Written questions by Smith.

What plans his Department has to improve public awareness of the bowel cancer risks associated with alcohol consumption.

The Government and the National Health Service welcome the findings of the World Cancer Research Fund’s report and recognise that a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the biggest risk factors of bowel cancer.The National Cancer Plan for England, published in February 2026, has patients at its heart and covers the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention and research and innovation. The plan sets out that every patient will receive personalised insights into their personal cancer risk, drawing on NHS, genomic, lifestyle, demographic and wearable data. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years.The plan builds on the commitment made in ‘Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages, to raise awareness of associated risks of alcohol consumption.It emphasises prevention by supporting the no- and low-alcohol market and exploring stricter regulations on these products to cut cancer-related deaths including those related to alcohol such as bowel cancer. The plan acknowledges that alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen, linked to several cancer types including bowel cancer and aims to build on a shift from "sickness to prevention" by addressing modifiable risk factors like alcohol.The UK Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines outline how the risk of developing cancer rises with ongoing regular drinking. As outlined on the NHS page ‘Risks: Alcohol Misuse’, the long-term health conditions that are caused by alcohol consumption include cancers of the liver, mouth, head and neck, breast, and bowel.From 2026, Cancer Alliances will receive funding and work proactively with local communities and providers to improve early diagnosis rates. They will focus on increasing awareness of cancer symptoms, supporting primary care to spot signs of cancer early, including bowel cancer.

What assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the findings of the World Cancer Research Fund’s report on dietary and lifestyle patterns for cancer prevention, particularly the evidence on alcohol as a risk factor for bowel cancer.

The Government and the National Health Service welcome the findings of the World Cancer Research Fund’s report and recognise that a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the biggest risk factors of bowel cancer.The National Cancer Plan for England, published in February 2026, has patients at its heart and covers the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention and research and innovation. The plan sets out that every patient will receive personalised insights into their personal cancer risk, drawing on NHS, genomic, lifestyle, demographic and wearable data. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years.The plan builds on the commitment made in ‘Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages, to raise awareness of associated risks of alcohol consumption.It emphasises prevention by supporting the no- and low-alcohol market and exploring stricter regulations on these products to cut cancer-related deaths including those related to alcohol such as bowel cancer. The plan acknowledges that alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen, linked to several cancer types including bowel cancer and aims to build on a shift from "sickness to prevention" by addressing modifiable risk factors like alcohol.The UK Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines outline how the risk of developing cancer rises with ongoing regular drinking. As outlined on the NHS page ‘Risks: Alcohol Misuse’, the long-term health conditions that are caused by alcohol consumption include cancers of the liver, mouth, head and neck, breast, and bowel.From 2026, Cancer Alliances will receive funding and work proactively with local communities and providers to improve early diagnosis rates. They will focus on increasing awareness of cancer symptoms, supporting primary care to spot signs of cancer early, including bowel cancer.

What steps his Department is taking to prevent bowel cancer by addressing key modifiable risk factors, including alcohol.

The Government and the National Health Service welcome the findings of the World Cancer Research Fund’s report and recognise that a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the biggest risk factors of bowel cancer.The National Cancer Plan for England, published in February 2026, has patients at its heart and covers the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention and research and innovation. The plan sets out that every patient will receive personalised insights into their personal cancer risk, drawing on NHS, genomic, lifestyle, demographic and wearable data. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years.The plan builds on the commitment made in ‘Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages, to raise awareness of associated risks of alcohol consumption.It emphasises prevention by supporting the no- and low-alcohol market and exploring stricter regulations on these products to cut cancer-related deaths including those related to alcohol such as bowel cancer. The plan acknowledges that alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen, linked to several cancer types including bowel cancer and aims to build on a shift from "sickness to prevention" by addressing modifiable risk factors like alcohol.The UK Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines outline how the risk of developing cancer rises with ongoing regular drinking. As outlined on the NHS page ‘Risks: Alcohol Misuse’, the long-term health conditions that are caused by alcohol consumption include cancers of the liver, mouth, head and neck, breast, and bowel.From 2026, Cancer Alliances will receive funding and work proactively with local communities and providers to improve early diagnosis rates. They will focus on increasing awareness of cancer symptoms, supporting primary care to spot signs of cancer early, including bowel cancer.

How much funding has been allocated to early-stage and discovery brain cancer research in the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of that funding for building a pipeline of new treatments.

Government responsibility for delivering cancer research is shared between the Department for Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).The Medical Research Council (MRC), part of UKRI, primarily supports the discovery science and fundamental biological research. NIHR’s research is complementary to the MRC's focus, supporting the translation of discovery science into patient benefit through a range of mechanisms, including direct funding through our research programmes and through funding to underpin and enable research to take place.UKRI plays a significant role in supporting interdisciplinary cancer research to bring new discoveries closer to patient benefit and commercialisation. UKRI invests in cancer research to understand the underpinning biology of cancer to inform prevention, diagnosis and treatment options, and to support academic and industry-led innovation in new cancer therapeutic discovery, medicines manufacturing, and precision medicine.More than half of UKRI’s active projects in this area focus on developing and testing more effective treatments for brain tumours, including reducing side effects.We are committed to furthering our investment in brain cancer research and have already taken steps to stimulate scientific progress and build scientific capacity to do research on brain cancer.In the five years between 2020/21 and 2024/25, the NIHR has directly invested £10.4 million into research projects and programmes focussed on brain tumours. The NIHR’s wider investments in research infrastructure, including facilities, services, and the research workforce, further allowed leverage of research funding from other donors and organisations. These NIHR investments in infrastructure are estimated to be £32.9 million over the same period. Over six years, from the financial year 2018/19 to 2023/24, UKRI committed £46.8 million to brain tumour research. In addition, in January 2026 the NIHR announced increased investment of over £25 million in the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium. The world-leading consortium aims to transform outcomes for adults and children and their families who are living with brain tumours, ultimately reducing lives lost to cancer.We’re also strengthening our partnership with Cancer Research UK, including approximately £3 million to co-fund Brain Tumour Centres of Excellence. This investment will accelerate the move from foundational research to delivering innovative treatments for patients.The NIHR continues to welcome high quality applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including brain cancer. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to the public and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Whether the role of National Cancer Lead for Rare Cancers is full-time; what the contracted FTE and weekly hours are; and what interim leadership arrangements are in place until the role is filled.

The National Cancer Plan, published on the 4 February 2026, sets out several commitments and ambitions, to be delivered within the next ten years. The role of the reformed National Cancer Board will be to support and monitor the delivery of the commitments and ambitions and to provide regular updates to ministers.Alongside the co-chairs, other leads for specific areas will sit on the board, including a lead for rare cancers. These leads will oversee delivery of the plan and advise on what action should be taken to improve outcomes.It is important to choose the most suitable appointment process for selecting the lead roles, including for the rare cancer lead. Officials from NHS England and the Department are carefully following the required public appointments procedures, including creating job specifications and agreeing contracted hours. The first meeting of the reformed National Cancer Board will be scheduled once the membership of the board has been agreed, and until such time, senior officials will continue to maintain oversight, reporting to ministers as required.

If he will publish the status of each work package within the NIHR Brain Tumour Consortium, including submission date, status, date of the latest decision and correspondence and reasons for any delay and return.

The Department invests over £1.7 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).We are committed to furthering our investment in brain cancer research and have already taken steps to stimulate scientific progress and build scientific capacity to do research on brain cancer.In January 2026, the NIHR announced increased investment of over £25 million in the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium. The world-leading consortium aims to transform outcomes for adults and children and their families who are living with brain tumours, ultimately reducing lives lost to cancer.The NIHR Funding Committee meeting for the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium and associated work packages took place on 14 October 2025. The outcomes of which are made publicly available on the NIHR website. The following table shows the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium funding awards and their decision status:Award TitleDecisionNIHR501957 - The Brain Tumour Novel Therapeutics ConsortiumConditional offerNIHR502152 - WP1 - Adult Early Phase 5G platformConditional offerNIHR501153 - WP2 Adult Graduation Phase 5G platformDeclined with possibility to resubmitNIHR501826 - TarGeT (Targeted pedicatric high-grade Glioma Therapy) phase 2 umbrella trialConditional offerNIHR501825 - EPILOGUE- Phase I/II combination umbrella trial in relapsed paediatric low-grade gliomaConditional offer The Brain Tumour Novel Therapeutics Consortium contract commenced in December 2025. Associated work packages were issued and intent to fund letters sent in December 2025, although this is contingent upon submitting and reviewing detailed costs and, if applicable, agreeing to the suggested amendments and requests for clarification, which are currently in progress.The NIHR is working to ensure that new investments can get up and running as soon as possible. We are expecting to make further announcements in due course.

For what reason recommendations for a sodium valproate redress scheme have not been implemented.

The Department continues to take forward work to explore redress for those affected by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate, which includes recommendations made by the Patient Safety Commissioner in the Hughes Report. We recognise the importance of these issues for all those affected. This remains a cross-Government policy area involving multiple organisations, and given the complexity of the issues involved, it is important we get this right.I met with the Patient Safety Commissioner in December 2025, to discuss progress following the Hughes Report and have made clear the Department’s expectation of continued, proactive engagement with the Patient Safety Commissioner and key stakeholders. I have also written to the Patient Safety Commissioner regarding further steps to be taken to improve the lives of those affected by valproate and mesh. A copy of that letter is attached.

When his Department plans to publish a timetable for implementing redress recommendations from the Cumberlege Review and the Hughes Report.

The Department continues to take forward work to explore redress for those affected by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate, which includes recommendations made by the Patient Safety Commissioner in the Hughes Report. We recognise the importance of these issues for all those affected. This remains a cross-Government policy area involving multiple organisations, and given the complexity of the issues involved, it is important we get this right. A timetable for a response has not yet been finalised.I met with the Patient Safety Commissioner in December 2025, to discuss progress following the Hughes Report and have made clear the Department’s expectation of continued, proactive engagement with the Patient Safety Commissioner and key stakeholders.

What information his Department holds on the number of children who have (a) been harmed by sodium valproate use during pregnancy and (b) received a diagnosis of Foetal Valproate Spectrum.

The Department does not hold information regarding the number of children that have been harmed by sodium valproate use during pregnancy, or those who have received a diagnosis of foetal valproate spectrum.The National Disease Registration Service in NHS England collects and quality assures data about people with congenital conditions and rare conditions across the whole of England.In the most recent official statistics on congenital conditions in England, the 2022 Congenital Condition Official Statistics Report, which contains information on congenital conditions detected in babies delivered in England between 1 January and 31 December 2022, as well as in previous publications of this series back to its inception in 2018, there were no foetus' or babies reported to have a diagnosis of fetal sodium valproate syndrome.It is likely that while some of the individual conditions, for instance neural tube defects, cardiac, oro-facial clefts, and/or limb difference, that can be associated with this condition are recorded on the register, the overarching diagnosis of fetal sodium valproate syndrome may not yet be registered because fetal sodium valproate syndrome may take more than a year after birth to be confirmed as a diagnosis, so the number reported in any year is the minimum level in the population.The National Disease Registration Service is assessing the feasibility and reliability of better ascertainment of fetal sodium valproate syndrome by linking the congenital condition register to primary care prescription data.

On what dates his Department has met with patient groups representing families affected by sodium valproate since January 2024.

The current Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women's Health and Mental Health, Baroness Merron, the previous minister with responsibility for sodium valproate and pelvic mesh redress policy, held a roundtable with representatives of the sodium valproate patient groups in December 2024.Since then, I met with relevant stakeholders at various parliamentary events. I also met with the Patient Safety Commissioner in December 2025, to discuss progress following the Hughes Report and have made clear the Department’s expectation of continued, proactive engagement with the Patient Safety Commissioner and key stakeholders.

What steps his Department is taking to introduce mandatory alcohol labelling requirements.

In Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England, the Government committed to strengthening and expanding on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages. The plan can be accessed online at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-futureMy officials have recently completed a round of stakeholder engagement regarding the policy. We are working at pace to review all available and emerging data and evidence. This work will inform the development assessment of policy options that will be set out in formal consultation in due course.

What plans his Department has to publish updated guidance on managing conflicts of interest between civil servants and Ministers in relation to unhealthy commodity industries.

The Department already has established arrangements in place to manage conflicts of interest for both ministers and civil servants, including where these relate to engagement with representatives of unhealthy commodity industries.Ministerial conduct is governed by the Ministerial Code, which sets out requirements on the declaration and handling of ministers’ interests. Civil servants are bound by the Civil Service Code, and by departmental policies that set out how actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest must be identified, declared, and managed.The Department keeps its internal guidance under regular review to ensure it remains aligned with cross-Government standards and supports transparent and accountable decision-making.

How many prescriptions were issued for each drug categorised under the (a) (i) clonazepam and (ii) other benzodiazepines, (b) z-drugs, (c) antidepressants, (d) opioids, (e) pregabalin and (f) gabapentin drug groups in the last 12 months and the total number of unique identified patients for each drug.

The NHSBSA holds patient identifiable information for the number of items dispensed and claimed for reimbursement. The following table shows the total number of prescription items for clonazepam and other benzodiazepines, z-drugs, antidepressants, opioids, pregabalin, and gabapentin drug groups, as well as the percentage and number of unique identified patients for those drug groups for 2024/25:Drug GroupTotal number of prescription itemsTotal number of unique identified patientsPercentage of items where the patient has been identifiedClonazepam1,073,70884,37998.19%Other benzodiazepines6,560,1701,122,86097.01%Clonazepam and other benzodiazepines7,633,8781,193,47797.17%Z-drugs4,888,101721,64198.20%Antidepressants92,642,1108,888,22999.25Opioids39,015,4405,559,69198.99Pregabalin9,607,609851,69699.44**Gabapentin7,413,842783,59199.44**Notes:for the clonazepam and other benzodiazepines drug groups, the figures represent patients who have received any combination of clonazepam and/or other benzodiazepines, as no patient is counted twice within this row, even where multiple medications have been received; andfor the pregabalin, and gabapentin drug groups, please note these figures refer to the combined category of gabapentinoids.Patient count totals included in the table should not be aggregated.

When he plans to respond to the letter dated 21 July 2025 and re-sent on 7 October 2025 from the hon. Member for Lancaster and Wyre and nine other hon. Members on Sodium Valproate.

We received the Hon. Member’s correspondence of 21 July 2025 and responded on 20 November 2025.

What recent progress his Department has made on introducing mandatory health information on alcohol labels; and when he plans to publish a consultation on this matter.

In Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England, the Government committed to strengthen and expand on existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages. The plan can be accessed online at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-futureDepartment officials are working at pace to review all available evidence and to develop policy options that will be used in a formal consultation in due course. We have met a range of stakeholders, and we are making plans for further stakeholder engagement to take place shortly. Stakeholder insights will help shape the policy, to ensure that labelling requirements are more effective.

What assessment of trends in the level of post-pandemic changes to (a) drinking patterns and (b) resulting health harms were (i) requested by and (ii) provided to the Licensing Taskforce by his Department to inform their proposed licensing reforms.

Following the Licensing Taskforce, which was jointly let by the Department for Business and Trade and industry, the Government is considering which recommendations to take forward. As part of this, the Government is inviting views and evidence to inform the development of a modern, proportionate, and enabling licensing system, including public health considerations. This work is being led by the Department for Business and Trade and the Home Office with support from other departments, including the Department of Health and Social Care.A Call for Evidence is currently open until 6 November in order to gather views and evidence to inform proposals for reforms to licensing. This is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/reforming-the-licensing-systemPublic health considerations will be kept under review. Any legislative changes will be subject to an impact assessment, consultation, and parliamentary scrutiny.We will continue to work across Government to consider what other measures might be needed to reduce the negative impact that excessive alcohol consumption is having on health, crime, and the economy.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the recommendations in his Department's policy paper entitled Licensing policy sprint: joint industry and HM government taskforce report, published on 31 July 2025, on the (a) ill health to prevention workstream of the Health Mission Board and (b) specific priority of tackling alcohol harm within the Health Mission Board.

Following the Licensing Taskforce, which was jointly let by the Department for Business and Trade and industry, the Government is considering which recommendations to take forward. As part of this, the Government is inviting views and evidence to inform the development of a modern, proportionate, and enabling licensing system, including public health considerations. This work is being led by the Department for Business and Trade and the Home Office with support from other departments, including the Department of Health and Social Care.A Call for Evidence is currently open until 6 November in order to gather views and evidence to inform proposals for reforms to licensing. This is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/reforming-the-licensing-systemPublic health considerations will be kept under review. Any legislative changes will be subject to an impact assessment, consultation, and parliamentary scrutiny.We will continue to work across Government to consider what other measures might be needed to reduce the negative impact that excessive alcohol consumption is having on health, crime, and the economy.

How much ringfenced funding will be provided to children’s hospices in each year from 2026-7 to 2029-30.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant.We cannot yet confirm what the funding for 2026/27 and beyond will be, or how it will be administered.The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.

With reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention of 27 March 2025 in the debate on Hughes Report: First Anniversary, Official Report, column 472WH, if he will publish (a) her letter and (b) the response from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women's Health and Mental Health.

Following the debate on Hughes Report: First Anniversary, I met and put on record my discussion with the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women's Health and Mental Health (Baroness Merron), who confirmed that the Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her Report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. The Department does not plan to publish the letter, and it did not require a response from Baroness Merron. This is a complex issue involving input from different government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s Report.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of the health-related findings in the Institute of Alcohol Studies report entitled Spin the Bottle: How the UK alcohol industry twists the facts on harm and responsibility; and what steps he is taking to ensure that engagement with industry stakeholders aligns with the Principles for Engaging with Industry Stakeholders published by Public Health England.

The Department has noted the publication of the Institute of Alcohol Studies’ report. It will consider its findings and reflect on the relevant policies, as necessary.External engagement is a fundamental part of what United Kingdom ministerial Government departments do. We recognise the importance of promoting transparency through engagement and the need to take a balanced approach. Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on the GOV.UK website.