose e.g. glucose tablets, sweets such as jelly babies, pure fruit juice or glucose gels. It also highlights that some treatments may be prescribed for free for people with diabetes. Further information can be found at the following link:https://www.diabetes.org.uk/living-with-diabetes/eating/sugar-reduction-hypo-treatment-sugar-taxNHS England is supporting integrated care boards (ICBs) to improve treatment and care for their populations and reduce variation of diabetes care, with NHS England supporting systems to be aware of the national data and insights through benchmarking and promoting good practice. NHS England has provided £3 million of funding to systems to provide clinical leadership to ensure that clinical diabetes metrics, such as care processes and treatment targets, are reviewed at ICB level and unwarranted variation identified. A resource hub of materials has been set up on Future NHS, including examples of innovation and best practice for improvement of care process delivery, and achievement of treatment targets.The SDIL came into force in 2018 and applies to producers and importers of added sugar soft drinks that contain 5 grams total sugar or more per 100 millilitres. If the currently proposed change to the lower sugar threshold comes into force, it will only impact around 17% of additional sales volumes for products containing between 4 and 4.9 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres. The only change impacting high sugar drinks is the uprating of the tax rate, and with both these changes it is up to businesses to decide whether to pass through to consumers any additional costs associated with paying the tax.

Whether she is considering (a) restricting the number of children who can obtain Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and (b) replacing the EHCP system.

The evidence is clear that this government inherited a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system left in a state of disarray, with too many children not having their needs met and parents forced to fight for support.This government is actively working with parents and experts on how children's needs can be better met, including through earlier identification and support to prevent needs escalating. We have made available £740 million to encourage councils to create more specialist places both in mainstream schools and specialist provision, and almost a £1 billion increase to the high needs budget for 2025/26 to ensure children have access to the support they need to achieve and thrive.At the heart of any changes to the SEND system must be children’s outcomes and opportunities. The department’s aim is for the support children need to be more easily accessed earlier, and to put an end to adversarial processes with parents having to fight for support, while protecting provision currently in place. As part of our Plan for Change, we want to restore the confidence of families up and down the country and deliver the improvement they need so that they can achieve and thrive.

Whether his Department has considered introducing a national screening programme for glaucoma.

The UK National Screening Committee does not recommend screening for glaucoma because it is not clear if the tests which are available are accurate enough to be used in a screening programme. Regular sight tests are important in detecting glaucoma, which is why we recommend everyone having a sight test at least every two years. Free National Health Service sight tests are available for many, including children, those aged 60 years old and over, individuals on income-related benefits, and those diagnosed with, or considered at risk of, glaucoma.The Department does not hold information on the absolute numbers of people living with glaucoma at any one time in England, and therefore no estimate has been made on the numbers of people who will have glaucoma in the next 10 years. Data is also not held centrally on the number of qualified ophthalmic consultants and doctors who are able to treat glaucoma in the NHS.

How many qualified ophthalmic (a) consultants and (b) doctors there are who are able to treat glaucoma; how many people have glaucoma; and what estimate he has made of trends in these numbers over the next 10 years.

The UK National Screening Committee does not recommend screening for glaucoma because it is not clear if the tests which are available are accurate enough to be used in a screening programme. Regular sight tests are important in detecting glaucoma, which is why we recommend everyone having a sight test at least every two years. Free National Health Service sight tests are available for many, including children, those aged 60 years old and over, individuals on income-related benefits, and those diagnosed with, or considered at risk of, glaucoma.The Department does not hold information on the absolute numbers of people living with glaucoma at any one time in England, and therefore no estimate has been made on the numbers of people who will have glaucoma in the next 10 years. Data is also not held centrally on the number of qualified ophthalmic consultants and doctors who are able to treat glaucoma in the NHS.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of people who will have glaucoma in England in each of the next 10 years.

The UK National Screening Committee does not recommend screening for glaucoma because it is not clear if the tests which are available are accurate enough to be used in a screening programme. Regular sight tests are important in detecting glaucoma, which is why we recommend everyone having a sight test at least every two years. Free National Health Service sight tests are available for many, including children, those aged 60 years old and over, individuals on income-related benefits, and those diagnosed with, or considered at risk of, glaucoma.The Department does not hold information on the absolute numbers of people living with glaucoma at any one time in England, and therefore no estimate has been made on the numbers of people who will have glaucoma in the next 10 years. Data is also not held centrally on the number of qualified ophthalmic consultants and doctors who are able to treat glaucoma in the NHS.

Whether her Department has undertaken an impact assessment on the decision to end overseas recruitment of care workers.

We recognise the huge contribution of overseas care, but it is important that long-term plans are drawn up to train homegrown talent into the care sector.As outlined in the ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System - Technical Annex’, it is estimated there will be an annual reduction of approximately 7,000 main applicants resulting from the removal of Care and Senior Care worker occupations from the Health and Social Care route.To manage this change, there will be a transitional period until 2028.Many care workers arriving on this route have been widely exploited, with tens of thousands displaced and promised jobs that did not materialise. They will be given the opportunity to work in the care sector, alongside the ongoing development of future workforce plans.The White Paper sets out a number of reforms to the immigration system which will be implemented in a phased way. Each measure will be subject to an impact assessment when they are brought into force.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support small abbatoirs.

Defra recognises the vital role smaller abattoirs play in supporting local livestock producers and maintaining a resilient and competitive food supply chain. Defra works closely with the industry including through the Small Abattoirs Working Group and the Small Abattoirs Task and Finish Group. These groups bring together Government and industry representatives on a regular basis and provide a forum for identifying the challenges and opportunities that the sector faces, and for collaborating on practical solutions to support the sustainability of small and medium sized abattoirs. This includes issues such as regulation, efficiency and labour, to help ensure the sector remains viable and resilient. The Government will continue to engage with stakeholders to help address the pressures facing small abattoirs and ensure they remain a vital part of a competitive, sustainable and locally rooted food supply chain.

Whether her Department plans to start (a) recording and (b) reporting on the number of animals who are bred for, but not actually used in, scientific procedures within animal testing figures.

The Home Office is presently reviewing the collection and publication of additional statistics on animals that were bred but not used in scientific procedures.

Whether she plans to regulate the fees charged by GPs to applicants for a medical review for a firearms licensing application.

Medical checks are an important part of the firearms licensing process and help to ensure that those in possession of firearms licences do not present a threat to themselves or others.Since November 2021, applicants have been required to provide medical information from a doctor when submitting their application for a firearms certificate. While doctors can charge a fee to the applicant to provide the medical information in relation to a firearms licence application, whether such a fee is charged, or the level of that fee, are a matter between the applicant and the doctor.

What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the release of Adult Social Care Funding Data, following the Information Tribunal order to disclose it in October 2024.

My Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular conversations with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about a variety of topics.To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government has made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant. The Government has provided an increase to core local government spending power in 2025/26 of up to 6.8% in cash terms.

How many unpaid carers concurrently on Personal Independence Payments and Carers Allowance are awarded less than four points in all daily living activities.

In August 2024 for England and Wales, there were 95,000 working aged claimants receiving both the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) - to help with extra living costs as a result of having a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of their condition - and Carer's Allowance (including entitlement only) because they care for another person for at least 35 hours a week, that received fewer than 4 points across all daily living descriptors in their last PIP assessment. Their eligibility for Carer’s Allowance is dependent on the condition/needs of the individual for whom they are caring, rather than their own PIP award. Notes:There will be no immediate changes. Changes to PIP eligibility and rebalancing of UC aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval.PIP changes will only apply at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years. At the award review, claimants will be seen by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstances.We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.We have also launched a review of the PIP assessment, which I am leading, to make sure the PIP assessment is fair and fit for purpose. We will work with and listen closely to stakeholders to gather views on how best to approach the review before publishing the Terms of Reference.

What recent estimate his Department has made of the average time taken for patients with Parkinson’s disease who are experiencing new symptoms to see a neurologist.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidance on Parkinson’s disease in adults sets out the best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment, and support of people with Parkinson’s. It aims to improve the recognition and management of Parkinson’s symptoms. The NICE’s guidance on Parkinson’s disease in adults is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng71NHS RightCare has also produced a Progressive Neurology Conditions Toolkit. The toolkit sets out the key priorities for increasing knowledge of the signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s and makes suggestions regarding new service models which can be implemented in primary care to speed up referrals to specialists and ensure a timely diagnosis. Additionally, the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology has published a National Speciality Report, which makes several recommendations in relation to reducing waiting for neurology services. NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme which has developed a new model of integrated care for neurology services, to support integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including those with Parkinson’s.Data on how regularly an average patient with Parkinson’s disease sees a neurologist is not held centrally. NICE guidance recommends that people with Parkinson's should be seen at regular intervals of six to 12 months. While NICE guidance is not mandatory, the Government expects the healthcare system and commissioners to take the guidelines fully into account when designing services for their local population, and to work towards their implementation over time.Data on the average time taken for patients with Parkinson’s disease to see a neurologist is not held centrally. The latest data for referral to treatment waiting times in England, from February 2025, shows there were under 230,000 pathways waiting for a neurology appointment, 53.7% of which were waiting within 18 weeks.The NHS Constitution sets out that patients should start consultant-led treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral for non-urgent conditions. On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, which sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week referral to treatment target by the end of this Parliament. We have achieved our pledge to deliver two million extra elective appointments. These additional appointments have taken place across a number of specialities, including neurology. We have made the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, in line with the NHS constitutional standard, by March 2029.

If he will make an estimate of the how regularly an average patient with Parkinson’s disease saw a neurologist in the latest period for which data was available.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidance on Parkinson’s disease in adults sets out the best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment, and support of people with Parkinson’s. It aims to improve the recognition and management of Parkinson’s symptoms. The NICE’s guidance on Parkinson’s disease in adults is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng71NHS RightCare has also produced a Progressive Neurology Conditions Toolkit. The toolkit sets out the key priorities for increasing knowledge of the signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s and makes suggestions regarding new service models which can be implemented in primary care to speed up referrals to specialists and ensure a timely diagnosis. Additionally, the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology has published a National Speciality Report, which makes several recommendations in relation to reducing waiting for neurology services. NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme which has developed a new model of integrated care for neurology services, to support integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including those with Parkinson’s.Data on how regularly an average patient with Parkinson’s disease sees a neurologist is not held centrally. NICE guidance recommends that people with Parkinson's should be seen at regular intervals of six to 12 months. While NICE guidance is not mandatory, the Government expects the healthcare system and commissioners to take the guidelines fully into account when designing services for their local population, and to work towards their implementation over time.Data on the average time taken for patients with Parkinson’s disease to see a neurologist is not held centrally. The latest data for referral to treatment waiting times in England, from February 2025, shows there were under 230,000 pathways waiting for a neurology appointment, 53.7% of which were waiting within 18 weeks.The NHS Constitution sets out that patients should start consultant-led treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral for non-urgent conditions. On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, which sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week referral to treatment target by the end of this Parliament. We have achieved our pledge to deliver two million extra elective appointments. These additional appointments have taken place across a number of specialities, including neurology. We have made the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, in line with the NHS constitutional standard, by March 2029.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the time taken for patients experiencing Parkinson's symptoms to receive a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidance on Parkinson’s disease in adults sets out the best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment, and support of people with Parkinson’s. It aims to improve the recognition and management of Parkinson’s symptoms. The NICE’s guidance on Parkinson’s disease in adults is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng71NHS RightCare has also produced a Progressive Neurology Conditions Toolkit. The toolkit sets out the key priorities for increasing knowledge of the signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s and makes suggestions regarding new service models which can be implemented in primary care to speed up referrals to specialists and ensure a timely diagnosis. Additionally, the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology has published a National Speciality Report, which makes several recommendations in relation to reducing waiting for neurology services. NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme which has developed a new model of integrated care for neurology services, to support integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including those with Parkinson’s.Data on how regularly an average patient with Parkinson’s disease sees a neurologist is not held centrally. NICE guidance recommends that people with Parkinson's should be seen at regular intervals of six to 12 months. While NICE guidance is not mandatory, the Government expects the healthcare system and commissioners to take the guidelines fully into account when designing services for their local population, and to work towards their implementation over time.Data on the average time taken for patients with Parkinson’s disease to see a neurologist is not held centrally. The latest data for referral to treatment waiting times in England, from February 2025, shows there were under 230,000 pathways waiting for a neurology appointment, 53.7% of which were waiting within 18 weeks.The NHS Constitution sets out that patients should start consultant-led treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral for non-urgent conditions. On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, which sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week referral to treatment target by the end of this Parliament. We have achieved our pledge to deliver two million extra elective appointments. These additional appointments have taken place across a number of specialities, including neurology. We have made the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, in line with the NHS constitutional standard, by March 2029.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposals outlined in the (a) Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work and (b) Spring Budget on (i) unpaid carers and (ii) people with caring responsibilities whose disability benefit entitlements may have changed.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Whether his Department plans to publish an implementation plan alongside the policy paper entitled Reforming elective care for patients, published on 6 January 2025.

There are currently no plans to publish an implementation plan alongside the Elective Reform Plan.Our Elective Reform Plan sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the 18-week constitutional standard by the end of this Parliament, and outlines how these will be implemented by National Health Service systems, including a series of milestones for delivery. We have hit our pledge to deliver two million extra elective appointments early, and have now exceeded that pledge by delivering over three million more appointments.In addition, the Planning Guidance for 2025/26 has since been published and confirmed the interim targets for 2025/26, including a target that 65% of patients wait for 18 weeks or less by March 2026, up from 58.9% in January 2025, with every trust expected to deliver a minimum 5% improvement on current performance over that period.