Written questions by Ribeiro-Addy.

What assessment has he made of the number of registered GPs not in employment; and whether he is taking steps to reduce the number of unemployed GPs.

We hugely value the critical role that general practitioners (GPs) play and are determined to address the issues they face by shifting the focus of the National Health Service beyond hospitals and into the community. The Government committed to recruiting over 1,000 recently qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment and secure the future pipeline of GPs.We are investing an additional £889 million through the GP contract to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade.Under recently announced changes to the GP contract in 2025/26, the ARRS will become more flexible to allow primary care networks (PCNs) to respond better to local workforce needs. The two ARRS pots will be combined to create a single pot for reimbursement of patient facing staff costs. There will be no restrictions on the number or type of staff covered, including GPs and practice nurses.In a drive to recruit GPs via the ARRS and to bring back the family doctor, the salary element of the maximum reimbursement amount that PCNs can claim for GPs will be increased from £73,113 in 2024/25, the bottom of the salaried GP pay range, to £82,418, an uplift of £9,305 representing the lower quartile of the salaried GP pay range, as some GPs will be entering their second year in the scheme. Proportionate employer on-costs will also be included within the overall maximum reimbursement amount which PCNs will be able to claim.Data on the number of unemployed GPs is not held centrally.

What assessment has he made of the adequacy of the mechanisms in place for ICBs to hold Swift Queue to account for faulty services.

NHS England has not undertaken a specific assessment of the mechanisms in place for integrated care boards (ICBs) to hold Swift Queue accountable for service performance. However, ICBs, as commissioners of local health services, are responsible for ensuring that contracted service providers, including those providing digital booking systems, meet agreed performance and quality standards.Where issues arise with faulty services, ICBs have contractual levers available to address concerns, which may include service improvement plans, financial penalties, or contract reviews. If a specific issue has been identified with Swift Queue’s service provision, affected ICBs are expected to take appropriate action to resolve the matter in the interests of patient care. Where an ICB identifies systemic failures with Swift Queue or any similar provider, they can escalate concerns through NHS England and the relevant regulatory bodies.To note, ICBs are not always responsible for commissioning services like Swift Queue. National Health Service trusts may also directly procure and manage such contracts for their own operations. If an NHS trust has commissioned Swift Queue, then it holds responsibility for ensuring the system functions properly, using its contractual levers to address service issues. Regardless of the commissioner, ICB or trust, NHS England can provide oversight and guidance if widespread or systemic issues arise with the platform.

For what reason rheumatoid arthritis patients are not entitled to free NHS prescriptions; and if he will take steps to review the eligibility for free prescriptions for those patients.

There are no current plans to review the list of prescription charge exemptions or the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate.There are extensive arrangements in place in England to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone. Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there is a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with rheumatoid arthritis may be eligible. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) are also available. PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with 3-month and 12-month certificates available. The 12-month PPC can be paid for in instalments.

What the cost to the NHS is of sourcing a haematopoietic stem cell donation from the UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry compared to stem cell donation imports from United States, Germany and Poland; and what the oversight mechanism is for agreeing these costs.

Details on the costs of haematopoietic stem cell transplants are not held centrally by the Department.The UK Aligned Stem Cell Registry supplies stem cells from United Kingdom donors to the National Health Service. It is made up of four partners: Anthony Nolan and DKMS UK, which are both independent charities; NHS Blood and Transplant; and the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry. The cost to the NHS for provisions of donated peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs), cord blood units and donor lymphocytes from UK sources is reviewed annually by the UK Aligned Registry partners and reflects the costs involved in the provision of cell products. Costs are communicated to transplant centres by Anthony Nolan on behalf of the Aligned Registry, with due notice of implementation. Cost increases are maintained at or below inflation with adjustments to avoid any corresponding large increase in a given year.For products from international sources, Anthony Nolan is the importing organisation. Products are charged at the international registry fee plus a flat service fee. The international registry fee can vary significantly, depending on the organisation or country from which the product is being imported, the graft source, whether it be PBSCs, bone marrow or cord blood units, and the current foreign exchange rate. The service fee includes: management and maintenance of the search system and international search connections; facilitating the import of the stem cell product; quality assurance and management; and legal and insurance costs for the import of stem cell products.Fees for both UK and international cell products are charged directly to NHS transplant centres. NHS England has oversight of the tariff paid to NHS hospitals to cover the cost of unrelated donor transplantation and individual NHS hospitals or Trusts oversee how funds for unrelated transplants are allocated.The choice of donor is made by the medical team, who choose the donor they feel will be best for their patient, whether that is a donor available in the UK or one available overseas.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the number of haemopoietic stem cell transplants sourced from the UK.

The Department’s Stem Cell Programme has provided £2.4 million of funding for the period 2022-25. The programme is being delivered by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and Anthony Nolan. It aims to enhance the resilience of the United Kingdom's stem cell supply by strategically recruiting donors, particularly those most likely to donate, and to address health disparities through targeted campaigns, with a focus on ethnic minority communities. By increasing the pool of potential donors, the programme seeks to improve the availability of matches in the UK, ultimately reducing waiting times for patients in need of stem cell treatment.The UK aligned registry has over 2.3 million potential stem cell donors registered. NHSBT and Anthony Nolan are raising awareness of the importance of stem cell donation and increasing the number of donors on the register through a range of methods including partnering with community organisations, working with volunteer student groups, and engaging with active blood, plasma and platelet donors.

What percentage of haemopoietic stem cell transplant performed by the NHS were from UK registered donors between 1 October 2024 to 31 December 24 or the last three months for which data is available.

For the third quarter of 2024/25, registered donors in the United Kingdom provided by the Aligned Registry accounted for 23% (n=73) of the total unrelated, allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplants (n=311) for UK patients.

Whether it is his Department's policy that babies in the third trimester that have been removed from their mother after her death should not be (a) recognised and (b) recorded as stillborn.

The definition of a stillborn child in England and Wales is contained in the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 section 41, and was amended by the Stillbirth (Definition) Act 1992 section 1(1). This act defines a stillbirth as ‘a child which has issued forth from its mother after the 24th week of pregnancy and which did not at any time breathe or show any other signs of life’.It is expected that babies are recognised and recorded as stillborn in accordance with this definition.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of making women with endometriosis eligible for flu vaccinations.

Eligibility for the seasonal influenza vaccination programme is based, each year, on the expert advice and recommendations of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) with the aim to protect those most at risk of serious illness and hospitalisation. This advice is kept under regular review.The latest JCVI advice for the 2025/26 flu season is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flu-vaccines-2025-to-2026-jcvi-advice/jcvi-statement-on-influenza-vaccines-for-2025-to-2026

What steps his Department is taking to make Sleepio accessible to NHS patients in Lambeth.

Sleepio is available for local commissioning by integrated care systems should they choose to commission this product, as part of local insomnia care and treatment pathways.No central assessments relating to funding or availability of this product are currently planned.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of alcohol harm; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a national alcohol strategy.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has an action plan to reduce drug and alcohol-related deaths. In light of the recent data, this plan is being revised to ensure that it is grounded in the latest understanding of the drivers of drug and alcohol related deaths and responding to these. Last year, the Department of Health and Social Care published guidance for local authorities and their partnerships on how to review adult drug and alcohol-related deaths to prevent future deaths. Additionally, OHID has published the guidance, Commissioning Quality Standard: alcohol and drug services, for local authorities to support them in commissioning effective alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services.In addition to the Public Health Grant, the Department allocated local authorities £267 million in 2024/25 to improve the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery. An additional £105 million from Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is improving treatment pathways and recovery, housing and employment outcomes for people affected by drug and alcohol use. Future targeted funding for drug and alcohol treatment services beyond 2025 will be announced very shortly.Under the health mission, the Government is committed to prioritising preventative public health measures to enable people to live longer, healthier lives.The Department of Health and Social Care will continue to work across Government to better understand how we can best reduce alcohol-related harms.

With reference to the National Prostate Cancer Audit's report entitled NPCA State of the Nation Report 2024, published January 2025, what steps he is taking to tackle inequalities preventing Black men from (a) receiving early diagnosis and (b) accessing NICE recommended treatments following advanced prostate cancer diagnosis.

To address disparities and find ways to better detect prostate cancer earlier, we have invested £16 million in the United Kingdom-wide TRANSFORM trial, aimed at helping find the best ways of detecting prostate cancer in men, even if they are not displaying any symptoms. This research will aim to address some of the inequalities that exist in prostate cancer diagnosis by targeting black men in trial recruitment, ensuring that one in ten participants are black men.Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve access to treatments and outcomes for all tumour types, including prostate cancer. We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be. We will provide updates on this in due course.

If he will make it his policy to set a target of reducing overall cancer mortality in the UK by 15% by 2040.

Professor Lord Darzi’s report set out that the United Kingdom has higher mortality from cancer than neighbouring countries, the Nordic countries, and other English-speaking countries, using data published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and ...

What steps he plans to take to tackle (a) delays to diagnosis and (b) emergency presentation rates for blood cancer patients.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam on 2 December 2024 to Question 16329.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS preparedness for the next generation of blood cancer treatments.

We are committed to implementing the recommendations of the Lord O'Shaughnessy review into commercial clinical trials, to ensure that innovative, lifesaving treatments are accessible to National Health Service patients, including those with blood cancer.T...

What estimate he has made of the number of patients unable to secure appointments with their GP due to (a) digital exclusion and (b) lack of telephone access.

General practices (GPs) and other National Health Service organisations are encouraged to support patients to use online routes where this would be convenient for them, and there is work to improve the usability of digital tools so that they are accessibl...

What assessment he has made of the impact of blood donation rules on iron levels on the number of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women unable to donate blood.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) tests for haemoglobin levels rather than iron levels ahead of blood donation. If the test shows that the haemoglobin is low, the donor is deferred and information is provided on how they can increase haemoglobin levels thr...

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the minimum iron level required to donate blood.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) tests for haemoglobin levels rather than iron levels ahead of blood donation. If the test shows that the haemoglobin is low, the donor is deferred and information is provided on how they can increase haemoglobin levels thr...

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of blood donation rules on (a) iron levels in and (b) the adequacy of the supply of rare blood types commonly found in Black, Asian and Minority

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) tests for haemoglobin levels rather than iron levels ahead of blood donation. If the test shows that the haemoglobin is low, the donor is deferred and information is provided on how they can increase haemoglobin levels thr...

Whether the Maternity Disparities Taskforce is still active; how many meetings of that taskforce have taken place since it was established; and if he will publish the (a) dates and (b) durations of

The Maternity Disparities Taskforce is not currently active, having met six times on: 8 March 2022, 16 May 2022, 18 July 2022, 18 April 2023, 5 September 2023 and 31 January 2024. The duration of these meetings were approximately an hour and a half.It is ...

What steps he is taking to support Start for Life services in Lambeth; and if he will extend the funding of such services beyond 1 April 2025.

The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme is central to delivering the Government’s commitments to give every baby the best start in life, and to deliver the healthiest generation of children ever. Lambeth is one of 75 local authorities the Government ...