Written questions by Hayes.

How many dentists offering NHS treatment to adults there are per 1,000 people in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands.

In 2024/25, there were 0.36 dentists per 1,000 population in the NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB). This is compared to an average across ICBs of 0.42 dentists per 1,000 in England. Data is not held for the East Midlands.ICBs have also started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of National Health Service dentists. The Government’s ambition is to deliver fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.

What steps he is taking to support people living with arthritis in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Services for those with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, including arthritis, are commissioned locally by integrated care boards (ICBs), including NHS Lincolnshire ICB, which serves the South Holland and the Deepings constituency. The Department expects MSK services to be fully incorporated into integrated care system planning and decision-making.In Lincolnshire, arthritis patients at United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (ULTH) are seen as part of two cohorts, namely early inflammatory arthritis (EIA) or arthritis patients identified during grading of referrals and then put into ULTH’s general rheumatology urgent/routine cohort. For early inflammatory arthritis, ULTH works to a target of six weeks to treatment. This broadly necessitates patients having their first appointment at between two and three weeks. At present, most new patients referred today would be seen in clinic at approximately six to seven weeks and commence treatment within a few further weeks. Our recently published 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these will help deliver improvements to arthritis care in all parts of England. More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all support people to manage their long-term conditions, including arthritis, closer to home.

On how many days the Union Flag was flown on his Department's main buildings in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

The Union Flag was flown 360 days on the Department’s main building in 2024 and, as of 10 September 2025, has been flown 242 days in 2025.

How many people in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) the East Midlands sold their homes to pay for care costs in the most recent year for which data is available.

The Department does not hold this data.

How many children have been hospitalised needing treatment for dental decay in Lincolnshire in each of the last three years.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) publishes annual official statistics on tooth extractions in children aged between zero and 19 years old that take place in a National Health Service hospital setting in England. The following table shows the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for tooth extraction with dental caries, also known as tooth decay, as the primary diagnosis code between 2021/22 and 2023/24, for children aged between zero and 19 years old in the Lincolnshire upper tier local authority:Financial yearLincolnshire2023/24702022/23702021/2275Source: OHID’s annual statistics on tooth extractions zero to 19 year olds that take place in an NHS hospital setting in England, available at the following link:   https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hospital-based-tooth-extractions-in-0-to-19-year-oldsNotes:Lincolnshire refers to the Lincolnshire upper tier local authority, the Lincolnshire County Council.All sub-national FCE counts are rounded to the nearest five as per NHS Digital’s disclosure controls.Figures show the number of FCEs, not the number of individual children who received these treatments, and therefore one child may have had more than one FCE.A quality note on the data is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/analysis-of-tooth-extractions-in-hospital-methods-and-data-quality/data-quality-and-disclosure-control-for-hospital-based-tooth-extraction-data

When he plans to publish a progress report for the antimicrobial resistance action plan following the completion of its first year.

The 2024 to 2029 UK National Action Plan (NAP) to confront antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was published on 8 May 2024. It is the second of four five-year NAPs that the Government committed to developing to deliver its 20-year vision that AMR is contained, controlled and mitigated by 2040.The 2024 to 2029 NAP commits to publishing a short annual report summarising progress made against the NAP. The Government anticipates publishing the first of these reports shortly, which describes activity during the first year of the NAP programme.

What steps he is taking to increase access to care in the community in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The Government is committed to embedding “Home First” as a principle in adult social care and health policy, ensuring care is delivered in the least restrictive setting. The National Care Service and the Neighbourhood Health Service will play a critical role in helping people stay independent for longer.The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will work towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered locally to create healthier communities, spot problems earlier, and integrate health into the social fabric of places.Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs and, where eligible, for meeting those needs as set out in the Care Act 2014. The funding made available to North Lincolnshire in 2025/26 means that they will see an increase to their core spending power of up to £12.5 million compared to 2024/25.

What proportion of cancer patients in Lincolnshire received treatment within 62 days in the last 12 months.

Published data for the 62-day treatment standard of 85% shows that 64.5% of cancer patients in Lincolnshire received their first treatment within 62 days of referral between July 2024 and June 2025, the most recent 12-month period for which data is available. This is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/

Whether his Department has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024.

The Department has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024, in order to reach audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

What steps he is taking to improve infant feeding support in Lincolnshire.

The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever and giving every child the best start in life. Infant feeding is critical to a baby’s healthy growth and development.Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme, we are investing £18.5 million in 2025/26 to improve infant feeding support across 75 local authorities in England, including Lincolnshire. We have also extended and expanded the National Breastfeeding Helpline so that more families across the United Kingdom can access breastfeeding support 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The child health workforce is central to how we provide infant feeding support. We have committed to strengthening health visiting services so that all families can access joined-up, high quality services. We have also committed to training thousands more midwives across the country to better support women throughout their pregnancy and beyond. By April 2025, the number of full-time equivalents had increased by 1,330 compared to April 2024.

How much the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

Answering the question raised by the Rt. Hon. Member would unfortunately require the Medicines and Healthcare Products Agency’s staff to go through a large volume of data manually, thereby exceeding the disproportionate cost threshold. This is because the information is not held in such a way to be able to filter by the requested category.The Guide to Parliamentary Work sets here out that there is an advisory cost limit known as the disproportionate cost threshold, which is the level above which departments can decide not to answer a written question. The current disproportionate cost threshold is £850, although the limit does not apply to oral questions. The Guide to Parliamentary Work is published online and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work The threshold is pegged at 140% of the Freedom of Information Act cost limit, currently £600, to the nearest £50. Where a change in the Freedom of Information cost limit occurs, the Cabinet Office will make a written statement to advise Parliament of the new disproportionate cost threshold.

How much the United Kingdom Health Security Agency has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

The UK Health Security Agency has spent the following amounts on equipment for its staff to work from home in each financial year:£111,213 in 2024/25;£138,665 in 2023/24; and£147,063 in 2022/23.

With reference to page 61 of the policy paper entitled Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England, published on 1 July 2025, whether the delivery indicators will include the size of the illicit tobacco trade.

Following the publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, the Department and NHS England are working closely together on delivery plans for the commitments made in the plan. These plans will consider how best to support the public’s health needs and the financial sustainability of our National Health Service.Data on the size of the illicit tobacco trade is published annually by HM Revenue and Customs, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/measuring-tax-gaps/3-tax-gaps-excise-including-alcohol-tobacco-and-oils

If he will take steps to increase funding support for community-based specialist brain injury services.

The Government wants a society where every person, including those with a long-term condition such as an acquired brain injury (ABI), receives high-quality, compassionate continuity of care. We recognise the profound impact that brain injuries can have on an individual and their loved ones, and recognise that there is a need for national action to improve the lives of people who have experienced an ABI. We intend to develop an ABI Action Plan, with input from NHS England and other Government departments, to be published in the autumn of this year. The recently published 10-Year Health Plan provides the overarching plan for the future of the National Health Service, and a subsequent ABI plan would then focus on specific actions and deliverables for ABI against the backdrop of the 10-Year Health Plan. This will ensure a coherent, targeted approach. The new ABI Action Plan will be concise, action-oriented, and accountable, in order to drive real change for people with ABI. In January 2025, NHS England published the guidance Standardising community health services, which outlines the core community health services that integrated care boards (ICBs) should consider when planning services for their local population. Community rehabilitation for people with neurological conditions is named as one of the ICB-funded core components of community health services. Further information on Standardising community health services is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/standardising-community-health-services/ The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently developing guidance on rehabilitation for people with chronic neurological disorders, including acquired brain injury, which is expected to be published in September.  Further information is available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10181NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme is also working with the National Clinical Director for Neurology and the Neurology Clinical Reference Group to develop a revised service specification for neurology. The revised service specification for Specialised Neurology Services in England will cover ABI and is expected to be published later in 2025.

How much the Food Standards Agency has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has a long-established contractual flexible working offer known as Our Ways of Working (OWOW). The 2013 Civil Service Reform project, The Way We Work, required Government organisations to adopt Smarter Working by 2022, leading the FSA to introduce OWOW in 2016. In the past three years, the FSA has spent the following on equipment to enable staff to work from home:- £54,394 in 2024/25;- £60,794 in 2023/24; and- £73,250 in 2022/23.OWOW supports the Government’s Places for Growth programme by recruiting based on merit, not location. This increases opportunities in regions and nations, and has enabled the FSA to reduce the square meterage of its estate by 50%.

Whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of access to CAMHS services for special educational needs and disabilities children in Lincolnshire.

The Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board is responsible for commissioning National Health Service mental health services to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities across Lincolnshire.The 10-Year Health Plan for England sets out how we will work with schools and colleges to better identify and meet children's mental health needs by delivering mental health support teams to cover 100% of pupils by 2029/30.It also sets out the core principle of early intervention and support, without the need for diagnosis, and that this particularly applies for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. In the autumn, the Government will bring forward a white paper for schools setting out the Government’s approach to special educational needs and disabilities reform, ensuring joined-up support for children and young people. This will include education and healthcare providers working together with other local services to plan and deliver evidence-based early interventions for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

How much his Department spent on equipment for civil servants to work from home in each of the last three years.

The Department has spent the following amounts on equipment for its staff to work from home in each financial year:£79,625 in 2022/23;£118,757 in 2023/24; and£130,745 in 2024/25.

What estimate his Department has made of the annual cost of providing free prescriptions for people with cystic fibrosis.

No estimate has been made on the cost of providing free prescriptions for people with cystic fibrosis.Almost 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in England and there are arrangements in place to help those with the greatest need. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension. Those with cystic fibrosis or another long-term condition may therefore meet the eligibility criteria for prescription charge exemptions and be in receipt of free prescriptions.To support those who do not qualify for an exemption of prescription charges, the cost of prescriptions can be capped by purchasing a prescription pre-payment certificate, which can be paid for in instalments. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions they need for just over £2 per week.

What steps he is taking to support neuro diverse children in (a) Lincolnshire and (b) other rural areas.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including support services for neurodiverse children.NHS England has established an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) taskforce, bringing together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, 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 in summer 2025.The Government is also supporting inclusive environments and earlier intervention for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) through the ‘Early Language Support for Every Child’ and ‘Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools’ programmes. The Government will invest in support for pupils with SEND more widely, enabling transformation of the SEND system to make mainstream schools more inclusive and improve outcomes.

How many and what proportion of patients at (a) Pilgrim Hospital Boston and (b) Peterborough City Hospital were discharged to social care in each of the last three years.

NHS England publishes data on the number of patients discharged by discharge pathway, at a trust level, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/discharge-delays/acute-discharge-situation-report/Pathway 1 is discharges home or to a usual place of residence with new or additional health and/or social care needs. Pathway 3 is discharges to a new residential or nursing home setting, for people who are considered likely to need long-term residential or nursing home care.