Written questions by Dickson.

What steps he is taking to help ensure consistent standards for lipid testing and reporting across England.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline on cardiovascular disease: risk assessment and reduction, including lipid modification provides evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals on lipid measurement. Healthcare professionals are expected to take NICE guidelines fully into account in the care and treatment of individual patients.To tackle unwarranted variation and support consistent, high-quality care across the cardiovascular pathway, the Government will publish a new Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) later this year.As part of this, the CVD MSF will identify the best-evidenced interventions and set clear standards on how they should be used, alongside a clear strategy to support and oversee uptake by clinicians and providers. This approach will help ensure greater consistency in the detection, assessment, and management of cardiovascular risk factors, such as cholesterol.

What plans he has to support the delivery of cardiovascular prevention services within neighbourhood health settings.

To accelerate progress on the Government’s ambition to reduce premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% in the next ten years, we will publish a new Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) this spring. This will support consistent, high quality, and equitable prevention, diagnosis, and care across the cardiovascular pathway, including in neighbourhood health settings where care is planned and delivered around shared local populations.Alongside the CVD MSF, as announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, Prevention Accelerators will focus on high-impact cardiovascular disease and diabetes interventions, and their impact on population health and demand for National Health Services, including elective and general practice appointments.Beyond these initiatives, the Government and NHS England have also invested heavily in hypertension case-finding for those over 40 years old in community pharmacies. As part of the service, pharmacies have delivered nearly 4.2 million blood pressure and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring checks since October 2021.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that people experiencing suicidality or who have attempted suicide receive sustained, trauma-informed and long-term support beyond crisis intervention, including through better integration of NHS services with community-led organisations such as Body & Soul, particularly for people from marginalised communities.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people experiencing suicidal thoughts or who have attempted suicide receive compassionate, personalised, and sustained support.The Suicide Prevention Strategy for England 2023 to 2028 outlines our cross‑sector approach to improving support for people who experience suicidality, including tailored support for priority groups and improved integration between services. Voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations are vital in providing community‑based trauma‑informed support alongside clinical services.The 10-Year Health Plan supports this approach through a shift towards community‑based prevention and services. This includes closer collaboration between the National Health Service, local authorities, and VCSE partners to improve access to integrated, long‑term support.Last year, NHS England published Staying Safe from Suicide: Best Practice Guidance for Safety Assessment, Formulation and Management, which promotes a more holistic, person-centred approach to suicide prevention with accompanying e-learning. The NHS medium-term planning framework requires integrated care boards to ensure practitioners undertake training and deliver care in line with this guidance from 2026/27.

When his Department plans to respond to the letter from Target Ovarian Cancer and 33 hon. Members of 18 November 2025.

We have received and since responded to the Hon. Member’s correspondence.

What the timetable is for the publication of the new nutrient profiling model announced in the 10-year health plan for England.

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.  The plan also stated that the Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) 2004/5, which underpins the advertising and promotions restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink products, is out of date. Updating the standards to reflect the latest dietary advice will strengthen the restrictions and more effectively target the products of most concern to childhood obesity.The Government intends to publish the updated NPM next year and will consult on the application of the NPM to the advertising and promotions restrictions.

What steps his Department plans to take to implement the healthy food standard policy announced as part of the 10-year health plan for England within the current Parliament; and if he will publish a timeline for these legislative or regulatory changes.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.  The plan committed to introducing mandatory healthy food sales reporting for all large companies in the food sector before the end of this Parliament and targets to increase the healthiness of sales in all communities.To fulfil this commitment, the Government is working towards a Spring 2026 public consultation on Healthier Food Targets and Reporting. Decisions on policy proposals and implementation will be taken following consultation.

Whether he plans to bring regulation on packaging of cigars and cigarillos in line with that for cigarettes.

As set out in the November 2024 Government response to the consultation 'Mandating quit information messages inside tobacco packs', we are considering introducing more stringent packaging requirements for all tobacco products, including cigars and cigarillos, tobacco related devices, cigarette papers, and herbal smoking products.We ran a call for evidence on standardising packaging for all tobacco products between November 2024 and January 2025. We will publish a consultation next year on future regulations. We will listen very carefully to the views and evidence put forward by stakeholders.

Which (a) individuals and (b) organisations have been appointed to governance structures responsible for developing the Modern Service Frameworks for Dementia and Frailty.

We intend to engage with a range of partners over the coming months to enable us to build a modern service framework which is both ambitious and practical, to ensure we can improve system performance for people with dementia and frailty both now and in the future.No specific individuals or organisations have been appointed at this time. However, we intend to formalise a governance structure for the development of the modern service framework shortly which we will share with partners in due course.

What discussions he has had with the UK National Screening Committee on targeted prostate cancer screening.

The UK National Screening Committee keeps my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care informed of progress on its current review into prostate cancer screening, which includes targeted screening.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 September 2025 to Question 75816 on Heart Diseases: Young People, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that people who are (a) asymptomatic and (b) unaware of a family history also are screened.

In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening and supports implementation.The UK NSC last reviewed screening for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in people under the age of 39 years old in 2019 and concluded that population screening should not be offered. Information on that review is available at the following link:https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/sudden-cardiac-death/The UK NSC is currently examining the evidence for SCD screening and will open a public consultation to seek comments from members of the public and stakeholders on this in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to help raise awareness among young people of the risks of sudden cardiac death.

To reduce the risks of sudden cardiac death, NHS England has a published a national service specification for inherited cardiac conditions that covers patients who often present as young adults with previously undiagnosed cardiac disease or families requiring follow-up due to a death from this cause. This describes the service model and guidance that should be followed to support diagnosis and treatment of patients or family members. It also includes the requirement for specialised inherited cardiac conditions services to investigate suspected cases.NHS England is currently reviewing this service specification in line with the national service specification methods review process. NHS England is working with a broad range of stakeholders as part of this review including National Health Service clinical experts, the Association of Inherited Cardiac Conditions, Cardiomyopathy UK, Heart Valve Voice and the British Heart Foundation.Genomics has an important role to play in diagnosing and supporting the treatment and management of several cardiac conditions. The National Genomic Test Directory sets out the eligibility criteria for patients to access testing as well as the genomic targets to be tested and the method that should be used and this includes genomic testing for a number of conditions which affect the heart, including, for example, testing for familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), cardiomyopathies, long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome and others. The directory is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-genomic-test-directories/

Whether he has had discussions with the Leader of the House of Lords on when the committee stage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will take place.

Ministers and officials from the Department are regularly in touch with their counterparts across Government. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill has had its Second Reading in the House of Lords, and Committee stage will take place when parliamentary time allows. We expect the Bill to complete its passage within this parliamentary session.

What steps his Department is taking to deliver the national lung cancer screening programme by the target date of end of 2029-30.

The NHS is taking crucial steps to improve cancer outcomes for patients across England, including for lung cancer. The NHS is currently rolling out the National Lung Cancer Screening Programme to people with a history of smoking.The timescale for full implementation of the lung cancer screening programme, alongside further ten-year plan initiatives, will be specified in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to prevent the sale of nicotine pouches designed to look like confectionary products.

Nicotine pouches are highly addictive, and we have a duty to protect children and young people from potential harms.That is why, through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we will introduce age of sale restrictions to 18 years old for nicotine pouches and will ban their advertising and sponsorship. The bill also includes powers to regulate the packaging, flavours, and product standards of all vapes and nicotine products, as well as their display in shops.We plan to consult on these measures, including packaging restrictions, in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to prohibit the free distribution of nicotine vapes to children.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will end the current loophole which allows free samples of vaping and nicotine products to be given away to anyone of any age. This will come into force six months after Royal Assent of the bill.

When age of sale restrictions will be brought into force for nicotine pouches.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will stop vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately promoted and advertised to children, to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine.The bill includes a range of new regulation-making powers for the Government. Proposed regulations will be consulted on and subsequently laid. They will be implemented as soon as possible after the Tobacco and Vapes Bill has received Royal Assent.The new age of sale restrictions for nicotine pouches will come into force six months after Royal Assent.

With reference to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, what his Department's planned timetable is for bringing forward legislative proposals to introduce new regulations to help reduce the appeal of vapes to children.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will stop vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately promoted and advertised to children, to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine.The bill includes a range of new regulation-making powers for the Government. Proposed regulations will be consulted on and subsequently laid. They will be implemented as soon as possible after the Tobacco and Vapes Bill has received Royal Assent.The new age of sale restrictions for nicotine pouches will come into force six months after Royal Assent.

Whether his Department plans to widen the number of conditions for which pharmacies can assess and treat patients for without the need for a (a) GP appointment and (b) prescription.

We are currently focused on optimising the implementation of the current clinical pathways that allow for the supply of prescription only medicines, and which cover seven common health conditions, including: sinusitis; sore throat; earache; impetigo; shingles; infected insect bites; and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women aged 16 to 64 years old. NHS England is keeping the clinical scope of the service under review.

What his Department's planned timetable is for all hospitals to integrate opt-out smoking cessation interventions in routine care.

We are committed to ensuring that all hospitals integrate ‘opt-out’ smoking cessation interventions into routine care. As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England has prioritised and put new funding out to integrated care boards (ICBs) for the rollout of tobacco dependence services in hospital settings. Future funding decisions are subject to the Spending Review process.Local authorities work with ICBs to provide a range of interventions recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training, based on the needs of their local populations.

What guidance his Department has issued to (i) integrated care boards and (ii) NHS Trusts on including opt-out smoking cessation interventions in routine hospital care.

We are committed to ensuring that all hospitals integrate ‘opt-out’ smoking cessation interventions into routine care. As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, NHS England has prioritised and put new funding out to integrated care boards (ICBs) for the rollout of tobacco dependence services in hospital settings. Future funding decisions are subject to the Spending Review process.Local authorities work with ICBs to provide a range of interventions recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training, based on the needs of their local populations.