Written questions by Maguire.

What steps his Department is taking to support the NHS to manage the number of patients requiring hospital care for flu.

We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the National Health Service over the winter months, providing additional support as needed.The Department is continuing to take key steps to ensure the health service is prepared throughout the colder months. This includes taking actions to try and reduce demand pressure on accident and emergency, increasing vaccination rates, and offering health checks to the most vulnerable, as well as stress-testing integrated care boards and trust winter plans to ensure they are able to meet demand and ensure patient flow.Flu is a recurring pressure that the NHS faces every winter. There is particular risk of severe illness for older people, the very young, pregnant, and those with certain underlying health conditions. The flu vaccine remains the best form of defense against influenza, particularly for the most vulnerable, and continues to be highly effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalisation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to end female genital mutilation.

The UK is committed to championing the rights of women and girls worldwide, including working with local partners to tackle the scourge of female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage and other coercive practices. As well as investing up to £35.5 million in the Africa-Led Movement to End FGM programme, which operates in Kenya, Senegal, Somalia and Ethiopia, we also contribute towards the UNICEF/UN Population Fund Joint Programme for the Elimination of FGM, which operates in eighteen countries. Allocations of Official Development Assistance funding for future years will be set out in the coming months, including our programmes to protect the rights of women and girls.

What steps he is taking to support armed forces personnel who are unable to be deployed due to musculoskeletal disorders and injuries.

There are a range of programmes available, with specifically tailored support provided to personnel at increased risk of MSKI. Commanding Officers are also provided with specific guidance and education to reduce the occurrence of MSKI. Innovative solutions are being piloted through the Human Performance Optimisation programme, which has assessed Vitamin D supplementation and revised ration packs to increase protein content. Additionally, personnel may have their medical employment standard amended to protect them from activities that might exacerbate their condition. Personnel who are unable to be deployed due to musculoskeletal disorders and injuries are managed clinically by Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC). DPHC provides rehabilitation services across the UK delivered through Primary Care Rehabilitation Facilities and Regional Rehabilitation Units, with Personnel being able to access physiotherapy and exercise rehabilitation quickly and throughout their service. For more complex cases, Personnel receive dedicated support at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre; a world leader in specialist rehabilitation care. Where Personnel require surgical intervention, DPHC commissions private healthcare treatment for Service personnel which falls outside NHS policy and provision. Bespoke private-sector healthcare pathways are also offered for some Service personnel in priority trade groups who are on NHS waiting lists for longer than 18 weeks. Additionally, the Regional Rehabilitation Unit Fast Track Scheme, in contract with a private-sector healthcare provider, delivers rapid access to high quality musculoskeletal diagnostic imaging, high quality orthopaedic specialist surgical intervention and access to an accelerated spinal care pathway. Defence is committed to ensuring that Service Personnel receive the care and treatment required to ensure they can get back to fitness.

Whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy, Security and Net Zero on the potential impact of changes to funding for the Energy Company Obligation scheme in March 2026 on cold-related health issues.

Ministers and officials from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero engage regularly on policy issues of interest to both departments. We will continue working together to ensure that cold-related health impacts are considered when implementing the Fuel Poverty Strategy for England and the Warm Homes Plan, and that more health-vulnerable households get the help they need to improve their homes.

How many patients were admitted to A&E in England and seen within a) four hours and b) 12 hours after 5pm in the (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23, (c) 2023-24 and (d) 2024-25 financial years.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers provided on 11 November to Questions 87614 and 87615. Otherwise, we do not hold data at this level of granularity.

How many patients were admitted to A&E in England and seen within a) four hours and b) 12 hours at the weekend in the (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23, (c) 2023-24 and (d) 2024-25 financial years.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers provided on 11 November to Questions 87614 and 87615. Otherwise, we do not hold data at this level of granularity.

If he will introduce the prioritisation of cases involving rape and sexual offences in the court lists.

Decisions on listing are a matter for the independent judiciary, which already prioritises cases involving vulnerable complainants and witnesses, including those relating to sexual offences. These cases are listed at the earliest opportunity.The record allocation of sitting days this financial year will mean more rape and other sexual offence cases can be heard – delivering swifter justice for victims of such crimes. We also commissioned Sir Brian’s Independent Review of the Criminal Courts and have announced a package of reforms designed to improve timeliness in the Crown Court and speed up justice for all victims, including victims of rape.

What data his Department holds on the number of people who were treated following female genital mutilation in the (a) 2022–23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.

There are a range of services available to support women affected by female genital mutilation (FGM) including treatment, counselling, and further referrals to urology and gynaecology, depending on clinical need.Data published in the FGM Enhanced Dataset records the number of FGM-related attendances in National Health Service settings. This data is published by NHS England and shows health attendances by patients where FGM was identified or a procedure for FGM was undertaken. The FGM data is collected by NHS healthcare providers in England, including acute hospitals, mental health services, and general practices. The following table shows the number of individual women and girls who had an attendance where FGM was identified, and the number of FGM related attendances for 2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25:PeriodNumber of individual women and girls who had an attendance where FGM was identifiedNumber of FGM related attendancesApril 2022 to March 20236,00012,660April 2023 to March 20246,69514,395April 2024 to March 20256,98016,300Source: Female Genital Mutilation, Annual Report - April 2024 to March 2025, published by NHS England, and available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/female-genital-mutilation/april-2024-to-march-2025 Notes:individuals refers to all patients in the reporting period where FGM was identified or a procedure for FGM was undertaken. Each patient is only counted once; andtotal attendances refers to all attendances in the reporting period where FGM was identified or a procedure for FGM was undertaken. Women and girls may have one or more attendances in the reporting period. This category includes both newly recorded and previously identified women and girls.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of countries withdrawing from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction on the integrity of the Convention.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer she was provided on 5 November in response to Question 85644.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help prevent discrimination against women in digital spaces.

Making the online environment a safer and fairer place for women and girls is a priority for this government.The Online Safety Act has placed a requirement on tech platforms to proactively tackle the most harmful illegal content, much of which disproportionately affects women and girls, including harassment and intimate image abuse.Ofcom recently published guidance outlining further steps services can take to make their platforms safer for women and girls online. We will be monitoring platforms’ progress closely and working with Ofcom to hold them to account.The government is developing its wider strategy to tackle violence against women and girls and will publish it in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to increase research funding for bladder cancer.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).Between the 2020/21 and 2024/25 financial years, the NIHR committed £6 million for new research and programmes into bladder cancer research projects. An example of this investment includes a £2.9 million award for ‘Combination chemotherapy versus Bacillus Calmette-Guérin for high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer a phase III multi-centre randomised controlled trial (COBRA)’. This study is researching whether gemcitabine and docetaxel delivered through intravesical therapy are typically recommended to patients who do not respond well to bacillus Calmette-Guerin treatment, a more common type of intravesical therapy that uses immunotherapy drugs to disrupt the processes that fuel bladder cancer growth.The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including bladder cancer. 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 the public and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of survival rates for bladder cancer.

Improving cancer outcomes, including for bladder cancer, is a priority for the Government. The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will set out further actions to improve earlier diagnosis, expand access to the latest treatments and technologies, and improve survival rates across England.National cancer registry data shows a small but sustained decline in bladder cancer survival rates over recent years. One-year survival fell from approximately 72% to 69.6%, and five-year survival from 51.5% to 47.2% between 2007 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020.To improve treatment times, we have invested £70 million of funding into new radiotherapy treatment machines to replace older, less efficient machines. These new machines are currently being rolled out to trusts throughout the country. These newer machines will reduce treatment times, boost productivity, and allow more patients to be seen over the same period.In addition, non-specific symptom pathways have been introduced to speed up diagnosis for patients whose symptoms may indicate cancer but which do not align clearly with a specific tumour type. This helps ensure that more patients are referred, investigated, and diagnosed earlier, including cases of bladder cancer that present with broader or less specific symptoms.The NHS Cancer Programme has commissioned 10 national clinical audits covering breast, ovarian, pancreatic, lung, prostate, oesophago-gastric, bowel, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and kidney cancers. These were selected as auditing was expected to have the greatest impact on reducing unwarranted variation in care. For this reason, there are currently no plans to undertake a national clinical audit for bladder cancer, though bladder cancer outcomes continue to be monitored through existing national cancer datasets.

What steps his Department is taking to increase survival rates for bladder cancer.

Improving cancer outcomes, including for bladder cancer, is a priority for the Government. The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will set out further actions to improve earlier diagnosis, expand access to the latest treatments and technologies, and improve survival rates across England.National cancer registry data shows a small but sustained decline in bladder cancer survival rates over recent years. One-year survival fell from approximately 72% to 69.6%, and five-year survival from 51.5% to 47.2% between 2007 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020.To improve treatment times, we have invested £70 million of funding into new radiotherapy treatment machines to replace older, less efficient machines. These new machines are currently being rolled out to trusts throughout the country. These newer machines will reduce treatment times, boost productivity, and allow more patients to be seen over the same period.In addition, non-specific symptom pathways have been introduced to speed up diagnosis for patients whose symptoms may indicate cancer but which do not align clearly with a specific tumour type. This helps ensure that more patients are referred, investigated, and diagnosed earlier, including cases of bladder cancer that present with broader or less specific symptoms.The NHS Cancer Programme has commissioned 10 national clinical audits covering breast, ovarian, pancreatic, lung, prostate, oesophago-gastric, bowel, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and kidney cancers. These were selected as auditing was expected to have the greatest impact on reducing unwarranted variation in care. For this reason, there are currently no plans to undertake a national clinical audit for bladder cancer, though bladder cancer outcomes continue to be monitored through existing national cancer datasets.

If he will publish all submissions made to the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce.

The taskforce aimed for maximum transparency, publishing its terms of reference and interim findings. Stakeholders were invited to submit evidence on a non-attributed basis, encouraging frank and open disclosure. The final report provides a clear summary of the process and sets out the evidence underpinning each recommendation.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of undertaking a National Bladder Cancer Audit.

Improving cancer outcomes, including for bladder cancer, is a priority for the Government. The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will set out further actions to improve earlier diagnosis, expand access to the latest treatments and technologies, and improve survival rates across England.National cancer registry data shows a small but sustained decline in bladder cancer survival rates over recent years. One-year survival fell from approximately 72% to 69.6%, and five-year survival from 51.5% to 47.2% between 2007 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020.To improve treatment times, we have invested £70 million of funding into new radiotherapy treatment machines to replace older, less efficient machines. These new machines are currently being rolled out to trusts throughout the country. These newer machines will reduce treatment times, boost productivity, and allow more patients to be seen over the same period.In addition, non-specific symptom pathways have been introduced to speed up diagnosis for patients whose symptoms may indicate cancer but which do not align clearly with a specific tumour type. This helps ensure that more patients are referred, investigated, and diagnosed earlier, including cases of bladder cancer that present with broader or less specific symptoms.The NHS Cancer Programme has commissioned 10 national clinical audits covering breast, ovarian, pancreatic, lung, prostate, oesophago-gastric, bowel, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and kidney cancers. These were selected as auditing was expected to have the greatest impact on reducing unwarranted variation in care. For this reason, there are currently no plans to undertake a national clinical audit for bladder cancer, though bladder cancer outcomes continue to be monitored through existing national cancer datasets.

How many linear accelerator machines are over (a) 10, (b) 15 and (c) 25 years old by integrated care system.

The number of radiotherapy machines in use which are over the 10-year recommended age is not published by NHS England. The Department also does not hold detailed information about the age of radiotherapy machines, as local systems are responsible for radiotherapy treatment services and since April 2022 the responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines has been with local systems.The Government has invested an additional £70 million of central funding into new LINAC radiotherapy machines to replace older, less efficient machines. These machines are now being rolled out across the country, to help boost radiotherapy productivity and reduce waiting times for cancer patients.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of making it a statutory requirement for police officers to record how many suicides they attend.

The Home Office does not collect data from police about suicides they have attended and has no current plans to do so.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of steps taken by Integrated Care Boards to help tackle regional inequalities in access to eye care services.

No assessment has been made. Integrated care boards, as commissioners of primary and secondary eye care services, are required to work with local authorities to assess the current and future health, care, and wellbeing needs of their local populations. They will then set out, in joint local health and wellbeing strategies, how they will meet those needs, and this could include addressing any identified inequalities in accessing services. Understanding patient demographics is an essential step in identifying and tackling health inequalities. The Elective Reform Plan included a commitment to publish waiting list information broken down by demographics to allow greater visibility of potential health inequalities. The Elective Reform Plan is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/reforming-elective-care-for-patients/ This enables local health services to understand the demographics of patients on their waiting list to better tailor services to their needs. Data on demographics of the elective waiting list can be found at the following link for the week ending 26 October 2025: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/ It shows referral to treatment waiting times from the Waiting List Minimum Data Set for Ophthalmology split by age, sex, deprivation, and ethnicity. The Public Health Outcomes Framework Eye Health Indicator also continues to track the rate of sight loss for age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. This information is available to commissioners and can be used to drive improved local outcomes and interventions.

What discussions his Department has with ICBs on ensuring delivery of patient care via independent healthcare providers throughout the financial year.

In January 2025, the National Health Service and the independent sector established a partnership agreement, the first of its kind for 25 years, setting out how we will work together to reduce the elective care waiting list. NHS England manages the Department’s relationships with the integrated care boards (ICBs) and, where appropriate, local systems on the use of independent sector capacity to support delivery of NHS care. Commissioning decisions are for ICBs to make, who have a duty to arrange health services for the patients they are responsible for in a way which promotes the NHS Constitution. ICBs are expected to live within their allocations while continuing to use spare independent sector capacity to meet elective targets. Independent sector providers deliver services agreed in contracts with ICBs, progressing priorities set out in planning guidance, including an improvement in elective waiting time performance. Data on how many ICBs have had to pause NHS services or cancel operations scheduled by independent healthcare providers during 2024/25 is not held centrally by the Department.

How many ICBs have had to pause NHS services provided by independent healthcare providers during 2024-25.

In January 2025, the National Health Service and the independent sector established a partnership agreement, the first of its kind for 25 years, setting out how we will work together to reduce the elective care waiting list. NHS England manages the Department’s relationships with the integrated care boards (ICBs) and, where appropriate, local systems on the use of independent sector capacity to support delivery of NHS care. Commissioning decisions are for ICBs to make, who have a duty to arrange health services for the patients they are responsible for in a way which promotes the NHS Constitution. ICBs are expected to live within their allocations while continuing to use spare independent sector capacity to meet elective targets. Independent sector providers deliver services agreed in contracts with ICBs, progressing priorities set out in planning guidance, including an improvement in elective waiting time performance. Data on how many ICBs have had to pause NHS services or cancel operations scheduled by independent healthcare providers during 2024/25 is not held centrally by the Department.