Written questions by Beales.

Which body within the NHS will be conducting the review into the case for lowering the screening age for prostate cancer; what the scope of this review will be; and when he expects to receive recommendations.

Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended in the United Kingdom, due to the inaccuracy of the current best test Prostate Specific Antigen.A UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) review looking at whether to offer screening for prostate cancer is currently underway. This evidence review will cover modelling the clinical effectiveness and cost of several approaches to prostate cancer screening. This will include different potential ways of screening the whole population and targeted screening aimed at groups of people identified as being at higher-than-average risk, such as black men or men with a family history of cancer.Once the modelling and evidence review are complete, it will be considered by the UK NSC. Subject to no further revisions being required, the UK NSC plans to look at the findings towards the end of 2025.Further details of the UK NSC’s evidence review process are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-evidence-review-process/uk-nsc-evidence-review-process

Whether the child poverty strategy will include measures to tackle child homelessness.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in Spring 2025. The Taskforce’s publication of 23 October ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’ sets out how we are developing the Strategy, exploring all available levers across Government to deliver an enduring reduction in child poverty this parliament. This is part of a 10-year strategy for lasting change which will be published in the Spring. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments. The Taskforce will hear directly from experts on each of the Strategy’s themes including children and families living in poverty and work with leading organisations, charities, and campaigners. In December, the Taskforce met with external experts from the housing sector to discuss the critical role of housing in tackling child poverty. The Ministerial session was the first in a series of deep dives into specific policy areas; the focus of this session was on parental employment, childcare and housing.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for (a) legal aid and (b) criminal courts.

This Government inherited a justice system under enormous strain and a legal aid system facing significant challenges, but we have already started to rebuild the system. On criminal legal aid, in November 2024 we announced our response to the Crime Lower consultation, confirming an uplift to the lowest police station fees, introducing a new Youth Court fee scheme, and paying for travel time in certain circumstances. Together, these changes amount to a £24 million investment for criminal legal aid providers. In addition, in December 2024, we announced that criminal legal aid solicitors will receive up to £92 million more a year to help address the ongoing challenges in the criminal justice system, subject to consultation. This is a significant investment to reflect the valuable and tough work that is undertaken by those who work in the criminal justice system, helping them to make sure justice is served and that victims get the resolution they need.  Alongside consulting on specific solicitor fee uplifts, we are committed to continuing to work with the criminal legal aid profession, including the Bar, on further opportunities for reform this Parliament and to support the overall sustainability, diversity, and efficiency of the system. On civil legal aid, the Ministry of Justice has recently undertaken a comprehensive review of civil legal aid and, having considered the evidence collected, we acknowledge that the sector is facing a number of challenges. We are committed to improving the experience of users and providers and, as an important first step towards this, we intend to consult on uplifts to housing and debt and immigration legal aid fees this month which would inject an additional £20 million into the sector each year once fully implemented. We will continue to consider the fees paid in other categories of civil legal aid, and the wider themes from the Review, in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the civil legal aid sector.

What steps he is taking to improve the enforcement of fireworks regulations.

Enforcement powers exist for local authorities to take action when fireworks are unsafe, sold illegally or misused. Local authorities and the police also have powers to tackle anti-social behaviour caused by the misuse of fireworks. It is for local areas ...

What steps he is taking to support the nursing workforce.

The Government values nurses and is committed to supporting them as a profession, and in their everyday working lives. The Government accepted the pay recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Body for 2024/25 in full, providing a 5.5% consolidated pay uplift...

What was the average (a) cost and (b) waiting time for an outpatient paediatric ophthalmology appointment in the 2023-24 financial year..

Patients have been let down for too long whilst they wait for the care they need, including children awaiting hospital-based eyecare. The Government will ensure that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment (RTT...

Whether the 10 Year Health Plan for England development team plan to meet with sexual health stakeholders.

Improving sexual health services is a priority for the Government and it is important that we capture the views of stakeholders as we develop our 10-Year Health Plan. To support this, we have launched a national engagement exercise. This will be the bigge...

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the levels of applications to nursing university courses.

The following table shows the number of applicants, by the June deadline, to undergraduate nursing courses, for all domiciles, in England, each year from 2019 to 2024:YearApplicants201931,780202037,990202145,740202243,170202336,400202433,560Source: publis...

Whether his Department is taking steps with NHS England to involve sexual health stakeholders in the development of the 10 Year Health Plan for England.

Improving sexual health services is a priority for the Government and it is important that we capture the views of stakeholders as we develop our 10-Year Health Plan. To support this, we have launched a national engagement exercise. This will be the bigge...

What steps he is taking to support student nurses.

To supplement the student loan support provided by the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care provides non-repayable and non-income assessed funding via the NHS Learning Support Fund. All eligible nursing students receive a gra...

Communities and Local Government, if she will extend the exemption for the local connection test to survivors of modern slavery.

The government is committed to ensuring that, where appropriate, barriers preventing vulnerable groups in need from accessing social housing are removed.We are working with stakeholders to explore the detail of the proposed exemptions from local connectio...

What assessment he has made of the sustainability of the funding model for the hospice sector.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. To support ICBs in ...

How many children are in receipt of the NHS Special Schools Eye Care Service.

NHS England have piloted sight testing and the dispensing of glasses in special schools since 2021. Between April 2021 and August 2024 a total of 23,832 sight tests were provided.There were a total of 9,909 pairs of glasses issued between April 2021 and A...

How many children in receipt of the NHS Special Schools Eye Care Service have had (a) a need for glasses, (b) another sight problem, (c) no previous known history of eye care and (d) a history of h

NHS England have piloted sight testing and the dispensing of glasses in special schools since 2021. Between April 2021 and August 2024 a total of 23,832 sight tests were provided.There were a total of 9,909 pairs of glasses issued between April 2021 and A...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to encourage the possibility of a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine.

The UK is working with partners to support a path to long-term peace and stability, with a two-state solution: a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. This government has prioritised working to end this conflict and se...

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help prevent illegal settlements in the West Bank.

The UK Government's position on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution.  To date, we have sanctioned eight individuals responsible for inciti...

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of excluding the council Housing Revenue Account from debt-targeted fiscal rules.

Councils’ Housing Revenue Accounts are a significant part of local authority and public sector finances, and it would not be right to exclude this activity from our fiscal rules.

What estimate his Department has made of the cost of the Hillingdon Hospital scheme.

The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the Programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, howev...

What steps his Department is taking to ensure people living with (a) arthritis and (b) musculoskeletal conditions are considered in the NHS 10-year plan.

As part of the Government's five long-term missions, we will launch a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service and make it fit for the future. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed, to move healthca...

How much funding the Hillingdon Hospital scheme received up until the 2023-24 financial year.

The standard process confirming the total funding amount for major infrastructure projects involves review and approval of a Full Business Case. All trusts in the Programme have previously received indicative funding allocations to support planning, howev...