Written questions by Dinenage.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of sport and physical activity on supporting the shift from sickness to prevention.

Awaiting answer.

What steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of access to Surface Guided Radiotherapy treatment.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate he has made of the level of funding required to implement the objectives set out in the National Cancer Plan.

Awaiting answer.

Whether his Department plans to reform the radiotherapy tariff model to address (a) planning intensity, (b) technical complexity, and (c) the number of patients treated.

Awaiting answer.

Whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that radiotherapy capital allocations distributed through Integrated Care Boards are protected.

Awaiting answer.

What funding he is providing to support a) workplace expansion, b) equipment replacement and c) cancer pathway redesign to achieve the objectives of the National Cancer Plan.

Awaiting answer.

Whether he will issue guidance to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on taking steps to ensure (a) unpaid care costs and (b) quality-of-life impacts on unpaid carers are reflected in NICE appraisals of new Alzheimer’s disease treatments.

The Department has no plans to issue guidance to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to ensure that it takes into account unpaid care costs and quality of life impacts on unpaid carers in appraisals of Alzheimer’s disease treatments. NICE is an independent body and is responsible for the methods and processes that it uses in the development of its technology appraisal recommendations, and develops its recommendations in line with its published health technology evaluations manual.NICE is currently developing guidance on two disease modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and NICE’s independent Appeal Panel has upheld appeals against its draft recommendations. The Appeal Panel has referred the appraisals back to the Appraisal Committee in order to allow them to reconsider the assessment of the impacts on carers.

What steps his Department is taking to help lower the costs of dementia care for patients and their families.

We are making progress on a National Care Service based on higher quality of care, greater choice and control, and joined-up health and care services, with over £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26.We are expanding care options to boost independent living at home through the confirmation of £723 million for the Disabled Facilities Grant in 2026/27 and through introducing care technology standards to help people choose the right support.To help support the vital role of unpaid carers, we have raised the Carer’s Allowance weekly earnings limit by a record amount in April 2025, and it increased again to £204 net earnings a week for 2026/27. We are also committed to reviewing the implementation of Carer’s Leave and considering the benefits of introducing paid Carer’s Leave while being mindful of the impacts on businesses.We will deliver the first ever Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, which is expected this year.  The Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia and will set national standards for dementia care and redirect National Health Service priorities to provide the best possible care and support.

What steps he is taking to establish a dental school in Portsmouth.

On 3 September 2025, the University of Portsmouth was designated as a dental authority for the purposes of the Dentists Act 1984 by The Dentists Act 1984 (Medical Authorities) Order 2025, enabling it to run dental exams and award dentistry qualifications.On 10 March 2026, the Government announced an expansion of dental school places in England from 809 to 859, backed by an £11 million investment per year once the expansion is fully implemented.The Office for Students (OfS) has statutory responsibility for allocating funding for dental school places. Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education have requested that the OfS prioritise new dental schools, approved by the General Dental Council, when allocating the new places.

What progress has been made on the Cancer Plan commitment to define and count recurrent cancers.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Manchester Withington on 28 April 2026 to Question 129158.

With reference to Alzheimer's Society's report entitled The economic impact of dementia, published in May 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for this policies of the estimates that in 2024 (a) the total cost of dementia to the UK was £42.5 billion and (b) unpaid care accounted for £21.1 billion of that cost.

Department officials have previously considered these estimates, made by the Carnall Farrar consultancy on behalf of the Alzheimer’s Society, alongside other estimates and research into the economic and social impacts of dementia in the United Kingdom.The cost of supporting older adults with dementia in England in 2025 has been estimated to be approximately £40 billion, in 2015 prices, as this cost would be higher if inflation is taken into account. This includes all individual, Government, and economic costs of health and care consumed by these adults and it is reasonable to assume some of these costs would be incurred even if their dementia had been prevented. This total cost has been projected to increase to approximately £80 billion in 2040.We will deliver the first ever Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, which is expected this year.The Frailty and Dementia Modern Service Framework will seek to reduce unwarranted variation and narrow inequality for those living with dementia and will set national standards for dementia care and redirect National Health Service priorities to provide the best possible care and support.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2026 to Question 124547 on Medical Treatments: Costs, what plans he has to update the 2009 guidance.

The Department has no plans to update the guidance at this current time.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 on (a) the number of and (b) participation rates in sporting events for (i) athletes with medical needs and (ii) athletes who require 1:1 care from volunteers.

The Manchester Arena Inquiry recommended that the Government make changes to the law to enable the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to regulate event healthcare at sporting venues and gymnasiums and under temporary arrangements at sporting and cultural events to ensure public safety. The Government has considered the impacts of this change, and a public consultation allowed stakeholders to provide information on the potential effects. A de minimis impact assessment was developed.A link to the explanatory memorandum for the proposed changes in regulation and the de minimis assessment is available at the following link: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2026/9780348279955/resources Due to the unregulated nature of the treatment of disease, disorder, and injury at these types of events, monitoring and reporting of those with medical needs and conditions at such events is currently challenging to access. The CQC will be consulting in May which will provide opportunities for further consideration around the appropriate implementation of the regulation to sectors such as individual clinicians and volunteers.

What guidance his Department provides to integrated care boards on costs that may be excluded from costs associated with a self-funded course of treatment.

Where a patient opts to pay for private care, their entitlement to National Health Services remains and may not be withdrawn. However, the NHS should not subsidise private care. Therefore, it is important that there is as clear a distinction as possible between private care and NHS-funded care.In 2009, the Department published guidance on NHS patients who wish to pay for additional private care, setting out the interaction between NHS care and private care. Local systems are expected to uphold this when caring for patients who have used private healthcare, including self-paying for their care.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2026 to Question 114810 Neurodiversity: Mental Health Services, what weight was given to the autism assessment cost data in the Realist evaluation of Autism ServiCe Delivery (RE-ASCeD) paper in determining guide prices.

The Realist evaluation of Autism ServiCe Delivery (RE-ASCeD) paper was considered as part of the development of guide prices for 2026/27. Specifically, the amount of professional time linked to an average assessment and the evidence of increased cost for children and young people over adult assessment. During the process of determining guide prices, NHS England considered that the costs reported would have changed since publication of the NHS England commissioned RE-ASCeD evaluation, due to various reasons, including changes in practice. As a result, NHS England did not use these costs directly to inform the guide prices, but noted some of the helpful components such as the amount of professional time linked to an average assessment and the evidence of increased cost for children and young people over adult assessments. We reflected that practices have changed over time and therefore not all elements of the RE-ASCeD evaluation remain relevant. Whilst we did not consider the hourly rates within the evaluation, we continued to be guided by optimal assessment pathway practice as outlined in the National Autism Framework and Operational Guidance from 2023 and current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 March to Question 114810, whether the underlying cost data from the Realist evaluation of Autism ServiCe Delivery (RE-ASCeD) paper referred to in the Answer was critically appraised; and whether NHS England, when interpreting the data from this research to inform guide prices, (a) took into account inflation since publication and (b) checked that the hourly rate for clinical time included appropriate adjustments for patient facing time.

The Realist evaluation of Autism ServiCe Delivery (RE-ASCeD) paper was considered as part of the development of guide prices for 2026/27. Specifically, the amount of professional time linked to an average assessment and the evidence of increased cost for children and young people over adult assessment. During the process of determining guide prices, NHS England considered that the costs reported would have changed since publication of the NHS England commissioned RE-ASCeD evaluation, due to various reasons, including changes in practice. As a result, NHS England did not use these costs directly to inform the guide prices, but noted some of the helpful components such as the amount of professional time linked to an average assessment and the evidence of increased cost for children and young people over adult assessments. We reflected that practices have changed over time and therefore not all elements of the RE-ASCeD evaluation remain relevant. Whilst we did not consider the hourly rates within the evaluation, we continued to be guided by optimal assessment pathway practice as outlined in the National Autism Framework and Operational Guidance from 2023 and current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

What definition his Department uses for a sporting or cultural event as set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

Sports and cultural events can cover a variety of activities, sizes, and attendee numbers, so there is no one specific definition within the Care Quality Commission’s regulation. However, where treatment of disease, disorder, or injury (TDDI) care is deemed necessary, the amendment will mean an event organiser is safe in the knowledge that the TDDI care acquired through a provider is regulated.This activity covers a treatment that is provided by, or under the supervision of, a defined list of healthcare professionals or by a multi-disciplinary team that includes a listed healthcare professional, or is provided by, or under the supervision of, a social worker where the treatment is for a mental disorder, or by a multi-disciplinary team that includes a social worker where the treatment is for a mental disorder, for a disease, disorder, or injury. TDDI covers a wide range of treatments. It includes examples such as:emergency treatment;ongoing treatment for long-term conditions;treatment for a physical or mental health condition or learning disability;giving vaccinations or immunisations; and/orpalliative care.

Pursuant to the House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee's 54th Report's chapter on Instruments on Interest, what assessment has his Department made of the adequacy of the Care Quality Commission to register the potential 1000 providers in scope of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 between 7 September 2026 and 6 December 2027.

The Department, in consultation with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), has agreed that there will be a phased approach to implementing the updated regulations. This is so:providers have sufficient time to prepare to submit their CQC registration applications and ensure compliance with the regulations;to prevent undue disruption to the events sector; andto allow the CQC time to prepare for the receipt of additional registration applications and to enable them to process those applications in a timely manner whilst at the same time fulfilling their existing regulatory obligations.The CQC will produce guidance that sets out the date that providers would have to apply to be registered by. This aims to prevent a backlog caused by last-minute applications.For applications received on or by this date that are fully complete at the time of submission to allow for validation, the CQC will take all reasonable steps to undertake assessment and advise providers of the outcome of their application on or before December 2027.Following the Penny Dash Review, the CQC accepted the high‑level recommendations, including stabilising its regulatory platform and improving the registration experience for providers. The Department meets the CQC regularly to discuss the progress of its improvements.

What size by attendance of sporting or cultural events are within the scope of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

For providers of treatment of disease, disorder, or injury (TDDI), regulatory obligations do not vary by event type or the number of attendees. Restricting Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulation to larger events would risk unregulated providers operating at events where attendance is higher than anticipated and would create gaps in oversight at smaller events that may also require TDDI services.The level of risk associated with an event cannot be determined by attendance figures alone. Event organisers are expected to draw on risk assessments, advice from Statutory Advisory Groups, and sector guidance such as the Purple and Green Guides to identify the appropriate level of event healthcare provision. If, following this process, an organiser determines that first aid is sufficient for a small event, this position is unaffected. First aid does not fall within the definition of TDDI and will remain outside CQC regulation.

If his Department will publish an impact assessment of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 on the number of sporting and cultural events; and if he will make a statement.

The de minimis assessment for the regulation amendment was published alongside the draft statutory instrument and explanatory memorandum, and is available at the following link:https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2026/9780348279955/resourcesHouse debates on the statutory instrument are expected to commence soon.