Written questions by Cooper.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2025 to Question 71118 on Prescriptions: Occupational Therapy, what progress he has made on the wider programme of work relating to the medicines responsibilities of occupational therapists.

The Department supports expanding medicines responsibilities for non‑medical professionals where it is safe to do so. Appropriately trained occupational therapists can already supply and administer medicines under patient specific directions or patient group directions.Any changes to medicines responsibilities follow a robust process to ensure patient safety. NHS England develops clinical cases for change with professional bodies, the Commission on Human Medicines provides advice, and, where proposals are progressed, the Department amends the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.The Department has recently concluded a consultation on extending medicines responsibilities for a group of allied health professionals. We are analysing the responses and will consider proposals relating to other professional groups once this work is complete.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 December 2025 to Question 100476 on Brain: Tumours, what plans the National Institute for Health and Care Research has to undertake horizon scanning of the pharmaceutical and biotech project pipelines to identify potential candidates suitable for developing vaccines for brain tumours in conjunction with the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad.

The Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is a major area of NIHR spending at £141.6 million in 2024/25, reflecting its high priority.The NIHR is continuing to invest in brain tumour research. For example, in December 2025, the NIHR announced the pioneering Brain Tumour Research Consortium to accelerate research into new brain tumour treatments. The NIHR invested an initial £13.7 million in the consortium with a further £11.7 million announced in January 2026. 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 supports cancer vaccine innovation through a coordinated national model, combining the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad’s clinical prioritisation with the Vaccine Innovation Pathway and the NIHR Industry Hub’s horizon scanning, feasibility, and delivery capability. The NIHR Industry Hub undertakes horizon scanning of pharmaceutical and biotechnology pipelines, as part of its national industry engagement and delivery role, to identify emerging cancer vaccine and immune-therapy platforms, including those with potential relevance to hard-to-treat cancers such as brain tumours. Promising candidates are supported through a single national operating model delivered via the NIHR Industry Hub, which provides a coordinated entry point for industry, structured feasibility assessment, and delivery assurance. Cancer vaccine trials continue to be prioritised and delivered in partnership with the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, with accelerated delivery capability provided through the Vaccine Innovation Pathway. Together, this integrated approach ensures that as the science matures, the United Kingdom is able to identify, assess, and rapidly progress suitable cancer vaccine candidates into high-quality clinical trials within the NHS.

If he will extend Business Rates reimbursements to Community Pharmacies.

In the 2025 Autumn Budget, the Government took the hard choices to protect the National Health Service in England and to continue to prioritise reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion support package.This year, we have also increased funding to community pharmacies to almost £3.1 billion, the largest uplift in funding for any part of the NHS across 2024/25 and 2025/26.The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 October to Question 77603 on Brain: Tumours, what steps he plans to take to incentivise pharmaceutical companies involved in developing vaccines for brain tumours to approach the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad for funding and support.

The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In the financial year 2024/25, the NIHR’s reported spend on cancer research was over £141.6 million through its research programmes and infrastructure, reflecting cancer’s high priority.The Government is taking measures to boost research into brain tumours. In December 2025, the NIHR announced the pioneering Brain Tumour Research Consortium to accelerate research into new brain tumour treatments. NIHR is investing an initial £13.7 million with significant further funding due to be awarded in 2026.We also support the Rare Cancers Private Members Bill. This bill aims to incentivise research and investment into treatment by introducing measures to streamline clinical trial recruitment, allow patients to be more easily contacted by researchers, and also mandates a review of orphan drug regulations.The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including brain tumours. 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 patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

How organisations providing mental health services to children and young people can engage with the Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has launched an independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. We are deeply concerned that many adults, young people and children with mental health conditions, ADHD and autism have been let down by services and are not receiving timely or appropriate support and treatment. This Government has already taken significant steps to stabilise and improve NHS mental health services but there is much more to do. Transforming the system will take time, but we are committed to delivering a new approach to mental health.Therefore, this independent review will inform our new approach to mental health, so people receive the right support, at the right time and in the right place. Likewise, the review will inform our approach so that people with ADHD and autistic people have the right support in place to enable them to live well in their communities.As this is an independent review, it is for the Chair and Vice-chairs to consider who to consult and the relevant forums for engagement, that are relevant to deliver the terms of reference, set by the Department.

What steps his department is taking to improve (a) awareness, (b) diagnosis and (c) treatment for, pulmonary hypertension.

NHS England commissions specialist services for both adults and children to diagnose and treat pulmonary arterial hypertension. Care is provided through a small number of specialised centres and shared care arrangements with other centres. High-cost drug treatments are delivering improvements in outcomes for this group of patients, as evidenced by the National Pulmonary Hypertension Audit. This audit is funded by NHS England, with further information available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/clinical-audits-and-registries/national-pulmonary-hypertension-audit Clinical guidelines and pathways exist for the investigation of breathlessness, to support the recognition and diagnosis of this rare condition.

Whether his department are taking steps to support the use of the Play Well Toolkit in NHS healthcare settings.

The Department recognises the importance of supporting and maintaining children’s right to play in healthcare settings. Games and active play in all settings build social skills and promote children’s well-being.To support this, in June 2025 NHS England and Starlight, a national charity for children’s play in healthcare, co-published the Play Well Toolkit. The toolkit provides guidance on best practice, and includes a checklist to support the auditing, monitoring, and evaluation of services. NHS England is promoting the Play Well toolkit to managers of health play services across a wide range of settings, including community clinics, emergency departments, children’s hospices, and acute paediatric wards.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 October to Question 77605 on Health Professions: Regulation, on what date he will publish a consultation on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework which would enable them to consider fitness to practise concerns arising from allegations of sexual misconduct that are more than five years old.

The Government is committed to modernising the regulatory frameworks for all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.We aim to consult on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework in early 2026 and to lay this legislation before Parliament in the same year. The Government will confirm a date for the public consultation in due course.We also plan to update the governing legislation for the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council within the current parliamentary period.

Whether he has made an assessment as part of the New Hospital Programme of the adequacy of the number of helipads available for air ambulance use.

The clinical need and business cases for helipads at New Hospital Programme schemes will continue to be reviewed as schemes’ business plans progress through the usual assurance processes. As part of the Hospital 2.0 standardisation work, we are continuing to assess the advantages and disadvantages of both rooftop and ground-level helipads for inclusion in new hospital designs.

What discussions his Department has had discussions with (a) NICE and (b) Servier on the barriers to approving Vorasidenib for use by the NHS for the treatment of low glade glioma.

Department officials regularly speak with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to discuss a range of issues, including the status of individual appraisals. As NICE is an independent body, it would not be appropriate for the Department to interfere in the development of NICE’s recommendations on specific medicines. The Department has had no discussions about the appraisal of vorasidenib with Servier.NICE recently published draft guidance for consultation on the use of vorasidenib for treating astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma with IDH1 or IDH2 mutations after surgery in people aged 12 years and over. The consultation closed on 4 November 2025 and NICE’s independent appraisal committee is scheduled to meet on 20 November 2025 to consider its recommendations in light of the consultation responses.It is important that we have a system in place for making evidence-based decisions on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service, based on an objective assessment of their costs and benefits.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 77609 on Medical Treatments: Cost Effectiveness, what percentage of completed NICE appraisals for brain tumour medications have led to approval for use of a medication by the NHS in the last 12 months.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not published final guidance on any brain tumour appraisals in the last 12 months.NICE is currently developing guidance on the use of vorasidenib for treating astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma with IDH1 or IDH2 mutations after surgery in people 12 years and over and recently consulted on its draft recommendations. NICE currently expects to publish final guidance in January 2026.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 77609 on Medical Treatments: Cost Effectiveness, if he will instruct NICE to review the adequacy of the Quality-Adjusted Life Year threshold for innovative medicines.

The pharmaceutical sector and the innovative medicines it produces are critical to our national interest, helping people access life changing treatments, reducing pressure on the health service over the longer-term, and ensuring we have a National Health Service that is fit for the future.That is why through our Life Sciences Sector Plan, we have committed to working with industry to accelerate growth in spending on innovative medicines, compared to the previous decade. Our 10-Year Health Plan set out how we’d reform National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 May to Question 51941 on Paraneoplastic Encephalomyelitis: Diagnosis, if his Department will write to the laboratories that do provide testing for the condition and ask whether they provide testing for KLHL11 antibodies.

There are no current plans to write to laboratories that provide testing for paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis to ask whether this includes KLHl11 antibody testing.27 pathology networks across England are working to provide a vast range of tests to ensure the accurate and timely diagnosis of conditions. This includes those tests that are typically used to support the diagnosis of paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis, such as immunology tests.The Government is supporting pathology networks to increase digital capabilities by March 2026 to reduce unnecessary waits and repeat tests, to ensure that patients receive their results sooner. This is supported by £600 million of capital in 2025/26 for diagnostics. This investment also provides funding for the automation of histopathology laboratories.

Whether he has had discussions with NICE on assessing (a) Optune and (b) other tumour treating field therapies for use in the UK.

No discussions have been held between the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on assessing (a) Optune and (b) other tumour treating field therapies for use in the UK.NICE considered the use of tumour treating fields (TTF) in its guideline on brain tumours (NG99) published in 2018 and recommended that the treatment should not be offered for the management of newly diagnosed glioblastoma or recurrent high-grade glioma, based on an assessment of the evidence available at the time.Decisions on whether guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence are taken by the NICE prioritisation board, chaired by NICE’s Chief Medical Officer, in line with its published prioritisation framework. NICE’s prioritisation board considered TTF for glioblastoma in July 2024 where they agreed the topic should not be prioritised but reconsidered when relevant key trials have completed.At the meeting on 15 September 2025, the topic was reconsidered. The prioritisation board noted that some trials are ongoing, including a key trial that is likely to publish in 2026, and consequently agreed that the topic should still not be prioritised at this time, but revisited once those trials have published.

Whether he has assessed the potential merits of reintroducing the Children of Alcohol Dependent Parents Programme.

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services as part of their public health responsibilities. In addition to the Public Health Grant, in 2025/26 the Department is providing a total of £310 million in further targeted grants to improve services and wider recovery support, which includes housing and employment. Further details are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drug-and-alcohol-treatment-and-recovery-funding-2025-to-2026/drug-and-alcohol-treatment-and-recovery-funding-allocations-2025-to-2026All local authorities can invest some of their funding allocation on interventions that strengthen the support available to children and families affected by alcohol and/or drugs, according to local need.The Government also has an alcohol and drug information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce alcohol and drug use and its harms by providing awareness to young people, parents, and concerned others. Further information on Talk to FRANK is available at the following link:https://www.talktofrank.com/ For these reasons, there are no national plans to reintroduce the Children of Alcohol Dependent Parents Programme.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 56880 on Health Professions: Regulation, when he plans to publish a consultation on a draft legislative framework for the General Medical Council which would enable them to consider fitness to practise concerns arising from allegations of sexual misconduct that are more than five years old.

The Government is committed to modernising the regulatory frameworks for all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.As a first step, we aim to consult on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework in late 2025 and to lay this legislation before Parliament in 2026. This will be followed by further legislation which will modernise the governing legislation of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and of the Health and Care Professions Council, within the current parliamentary period.The Department will continue to work with regulators, the devolved administrations, and other key partners as we develop more consistent, efficient, and effective regulatory frameworks.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 May to Question 50928 on Brain: Tumours, what discussions he has had with (a) the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit and (b) other stakeholders in the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad on prioritising vaccine trials for brain cancers.

The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform that will speed up access to clinical trials for cancer vaccines and immunotherapies for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. NHS England is responsible for the overall delivery of the CVLP and has contracted the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit to manage the day-to-day delivery of the platform. The platform is designed to be company and clinical trial agnostic so any company, including those developing vaccines for brain tumours, can contact the CVLP to explore how the platform can support their research. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and officials have not had discussions to prioritise cancer vaccine trials for brain or other cancer types. However, the Government is taking measures to boost brain cancer research. We are working closely with the patient and researcher communities to stimulate high-quality research applications through: establishing a national Brain Tumour Research Consortium to bring together researchers from different disciplines to drive scientific advancements in how to prevent, detect, manage and treat brain tumours; a dedicated funding call for research into wraparound care and rehabilitation for people living with brain tumours; and a partnership with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission to fund the next generation of researchers through the Allied Health Professionals Brain Tumour Research Fellowship programme. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including brain tumours. 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 patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on brain tumours to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

What steps his Department is taking with NHS England to support Integrated Care Boards to deliver the service specification entitled Specialised neurology services (adults), published on 13 August 2025.

NHS England has revised the national service specification for specialised neurology following extensive consultation with clinical and charity partners. The service specification includes guidance on both specialised and core neurology services, and includes an annex which provides greater clarity for neurology sub-specialties.The national specialised commissioning neurology transformation programme has also developed guidance as part of an integrated care system toolkit, specifically to support the implementation of the service specification.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of funding available for the UK Neuro Forum.

Whilst no specific programme of funding is currently available for the UK Neuro Forum, we will continue to look for funding opportunities and use existing levers in other health and care initiatives that align with the forum’s priorities. The Department has also dedicated staff resources to supporting the forum.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to (a) services and (b) support for people affected by Functional Neurological Disorder.

The majority of services for people with neurological conditions, including functional neurological disorder (FND), are commissioned locally. Integrated care board (ICB) commissioners are best placed to configure services for their populations, supported by clinical guidance.NHS England’s Neuroscience Transformation Programme is supporting ICBs to deliver the right services, at the right time for all neurology patients, which includes providing care closer to home.NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and RightCare Toolkits, including the Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit, the Headache and Migraine Toolkit, and the Epilepsy Toolkit, aim to improve care for patients with neurological conditions by reducing variation.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently developing the guidance Rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders including acquired brain injury, which is expected to be published in October 2025. The guideline covers rehabilitation in all settings for children, young people, and adults with a chronic neurological disorder, neurological impairment, or disabling neurological symptoms resulting from acquired brain injury, spinal cord injury or peripheral nerve disorder, progressive neurological disease, or FND. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10181