Written questions by Brown-Fuller.

What steps his Department plans to take to consider the recommendations from the Competition and Markets Authority's infant formula and follow-on formula market study, published on 14 February 2025.

Infant feeding is critical to a baby’s healthy growth and development. The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and that includes helping families to access support to feed their baby. Whilst breastfeeding has significant health benefits, we recognise that for those families that cannot or choose not to breastfeed, it is vital that they have access to infant formula that is affordable and high quality. Infant formula regulations ensure that all infant formula is suitable for meeting the nutritional needs of babies, regardless of the price or brand.The Government welcomes the Competition and Markets Authority’s market study report on infant formula and follow-on formula. We are working with other Government Departments and the Devolved Governments to consider its recommendations, and relevant Ministers will also be consulted.The legislation which sets the general principles and requirements of overall food law places a statutory requirement to consult on potential changes to food law.

With reference to the Competition and Markets Authority's infant formula and follow-on formula market study, published on 14 February 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of launching a public consultation on infant formula regulations.

Infant feeding is critical to a baby’s healthy growth and development. The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and that includes helping families to access support to feed their baby. Whilst breastfeeding has significant health benefits, we recognise that for those families that cannot or choose not to breastfeed, it is vital that they have access to infant formula that is affordable and high quality. Infant formula regulations ensure that all infant formula is suitable for meeting the nutritional needs of babies, regardless of the price or brand.The Government welcomes the Competition and Markets Authority’s market study report on infant formula and follow-on formula. We are working with other Government Departments and the Devolved Governments to consider its recommendations, and relevant Ministers will also be consulted.The legislation which sets the general principles and requirements of overall food law places a statutory requirement to consult on potential changes to food law.

Whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the Competition and Markets Authority's infant formula and follow-on formula market study, published on 14 February 2025.

Infant feeding is critical to a baby’s healthy growth and development. The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and that includes helping families to access support to feed their baby. Whilst breastfeeding has significant health benefits, we recognise that for those families that cannot or choose not to breastfeed, it is vital that they have access to infant formula that is affordable and high quality. Infant formula regulations ensure that all infant formula is suitable for meeting the nutritional needs of babies, regardless of the price or brand.The Government welcomes the Competition and Markets Authority’s market study report on infant formula and follow-on formula. We are working with other Government Departments and the Devolved Governments to consider its recommendations, and relevant Ministers will also be consulted.The legislation which sets the general principles and requirements of overall food law places a statutory requirement to consult on potential changes to food law.

Whether the Government plans to implement the recommendations within the Competition and Markets Authority's infant formula and follow-on formula market study, published on 14 February 2025.

Infant feeding is critical to a baby’s healthy growth and development. The Government is committed to giving every child the best start in life and that includes helping families to access support to feed their baby. Whilst breastfeeding has significant health benefits, we recognise that for those families that cannot or choose not to breastfeed, it is vital that they have access to infant formula that is affordable and high quality. Infant formula regulations ensure that all infant formula is suitable for meeting the nutritional needs of babies, regardless of the price or brand.The Government welcomes the Competition and Markets Authority’s market study report on infant formula and follow-on formula. We are working with other Government Departments and the Devolved Governments to consider its recommendations, and relevant Ministers will also be consulted.The legislation which sets the general principles and requirements of overall food law places a statutory requirement to consult on potential changes to food law.

If he will take steps to (a) improve diagnosis and care pathways for patients with peripheral arterial disease and (b) improve funding routes for the adoption of innovative technologies that will facilitate faster and safer diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

The Department is working with NHS England to take several steps to improve diagnosis, care and treatment for patients with peripheral arterial disease. For example, in 2022, NHS England commissioned a two-year Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme, which incentivised the adoption of the Vascular Peripheral Arterial Disease Quality Improvement Framework, to support timely interventions for revascularisation. This measures the proportion of patients that have a diagnosis of chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI) that undergo revascularisation within five days of a non-elective admission to vascular providers.As part of NHS England’s assessment on the adequacy of current diagnosis and treatment pathways, it commissions the National Vascular Registry (NVR) to provide information on the quality and outcomes of care for adults who have major vascular procedures. The NVR provides annual and quarterly reports for emergency and elective vascular procedures, including for those people with peripheral arterial disease who undergo either lower limb angioplasty/stent, lower limb bypass surgery, or major lower limb amputation.Following the introduction of these measures we can see that from over a two-year period from the first quarter of 2022 to the fourth quarter of 2024, NVR data demonstrated that vascular providers achieving the CQUIN had increased from 47% to 55%. During this period, the number of providers submitting data to the NVR had also increased by approximately 14% and every National Health Service region showed an improvement in CLTI revascularisation quality.Furthermore, NHS England has commissioned the NVR to facilitate an ‘outliers’ process in which vascular providers are monitored on several key performance metrics including CLTI revascularisation. NHS England continues to monitor all specialised vascular disease services via the NVR and working in collaboration with NHS England regional teams and integrated care boards.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of current diagnosis and treatment pathways for patients with peripheral arterial disease.

The Department is working with NHS England to take several steps to improve diagnosis, care and treatment for patients with peripheral arterial disease. For example, in 2022, NHS England commissioned a two-year Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme, which incentivised the adoption of the Vascular Peripheral Arterial Disease Quality Improvement Framework, to support timely interventions for revascularisation. This measures the proportion of patients that have a diagnosis of chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI) that undergo revascularisation within five days of a non-elective admission to vascular providers.As part of NHS England’s assessment on the adequacy of current diagnosis and treatment pathways, it commissions the National Vascular Registry (NVR) to provide information on the quality and outcomes of care for adults who have major vascular procedures. The NVR provides annual and quarterly reports for emergency and elective vascular procedures, including for those people with peripheral arterial disease who undergo either lower limb angioplasty/stent, lower limb bypass surgery, or major lower limb amputation.Following the introduction of these measures we can see that from over a two-year period from the first quarter of 2022 to the fourth quarter of 2024, NVR data demonstrated that vascular providers achieving the CQUIN had increased from 47% to 55%. During this period, the number of providers submitting data to the NVR had also increased by approximately 14% and every National Health Service region showed an improvement in CLTI revascularisation quality.Furthermore, NHS England has commissioned the NVR to facilitate an ‘outliers’ process in which vascular providers are monitored on several key performance metrics including CLTI revascularisation. NHS England continues to monitor all specialised vascular disease services via the NVR and working in collaboration with NHS England regional teams and integrated care boards.

What plans his Department has to improve access to preventative intervention for patients at risk of lower-limb amputation.

For patients at risk of lower-limb amputation, including those diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) or chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI), timely interventions for revascularisation are crucial, along with preventative measures and early diagnosis.In 2022, NHS England commissioned a two-year Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme, which incentivised the adoption of the Peripheral Arterial Disease Quality Improvement Framework (PAD-QIF), which aims to reduce delays in assessment, investigation, and revascularisation in patients with CLTI and in turn amputation rates.Alongside this, NHS England has implemented a range of initiatives aimed at improving prevention and early diagnosis of conditions which increase the risk of needing lower-limb amputations. These include NHS Health Checks for early detection of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, and expanding community diagnostic centres (CDCs) to improve early detection.The 10-Year Health Plan, once published, will set out the Government's overarching vision for delivering the critical shift from a focus on treating illness to preventing conditions such as CVD.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of infant and baby products with high sugar content.

Data shows that babies and young children are eating too much sugar, and that some commercial baby foods, particularly finger foods, contain added sugar or high sugar ingredients. This does not align with the recommendations from the independent Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, that in diets of children aged one to five years old, foods, including snacks that are high in free sugars, should be limited, and that commercially manufactured foods and drinks marketed specifically for infants and young children are not needed to meet nutrition requirements.The Government is committed to raising the healthiest next generation ever. We will provide an update on the publication of voluntary industry guidelines to limit the levels of sugar, and salt, in commercially available baby food and drink in due course.

What discussions his Department has had with stakeholders on the potential merits of auto-enrolling all eligible families to the Healthy Start programme.

The Healthy Start scheme was introduced in 2006 to encourage a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households. It can be used to buy, or put towards the cost of, fruit, vegetables, pulses, milk, and infant formula. Those on the scheme have access to free Healthy Start Vitamins for pregnant women and children aged under four years old.The Department has been approached by, and engaged with, stakeholders regarding autoenrollment. The scheme is kept under review, and we remain open to all viable routes to improve uptake to ensure that as many eligible people as possible are accessing the scheme, to support their children with a healthy start in life. In January 2025, Healthy Start supported over 353,000 people.

What steps he is taking to deliver age-appropriate (a) care and (b) settings for teenagers and young adults with cancer.

The Department is committed to improving outcomes and patient experience for teenagers and young adults with cancer. We recognise that cancer in teenagers and young people is different to cancer in adults and children, and so age-appropriate care is necessary, particularly regarding treatment, diagnosis, and wider support.A national service specification is in place for the provision of teenage and young adult (TYA) cancer services. This sets out requirements for treatment and care to be delivered in age-appropriate settings, as well as the provision of age-appropriate patient information. A dedicated TYA multidisciplinary team must oversee the care of each young person, taking into account their holistic needs, including the appropriate location of all aspects of care. Further information on the national service specification is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-b/b05/We are committed to carefully considering this as part of our work through the relaunch of the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce in 2025, which will focus specifically on teenagers and young adults as well as children, ensuring that their clinical and non-clinical needs are met. We will set out further details on next steps in due course.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of GP appointments that have been booked through online forms as a result of the Help Us Help you advertising scheme since the inception of that scheme.

To date, no Help Us Help You national advertising activity has promoted the use of online consultation request forms in general practice.

How many and what proportion of GP practices use online forms promoted in the Help us Help You advertising scheme.

To date, no Help Us Help You national advertising campaign activity has promoted the use of online consultation request forms in general practice.

What estimate he has made of the FTE staff hours that have been saved (a) in total and (b) per practice as a result of GPs using online forms promoted in the ‘Help Us Help You’ advertising scheme.

To date, no Help Us Help You national advertising campaign activity has promoted the use of online consultation request forms in general practice.

What estimate his Department has made of the potential cost saving to the public purse of GP's using online appointment forms promoted in the Help Us to Help You advertising scheme (a) in total and (b) per GP.

To date, no Help Us Help You national advertising campaign activity has promoted the use of online consultation request forms in general practice.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that patients in NHS Accident and Emergency waiting rooms are frequently monitored by clinicians.

Patients who attend emergency departments are triaged on arrival. This is a clinical assessment, often carried out by a registered nurse, to prioritise patients based on the urgency of their care. All National Health Service providers must have systems in place to appropriately manage clinical priority and patient safety within their emergency departments.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the practice of GP surgeries charging fees to patients for (a) signed certificates, (b) reports and (c) medical letters.

For general practices (GPs), there are some medical evidence letters, certificates, or reports that GPs may charge for, and other certificates that they must not charge patients for. The legislation that sets this out is the General Medical Services and Personal Medical Services Regulations, which form the basis of the GP Contract with the National Health Service. There is no statutory limit to the level of such fees, as this is outside of core NHS work. However, we would expect the practice to charge a reasonable sum appropriate for the workload involved.The Professional Fees Committee of the British Medical Association (BMA) suggests guideline fees for such services to help doctors set their own professional fees. However, these fees are guidelines only, not recommendations, and a doctor is not obliged to charge the rates suggested. Where doctors intend to charge for services to patients, the BMA advises them to forewarn patients at the earliest opportunity of the likely level of fees.