Written questions by Shannon.

Whether he has had discussions with his Northern Ireland counterpart on introducing charge cards to support coeliacs in paying for gluten free alternatives.

No discussions between ministers and their counterparts in Northern Ireland on introducing charge cards to support coeliacs in paying for gluten free (GF) alternatives have been held.In the United Kingdom, healthcare is a devolved matter. Nearly all health and social care policy in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, including arrangements for coeliac patients, is handled by their respective administrations.Following a review in 2019, the position in England remains that GF bread and mixes can be provided to all eligible coeliac patients on a National Health Service prescription, and a wide range of these items continue to be listed in Part XV of the Drug Tariff.

Whether he plans to introduce the use of AI to detect skin cancer.

Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a wide range of opportunities to help change our health and care system for the better. One opportunity for AI in the National Health Service is to support with diagnostics, including detecting skin cancer.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) routinely evaluates medical technologies, including innovative AI-enabled technologies, and makes recommendations on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of products for the health and social care services in England. NICE has recommended the use of an AI technology for assessing and triaging skin lesions for patients in the NHS suspected skin cancer pathway.This AI tool, DERM, can distinguish between benign and cancerous skin lesions with nearly 99.7% accuracy, and is now being used in 25 NHS trusts as a part of the NHS's rollout of ‘teledermatology’. Further evidence on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the tool is currently being collected.

How many foreign nationals have been deported in the last five years.

The Home Office publishes data on FNO returns in the quarterly Immigration System Statistics release. Quarterly data on enforced, voluntary and port FNO returns (of which ‘deportations’ are a legal subset) are published in table Ret_D03 of the Returns detailed datasets accompanying the release.Information on FNOs who have been deported more than once, or who have returned to the UK after deportation, is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.A deportation order requires a person to leave the UK and prohibits them from lawfully entering the UK while it remains in force. Entering in breach of a deportation order is a criminal offence under section 24(1)(a) of the 1971 Act, with a maximum sentence of five years under section 40 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.

How many people aged between 18 and 25 have epilepsy.

This information is not held in the format requested. However, the following table shows a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) and distinct patients where there is a primary diagnosis, or any diagnosis, of epilepsy, where the patient was aged 18 to 25 years old on admission, in 2024/25, in English National Health Service hospitals: Primary diagnosisAny diagnosisYearAdmissionsPatientsAdmissionsPatients2024/253,7172,70818,4099,839Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS EnglandNotes:an FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes.  Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period;patient counts are based on the unique patient identifier. This identifier is derived from a patient’s date of birth, postcode, sex, local patient identifier, and NHS number, using a standard algorithm. Where data are incomplete, this identifier may wrongly link episodes or fail to recognise episodes for the same patient;the primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital;the number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a HES record. Each episode is only counted once, even if a relevant diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record; andfor the purposes of these data the following ICD-10 codes have been used: G40 - Epilepsy G41 - Status epilepticus. Please be aware that this data does not represent the total number of people aged between 18 and 25 years old who have a diagnosis of epilepsy. This data only represents the number of patients aged between 18 and 25 years old with epilepsy who required hospital admission in 2024/25. The data presented here will, therefore, only represent a small proportion of the total number of people aged between 18 and 25 years old who have a diagnosis of epilepsy.

What steps he is taking to raise awareness of sarcoma.

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns in England to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and to address the barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers, including sarcoma, at an earlier point.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how the Department will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. Having consulted with key stakeholders and patient groups, the plan will be published early in the new year. It will ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. The plan will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, to improve the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer, including sarcoma.

How many people have been arrested for non-fatal strangulation in the last 12 months.

The Home Office does not hold the data requested.The Home Office collects and publishes data on arrests in England and Wales, including reason for arrest, as part of the ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ statistical series. The data is available here: Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics - GOV.UKHowever the data is collected by wider offence group, for example “Violence against the person”, therefore data on arrests for non-fatal strangulation is not available.

How many sick notes have been issued by GPs in the last 12 months.

The sick note was replaced by the fit note in 2010. Since 2022, fit notes can be issued by doctors, registered nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and physiotherapists.The latest data published by NHS England shows that out of the 10,974,495 fit notes issued electronically in primary care in England between January and December 2024, 9,898,344 were issued by general practitioners (GPs). This means that GPs issued 90.2% of these fit notes.Data is only available for fit notes issued electronically within primary care in England, meaning that paper fit notes or fit notes issued in hospitals are not included in these figures. The published statistics can be found at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/fit-notes-issued-by-gp-practicesUpdated figures will be published by NHS England on 23 October and will provide fit note data up to June 2025.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure the National Cancer Plan prioritises improving (a) patient experience and (b) quality of life.

The National Cancer Plan, which will be published in early 2026, will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer. The National Cancer Plan will build on the three shifts set out by the 10-Year Health Plan. These shifts will enable rapid progress on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, as well as supporting those living with cancer to better manage their condition and improve their quality of life.The National Cancer Plan will aim to improve how the physical and psychosocial needs of people with cancer can be met, with a focus on personalised care to improve quality of life. It will address how the experience of care can be improved for those diagnosed, treated, and living with and beyond cancer.

What support her Department provides for people in further education.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The department provides a range of financial support for students who need it to enable them to participate in post-16 education, including free meals, bursaries to help with the cost of education (such as travel, books, equipment, and trips), plus support for childcare and residential costs where required.Within the Adult Skills Fund, Learner Support is available to colleges and training providers to help learners meet costs such as transport, accommodation, books, equipment and childcare. In addition, learning support meets the costs of reasonable adjustments as set out in the Equality Act 2010 for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

Whether she has had discussions with her Northern Ireland counterpart on substitute teachers unable to get permanent jobs.

Supply teachers perform a valuable role and make an important contribution to the smooth running of schools by filling posts on a temporary basis and covering teacher absences.Schools, academies and local authorities are responsible for the recruitment of supply teachers, which includes deciding whether they contract supply teachers directly or use employment agencies.Education is a devolved matter. The department is in contact with Northern Ireland counterparts at an official level to discuss and share valuable knowledge about supply teachers and the supply system in England and Northern Ireland.

What steps he is taking to improve mobile clinic provision in rural areas.

The integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the planning and commissioning of health services, including mobile clinic services.In doing so ICBs must take into account the needs of their local population, which includes meeting the healthcare needs of their rural populations.The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan commits to three big shifts which includes increasingly moving services away from centralised hospitals into the wider community.

What estimate she has made of the proportion of UK cars powered solely by electric.

In the 12 months ending June 2025, 4.4% of all licensed cars in the UK were zero emission battery electric cars, equivalent to 1.5 million cars.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of blue-green algae on water quality in UK rivers.

The Environment Agency (EA) works with others including local authorities and Public Health England to manage waterbodies affected by blue-green algae and the risks they pose. The EA does not routinely monitor for blue-green algae but attends incidents and analyses samples where appropriate, assessing the risks and notifying water body owners, abstractors, Environmental Health Officers, as necessary. Excessive nutrient enrichment is a major cause of algal blooms. The Government recognises this and is taking action to reduce nutrient pollution. The Environment Act 2021 sets legally binding goals to cut agricultural nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment entering water by 40% by 2038 (compared to a 2018 baseline), and to reduce phosphorus loadings from treated wastewater by 80% by 2038 (compared to a 2020 baseline). We have also committed to a review of the Environmental Improvement Plan, which will outline how Defra will meet these targets.

What discussions she has had with Transport for London on improving safety on the London Underground.

Ministers and officials have regular conversations with Transport for London (TfL) on a variety of issues. However transport in London is devolved to the Mayor, and TfL is responsible for safety on the London Underground.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of creatine on public health.

Scientific risk assessment of nutrition and health claim applications in Great Britain are carried out by the UK Nutrition and Health Claims Committee (UKNHCC) and based on thorough and robust evaluations.In 2024, the UKNHCC considered a health claim on creatine supplementation and improved cognitive function. The proposed conditions of use for the health claim were that creatine should be ingested in an amount of 3g per day and the target population for the health claim is the general population, healthy adults of both sexes.The UKNHCC considered evidence submitted by the applicant to substantiate the claim and published a negative scientific opinion. Based on the data presented by the applicant, the committee concluded that a cause-and-effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of ≤3g per day creatine and improved cognitive function.

What steps he is taking to increase the availability of donor organs.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is the organisation responsible for organ donation in the United Kingdom. NHSBT is working to improve the availability of donor organs by encouraging more people to record their wishes on the Organ Donor Register. Current activity includes:high profile year-round campaigns including Organ Donation Week, World Sight Day, and World Kidney Day, in partnership with a wide range of charities and community groups;year-round national and regional media and public relations, focusing particularly on the need for more black and Asian organ donors to reduce current inequities in access to transplants;national networking with trusted community organisations such as the National BAME Transplant Alliance, to support trusted leaders with expertise in organ donation to deliver culturally and religiously sensitive messaging;funding a Community Grants Programme to drive awareness of the importance and benefits of organ donation and addressing barriers to donation; andthe Organ Donation Joint Working Group, formed jointly between NHSBT and the Department, will provide recommendations to improve the organ donation consent rates, increase societal action for organ donation, and increase the pool of potential donors. This report is due to be published this autumn.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Teplizumab in slowing the development of type 1 diabetes; and when he plans to roll-out that drug on the NHS.

Teplizumab was licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in August 2025, to delay the onset of Stage 3 type 1 diabetes in adult and paediatric patients 8 years of age and older with Stage 2 type 1 diabetes. Newly licensed medicines are appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on new medicines which represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE aims wherever possible to issue draft guidance on new medicines close to the time of licensing and the NHS in England is legally required to fund NICE-recommended medicines, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.NICE is currently evaluating teplizumab and has published draft guidance for consultation in which it was unable to recommend teplizumab for delaying the onset of stage 3 type 1 diabetes in people 8 years and over with stage 2 type 1 diabetes. Final guidance is due to be published on 26 November 2025.

How much funding his Department has allocated to blood cancers.

The Department is committed to improving cancer outcomes for patients across England, including for blood cancer.It is not possible to break down the Department’s overall spend on blood cancer in England as cancer funding is provided across a range of cancer diagnosis and treatment pathways, with national and local cancer initiatives driving improvement across many different cancer types.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), with cancer one of the largest areas of spend. The NIHR made 70 awards for research projects into blood cancer for the period April 2020 to March 2025 with a combined total funding value of approximately £18 million.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the joint statement in April 2025 by UN Special Rapporteurs and Special Mechanisms on discrimination faced by the Baha’i community in Egypt; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of that statement on her Department's engagement with Egypt on human rights.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 September to Question 75629.

What steps he is taking to help reduce ADHD diagnosis times.

The Government has recognised that, nationally in England, demand for assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays accessing such assessments. The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan will make the National Health Service fit for the future, recognising the need for early intervention and support.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to ADHD assessment and treatment, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.NHS England established an ADHD taskforce which brought together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June 2025, with the final report expected later this year, and we will carefully consider its recommendations.