Written questions by Mathew.

If he will set out how his Department will roll out breast cancer gene (BRCA) testing nationally.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) define populations with high risk of carrying harmful breast cancer (BRCA) gene variants and (b) increase testing levels amongst those communities.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a proactive approach to offering breast cancer gene (BRCA) testing to those who have lost a family member to ovarian or breast can

Awaiting answer.

What additional resources are being given to the NHS Business Service Authority to clear the backlog of NHS Pension applications.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department is taking to support retiring NHS staff whose pensions are not processed within the target processing time.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his department has have made of the effectiveness of the NHS Business Services Authority in processing NHS pension applications.

Awaiting answer.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that new treatment options for glioblastoma are reviewed and made available as quickly as possible.

The Government recognises that glioblastoma is a rare and aggressive brain tumour and is committed to improving outcomes for people affected by rare and less common cancers such as this.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes re...

What mechanisms are in place to assess the performance of care providers which have been commissioned by the Integrated Care Board.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for assuring the quality, effectiveness, and value of the services they commission for their populations.ICBs assess provider performance through a range of mechanisms, including contract management arrangemen...

What mechanisms are available to remove an underperforming commissioned service provider before the expiry of a contract.

The NHS Standard Contract allows a commissioner to terminate a contract either by issuing notice in accordance with the contract notice period, or in a number of other circumstances which include where a provider:is in persistent or repetitive breach of t...

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed reductions in funding for Integrated Care Boards on their ability to provide oversight of contracted services.

We are looking to reduce the cost of running integrated care boards (ICBs) to free up resources for frontline services. To support this, we have refocused their role on strategic commissioning and reduced their involvement in functions such as performance...

What training healthcare professionals are given on the impacts of diethylstilbestrol.

On 12 December 2025, Professor Peter Johnson, the National Clinical Director for Cancer, sent a letter to all cancer alliances highlighting the effects of diethylstilbestrol (DES). The message was meant for healthcare professionals, including general practitioners, and referenced existing National Health Service guidance on screening. The Government encourages all women, including those exposed to DES in utero, to attend regular cervical screening which tests for human papilloma virus, the cause of most cervical cancers. The guidance also states that local arrangements, such as regular colposcopy, should be made for women who believe or know they were exposed to DES in utero.Employers in the health system are responsible for ensuring that their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver safe and effective treatment for patients. The Department does not have any plans to establish a public inquiry into the effects of DES. The Department is currently collaborating with the National Institute for Health and Care Research to explore opportunities for research into the long-term and intergenerational effects of DES, including DES grandchildren.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of a public inquiry into the effects of diethylstilbestrol.

On 12 December 2025, Professor Peter Johnson, the National Clinical Director for Cancer, sent a letter to all cancer alliances highlighting the effects of diethylstilbestrol (DES). The message was meant for healthcare professionals, including general practitioners, and referenced existing National Health Service guidance on screening. The Government encourages all women, including those exposed to DES in utero, to attend regular cervical screening which tests for human papilloma virus, the cause of most cervical cancers. The guidance also states that local arrangements, such as regular colposcopy, should be made for women who believe or know they were exposed to DES in utero.Employers in the health system are responsible for ensuring that their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver safe and effective treatment for patients. The Department does not have any plans to establish a public inquiry into the effects of DES. The Department is currently collaborating with the National Institute for Health and Care Research to explore opportunities for research into the long-term and intergenerational effects of DES, including DES grandchildren.

What assessment his Department has made of the (a) prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in Melksham and Devizes constituency compared with national averages; and what steps he is taking to ensure respiratory health is prioritised nationally, including through the introduction of a Modern Service Framework for respiratory care.

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ for Melksham and Devizes, and England, for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and provisionally for 2025/26:Westminster Parliamentary Constituency of Residence2024/25 (August 2024 to March 2025)2025/26 (April 2025 to November 2025)Melksham and Devizes545575England608,449423,588Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Wiltshire can be found at the following link:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E06000054/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.

What assessment his department has made of the current accessibility of Motor Neurone Disease treatments with reference to new breakthrough drugs like Tofersen.

The Government recognises how important it is that patients with motor neurone disease (MND) are able to benefit from access to new clinically and cost-effective treatments. There are currently no new treatments routinely available to National Health Service patients for MND. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently evaluating tofersen, a new licensed treatment for SOD-1 MND, and the company is expected to make an evidence submission to support the appraisal in early June 2026.Relatedly, the Government is investing significantly in MND research, for example via the £8 million EXPERTS ALS trial, with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, being an alternative name for MND, which screens for drugs that have the potential to be successful in clinical trials for people with MND.

What steps are being taken to improve accountability and resolution complaints processes within NHS organisations.

National Health Service organisations must handle complaints in accordance with the standards and processes set out in the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009. To support good complaint handling, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s NHS Complaint Standards set out how organisations providing services in the NHS should approach complaint handling. The standards place a strong focus on several key aspects of complaint handling, including early resolution and giving fair and accountable responses. They set out practical advice and good practice to help NHS organisations improve. Through implementation of Fit for the Future: The 10-Year Health Plan for England, we will improve transparency, deliver high-quality care for all, and strengthen patient and staff voice. This includes reform of the NHS complaints process, setting clear standards for both the timeliness and the quality of responses to complaints, as well as ensuring the NHS listens carefully and compassionately, taking forward learnings to ensure high quality care. We will also increase the use of artificial intelligence tools to ensure complaints data is collected, and responded to, far more quickly.

What is being done to support disabled people working in the NHS.

Local employers across the National Health Service have arrangements in place for supporting disabled staff including occupational health provision, employee support programmes, and a focus on healthy working environments.Employers have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 to consider and make reasonable adjustments for employees who have a disability, taking advice from their local occupational health and human resources department. This includes removing or reducing any substantial disadvantages that employees with a disability may face compared to someone who does not have a disability.The NHS Workforce Disability Equality Standard sets out metrics to enable organisations to understand the experiences of disabled staff and to develop and publish an action plan. Year on year comparison enables trusts to demonstrate progress against the indicators of disability equality.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of hearing tests.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services, including for audiology services such as hearing tests. Our Elective Reform Plan commits to transforming and expanding diagnostic services and speeding up waiting times for tests.NHS England is supporting provider organisations and integrated care boards, who are the commissioners of audiology services, to improve performance and reduce waiting lists. This includes capital investment to upgrade audiology facilities in NHS trusts, expanding audiology testing capacity via community diagnostic centres, and direct support through a national audiology improvement collaborative.The 2025 Spending Review confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective, and urgent care capacity. Further details and allocations will be set out in due course.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of HPV vaccine uptake in different local authorities.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage is presented for England at national, National Health Service commissioning region, and local authority levels. HPV vaccine uptake is known to vary by local authority, and assessments of trends by locality are ongoing.Vaccine coverage data for the routine school-aged HPV immunisation programme in England, including for the 2023 to 2024 academic year, is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#hpv-vaccine-uptake

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of waiting times for specialist gender services for under-18s.

The Government and NHS England are committed to implementing the recommendations of the Cass Review in full. NHS England developed an ambitious two-year action plan which sets out how they will continue to transform and improve gender services, helping to tackle waiting lists, whilst ensuring safe and holistic care. The Government recognises that waiting times for Children and Young People’s gender services are too long, and we are determined to change that. NHS England has opened three children and young people’s gender services in the North-West, London, and Bristol. A fourth service is anticipated to open in the East of England later this year. NHS England is aiming to deliver a gender clinic in each region of England by 2026. This will bring services closer to the homes of those who need them, and will help tackle waiting times.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a national register of defibrillators.

The Circuit is the independently operated national automated external defibrillator databased, developed by a partnership of the British Heart Foundation, the National Health Service, the Resuscitation Council UK, and the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives. The Circuit provides a national database of where defibrillators can be found so that ambulance services can quickly identify the nearest defibrillator.There are now over 100,000 defibrillators in the United Kingdom registered on The Circuit. There are no plans to establish a separate national register.