Written questions by Johnson.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of vape (a) distributors, (b) importers, (c) manufacturers and (d) producers that are registered with (i) the Environment Agency and (ii) a producer compliance scheme under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations (WEEE) 2013.

The Environment Agency maintains a public register of registered producers and approved compliance schemes under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013. There are currently 34 registered vape producers in the UK.

What estimate her Department has made of the Government's financial liability for public sector defined benefit pensions in each of the next ten years.

The total liability for public service pensions stands at around £3 trillion, as per HM Treasury’s most recent Whole of Government Accounts report of 2021-22. This includes the unfunded public service pension liabilities of £2.6 trillion and the liabilities of the funded schemes, such as the Local Government Pension Scheme, of £449 billion. The Office for Budget Responsibility publishes forecasts of the cashflows of unfunded public service pension schemes and changes in public sector pension liabilities in their Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) reports and supporting documents

What proportion of people with a nursing qualification working in the NHS are not in patient-facing roles.

The Department does not hold the information requested.

What steps he is taking to increase the availability of medical radioisotopes.

Supply of radioisotopes that were in short supply in recent weeks has now returned to normal levels and a Written Ministerial Statement was laid on 26 November 2024 to update Parliament. During the disruption to supply, the Department worked with industry, devolved Governments, the National Health Service, members of the radiopharmaceutical community and regulators to secure fair and equal access across the United Kingdom and ensure that patients with critical needs were given priority.

With reference to the letters of 29 July and 8 November 2024 from the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham, what progress she has made on billing the North Hykeham Relief Road.

It is the responsibility of the Local Authority, Lincolnshire County Council, to provide the Department with a Full Business Case, which will be reviewed and assessed prior to a decision whether to grant full approval for the scheme.  We are expecting to see the Full Business Case in the summer of 2025 and my officials are working with the council to progress that.

What the average ambulance response time was for each category in each of the last 24 months.

The following table shows the national mean average ambulance service response times in England, in minutes and broken down by category, in each of the last 24 months:YearMonthCategory 1 meanCategory 2 meanCategory 3 meanCategory 4 mean2022November0:09:260:48:102:42:143:21:432022December0:10:581:32:554:18:164:34:562023January0:08:300:32:061:26:091:48:462023February0:08:300:32:201:42:392:12:242023March0:08:490:39:332:13:392:51:492023April0:08:070:28:331:30:541:54:172023May0:08:170:32:221:46:102:20:152023June0:08:410:36:472:05:382:45:282023July0:08:210:31:491:50:112:21:312023August0:08:170:31:301:45:272:07:182023September0:08:310:37:392:16:042:41:452023October0:08:410:41:432:31:142:51:002023November0:08:310:38:302:16:322:36:572023December0:08:440:45:572:37:122:55:532024January0:08:250:40:062:12:532:42:452024February0:08:250:36:202:04:152:33:062024March0:08:200:33:502:03:472:29:482024April0:08:100:30:221:42:132:03:162024May0:08:160:32:442:00:002:21:112024June0:08:210:34:382:02:342:20:582024July0:08:150:33:252:01:212:21:472024August0:08:030:27:251:30:331:56:102024September0:08:250:36:022:12:542:32:512024October0:08:380:42:152:41:282:57:18Source: the data is published by NHS England, and is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

What steps he is taking to improve the uptake of routine childhood immunisations.

In England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works 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.The first UKHSA Childhood Immunisation communication campaign, encouraging parents to ensure their child’s vaccinations were up to date, ran from 4 March until mid-April 2024. The most recent campaign ran from 26 August until 4 October 2024.To raise awareness of potential vaccination benefits and increase awareness of the programmes the UKHSA also provides a comprehensive suite of public facing resources, including information leaflets in multiple languages and accessible formats, for instance easy read, British Sign Language, and braille, and provides comprehensive clinical guidance, including e-learning programmes and training, for healthcare professionals.

What proportion of elderly people have received their (a) influenza, (b) RSV and (c) covid-19 vaccination in the last six months.

As of 17 November 2024, 68.7% of those aged 65 years old and over had been vaccinated for influenza, whist 54.2% had been vaccinated for COVID-19.The respiratory syncytial virus adult vaccination programme in England began on 1 September 2024, however only data for the catch-up cohort, adults aged 75 to 79 years old before the programme start date, has been published. As of 30 September, 22.6% of the catch-up cohort had been vaccinated. Further data will be published in due course.

How many (a) people and (b) children are living with long covid.

The most recent data from the Winter Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Study, a joint study carried out by the Office for National Statistics and the UK Health Security Agency, shows that, for the period between 6 February 2024 and 7 March 2024, an estimated 1.8 million people across all ages, or 3.3% of the population, in private households in England, reported experiencing long COVID symptoms more than four weeks after a COVID-19 infection.The data shows that for the same period, an estimated 111,816 or 1% of those aged between three and 17 years old, in private households in England and Scotland, reported experiencing long COVID symptoms more than four weeks after a COVID-19 infection.The data is available at the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/datasets/

What estimate he has made of rates of tuberculosis in (a) adults and (b) children in each of the last ten years.

The following table shows the total number and rate of tuberculosis (TB) notifications in England, each year from 2012 to 2024:YearTotal number of notificationsTotal rate per 100,000 (95% Confidence interval)20128,08715.12 (14.79 to 15.45)20137,26613.49 (13.18 to 13.80)20146,47211.92 (11.63 to 12.21)20155,73510.47 (10.20 to 10.74)20165,62010.17 (9.90 to 10.44)20175,0679.11 (8.86 to 9.36)20184,6108.24 (8.00 to 8.48)20194,7048.36 (8.12 to 8.60)20204,1227.29 (7.07 to 7.52)20214,4117.80 (7.57 to 8.04)20224,3807.75 (7.52 to 7.98)20234,850Not available20244155Not availableNotes:for 2023, the provisional data rate is awaited; andfor 2024, data is only available up to September.Data on rates of TB in adults alone is not published. In line with the reporting to the World Health Organisation, children are defined as those aged under 15 years old. The following table shows the number and rate of TB notifications in children in England from 2012 to 2022:YearTotal number of notifications in childrenRate per 100,000 (95% confidence interval)20123964.2 (3.8 to 4.6)20132933.1 (2.7 to 3.4)20142632.7 (2.4 to 3.1)20152152.2 (1.9 to 2.5)20162082.1 (1.8 to 2.4)20171781.8 (1.5 to 2.1)20181471.4 (1.2 to 1.7)20191681.6 (1.4 to 1.9)20201481.4 (1.2 to 1.7)20211271.3 (1.1 to 1.5)20221361.3 (1.1 to 1.6)Provisional data is not subdivided by age, hence the data in the tables is presented up to 2022, where age specific rates are available. TB rates in children have been declining since 2012 and remained stable at 1.3 per 100,000 in 2021 and 2022.TB data for England is published by the UK Health Security Agency, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tuberculosis-in-england-2023-report-data-up-to-end-of-2022Provisional TB data for England is published quarterly, with the latest quarterly reports available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tuberculosis-in-england-national-quarterly-reportsDetailed data for 2023 will be published in the TB in England 2023 annual report.

What steps he is taking to ensure there is an adequate supply of (a) donated blood and (b) blood products.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for the collection, manufacture, and supply of blood and blood products to National Health Service hospitals.The Department provided seed funding in 2023 to support NHSBT to increase its collection capacity. New donor centres will open in Brixton and Brighton in 2025 to increase and diversify the donor base.Since July 2024, NHSBT has been responding to an Amber Alert for O group blood. NHSBT is now meeting the demand for blood and blood products, thanks to increased donations and better management of stock.With respect to blood products, the Department, in conjunction with NHSBT and NHS England, has led a programme to increase self-sufficiency and resilience in life-saving plasma-based medicines, in response to the lifting of the ban on United Kingdom donor plasma in 2021. The first of these medicines will be given to NHS patients in early 2025.NHSBT runs campaigns throughout the year, partners with trusted brands, and funds community groups to promote both donation of blood and blood products, stem cells, and organs.

What assessment she has made of the impact of the increases to employers national insurance contributions on the cost to parents of pre-school childcare.

I refer the hon. Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham to the answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12804.

What steps he is taking to reduce perineal injury during vaginal deliveries.

Integrated care boards are rolling out the Perinatal Pelvic Health Services (PPHS) across England, to reduce the rates of perineal tears and improve outcomes for women. A national service specification was published in October 2023 that set out the expected standards of care for prevention, identification, and access to physiotherapy for pelvic health issues during pregnancy and at least one year after birth. This includes the implementation of the Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries (OASI) care bundle to reduce perineal injury in childbirth, which is a significant factor for pelvic health problems. This included perineal training and a new best practice framework for healthcare professionals, covering prevention and care under the OASI pathway. Further information on the service specification is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/PRN00147-Service-specification-perinatal-pelvic-health-services.pdf PPHS’ also work with maternity and physiotherapy services to provide quality information about the risk of developing pelvic health problems, key signs of pelvic floor dysfunction, and preventative measures like pelvic floor exercises.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of a dental school in Lincolnshire.

It is for individual universities to decide whether they wish to establish a dental school. Before a university, such as the University of Lincoln, can apply to receive Government-funded dental school places, it needs to have met the requirements of the General Dental Council, the Office for Students and obtained “dental authority status” from the Privy Council. The Office for Students has statutory responsibility for allocating dental school places. We will be working with NHS England to assess the need for more dental trainees in areas such as Lincolnshire, where we know that many people are struggling to find a National Health Service dentist.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the minimum wage announced in the Autumn Budget 2024 on the cost of childcare.

The Autumn Budget 2024 confirmed £1.8 billion in the 2025/26 financial year to support the expansion of the early years entitlement offer for eligible working parents from 15 hours to 30 hours from September 2025. This £1.8 billion will mean the budget for childcare entitlements next year will be over £8 billion, reflecting the additional money needed for the 30 hour expansion, and ensuring funding for the entitlements reflects the national living wage.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the uptake of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine among eligible infants.

Official vaccine coverage estimates for the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine are measured for eligible children at three months and 12 months old, and are published quarterly by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), and annually by NHS England. The UKHSA’s quarterly figures and NHS England’s annual figures are available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cover-of-vaccination-evaluated-rapidly-cover-programme-2024-to-2025-quarterly-datahttps://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-immunisation-statistics/england-2023-24The latest data captures BCG coverage at the age of three months old for children born 1 January to 31 March 2024, and at 12 months old for children born 1 April 2023 to 30 June 2023. Measured at three months, coverage in England was 77.4%, and measured at 12 months, it was 84.5%.

What his planned timetable is to bring forward legislation to regulate NHS managers.

This Government recognises the importance of ensuring that the NHS has strong and effective leadership in place, and we are committed to introducing professional standards for, and regulation of NHS managers. On 26 November 2024 we published a consultation seeking views from stakeholders on options for regulating NHS managers. The consultation will close on 18 February 2025. We will carefully consider responses to the consultation and set out next steps in due course.

How many (a) foetuses, (b) infants and (c) children have been diagnosed with trisomy 21 in each of the last five years.

The National Disease Registration Service in NHS England collects and quality assures data about people with congenital anomalies and rare diseases across the whole of England. The service does not hold data in the relevant form for children.The following table shows the requested information for fetuses and infants between 2018 and 2021, the period for which complete data is available:Birth yearNumber of babies born aliveNumber of babies stillbornNumber of terminationsNumber of late miscarriagesNumber of fetusesTotal number of babies and fetuses with T21201873131803128151,57720196852883898471,560202067335839168551,5632021700241,049121,0611,785Source: NCARDRS Congenital Anomaly Official Statistics Report, 2021Notes:Born alive means a baby showing signs of life at birth as recorded by the Office for National Statistics.Stillbirths are pregnancy outcomes after 24 complete weeks’ gestation which result in the baby's death by the time of birth.Terminations are terminations of pregnancy regardless of gestation or civil registration status. Some of the babies shown in this table may have more than one condition, so may not have had a termination for the condition shown.Late miscarriages are pregnancy outcomes between 20 and just under 24 weeks’ gestation which result in the death of the baby.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS preparedness for a pandemic.

Ensuring the United Kingdom is prepared for a future pandemic is a top priority for the Government, and the Department continuously reviews and updates our pandemic preparedness to reflect the latest scientific information, lessons learned from exercises, and our response to previous emergencies.The Department is working with NHS England, the UK Health Security Agency, and its partners across the health and care system to maintain a flexible and scalable set of capabilities which can be adapted to respond to any future threats, across all routes of infectious disease transmission. The Department’s approach to pandemic preparedness also takes into account the underlying resilience of the health and care system.NHS England is an active participant in this work and has made several improvements that will help resilience in a future pandemic, including on the coordination and escalation of a national healthcare response, high consequence infectious disease and infectious disease capacity, and critical care capacity, surge and transfer plans.

What steps he is taking to improve the (a) quality and (b) quantity of medical research in the NHS.

The Department is improving the quality and quantity of clinical research in the National Health Service, and health and care research more widely, through investing in the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The recent Budget provides record levels of Government research and development investment, with funding for research through the Department increasing to over £2 billion in 2025/26.