Written questions by Stafford.

What steps his Department has taken to negotiate a data sharing agreement with the EU to access doctor malpractice data held on the Internal Market Information system.

Government officials recently met with the United Kingdom professional regulator of doctors, the General Medical Council (GMC), to discuss what more could be done to strengthen and improve the exchange of information between the GMC and other UK healthcare professional regulators, and their European Union counterparts. We are committed to a constructive relationship with Europe and will continue to identify areas where closer collaboration is mutually beneficial, including improving information sharing and strengthening health security. The UK has not had recent discussions on the Internal Market Information system with the EU, although the Department is exploring options to further support UK healthcare professional regulators to unblock data sharing barriers.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending business rates relief to community pharmacies.

The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.In the Autumn Budget 2025, the Government took the hard choices to protect the NHS in England and 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 2024/2025 and 2025/2026. Any consideration of reimbursement of business rates for pharmacy contractors would be considered as part of this consultation, as with other providers.The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.

Whether he will publish any correspondence sent to EU officials proposing a data sharing agreement to access doctor malpractice data from the IMI system.

Government officials recently met with the United Kingdom professional regulator of doctors, the General Medical Council (GMC), to discuss what more could be done to strengthen and improve the exchange of information between the GMC and other UK healthcare professional regulators, and their European Union counterparts. We are committed to a constructive relationship with Europe and will continue to identify areas where closer collaboration is mutually beneficial, including improving information sharing and strengthening health security. The UK has not had recent discussions on the Internal Market Information system with the EU, although the Department is exploring options to further support UK healthcare professional regulators to unblock data sharing barriers.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) increase survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and (b) increase the availability of defibrillators in Farnham and Bordon.

In order to increase survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest NHS England has worked in partnership with St John’s Ambulance and others to increase access to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. Local ambulance trusts, charities, including St John’s Ambulance and the British Heart Foundation, and private providers deliver CPR training and training on the use of defibrillators both in the community and in schools, under the Restart a Heart programme.The Government’s position is that local communities, including in Farnham and Bordon, are best placed to make decisions about procuring, locating, and maintaining automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Over 110,000 defibrillators are registered in the United Kingdom on The Circuit, the independent AED database. Over 30,000 of these have been added in the past two years, many as a result of local community led action.It is not uncommon for charities supplying defibrillators through a fund to require those defibrillators to be registered on The Circuit. Defibrillator charities also promote The Circuit on their website.

What guidance and support are provided to schools to meet basic first aid requirements in the curriculum, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillator awareness.

I refer the hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon to the answer provided on 26 February 2026 to Question 111782.

What steps his Department is taking to encourage community organisations, schools, and workplaces in Farnham and Bordon to register their Automated External Defibrillators on the Circuit Defibrillator Network.

In order to increase survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest NHS England has worked in partnership with St John’s Ambulance and others to increase access to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. Local ambulance trusts, charities, including St John’s Ambulance and the British Heart Foundation, and private providers deliver CPR training and training on the use of defibrillators both in the community and in schools, under the Restart a Heart programme.The Government’s position is that local communities, including in Farnham and Bordon, are best placed to make decisions about procuring, locating, and maintaining automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Over 110,000 defibrillators are registered in the United Kingdom on The Circuit, the independent AED database. Over 30,000 of these have been added in the past two years, many as a result of local community led action.It is not uncommon for charities supplying defibrillators through a fund to require those defibrillators to be registered on The Circuit. Defibrillator charities also promote The Circuit on their website.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential risk to public safety arising from the publication of sensitive information relating to the physical security of properties on local authority planning registers.

My Department has made no such assessment.

Whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of using QR codes or digital labelling to supplement mandatory on‑label health warnings.

The recently published National Cancer Plan reiterated 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.Department officials are currently exploring and assessing the potential options for and impacts of delivering this policy commitment, which includes reviewing all available and emerging evidence, and considering stakeholder feedback, having just completed a round of stakeholder engagement.The Department is working towards opening a consultation in late 2026, setting out the options under consideration, for the public and business to respond to.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure industry and civil society are prepared for the forthcoming consultation on mandatory alcohol labelling; and whether draft policy scenarios will be shared with Parliament ahead of its launch of a consultation.

In Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, the Government committed to strengthening and expanding 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-futureThe Department is working towards opening a consultation in late 2026, setting out the options under consideration, for the public and businesses to respond to. The consultation will be prepared in line with guidance on seeking collective agreement across Government departments.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of mandatory alcohol health warnings for regulatory alignment with the EU, Ireland, and other trading partners.

In both the Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England and the National Cancer 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.Department officials have recently completed a round of stakeholder engagement regarding the policy. We are working at pace to review all available and emerging evidence.This work will inform the development assessment of policy options that will be set out in formal consultation which we are working towards opening in late 2026. International alignment will be considered as part of the process, taking into account the outcome of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (Agri-Food) Agreement negotiations with the European Union.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care when he plans to publish draft designs for mandatory alcohol health warnings; and what his planned timetable is for (a) consultation on and (b) the implementation of those warnings.

In Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, the Government committed to strengthening and expanding 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-futureThe Department is working towards opening a consultation in late 2026, setting out the options under consideration, for the public and businesses to respond to. The consultation will be prepared in line with guidance on seeking collective agreement across Government departments.

Whether mandatory alcohol labelling requirements will apply to both on‑trade and off‑trade settings.

The recently published National Cancer Plan reiterated 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.Department officials are currently exploring and assessing the potential options for and impacts of delivering this policy commitment, which includes reviewing all available and emerging evidence, and considering stakeholder feedback, having just completed a round of stakeholder engagement.The Department is working towards opening a consultation in late 2026, setting out the options under consideration, for the public and business to respond to.

With reference to the National Cancer Plan for England, what empirical evidence his Department is reviewing to inform the design of mandatory alcohol health warnings, including those used in South Korea and Ireland.

The recently published National Cancer Plan reiterated 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.Department officials are working at pace to review all available and emerging evidence. This includes data from a broad range of countries and engaging with a wide range of national and international stakeholders, including stakeholder feedback provided at and after the recent roundtables.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed mandatory alcohol labelling reforms on producers, small businesses, supply chains and exporters.

The recently published National Cancer Plan reiterated 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.Department officials are currently exploring and assessing the potential options for and impacts of delivering this policy commitment, which includes reviewing all available and emerging evidence, and considering stakeholder feedback, having just completed a round of stakeholder engagement.The Department is working towards opening a consultation in late 2026, setting out the options under consideration, for the public and business to respond to.

With reference to the National Cancer Plan for England, if he will set out the formats for mandatory health warnings on alcohol labels that his Department is considering, including whether these include text‑only warnings, cancer‑specific messaging, imagery, rotating labels, and pictograms.

The recently published National Cancer Plan reiterated 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.Department officials are currently exploring and assessing the potential options for and impacts of delivering this policy commitment, which includes reviewing all available and emerging evidence, and considering stakeholder feedback, having just completed a round of stakeholder engagement.The Department is working towards opening a consultation in late 2026, setting out the options under consideration, for the public and business to respond to.

What plans his Department has to develop a definition of health warning for the purposes of alcohol labelling reforms.

The recently published National Cancer Plan reiterated 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.Department officials are currently exploring and assessing the potential options for and impacts of delivering this policy commitment, which includes reviewing all available and emerging evidence, and considering stakeholder feedback, having just completed a round of stakeholder engagement.The Department is working towards opening a consultation in late 2026, setting out the options under consideration, for the public and business to respond to.

Including for long‑lifecycle products such as wine.

The recently published National Cancer Plan reiterated 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.Department officials are currently exploring and assessing the potential options for and impacts of delivering this policy commitment, which includes reviewing all available and emerging evidence, and considering stakeholder feedback, having just completed a round of stakeholder engagement.The Department is working towards opening a consultation in late 2026, setting out the options under consideration, for the public and business to respond to.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of reinstating the Life Sciences Council with representation from the generic and biosimilar medicines industry.

The United Kingdom’s world leading life sciences sector is central to our Industrial Strategy, driving growth, investment, and high-quality jobs. As set out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan, which we developed while working closely with the sector, there is an opportunity for the National Health Service to save £1 billion over five years through biosimilars uptake, delivering value for patients and the NHS. The Life Sciences Council is an important forum that brings together senior industry and Government leaders to shape the sector’s future. The Government remains committed to this partnership and is looking to convene the council in due course.Medicines UK and its members are represented on the Single National Formulary Industry Task and Finish Group. In addition, the Government is working to convene further task and finish groups to drive forward defined areas of the Life Sciences Sector Plan, including in the generic and biosimilars space. These groups will direct focused ministerial and official attention toward a clear set of priorities and will work closely with industry to deliver tangible progress within a set timeframe.

What consideration has been given to the role of the generic and biosimilar medicines sector in shaping life sciences policy, in the context of it supplying around 85% of NHS prescription drugs by volume.

The United Kingdom’s world leading life sciences sector is central to our Industrial Strategy, driving growth, investment, and high-quality jobs. As set out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan, which we developed while working closely with the sector, there is an opportunity for the National Health Service to save £1 billion over five years through biosimilars uptake, delivering value for patients and the NHS. The Life Sciences Council is an important forum that brings together senior industry and Government leaders to shape the sector’s future. The Government remains committed to this partnership and is looking to convene the council in due course.Medicines UK and its members are represented on the Single National Formulary Industry Task and Finish Group. In addition, the Government is working to convene further task and finish groups to drive forward defined areas of the Life Sciences Sector Plan, including in the generic and biosimilars space. These groups will direct focused ministerial and official attention toward a clear set of priorities and will work closely with industry to deliver tangible progress within a set timeframe.

When the Government plans to establish a task and finish group to oversee delivery of the Life Sciences Sector Plan as it relates to generic and biosimilar medicines.

The United Kingdom’s world leading life sciences sector is central to our Industrial Strategy, driving growth, investment, and high-quality jobs. As set out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan, which we developed while working closely with the sector, there is an opportunity for the National Health Service to save £1 billion over five years through biosimilars uptake, delivering value for patients and the NHS. The Life Sciences Council is an important forum that brings together senior industry and Government leaders to shape the sector’s future. The Government remains committed to this partnership and is looking to convene the council in due course.Medicines UK and its members are represented on the Single National Formulary Industry Task and Finish Group. In addition, the Government is working to convene further task and finish groups to drive forward defined areas of the Life Sciences Sector Plan, including in the generic and biosimilars space. These groups will direct focused ministerial and official attention toward a clear set of priorities and will work closely with industry to deliver tangible progress within a set timeframe.