Written questions by Beales.

What his planned timeline is for negotiations on reform of the NHS dental contract.

To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to National Health Service dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.There are no perfect payment systems and careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system so that we deliver a system better for patients and the profession.We continue to meet the British Dental Association and other representatives of the dental sector to discuss how we can best deliver our shared ambition to improve access for NHS dental patients.

What steps she is taking to improve mental health support in schools.

This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to high and rising standards in schools and breaking down barriers to opportunity, helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.The government will deliver on this commitment through providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, so every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate.As of April 2024, NHS-funded Mental Health Support Teams covered 44% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England, and are expected to cover at least 50% by the end of March 2025.The department will also be putting in place new Young Futures hubs, including access to mental health support workers, and will recruit an additional 8,500 new mental health staff to treat children and adults.To support education staff, the department provides a range of guidance and practical resources on promoting and supporting pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, such as a resources hub for mental health leads and a toolkit to help schools choose evidence-based early support for pupils.On top of this, schools are also able to arrange their own mental health interventions that are best suited to their pupils using the core revenue and pupil premium funding they receive from the department.The Autumn Budget 2024 confirmed an additional £2.3 billion for the core schools budget for 2025/26 compared to 2024/25. This means that overall core schools funding will reach over £63.9 billion in 2025/26.

What steps she is taking to support young people with SEND needs into employment.

The Department for Work and Pensions are supporting many young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to find employment.The government will be launching a Youth Guarantee for all 18-21 year olds in England, to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. This will start with eight trailblazers, which are launching this spring, and testing localised approaches to supporting young people, which could include those with SEND.

What steps she is taking to make it easier for people over the age of 25 to access skills training and employment support.

The government is taking several steps to make it easier for adults to access training. The Adult Skills Fund (ASF) fully or co-funds education and skills training for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning.Currently, approximately 60% of the ASF is devolved to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for deciding what provision and support to offer their residents, allowing them the flexibility to respond to local needs.The department is developing new foundation apprenticeships to give more people a foot in the door of work, whilst supporting the pipeline of new talent that employers will need to drive economic growth. Skills Bootcamps also continue to be funded and are available across England, giving adults the chance to build sector-specific skills, including in digital, construction and green industries, with an offer of a job interview on completion.Lastly, in the 2026/2027 academic year, the department is also introducing the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE). The LLE will transform the post-18 student finance system by allowing people to develop new skills and gain new qualifications at a time that is right for them. From September 2026, learners will be able to apply for LLE funding for the first time for courses and modules starting from January 2027 onwards. From its launch, the LLE loan will be available for full courses at level 4 to 6, such as a degrees, technical qualifications, designated distance-learning and online courses, and modules of high value technical courses at level 4 to 5.Under the LLE, eligible learners will be able to access a tuition fee loan, with new learners able to access up to the full entitlement of £38,140, equal to four years of study based on the 2025/ 2026 academic year fee rates, and a maintenance loan to cover living costs, for courses with in-person attendance. Ultimately, this will enable individuals to learn, upskill, and retrain across their entire lives.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to promote universities as centres for industrial innovation; and if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of including them in the Industrial Strategy.

Government has committed to developing an ambitious Industrial Strategy in partnership with business, devolved governments, regions and other stakeholders. This includes universities, who play a key role in driving local and national economic growth – in 2023, UK university spinouts raised £1.66 billion in equity funding, 9.5% of all equity funding raised by UK companies.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of starting a national roll out of Housing First.

The Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant is a consolidated rough sleeping fund aimed at tackling rough sleeping and is providing a total of £185.6 million to local authorities across England in 2025-26. Local authorities have the flexibility to choose to continue provision of their Housing First or Housing Led services through the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant allocations. The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to develop a strategy to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. This work includes taking into account what is working well nationally and locally and where improvements are needed.

How many Mpox vaccines were delivered in each month since January 2024.

The following table shows the number of Mpox vaccines delivered each month from 1 January 2024 to 31 January 2025, as well as the total Mpox vaccines delivered in that period:MonthNumber of Mpox vaccinations administeredJanuary 2024804February 20241,069March 2024900April 2024612May 2024899June 2024894July 2024704August 20242,856September 20242,078October 20244,329November 20241,713December 20241,271January 2025293Total18,422The data was extracted on 5 February 2025 and is based on aggregate data submissions from sexual health or genitourinary medicine clinics.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of integrating Mpox vaccines into routine sexual health services for higher risk groups.

NHS England is planning for a routine Mpox vaccination programme, whilst continuing to offer vaccination to eligible cohorts in areas with the highest density of the eligible population as part of the response to the recent Mpox outbreaks.NHS England has recently opened additional Mpox vaccination sites across the country to support the access for eligible individuals, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/2025/02/nhs-opens-new-mpox-vaccination-sites-across-england/The programme will be delivered through Sexual Health Services who have experience in the assessment, identification, and vaccination of those who are at increased risk of Mpox infection.

What the level of vaccine uptake is by (a) ethnicity, (b) region and (c) socio-economic group.

This information is not held in the format requested. The total number of mpox vaccinations administered in England in 2023/24 financial year was 21,225. The total number of mpox vaccinations administered in 2024/25 financial year to date currently stands at 15,649. The latest vaccine coverage statistics are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptakeInfluenza and COVID-19 coverage data can also be viewed in the weekly flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports, which are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2024-to-2025-seasonChildhood vaccination coverage statistics in England are available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-immunisation-statistics

How many mPox vaccines were given in England in the 2023-24 financial year; and how many have been given to date in the 2024-25 financial year.

The total number of Mpox vaccinations administered in England in the 2023/24 financial year totalled to 21,225. The total number of Mpox vaccinations administered in the 2024/25 financial year to date currently stands at 15,649.The data was extracted on 5 February 2025 based on aggregate data submissions from sexual health or genitourinary medicine clinics. The data covers a period of 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, and 1 April 2024 to 31 January 2025.

What assessment his Department has made with NHS England of the efficacy of booster vaccinations for mPox.

An assessment of the efficacy of booster vaccinations has not been made as there is currently no requirement for mpox booster vaccinations.There is currently insufficient evidence to support routine boosters of mpox vaccination in immunocompetent individuals, namely people with the ability to produce a normal immune response; further information is contained in Smallpox and mpox: the green book, chapter 29, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smallpox-and-vaccinia-the-green-book-chapter-29

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the upper limit of house prices for which the Lifetime Individual Savings Account can be used without incurring a penalty for people living in (a) Greater London and (b) other regions with high house prices.

While the Government will continue to monitor the situation, it currently remains of the view that the property price cap for the Lifetime ISA is set at an appropriate level to support most first-time buyers across the UK while targeting households that may find it most difficult to get onto the property ladder.Data from the latest UK House Price Index shows that while the average price paid by first-time buyers has increased, it is still below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK.The Government keeps all aspects of savings tax policy under review.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of regularly publishing data on incidents of corridor care in the NHS.

The Government is clear that patients should expect and receive the highest standard of service, and is determined to tackle the issue of corridor care.Discussions on how to improve urgent and emergency care services are continuing, and we will continue to keep the data available and published to support that aim under review. Before the spring, we will set out the lessons learned from this winter and the improvements that we will put in place ahead of next winter.

Whether he plans to expand the trial of the transportation of blood by drone technology undertaken by Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital to more NHS Trusts.

The medical drone delivery service for the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust is a six-month trial, that started in November. There is potential for drones to support and improve the way the National Health Service delivers patient care, with the outcome of trials supporting NHS trusts to consider the benefits of adoption.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the upper limit of house prices for which the Lifetime Individual Savings Account can be used without incurring a penalty.

Data from the latest UK House Price Index shows that while the average price paid by first-time buyers has increased, it is still below the LISA property price cap in all regions of the UK except for London, where the average price paid is affected by boroughs with very high property values. The Government keeps all aspects of savings tax policy under review.

Whether he plans to take steps to encourage the wider adoption of drone technology in the NHS.

NHS England will continue to encourage the wider adoption of drone technology in the National Health Service where it is both feasible and appropriate.The NHS is committed to decarbonising travel and transport, with a clear vision of achieving a zero-emission fleet by 2040. In October 2023, NHS England published the NHS Net Zero Travel and Transport Strategy, which contains an ambitious, yet deliverable, roadmap to achieve this. Further information on the NHS Net Zero Travel and Transport Strategy is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/net-zero-travel-and-transport-strategy/This strategy includes drones as one of the interventions to achieve decarbonised travel and transport. There have already been a number of projects testing and implementing the use of drone technology in the NHS, including pathology drones in Cornwall and blood delivery drones in London. Further information on the pathology drones in Cornwall and the blood delivery drones in London is available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.rcpath.org/resource-report/pathology-drone-transport-hopes-to-overcome-logistical-constraints-in-cornwall.htmlhttps://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/news/nhs-delivery-drones-take-flight-offering-faster-and-greener-patient-careDrones have also been used to deliver vital chemotherapy to the Isle of Wight, reducing a four-hour journey time by road and sea to a 30-minute flight, minimising waste and treatment delays whilst also reducing carbon, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/whats-already-happening/drone-deliveries-of-vital-chemotherapy-to-the-isle-of-wight/

What recent discussions his Department has had with NHS England on the potential merits of publishing data on incidents of corridor care in the NHS.

The Government is clear that patients should expect and receive the highest standard of service, and is determined to tackle the issue of corridor care.Discussions on how to improve urgent and emergency care services are continuing, including how best to make use of data. Before the spring, we will set out the lessons learned from this winter and the improvements that we will put in place ahead of next winter.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of using drone technology to support fire and rescue services.

Fire and Rescue Services have been early adopters of drones which can improve decision making, operational efficiency and reduce risk to firefighters. We work closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council, who co-ordinate the use of Fire & Rescue Service Drones, ensuring services are aware of new technology and the benefits available.Fire and rescue authorities and services are operationally independent from government. Decisions on how their resources are best deployed to meet their core functions and keep their communities safe are a matter for each fire and rescue authority, based on its analysis of risk and local circumstances. Any consideration of equipment, including drones, will be part of this process.

What her planned timetable is for the delivery of the Loan Charge Review.

At Budget, the Government committed to an independent review of the Loan Charge to help bring the matter to a close for those affected whilst ensuring fairness for all taxpayers. Further details will be set out in due course.

If he will make shingles vaccinations available to all people aged over 65.

Shingles vaccination was originally routinely offered as part of the national immunisation programme to those aged 70, using the Zostavax vaccine. In 2019, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended that the programme should be changed to offer the Shingrix vaccine routinely at 60 years of age, that those aged between 60 and 70 years old should also be offered the vaccine, and that individuals would require two doses of Shingrix to complete the course.Based on JCVI advice, the Department, the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England decided that the programme would be implemented in phases, with the first phase being that between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2028, those who reach 65 or 70 years old should be called in on or after their 65th or 70th birthday. The second phase would be that from 1 September 2028 to 31 August 2033, those who reach age 60 or 65 years old should be called in on or after their 60th or 65th birthday. From 1 September 2033 onwards, vaccination will be routinely offered to those turning 60 years of age on or after their 60th birthday.The JCVI also recommended that all severely immunosuppressed individuals aged 50 years old and older should be eligible for shingles vaccination due to their higher risk of complications from shingles. This programme change was also implemented on 1 September 2023. These individuals have been prioritised as part of the early roll-out of the programme to ensure those who are most vulnerable are protected.