Written questions by Shannon.

What (a) travel expenses and (b) other financial support are available to nursing students.

The Department for Education provides the primary funding support package for English domiciled students in higher education through the student loans system.We want to remove the barriers to training in clinical roles like nursing, which is why in addition to student loans, the Department of Health and Social Care provides supplementary non-repayable grants via the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF). Eligible nursing students receive a minimum of £5,000 in each academic year, with an additional £1,000 per academic year available for priority areas such as mental health nursing or learning disabilities nursing. Further financial support is also available for childcare, dual accommodation costs, and travel.These funding arrangements are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.The 10-Year Health Plan, published in July 2025, set out that we will help students overcome financial obstacles to learning. We are working with the NHS Business Services Authority to reform and modernise the process of supporting students with their placement expenses, including reducing delays to reimbursement of their placement travel and accommodation costs.

What steps his Department is taking to improve audiology waiting times for adults with age-related hearing loss.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity, including for audiology services for adults with age-related hearing loss.NHS England is supporting provider organisations and integrated care boards (ICBs), who are the commissioners of audiology services, to improve performance and reduce waiting lists for appointments and assessments for hearing services. This includes capital investment to upgrade audiology facilities in NHS trusts, expanding audiology testing capacity via community diagnostic centres (CDCs), and direct support through a national audiology improvement collaborative.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and modernisation efforts needed to return to the 18-week constitutional standard by the end of this Parliament. The plan commits to transform and expand diagnostic services and speed up waiting times for tests, a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the RTT 18-week standard.  This includes expanding existing CDCs, as well as building up to five new ones in 2025/26, and commits to CDCs opening 12 hours per day, seven days a week, delivering more same-day tests and consultations and an expanded range of tests.For the first time, we have set a clear target through the Medium Term Planning Framework, for systems to work to reduce long waits. By 2028/29, at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks. This includes community audiology services.

How many admissions there were in each mental health inpatient unit in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not available in the format requested, as NHS England does not publish information at mental health inpatient unit level. The attached table has been provided by NHS England and shows admissions by mental health provider from 2020/21 to 2024/25.

What steps his Department is taking to increase access to Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography scans for cancer diagnosis.

The Government is committed to increasing access to Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) scans and other nuclear medicine for cancer diagnosis, primarily by boosting overall diagnostic capacity.As part of the diagnostic capital allocation from the Spending Reviews between 2021 and 2026, five schemes have been funded to replace aged computed tomography or SPECT-CT scanners with new SPECT-CT scanners for a total investment of £6.2 million. The benefits include increased throughput of patients, lower radiation doses, faster scans, reduced sedation of patients, and improved image quality.SPECT-CT bids are also within the scope of the 2026 Spending Review multi-year diagnostic capital process, which is ongoing.

Whether he plans to publish the review of clinical negligence costs by David Lock KC.

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last ten years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. That work is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee reports.The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.

Whether he has had discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on improving access to mental health support for adolescents in Northern Ireland.

Health is a devolved matter, and responsibility for improving access to mental health services in Northern Ireland, including for adolescents, sits with the Northern Ireland Executive.The Government works closely with the devolved administrations on shared health challenges, including mental health. Ministers meet regularly with their counterparts through intergovernmental forums such as the Interministerial Group for Health and Social Care.At the Interministerial Group for Health and Social Care in April 2025, ministers discussed common priorities across the four governments on mental health, including the importance of early support for children and young people delivered in schools and community settings. The Government remains committed to continuing to work with the Northern Ireland Executive and the other devolved administrations to share learning and approaches to improving mental health support.

What proportion of the health budget is allocated to mental health services.

For the 2025/26 financial year, total mental health spend is forecast to be £15.6 billion, the equivalent to 8.71% of the recurrent National Health Service baseline of £179.4 billion. However, there are important elements of mental health spend not included in these figures. This includes capital spending, where we committed £75 million of investment in 2025/26 to reduce out-of-area placements, prescribing mental health medication, continuing healthcare, and NHS England’s investment in training the mental health workforce. This was set out in the Written Statement HCWS562 of 27 March 2025, by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.Funding is central to delivering the ambitious goals set out in the Medium-Term Planning Framework for integrated care boards (ICBs) and providers over the next three years to drive improvements across mental health services. These include 100% coverage of Mental Health Support Teams by 2029, expanding NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement Support, and reducing the number of inappropriate out-of-area placements by the end of March 2027. To support this, the Government is requiring all integrated care boards to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard over the next three years, which sets a minimum rate of growth in annual spend on mental health services.As required under Section 3 of the Health and Care Act 2022, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will lay a Written Ministerial Statement before Parliament setting out the expected mental health spend for 2026/27, including the total forecast spend and the proportion of the NHS recurrent baseline allocated to mental health services. This will be before the start of the next financial year.

Whether he has had discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on improving support and diagnosis for women experiencing menopause in Northern Ireland.

Health is largely devolved and the Government works closely and collaboratively with the devolved administrations on a range of health priorities. The Department engages regularly with counterparts in the devolved administrations to share information and discuss areas of mutual interest. This includes engagement through established intergovernmental structures such as the Interministerial Group for Health and Social which meets quarterly at the ministerial level.While health policy, including services relating to menopause, is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive, the Government remains committed to constructive engagement with the devolved administrations on shared health challenges and opportunities to improve outcomes across the United Kingdom.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that primary care staff delivering the Steps to Safety domestic abuse project are supported with effective referral routes to (a) other parts of the NHS and (b) specialist domestic abuse voluntary sector organisations.

As part of the cross-Government Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, the Department has committed to roll-out a domestic abuse and sexual violence referral service, Steps to Safety, across integrated care boards. This will ensure that general practices (GPs) in every area of England can connect victims and survivors with specialist services. The ambition is that by 2029 there will be national provision of Steps to Safety which will include:training to all staff in the GPs so they can identify and respond to domestic abuse and sexual violence;a specialist support worker linked to a group of practices to support GP staff and support and advocate for victims; andclear links with local specialist domestic abuse voluntary sector services to refer people into.

Whether his Department is taking steps to provide network of support to GPs for enquiring about domestic abuse.

As part of the cross-Government Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, the Department has committed to roll-out a domestic abuse and sexual violence referral service, Steps to Safety, across integrated care boards. This will ensure that general practices (GPs) in every area of England can connect victims and survivors with specialist services. The ambition is that by 2029 there will be national provision of Steps to Safety which will include:training to all staff in the GPs so they can identify and respond to domestic abuse and sexual violence;a specialist support worker linked to a group of practices to support GP staff and support and advocate for victims; andclear links with local specialist domestic abuse voluntary sector services to refer people into.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that victims of domestic abuse presenting in the NHS outside of primary care get the responses they need.

Victims of domestic abuse may present in any part of the National Health Service. All NHS staff receive national mandatory safeguarding training that is being strengthened for launch in December 2026. This will reinforce to staff their safeguarding responsibilities and support them in identifying and responding to victims of abuse.The risk of domestic abuse can increase during pregnancy, which is why midwives and health visitors are trained to spot the signs and to provide support.From April 2026, sexual assault referral centres will be asking victims and survivors about domestic abuse. This will improve outcomes by ensuring that the correct referral pathways are accessed in a timely and appropriate manner.As well as rolling out a domestic abuse and sexual violence referral service across integrated care boards, which will include training general practice staff to spot the signs of violence and abuse, the Department will be investing a further £5 million each year for the next three years into support services for victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence.To go further, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has appointed the Hon. Member for Lowestoft, Jess Asato as his advisor on violence against women and girls to drive further transformation across the health system.

What his planned timetable is for the implementation of the Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework in (a) community care, (b) primary care, and (c) secondary care.

The Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) will be published later this year.The Department and NHS England are working together to deliver the CVD MSF, and as part of this, are considering how the modern service framework can be implemented in the community, as well as parts of primary and secondary care.Wide engagement with stakeholders is underway to co-produce the CVD MSF, ensuring that experts, people, and communities are at the heart of its development.

When he expects to publish the Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework; and if he will set out the planned timetable for its implementation.

The Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) will be published later this year.The Department and NHS England are working together to deliver the CVD MSF, and as part of this, are considering how the modern service framework can be implemented in the community, as well as parts of primary and secondary care.Wide engagement with stakeholders is underway to co-produce the CVD MSF, ensuring that experts, people, and communities are at the heart of its development.

What progress he has made on meeting the 18-week treatment target in the Elective Reform Plan.

The Elective Reform plan set out that the Government is committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, by March 2029. Additionally, NHS England’s Operational Planning Guidance for 2025/26 set a target that 65% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks by the end of March 2026.To achieve this, we expect the size of the total waiting list to reduce and have already made significant progress. As of December 2025, the waiting list had reduced by over 330,000 since the Government came into office. This is despite 31.7 million referrals onto the waiting list. Performance against the referral to treatment standard had improved by 2.7% over the same period, reaching 61.5%.This has been supported by the delivery of 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and June 2025 compared to the previous year, more than double the Government’s pledge of two million. This marked a vital first step towards delivering the constitutional standard.

How many people living in England are (a) blind and (b) partially sighted, broken down by age.

The specific data requested is not held centrally, however the Registered Blind and Partially Sighted People data collection provides national statistics on individuals in England with a Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI) who are on local authority registers. A CVI formally certifies someone as sight impaired or as severely sight impaired. The latest figures are from 2022/23 and can be found at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/registered-blind-and-partially-sighted-people/registered-blind-and-partially-sighted-people-england-2022-23As of 31 March 2023, there were 268,500 people registered as blind and partially sighted in England. The following table shows the number of people registered as blind/severely sight impaired, as of 31 March 2023, broken down by age:0 to 45 to 1718 to 4950 to 6465 to 7475 and over4203,73018,53019,72515,10075,810 In addition, the following table shows the number of people registered as partial sight/sight impaired persons, as of 31 March 2023, broken down by age:0 to 45 to 1718 to 4950 to 6465 to 7475 and over4305,92017,65016,92014,11580,150

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of age-based eligibility criteria for free school milk on (a) educational and (b) health inequalities.

The Nursery Milk Scheme (NMS) is a statutory scheme which allows early years childcare settings to reclaim the cost of providing one-third of a pint of milk per day to children under the age of five years old who attend a setting for two or more hours per day.The NHS Business Services Authority, which delivers the NMS on behalf of the Department, does not hold data relating to the number of children who became ineligible for free milk as a result of the age eligibility cut-off of the NMS.There are no plans to extend eligibility for the NMS to cover children until the end of the academic year, during which they reach their fifth birthday. However, the School Food Standards provide that milk must be available in schools for those who want it at least once a day during school hours. Separate legislation allows pupils who are eligible for free school meals to continue to receive free milk at school after the age of five years old. Free school meal eligibility will be expanded from September 2026 to more disadvantaged children, leading to higher attainment, improved behaviour, and better outcomes. As eligibility widens, more children will be able to access free milk.

How many children became ineligible for free school milk as a result of the age eligibility cut-off of the Nursery Milk Scheme in the last 12 months.

The Nursery Milk Scheme (NMS) is a statutory scheme which allows early years childcare settings to reclaim the cost of providing one-third of a pint of milk per day to children under the age of five years old who attend a setting for two or more hours per day.The NHS Business Services Authority, which delivers the NMS on behalf of the Department, does not hold data relating to the number of children who became ineligible for free milk as a result of the age eligibility cut-off of the NMS.There are no plans to extend eligibility for the NMS to cover children until the end of the academic year, during which they reach their fifth birthday. However, the School Food Standards provide that milk must be available in schools for those who want it at least once a day during school hours. Separate legislation allows pupils who are eligible for free school meals to continue to receive free milk at school after the age of five years old. Free school meal eligibility will be expanded from September 2026 to more disadvantaged children, leading to higher attainment, improved behaviour, and better outcomes. As eligibility widens, more children will be able to access free milk.

How much (a) his Department and (b) NHS England have spent on (i) Part IX, Value-Based Procurement and (ii) the MedTech Commercial Strategy reforms.

The Department and NHS England have spent:£1,067,157.34 directly on Part IX of the Drug Tariff, including VAT where applicable. This covers the period 2024/25 and planned spend up until the end of the 2025/26 financial year;£225,189 on Value Based Procurement during the current financial year, including VAT where applicable. This figure includes planned spend up until the end of the 2025/26 financial year. No spend on Value Based Procurement was identified during the 2024/25 financial year; and£120,000 planned direct spend for the Medtech Commercial Strategy, including VAT where applicable. This includes planned spend up until the end of the 2025/26 financial year.These figures do not include the Department and NHS England staff time.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the free school milk entitlement through the Nursery Milk Scheme to the end of the academic year in which a child turns five.

The Nursery Milk Scheme (NMS) is a statutory scheme which allows early years childcare settings to reclaim the cost of providing one-third of a pint of milk per day to children under the age of five years old who attend a setting for two or more hours per day.The NHS Business Services Authority, which delivers the NMS on behalf of the Department, does not hold data relating to the number of children who became ineligible for free milk as a result of the age eligibility cut-off of the NMS.There are no plans to extend eligibility for the NMS to cover children until the end of the academic year, during which they reach their fifth birthday. However, the School Food Standards provide that milk must be available in schools for those who want it at least once a day during school hours. Separate legislation allows pupils who are eligible for free school meals to continue to receive free milk at school after the age of five years old. Free school meal eligibility will be expanded from September 2026 to more disadvantaged children, leading to higher attainment, improved behaviour, and better outcomes. As eligibility widens, more children will be able to access free milk.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the long-term financial and psychological impact of blood cancer on patients.

It is a priority for the Government and the National Health Service to support people who are living with cancer, and for those people who have been through cancer treatment.Through the National Cancer Plan, we will improve experiences and outcomes for people living with and beyond cancer. Every cancer patient will receive a tailored support plan, covering treatment, mental health, and employment support. Every patient will also have a named neighbourhood care lead to coordinate their care and support after treatment. We will support patients to stay in and return to work through Health and Growth Accelerators and a new employer collaborative, in partnership with cancer charities, the NHS, and the Government.