Written questions by McMahon.

What the current average time is between food hygiene visits undertaken for hot food takeaway venues in England.

Local authorities must ensure they perform official controls on all food businesses regularly, on a risk basis and with appropriate frequency. The Food Law Code of Practice provides these food hygiene intervention frequencies with a higher risk and/or non-compliant will receive an intervention more frequently than those compliant or lower risk.Data pertaining to the average time between food hygiene visits undertaken for hot food takeaway venues in England is not held by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as we do not categorise food establishment in that way. This data could be gathered individually from local authorities.Data reported to the FSA on the number of authorised food hygiene officers in England by local authorities via their returns data is as follows:- 1,178 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2021/22;- 1,605 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2022/23;- 1,797 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2023/24; and- 1,828 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2024/25.This information does not include regulatory support officers or trainees working towards suitable qualifications. Prior to 2021/22 only questions relating to full time equivalent posts were requested from local authorities in relation to their resources.

What estimate has been made of the total number of food hygiene officers in English local government for each year from 2010 to date.

Local authorities must ensure they perform official controls on all food businesses regularly, on a risk basis and with appropriate frequency. The Food Law Code of Practice provides these food hygiene intervention frequencies with a higher risk and/or non-compliant will receive an intervention more frequently than those compliant or lower risk.Data pertaining to the average time between food hygiene visits undertaken for hot food takeaway venues in England is not held by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as we do not categorise food establishment in that way. This data could be gathered individually from local authorities.Data reported to the FSA on the number of authorised food hygiene officers in England by local authorities via their returns data is as follows:- 1,178 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2021/22;- 1,605 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2022/23;- 1,797 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2023/24; and- 1,828 authorised officers were in post at the end of 2024/25.This information does not include regulatory support officers or trainees working towards suitable qualifications. Prior to 2021/22 only questions relating to full time equivalent posts were requested from local authorities in relation to their resources.

What cross government support is provided to local authorities to identify the location of, and those buried in, historic unmarked mass child graves in England such as those discovered in Royton, Oldham.

The Government recognises the distress caused to bereaved parents by these historic practices and we commend the work that families and charities have been doing to highlight this issue and support other bereaved parents. We are working across Government to better support parents searching for the final resting place of their child’s remains and will ensure they are given as much help as possible. Ministers from across Government will be meeting shortly to discuss this issue, to ensure effective cross-Government coordination and support for affected families.Tracing a baby’s grave or a record of cremation can be a very difficult time for people both mentally and emotionally. It is important, therefore, that parents searching for the final resting place of their child’s remains are given as much help as possible. The Government expects all hospitals and burial and cremation authorities to assist by providing all information and records available to them, to any parents that enquire about what happened to their stillborn babies and their final resting place, in a timely manner.The 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement makes available over £69 billion for local government. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.Standards from the mid-1980s onwards brought an end to the historic practice of placing the remains of stillborn babies’ bodies in unmarked graves. The current death certification process means that this historic practice is no longer possible.

What estimate has been made of the proportion of GP practices with (a) AED defibrillators (b) ECGs (electrocardiogram) on the premises.

Data on the provision of this equipment is held by local integrated care boards.

How many (a) adults (b) children are not registered with a dentist in (1) Greater Manchester (2) Oldham.

Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Some dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements. Therefore, data is not available on the number of adults and children not registered with a dentist in Greater Manchester and Oldham.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton constituency, this is the Greater Manchester ICB.

What estimate his Department has made of the cost of unused medication held by patients in England.

No assessment has been made of the cost of unused medication held by patients in England. The Government seeks to have a coordinated approach to prevent wastage as much as possible to improve inefficiencies and reduce costs for the taxpayer. Primary care networks are required to ensure that Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs) for high-risk cohorts are implemented. SMRs are an evidence based comprehensive review of a person’s medication, their views, concerns, and safety. The use of SMRs can reduce harmful polypharmacy and medicine wastage.

What funding is provided to community based organisations in (a) Greater Manchester (b) Oldham to support men's mental health and wellbeing.

Mental health remains a core priority for England, including in Greater Manchester and Oldham. That's why nationally, we're investing £688 million to transform services, including £26 million to support people in mental health crisis. We are introducing Neighbourhood Mental Health Care for adults, which will bring together community, crisis, and inpatient mental health care into a single, seamless offer.On 19 November, to coincide with International Men’s Health Day, we published the Men’s Health Strategy. The strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community, and family networks, and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention.Through the Men’s Health Strategy, we are launching a groundbreaking partnership with the Premier League to tackle male suicide and improve mental health literacy, by embedding health messaging into the matchday experience. We also announced the Suicide Prevention Support Pathfinders programme for middle-aged men. This program will invest up to £3.6 million over three years in areas of England where middle-aged men are at most risk of taking their own lives and will tackle the barriers that they face in seeking support.Responsibility for onward commissioning of mental health services sits with integrated care boards (ICB). It is the role of local ICB decision-makers to consider the implications of mental health services, specific to each geography and including the perspectives of healthcare professionals, patient advocacy groups, and local authorities.

What was the cost to the public purse of installing new telephone systems in GP practices in England last year; and how many (a) systems (b) handsets were installed.

The Department does not hold data on the cost of installing new telephone systems in general practices, nor on how many systems and handsets were installed.As part of our ambition to end the 8:00am scramble, we want patients to contact their practice by phone, online, or by walking in, and for people to have an equitable experience across these access modes. Since 1 October 2025, practices are required to keep their online consultation tool open for the duration of core hours for non-urgent appointment requests, medication queries, and admin requests.

How many hospital wards are not in active use in England; and what the patient capacity is of those wards.

Data for the occupancy and utilisation rates of clinical rooms in the NHS Estate for the latest period, which was 2023/24, published in December 2024, is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2023-24

What estimate he has made of the number of community pharmacies in England relative to indices of multiple deprivation.

NHS Business Services Authority publishes quarterly consolidated NHS pharmaceutical lists with all community pharmacies in England. As of the end of September, there were twice as many pharmacies located in the lowest two deprivation deciles than there were in the top two.The data is available at the following link:https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/consolidated-pharmaceutical-list

What assessment he has made of the value for money of management and service charges paid by GP surgeries to related parties in England.

General practice surgeries are independent contractors, and as private businesses it is within their own remit to consider the value for money of management and service charges paid to related parties in England.

What estimate he has made of the value of car parking income generated by NHS trusts in England; and how much was spent maintaining and operating car parks in those trusts in each year since 2015.

No estimate has been made of the car parking income generated by National Health Service trusts in England. The following table shows the income generated for car parking and car parking services costs for England from 2017/18 to 2023/24:YearCar parking services costTrust income from Car parking2023/24£77,232,171£242,832,3092022/23£73,103,126£192,526,7902021/22£71,364,527£102,303,0532020/21£65,538,670£53,149,1622019/20£70,037,633£289,326,6682018/19£71,170,922£271,777,9162017/18£28,936,526£226,357,822Source: the Estates Returns Information Collection, available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection

What proportion of NHS England staff will be employed by successor organisations and other government bodies.

Subject to the passage of the NHS Reform Bill, NHS England will be abolished and most of its functions brought together in a new centre. Our ambition is to reduce staff numbers by up to 50% across the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England and integrated care boards, which will be largely accomplished through voluntary exits. These reductions will be made by March 2028. The NHS voluntary exit scheme includes clawback arrangements that would compel employees who leave under voluntary redundancy to repay all/some of their voluntary redundancy payment if they are re-employed in the National Health Service, other Government departments or arm's length bodies within six to 12 months of their exit, depending on seniority, size of package and length of time between exit and re-employment.In general, DHSC is the successor body to NHS England, which means most of NHS England’s functions and staff will be transferred to DHSC. However, some functions could also be transferred elsewhere in the system where there is a strong rationale for doing so. Voluntary exit schemes have been launched to enable us to reduce headcount and meet our targets for a leaner and more efficient center.We are assessing the full range of current functions across both organisations together with initial appraisal of options for future allocation of functions. At this stage, it is too early to determine what the precise changes in personnel and organisational design will be, but this work is taking place at pace between the two organisations.As we progress with returning functions to DHSC, due process will of course be followed, including a comprehensive assessment of any impacts and risks associated with the reforms. We will ensure our decisions are guided by evidence, and above all, focused on improving patient care.

How much funding his Department plans to provide to help support hospitals to provide adequate levels of car parking for visitors in the next 12 months.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of hospital parking charges. Hospitals in England are permitted to charge users for car parking, but those charges must be reasonable and in line with local charges. The revenue from hospital car parking is used to maintain car park facilities and any surplus income is put back into the National Health Service. The following table shows the income from car parking from patients and visitors as well as staff in 2023/24 and 2022/23: Income from car parking - patients and visitorsIncome from car parking - staff2023/24£172,332,199£70,510,1102022/23£145,873,556£46,653,234 Data on the income from car parking charges is published annually through the NHS Estates Return Information Collection, which is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2024-25In 2025/26, the Department is backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital, enabling local NHS organisations to allocate funding to local priorities, which could include hospital car parking.

What assessment has been made of the potential impact of hospital parking charges on (a) staff and (b) visitors to hospitals; and what information he holds on the total cost of such charges in the last 12 months.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of hospital parking charges. Hospitals in England are permitted to charge users for car parking, but those charges must be reasonable and in line with local charges. The revenue from hospital car parking is used to maintain car park facilities and any surplus income is put back into the National Health Service. The following table shows the income from car parking from patients and visitors as well as staff in 2023/24 and 2022/23: Income from car parking - patients and visitorsIncome from car parking - staff2023/24£172,332,199£70,510,1102022/23£145,873,556£46,653,234 Data on the income from car parking charges is published annually through the NHS Estates Return Information Collection, which is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2024-25In 2025/26, the Department is backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital, enabling local NHS organisations to allocate funding to local priorities, which could include hospital car parking.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of hospital parking charges for (a) patients and (b) staff by hospital trust in England.

No assessment has been made of the trends in the level of hospital parking charges.All National Health Service trusts that charge for hospital car parking provide free parking for those ‘in-most need’. This includes frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight, blue badge disabled holders, and NHS staff working overnight.NHS trusts are expected to follow the principles set out in the NHS Car Parking Guidance. The guidance makes clear that charges, where they exist, should be reasonable for the area. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

What estimate he has made of the number of GP practice closures in (a) England, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Oldham since 2010.

NHS England has confirmed that since 1 April 2016, the total number of general practices (GPs) in England has reduced from 7,680 to 6,200, as of 1 November 2025.At a local level, NHS England holds information dating back to 2013. Across Greater Manchester there have been 31 GP closures since April 2013, of which six GP closures have been in Oldham.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of HMRC mileage rates on health and care workers undertaking home visits.

No specific assessment has been made of the potential impact of HM Revenue and Customs’ mileage rates on health and care workers undertaking home visits. The Department of Health and Social Care looks at pressures on health and care services in the round, both at fiscal events such as budgets and spending reviews, and on an ongoing basis.The vast majority of care workers are employed by private sector providers who set their terms and conditions independent of the Government. Local authorities work with care providers to determine fee rates, which should take account of employment costs, based on local market conditions.Agenda for Change staff and resident doctors in England are reimbursed for travel which is incurred in the performance of their duties in line with their respective terms and conditions. These staff currently receive 59 pence per mile for the first 3,500 miles travelled in a year, before the rate drops to 24 pence per subsequent mile. The NHS Staff Council, which is responsible for maintaining the National Health Service terms and conditions of service, is currently negotiating a new mechanism that will determine a fair reimbursement rate for miles incurred by these staff. Further updates on their work will be made in due course.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of the mandatory displaying of food hygiene ratings on (a) shop fronts and (b) online food ordering platforms.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is operated by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with local authorities across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Evidence from Wales and Northern Ireland demonstrates that mandatory display has improved transparency, which encourages businesses to achieve better levels of compliance with hygiene requirements.Introducing a statutory scheme in England, with a mandatory display of ratings at premises and online, would require primary legislation and the securing of a suitable legislative vehicle and parliamentary time. Ministers will consider the options in due course, supported by the FSA.In the meantime, the FSA is working with its local authority partners to maintain and improve the impact and benefits of this highly successful public health scheme.