Written questions by Johnson.

How many (a) women of child bearing age, (b) girls, (c) boys and (d) men are receiving prescriptions for sodium valproate as of 11 September 2025.

Prescription data is collected by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA).The NHSBSA bases prescription data on processed prescription data for each three-month period. This is a commonly used method for presenting prescription data for prescriptions given for chronic conditions that can last longer than one month.The latest available prescription data is from the period between April and June 2025.The following information is extracted from the NHSBSA ePACT2 database, using British National Formulary chemical substance sodium valproate (0408010W0) and valproic acid (0402030Q0, 040801020), prescribed in England. The following numbers of patients were prescribed one or more item between April 2025 and June 2025: (a) 16,400 females aged 18-54(b) 2,400 females aged 0-17(c) 6,000 males aged 0-17(d) 91,800 males aged 18 or over

What estimate he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of the respiratory syncytial virus vaccine for people aged between 75 and 79 on the number (a) deaths, (b) hospital admissions and (c) GP appointments.

The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) analysis in the Lancet journal in April indicated 30% fewer respiratory syncytial virus hospital admissions in 75- to 79-year-olds than would have occurred without vaccination. This was seen after around 40% of eligible older people had taken up their vaccination and uptake has since increased.The full analysis is available at the following link:https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00346-0/fulltext.At the June 2025 meeting of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, UKHSA presented new estimates of averted deaths and admissions in those aged 75 to 79 years. This was based on enhanced hospital surveillance and conservative estimates of vaccine waning over three seasons.They estimate:112.8 admissions prevented per 100,000 doses [around 890 vaccines prevents one admission]8.6 deaths prevented per 100,000 doses [around 11,600 vaccines prevents one death]Before the vaccine roll-out, predictive analysis suggested that with high uptake, the 75–79-year-olds programme could prevent 17,000 GP attendances.

How many and what proportion of people aged between 75 and 79 have received the respiratory syncytial virus vaccine.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) measures the coverage of vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).The RSV adult vaccination programme in England began on 1 September 2024. Only data for the catch-up cohort, namely adults aged between 75 and 79 years old before the programme start date, has been published. The latest data is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rsv-older-adults-vaccination-coverage-in-england/rsv-vaccine-coverage-report-in-older-adults-for-catch-up-cohorts-in-england-july-2025As of 31 July 2025, the overall vaccine coverage in the catch-up cohort reached 63.4%.All adults turning 75 years old on or after 1 September 2024 will be eligible for the routine programme and should be offered a single dose of the RSV vaccine. A one-off catch-up campaign for those already aged between 75 and 79 years old on 1 September 2024 will be undertaken at the earliest opportunity.The total number of individuals who have received an RSV vaccine is available from NHS England at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/vaccinations-rsv/

What information his Department holds on the number and proportion of children who are not up-to-date with their vaccinations by the demographic characteristics of those children.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) monitors trends in the level of childhood vaccination rates by upper tier local authority, region and country level. Data on coverage of all routine childhood immunisations are published quarterly and annually by UKHSA. Quarterly data are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cover-of-vaccination-evaluated-rapidly-cover-programme-2024-to-2025-quarterly-dataAnnual data are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cover-of-vaccination-evaluated-rapidly-cover-programme-annual-reports.Data by demographic characteristics is not collected.In England, the UK Health Security Agency is working closely with NHS England, the Department and wider health system partners at the national regional and local levels to improve uptake of the routine childhood immunisations and catch-up children who missed out.To raise awareness of potential vaccination benefits and increase awareness of the programmes amongst health professionals, parents, carers and the wider public, UKHSA provides a comprehensive suite of public facing resources and assets, including information leaflets in multiple languages and accessible formats, including easy read, British Sign Language and braille. UKHSA also provides comprehensive clinical guidance including e-learning programmes and training for healthcare professionals. These are available at the following link:https://find-public-health-resources.service.gov.uk/

If he will place in the Library his Department's response to the freedom of information request, reference FOI2025/17106.

I can confirm I am content to place a copy of my response in the library of the House.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2025 to Question 66246 on General Practitioners: Recruitment, what the minimum length would be of that significant period.

The 10-Year Health Plan set out that we will work across Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training. We will set out further details in due course.

Which NHS accident and emergency departments (a) offer and (b) do not offer an (i) HIV, (ii) hepatitis B and (iii) hepatitis C test to all patients requiring a blood test.

Emergency Department (ED) opt-out testing is currently being offered to all extremely high and high HIV prevalence areas in England until the end of March 2026. A detailed list of specific sites offering opt-out HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C testing is contained in the attached table.The Department, together with the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England, are working together in the development of a new HIV Action Plan which we aim to publish later in 2025. The plan will include a focus on scaling up HIV testing, including an assessment of the future of opt out testing based on the programme’s progress and available data in line with our 2030 ambition.

How many (a) positive and (b) negative (i) HIV, (ii) hepatitis B and (iii) hepatitis C tests were performed in emergency departments as part of the opt-out blood-borne virus testing scheme in each month since January 2025.

This information is not available as the data is currently unvalidated.Over the first 24 months of the opt-out bloodborne virus testing in emergency departments programme, 1,981,590 HIV tests, 1,502,799 hepatitis C virus tests and 1,185,678 hepatitis B virus tests have been completed.An interim report on the programme is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bloodborne-viruses-opt-out-testing-in-emergency-departments/public-health-evaluation-of-bbv-opt-out-testing-in-eds-in-england-24-month-interim-report

How many and what proportion of irregular migrants arriving by small boat receive health screening.

The Department and NHS England do not hold the information requested.

Whether he has had discussions with the Leader of the House of Lords on when the committee stage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will take place.

Ministers and officials from the Department are regularly in touch with their counterparts across Government. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has had its Second Reading in the House of Lords, and Committee stage will take place when parliamentary time allows. We expect the Bill to complete its passage within this parliamentary session.

If he will make an assessment of the reasons for which females who have an out of hospital cardiac arrest are less likely to receive (a) resuscitation and (b) defibrillation than males.

Immediate resuscitation and defibrillation can substantially improve the chance of survival after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. While fewer than one in ten people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, defibrillation within three to five minutes of collapse can produce survival rates of up to between 50% and 70%.The Department and NHS England currently have no plans to make a specific assessment. However, NHS England has provided funding to St John Ambulance, who published research in October 2024 suggesting “a third of Brits are afraid to give CPR to a woman because they are worried about touching breasts”. The Department welcomes this research and their associated CPR Bra Campaign to tackle gender disparity in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, with more information on the campaign available at the following link: https://www.sja.org.uk/press-centre/press-releases/St-John-launches-CPRbra-campaign-to-tackle-gender-disparity-in-cpr/

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on local clinical services.

Following the announcement that NHS England will be abolished as an arm’s length body and replaced by a new Department of Health and Social Care, a transformation programme has been launched, led by Richard Barker as Senior Responsible Officer.It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. Evidence from these ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate.The new Department will operate in a leaner, more agile and more efficient way and empower staff at all levels of the health system, including local clinical systems, to deliver better care for patients, drive productivity up and get waiting times down. This change will set local National Health Service providers free to innovate, develop new productive ways of working, and focus on what matters most.The Government is committed to transparency and will consider how best to ensure the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes.

How many incomplete pathways have been removed as a result of data validation in each month since July 2024.

No estimate has been made of the return on investment on the validation sprint.Waiting list validation is a well-established component for effective management of waiting lists, with detailed guidance available for Trusts, including safeguards to ensure patients are not incorrectly removed from waiting lists.The Department publishes the Referral to Treatment Rules Suite and NHS England has published two key guidance documents to support the recording and reporting patient pathways, including a set of FAQs. NHS England published an updated version of the guidance documents in February 2025. The guidance states there “must be agreement from a clinician before any patient is returned to the referrer.” Any patient removed should receive a letter that would also be sent to their GP.Operational Planning Guidance 2025/26 set the requirement for trusts to validate patients on a referral to treatment (RTT) waiting list after 12 weeks and then every 12 weeks in line with good practice and published guidance, maximising the use of digital tools for both patient contact and data quality.Effective waiting list validation ensures trusts have an accurate understanding of the true size of their waiting list, which in turn helps them to reduce missed or cancelled appointments, make the most effective use of clinicians’ time and reduce overall waiting times.The Department does not hold data centrally on the number of incomplete pathways removed as a result of data validation on a monthly basis. As part of the validation sprint over the period from week ending 13 April 2025 to week ending 22 June 2025, waiting list management information across all acute providers estimates there were around 250,000 additional removals from waiting lists compared to the same period last year.Routinely validated, accurate waiting lists are a necessary part of delivering on our commitment to return to the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, and to help to improve experience for patients, so that clinical time can be focused on the patients who need it.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of headcount reductions in (a) NHS England, (b) his Department and (c) Integrated Care Boards on the implementation of the 10 Year Health Plan.

Following the announcement that NHS England will be abolished as an arm’s length body and replaced by a new Department of Health and Social Care, a transformation programme has been launched, led by Richard Barker as Senior Responsible Officer.It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, including headcount reductions in NHS England and the Department, as is due process. Evidence from these ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate.To support future planning, NHS England has published the Model ICB Blueprint, which sets out the strategic role of integrated care boards (ICBs). Their responsibilities will continue to focus on population health management, including understanding local needs, developing long-term strategies, allocating resources, and evaluating impact.The new Department will operate in a leaner, more agile and more efficient way and empower staff at all levels of the health system to deliver better care for patients, drive productivity up and get waiting times down. This change will set local National Health Service providers free to innovate, develop new productive ways of working, and focus on what matters most.The Government is committed to transparency and will consider how best to ensure the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes.

How many incomplete pathways have been removed as a result of data validation sprint in each month since April 2025.

No estimate has been made of the return on investment on the validation sprint.Waiting list validation is a well-established component for effective management of waiting lists, with detailed guidance available for Trusts, including safeguards to ensure patients are not incorrectly removed from waiting lists.The Department publishes the Referral to Treatment Rules Suite and NHS England has published two key guidance documents to support the recording and reporting patient pathways, including a set of FAQs. NHS England published an updated version of the guidance documents in February 2025. The guidance states there “must be agreement from a clinician before any patient is returned to the referrer.” Any patient removed should receive a letter that would also be sent to their GP.Operational Planning Guidance 2025/26 set the requirement for trusts to validate patients on a referral to treatment (RTT) waiting list after 12 weeks and then every 12 weeks in line with good practice and published guidance, maximising the use of digital tools for both patient contact and data quality.Effective waiting list validation ensures trusts have an accurate understanding of the true size of their waiting list, which in turn helps them to reduce missed or cancelled appointments, make the most effective use of clinicians’ time and reduce overall waiting times.The Department does not hold data centrally on the number of incomplete pathways removed as a result of data validation on a monthly basis. As part of the validation sprint over the period from week ending 13 April 2025 to week ending 22 June 2025, waiting list management information across all acute providers estimates there were around 250,000 additional removals from waiting lists compared to the same period last year.Routinely validated, accurate waiting lists are a necessary part of delivering on our commitment to return to the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, and to help to improve experience for patients, so that clinical time can be focused on the patients who need it.

Whether his Department has made an estimate of the value for money of paying NHS trusts to validate the data on their waiting lists.

No estimate has been made of the return on investment on the validation sprint.Waiting list validation is a well-established component for effective management of waiting lists, with detailed guidance available for Trusts, including safeguards to ensure patients are not incorrectly removed from waiting lists.The Department publishes the Referral to Treatment Rules Suite and NHS England has published two key guidance documents to support the recording and reporting patient pathways, including a set of FAQs. NHS England published an updated version of the guidance documents in February 2025. The guidance states there “must be agreement from a clinician before any patient is returned to the referrer.” Any patient removed should receive a letter that would also be sent to their GP.Operational Planning Guidance 2025/26 set the requirement for trusts to validate patients on a referral to treatment (RTT) waiting list after 12 weeks and then every 12 weeks in line with good practice and published guidance, maximising the use of digital tools for both patient contact and data quality.Effective waiting list validation ensures trusts have an accurate understanding of the true size of their waiting list, which in turn helps them to reduce missed or cancelled appointments, make the most effective use of clinicians’ time and reduce overall waiting times.The Department does not hold data centrally on the number of incomplete pathways removed as a result of data validation on a monthly basis. As part of the validation sprint over the period from week ending 13 April 2025 to week ending 22 June 2025, waiting list management information across all acute providers estimates there were around 250,000 additional removals from waiting lists compared to the same period last year.Routinely validated, accurate waiting lists are a necessary part of delivering on our commitment to return to the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, and to help to improve experience for patients, so that clinical time can be focused on the patients who need it.

What guidance he has issued to (a) NHS England and (b) NHS Trusts to validate their waiting list data.

No estimate has been made of the return on investment on the validation sprint.Waiting list validation is a well-established component for effective management of waiting lists, with detailed guidance available for Trusts, including safeguards to ensure patients are not incorrectly removed from waiting lists.The Department publishes the Referral to Treatment Rules Suite and NHS England has published two key guidance documents to support the recording and reporting patient pathways, including a set of FAQs. NHS England published an updated version of the guidance documents in February 2025. The guidance states there “must be agreement from a clinician before any patient is returned to the referrer.” Any patient removed should receive a letter that would also be sent to their GP.Operational Planning Guidance 2025/26 set the requirement for trusts to validate patients on a referral to treatment (RTT) waiting list after 12 weeks and then every 12 weeks in line with good practice and published guidance, maximising the use of digital tools for both patient contact and data quality.Effective waiting list validation ensures trusts have an accurate understanding of the true size of their waiting list, which in turn helps them to reduce missed or cancelled appointments, make the most effective use of clinicians’ time and reduce overall waiting times.The Department does not hold data centrally on the number of incomplete pathways removed as a result of data validation on a monthly basis. As part of the validation sprint over the period from week ending 13 April 2025 to week ending 22 June 2025, waiting list management information across all acute providers estimates there were around 250,000 additional removals from waiting lists compared to the same period last year.Routinely validated, accurate waiting lists are a necessary part of delivering on our commitment to return to the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, and to help to improve experience for patients, so that clinical time can be focused on the patients who need it.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed abolition of NHS England on the provision of central estates.

The future Department will be smaller, more agile, and more efficient, thereby delivering value for money for the public and empowering our health system to improve health and care for patients.Work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, as well as the plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilities.A long-term estates strategy will be implemented when the final shape of the organisation matures. We are committed to a regional structure, with the Places for Growth programme and Leeds remaining as the Department’s second headquarters. We will review our estates portfolio to ensure that it delivers value for money for the taxpayer.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on NHS hospital trusts.

On 13 March 2025, the Prime Minister announced that NHS England will be brought back into the Department to form a new joint centre. Work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and to plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions and responsibilities.National Health Service trusts are not in scope of this programme, but it is only right that with such significant reform that we commit to assessing and understanding the potential impacts carefully, as is due process, including the impacts on NHS trusts. Ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate.

What recent progress his Department has made on the abolition of NHS England.

Following the announcement that NHS England will be abolished as an arm’s length body and replaced by a new Department of Health and Social Care, a transformation programme has been launched, led by Richard Barker as Senior Responsible Officer (SRO).On 26 June 2025, staff were briefed by the Department’s Permanent Secretary, the NHS England CEO, and programme SRO on the programme’s aims, executive structure, guiding principles, and transition timeline.The recruitment of the senior leadership for the new Department is ongoing, with several roles already out to advert, including for Director General of Strategy and Health Policy, Adult Social Care, Finance, and People.Work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organization, including a plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilities.