Written questions by Maguire.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing (a) free dental (i) check-ups and (ii) treatment and (b) an increased level of access to (i) speech and language therapy, (ii) psychological support, (iii) ongoing dental rehabilitation and (iv) other NHS secondary care for mouth cancer patients .

Dentists and other dental professionals, including hygienists, routinely check the soft tissues of a patient’s mouth for signs of cancer during dental visits and as part of the check-up will make an assessment and record an individual’s oral cancer risk.Dentists will prioritise patients at a higher risk of oral cancer for more frequent recall and review in line with guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence. Members of the public who are worried about their oral health in relation to cancer should seek advice from their dentist or general practitioner. Patients with symptoms of concern should be assessed and offered an urgent dental appointment based upon clinical need, in line with advice from NHS England.The Government is working across the system to ensure that patients who have a diagnosis of cancer receive timely, safe and effective dental care. While a diagnosis of cancer does not qualify patients for free dental care and there are no current plans to extend the list of people eligible for free dental care, some cancer patients may qualify for an exemption of dental charges based on other factors. Support is also available through the National Health Service Low Income Scheme for those patients who are not eligible for a full exemption. More information is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/who-can-get-free-nhs-dental-treatment/Where appropriate, every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including a needs assessment, a care plan and health and wellbeing information and support. This includes provision of information, empowering people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer. Personalised care ensures that each person’s care is planned holistically, covering mental and physical health as well as any practical or financial concerns. This can include speech and language therapy support if necessary. The NHS is supporting adults experiencing cancer with access to psychosocial support which can include NHS Talking Therapy services, which provide evidence-based psychological therapies for people with anxiety disorders and depression.

What steps his Department is taking to increase access to clinical trials for patients with (a) pancreatic cancer and (b) other less survivable cancers.

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with pancreatic cancer and other less survivable cancers, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.The Department funds research and research infrastructure through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which supports National Health Service patients, the public, and NHS organisations across England to participate in high-quality research, including clinical trials into cancers.NIHR provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research', which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest.The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across the country. It will ensure that more patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and to clinical trials.The Government is also supporting the Rare Cancers Private Members Bill. The Bill will make it easier for clinical trials, on for example pancreatic cancer, to take place in England, by ensuring the patient population can be more easily contacted by researchers.

If his Department will publish a national eye strategy.

There are no plans to develop a National Eye Strategy. The 10-Year Health Plan supports more locally developed and integrated neighbourhood care rather than a top down, one size fits all solution. Integrated care boards will want to take different approaches to commissioning primary and secondary eye care services, depending on local need as well as the skills and resources available to them.

What steps his Department is taking to improve (a) HPV vaccination and (b) cervical screening rates.

While uptake rates in England remain high by international standards, in recent years adolescent vaccine coverage for the human papillomavirus (HPV) has fallen due to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. National Health Service commissioned School Aged Immunisation Service providers have robust catch-up plans in place for the adolescent vaccination programme based on population need, to offer vaccination to those young people who may have missed out during the initial offer.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes and provides a range of supporting materials to health professionals on both the 12 and 13 year old HPV offer, and the vaccine programme for those at higher risk. The UKHSA also works closely with charities and academics to develop resources that can be used to raise awareness of HPV and the importance of vaccination, including for boys.NHS England has improved digital communications on vaccinations, including by expanding the NHS App, and has improved access to the HPV vaccine outside of schools through community clinics at convenient times and locations.In March 2025, NHS England published the Cervical cancer elimination by 2040 – plan for England, setting out how the NHS will improve equitable uptake and coverage across HPV vaccination and cervical screening to meet the goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. Further information on the Cervical cancer elimination by 2040 – plan for England is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cervical-cancer-elimination-by-2040-plan-for-england/In June 2025, NHS England launched the cervical cancer elimination campaign and toolkit for stakeholders, to increase awareness of the elimination target by 2040, educate the public about HPV, and build confidence in the HPV vaccine and cervical screening.

How many Integrated Care Boards in England currently commission the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme; and what percentage and number of the eligible population this commissioning represents.

The Lung Cancer Screening Programme is commissioned by Cancer Alliances rather than by integrated care boards (ICBs), using ring-fenced cancer Service Development Funding. There are 20 Cancer Alliances in England, with further information available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/cancer/cancer-alliances-improving-care-locally/ The programme is currently live in all 20 Cancer Alliances, however it is not live in all ICB geographies yet. Approximately 41% of England’s eligible population, or 2,852,098 people, have been invited. More than 8,000 lung cancers have been diagnosed, the majority of which have been at an early stage.

What steps he is taking to support the implementation of innovative (a) diagnostic tools and (b) tests to help improve the speed of diagnosis of less survivable cancers.

The Department is carrying out work to assess the barriers of effective adoption and to improve the way diagnostic tools, including those using artificial intelligence (AI), are deployed across the National Health Service in England.The NHS Cancer Programme’s Innovation Open Call is held to identify and support the most promising innovations and has funded cancer diagnostic innovations in areas including medical devices, in vitro diagnostics, digital health solutions, behaviour interventions, artificial intelligence, robotics, and new models of care.There are also initiatives to improve the identification of cancer symptoms, including for less survivable cancers, in primary care. This includes Jess’s Rule, which supports clinicians to rethink their assessments when patients have presented three times with the same symptoms or concerns. Jess’s Rule was developed through a process of engagement with leading clinicians and charities.The Department has been working with members of the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce as part of the development of the National Cancer Plan to identify how to improve diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for less survivable cancers, which includes lung, pancreatic, liver, brain, oesophageal, and stomach cancer.

If he will make it his policy to recruit an additional 1,000 health visitors a year.

The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. To achieve this, we must ensure that families have the support they need to give their babies and children the best start and the building blocks for a healthy life.As set out in the Plan for Change and the Best Start in Life strategy, the Government has committed to strengthening health visiting services so that all families have access to high-quality, personalised support.The 10-Year Health Plan for England includes a commitment to develop a new Professional Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery for all nurses, midwives, and nursing associates in England. The strategy will set out a long-term professional direction of travel up to 2040 and will be published by the end of the financial year.In addition, we will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026 to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. The plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.

What steps his Department has taken to help support people with learning difficulties to access eye appointments.

All optometrists are expected to be aware of, and comply with, the General Optical Councils standards of practice, which requires optometrists and dispensing opticians to communicate with patients in a way that they can understand. Guidance issued by the College of Optometrists also sets out that when examining patients with learning difficulties, optometrists should use tests that are appropriate to the patient’s needs.NHS England is also rolling out a Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag which supports health and care staff to tailor care in line with the specific reasonable adjustment a person needs, including any needs in relation to their learning difficulty. The flag allows health and care staff to easily see and share the adjustments needed for that person to access services equally, such as longer appointments, easier-to-read communication, or different booking methods. This is in addition to the requirement for all National Health Service organisations to comply with the Accessible Information Standard and ensure that people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss can access information they can easily read and understand.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing an NHS public health campaign on eye health.

The Department does not currently have any plans for a public health campaign on eye health.The NHS.UK website sets out the importance of regular sight tests whilst also providing information about entitlement to free National Health Service sight tests. The Department also looks for opportunities to promote the importance of NHS sight tests, such as through National Eye Health Week.

What steps his Department is taking to support people with early stages of Type 1 Diabetes.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is developing guidance on the use of Teplizumab for delaying the onset of stage 3 type 1 diabetes in people eight years and over with stage 2 type 1 diabetes. Further information can be found on NICE’s website, and is available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ta10981. The expected publication date of the guidance is 26 November 2025.

What steps he is taking to ensure the implementation of NHS England’s cervical cancer elimination plan.

The 10-Year Health Plan for England: Fit for the Future, restates the National Health Service’s aim to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 through improved uptake of cervical screening and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Delivering the plan and making progress towards committed targets is a key priority for NHS England, working with the Department, providers, and wider health system partners.NHS England continues to develop its strategy, building on the strong foundations of both school-based programmes, ensuring as many young people as possible take up the offer of HPV vaccination, and cervical screening offered by local general practices (GPs) and other venues. Key activities to increase equitable HPV vaccine and screening uptake include:- all children, both boys and girls aged 12 to 13 years old, or those in Year 8, being offered the HPV vaccine. Vaccinating boys not only helps to protect girls, it also directly benefits them, as HPV vaccination helps to protect boys from HPV related cancers, such as head, neck, and genital cancers. NHS England is taking a multi-pronged approach to improving HPV vaccine uptake. This includes improvements in School Age Immunisations Service provider delivery, investing in better digital services and data, improving access to vaccination services in supplementary settings, and continuing to deliver clear public health messaging;- ensuring appropriate follow-up for those who have not yet been vaccinated, as NHS England has launched the GP HPV campaign, which went live from July 2025. GPs have been asked to invite unvaccinated individuals aged 16 to 24 years old for their HPV vaccine as a requirement of the GP Contract. The campaign runs until 31 March 2026;- NHS England working with the Department and the UK Health Security Agency to develop options for HPV catch-up vaccination through community pharmacies from 2026;- improving confidence in vaccinations, by working with Government partners to deliver improved campaigns that raise awareness of vaccination;- indicating our intention to transform our approach to cervical screening for under-screened women or people with a cervix in July 2025. From early 2026, they will receive home testing kits, starting with those that are the most overdue for screening. This will help to tackle deeply entrenched barriers that keep some away from life-saving screening;- the Digital Transformation of Screening programme, which is leading an ambitious, end-to-end transformation of screening services, and which is being rolled out in a test and learn way. New digital services will support screening participants to manage their screening appointments via the NHS App as well as delivering new, artificial intelligence ready services for staff, freeing up their time to focus on care;- taking insight driven approaches to addressing inequalities using both data and behavioural insights to target communications and activities to increase uptake and coverage;- sharing good practice among regions, integrated care boards, and providers, with NHS England having developed a central online resource which includes information on reducing inequalities and supporting equalities, and where all information can be readily accessed by NHS organisations and providers;- NHS England launching our first ever cervical cancer elimination creative campaign and communications toolkit for Cervical Screening Awareness Week, from 16 to 24 June 2025. This will continue to be developed;- engaging and maintaining relationships with stakeholders, which will be central to the ongoing delivery of the Cervical Cancer Elimination plan, and ultimately the elimination of cervical cancer in England; and- carrying out screening in any primary care setting, including sexual health clinics, rather than just at GPs. This includes evenings and on weekends.

What plans his Department has to embed routine oral health (a) screening and (b) signposting in (i) GP, (ii) pharmacy, (iii) community and (iv) other NHS primary care health checks.

Dental screening is not recommended due to a lack of evidence that it effectively reduces dental disease. Professionals working in general practice, pharmacy, and community-based services have an important role to help people prevent oral disease and access dental services.Evidence-based advice has been published to support health professionals to improve and maintain the oral and general health of their patients or members of the public. This is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivering-better-oral-health-an-evidence-based-toolkit-for-prevention.Other resources are also available including those for adults and children, which are available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-oral-health-applying-all-our-health/adult-oral-health-applying-all-our-health#further-reading-resources-and-good-practicehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-oral-health-applying-all-our-health.Signposting to dental services should follow local commissioning arrangements. Our commitment to neighbourhood health will provide further opportunities to bring together teams of professionals closer to people’s home in the community, which could include dental therapists and dental nurses.

What recent discussions his Department has had with NICE on updating update its Type 1 Diabetes guidance to incorporate screening for Type 1 Diabetes.

The Department has had no discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on updating its guideline on type 1 diabetes. NICE is an independent body and is responsible for making decisions on whether its guidance should be updated in the light of new evidence.NICE translates research into evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on best practice in the diagnosis and treatment of NHS patients, but it does not make recommendations on the use of screening programmes in its guidance. The Government is led by the advice of the UK National Screening Committee on all matters relating to targeted and population screening. A screening programme is only recommended where the evidence shows it will do more good than harm.

What steps his Department is taking to help tackle the (a) restriction, (b) suspension and (c) interruption of the provision of home birth services.

The Department and NHS England fully support women to make informed choices about their care, including the choice to give birth at home. We expect local services to work collaboratively to ensure the provision of safe, personalised care in all settings.The Core Competency Framework, which sets out the essential training for staff to address variations in the quality of support provided, outlines that training should be tailored to specific staff groups, for example, home birth, or birth centre teams. Staff should also receive training in the management of emergencies, using clinical simulation at the point of care and across a range of settings, including in the community.Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning maternity services and for determining how those services are configured to meet local needs. There may be occasions when home birth services need to be temporarily suspended or interrupted for safety reasons. When this occurs, trusts are required to re-open services as soon as it is safe to do so and report it nationally through the Maternity and Neonatal SitRep reporting tool, which collects essential data to monitor the performance of maternity and neonatal services.NHS England will be writing to all services and systems asking them to review their service provision.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making symptomatic faecal immunochemical testing available in community pharmacies for people with bowel cancer symptoms.

The United Kingdom Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is undergoing several updates to its standards aimed at improving coverage, accessibility, and early detection. This includes updated performance thresholds, and improved accessibility of bowel cancer screening faecal immunochemical test kits for people who are blind or partially sighted.It is recognised that pharmacies frequently serve as the initial point of contact for individuals presenting with non-specific bowel symptoms. We recommend that individuals maintain a dialogue with pharmacists; however, those exhibiting potential signs of cancer are strongly advised to contact their GP practice to support earlier diagnosis. Therefore, no assessment has been made.

What steps his Department is taking to help tackle disparities in the provision of home birth services.

The Department and NHS England fully support women to make informed choices about their care, including the choice to give birth at home. We expect local services to work collaboratively to ensure the provision of safe, personalised care in all settings.The Core Competency Framework, which sets out the essential training for staff to address variations in the quality of support provided, outlines that training should be tailored to specific staff groups, for example, home birth, or birth centre teams. Staff should also receive training in the management of emergencies, using clinical simulation at the point of care and across a range of settings, including in the community.Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning maternity services and for determining how those services are configured to meet local needs. There may be occasions when home birth services need to be temporarily suspended or interrupted for safety reasons. When this occurs, trusts are required to re-open services as soon as it is safe to do so and report it nationally through the Maternity and Neonatal SitRep reporting tool, which collects essential data to monitor the performance of maternity and neonatal services.NHS England will be writing to all services and systems asking them to review their service provision.

What steps his Department is taking to improve (a) planning and (b) training to help staff to enable supported home births.

The Department and NHS England fully support women to make informed choices about their care, including the choice to give birth at home. We expect local services to work collaboratively to ensure the provision of safe, personalised care in all settings.The Core Competency Framework, which sets out the essential training for staff to address variations in the quality of support provided, outlines that training should be tailored to specific staff groups, for example, home birth, or birth centre teams. Staff should also receive training in the management of emergencies, using clinical simulation at the point of care and across a range of settings, including in the community.Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning maternity services and for determining how those services are configured to meet local needs. There may be occasions when home birth services need to be temporarily suspended or interrupted for safety reasons. When this occurs, trusts are required to re-open services as soon as it is safe to do so and report it nationally through the Maternity and Neonatal SitRep reporting tool, which collects essential data to monitor the performance of maternity and neonatal services.NHS England will be writing to all services and systems asking them to review their service provision.

What steps he is taking explore potential (a) genomics and (b) AI opportunities for (i) preventing, (ii) diagnosing and (iii) treating bowel cancer.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will use genomics, predictive analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to shift from sickness to prevention, enabling earlier diagnosis and personalised care.The National Health Service Genomic Medicine Service provides equitable access to cancer genomic testing, guided by the National Genomic Test Directory, which includes over 200 cancer indications. NHS England’s Cancer Genomics Improvement Programme is delivering quality improvement initiatives and establishing Cellular Pathology Genomic Centres to streamline clinical pathways and accelerate genomic testing.In addition, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department of Health and Social Care fund research via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) into AI applications for cancer diagnosis. This includes the £21 million AI Diagnostic Fund, the £10 million Cancer Data-Driven Detection programme, and the £11 million Early Detection using Information Technology in Health Trial.The Office for Life Sciences (OLS) is also funding the £11 million NIHR i4i/OLS Cancer Healthcare Goals: Early Cancer Diagnosis Clinical Validation and Evaluation programme, which includes a project to assess a breath test technology's effectiveness by using AI for gastrointestinal cancers in over 8,000 patients (including bowel cancer). AI offers significant opportunities for faster triage and improved outcomes, and evaluations of its impact are ongoing.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including primary eye care in the NHS 10 year plan.

The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan was published on the 3 July and can be accessed at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future.The 10-Year Health Plan will support more eye care services being delivered in the community and better joint working between primary and secondary eye care services.

What estimate he has made of the number of bowel cancer patients diagnosed in emergency NHS settings in the last 12 months; and what steps he is taking to help reduce this number.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England is the cancer registry for England and collects data on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients. The service is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrsRapid Cancer Registration Data (RCRD) provides a quick, indicative source of cancer data. It is provided to support the planning and provision of cancer services. The data is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/cancer-data-hub/rapid-cancer-registration-data-dashboardsUsing the latest available Routes to Diagnosis estimates from the RCRD, there were 7310 bowel cancer patients diagnosed through Emergency Presentation between January and December 2024. This includes emergency routes via accident and emergency, emergency general practitioner referral (not urgent suspected cancer referral), emergency transfer, emergency admission, or attendance.To support earlier diagnosis, the National Health Service is improving referral and diagnostic pathways, including the use of non-specific symptom pathways for patients whose symptoms, such as unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or abdominal discomfort, do not clearly align with a single cancer type. NHS England has also expanded general practice direct access to diagnostic tests, enabling faster investigation of concerning symptoms.