Written questions by Dinenage.

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.

What steps his Department is taking to support lifeline ferry services with costs associated with the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to maritime and increases in fuel costs.

The Government recognises the importance of ferry services. We are supporting the sector to decarbonise, through the UK Shipping Office for the Reduction of Emissions (UK SHORE) R&D Programme. We recently announced funding of £271 million to clean up shipping and power coastal communities. This is part of a £448 million commitment to clean maritime funding. The Government will continue to work with industry to support the development of infrastructure and technologies needed to facilitate decarbonisation. Any potential impacts of the Emissions Trading Scheme on ferry services will be considered in a review of the UK ETS Maritime regime in 2028.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increases in fuel costs, including those linked to developments in Iran, alongside the expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to maritime, on the financial sustainability of lifeline ferry services.

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, what steps are being taken to ensure close cross-departmental working to maximise the effectiveness of Young Futures Hubs.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that regional domestic ferry operators affected by a lack of grid capacity and grid connections are supported to meet the goals of the Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy.

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 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 steps he is taking to support service children with SEND to maintain consistent standards of education.

Awaiting answer.

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.

How much is the Royal Navy spending on private a) private rented accommodation b) hotels for service personnel serving in the Portsmouth Harbour area in each of the last three financial years.

Royal Navy spending on private rented accommodation and hotels for Service personnel serving in the Portsmouth Harbour area, in each of the last three financial years, is not recorded centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

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 reduce waiting times for War Pension Scheme reviews to be completed.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently managing a high volume of War Pension Scheme (WPS) cases, which has resulted in longer processing times. We remain fully committed to improving performance and reducing delays in claim processing. To address these challenges, the Department has implemented a range of targeted measures: Flexible resource management: Teams now have the ability to reallocate resources as needed, while staff are being trained in multiple skillsets to enhance efficiency and build greater resilience across operations. Accelerated processing: Overtime and weekend working have been introduced to expedite the clearance of outstanding claims. Increased capacity: Additional administrative and caseworker staff have been recruited to strengthen processing capabilities and improve overall throughput. Process and IT optimisation: a dedicated Taskforce team has been established to support improved delivery, including initiatives such as developing access to primary healthcare reports and introducing Straight Through Processing.The MOD places the highest priority on claims from terminally ill individuals, ensuring they are fast-tracked at every stage.

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.

Media and Sport, if she will make a comparative assessment of trends in the level of participation in physical activity for people with intellectual disabilities with the national average.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone. We are committed to breaking down the barriers that contribute to the persisting inequalities in participation and want to ensure that everyone can experience the physical, mental and social benefits that come with being active.Our Arm’s Length Body Sport England engages with Special Olympics Great Britain and other sector partners to understand participation rates amongst underrepresented groups including people with intellectual disabilities, and how access for all can be improved. The most recent statistics from Special Olympics Great Britain outline that as many as 59% of people with a learning disability do not participate in sport. Sport England recognises these challenges, and has invested £1.5 million across 4 years into Special Olympics Great Britain as part of its Uniting the Movement strategy.

Media and Sport, whether she plans to bid for the 2031 Special Olympic Games; and whether she has had discussions with relevant stakeholders on the potential merits of such a bid.

The UK has a strong record of delivering events that unite diverse communities and reflect inclusivity, creativity, resilience and openness and the Government is committed to delivering international events with pride, building upon the UK’s global reputation for excellence in staging major sporting events. We recognise that major sporting events deliver significant socio-economic benefits and play a unique role in bringing people together, fostering a shared sense of belonging, and showcasing the UK’s cultural and sporting identity both domestically and internationally.We are always keen to work alongside our arm’s-length body UK Sport and other stakeholders to grow and develop our strong pipeline of events. We prioritise support for events based on a range of criteria, which includes how far they help create social and economic benefits for the UK and contribute towards the Government's Plan for Change.

Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with Special Olympics Great Britain on the difference in participation in physical activity between people with intellectual disabilities and the national average.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone. We are committed to breaking down the barriers that contribute to the persisting inequalities in participation and want to ensure that everyone can experience the physical, mental and social benefits that come with being active.Our Arm’s Length Body Sport England engages with Special Olympics Great Britain and other sector partners to understand participation rates amongst underrepresented groups including people with intellectual disabilities, and how access for all can be improved. The most recent statistics from Special Olympics Great Britain outline that as many as 59% of people with a learning disability do not participate in sport. Sport England recognises these challenges, and has invested £1.5 million across 4 years into Special Olympics Great Britain as part of its Uniting the Movement strategy.

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.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of the Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 on the number of glue traps.

No formal assessment has been made of the impact of the Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 on the number of glue traps. The Act aims to improve animal welfare by reducing the use of glue traps in England. Since 2022, market-leading suppliers have been removing glue traps from sale and promoting more humane alternatives; and since 2024, professional pest controllers have only been able to use glue traps in exceptional circumstances under licence. Defra has confidence that the number of these devices deployed across England has significantly reduced.

What assessment she has made of the reach of the Government's campaign to raise awareness of changes to travel rules for British dual nationals.

The Home Office has taken steps to ensure British citizens with dual nationality were informed well in advance of Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) enforcement to make sure they have a valid UK passport or Certificate of Entitlement.Clear guidance advising British dual nationals to carry the correct documentation has been available since October 2024. In November 2025, the Home Office announced the enforcement of ETA from 25 February 2026, which included information about the requirement for dual citizens.Communications and engagement activities have included sustained public guidance on GOV.UK including at Dual-Citizenship-GOV.UK, Foreign travel advice - GOV.UK, Returning to the UK - GOV.UK with clear messaging, so British dual nationals can quickly understand what to do.Additionally, a substantive communications campaign about the introduction of ETA has also been running since 2023, alongside updated guidance and direct reminders to newly naturalised British citizens about correct travel documentation and coordinated international and carrier engagement.

How he is working with the DSMA to prevent the inadvertent disclosure of information from HMNB Portsmouth by the media which would improve an adversary’s knowledge and understanding of the UK’s military plans.

The Ministry of Defence has frequent contact with the Defence and Security Media Advisory Committee during which specific matters are discussed in confidence, with impartial advice provided to the Department and to the media.