Every parliamentary written question tabled by John Milne this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 38 · Department of Health and Social Care
How many people were recruited into National Institute for Health and Care Research supported (i) phase 1, (ii) phase 2, and (iii) phase 3 trials for (a) dementia, (b) cancer, (c) stroke and (d) coronary heart disease for each year from 2020/21 to 2024/25.
Awaiting answer.
What steps his department is taking to ensure a.) patients with pancreatic cancer can easily access information about relevant clinical trials and b.) they are automatically linked onto clinical trials where eligible.
Awaiting answer.
How his department will work with the NIHR National Speciality Lead for research into rare cancers to develop a national strategy focused on unlocking greater investment in pancreatic cancer research.
Awaiting answer.
If he will issue national guidance to reduce variation in children’s hospice funding between ICBs.
Awaiting answer.
What accountability mechanisms are in place to ensure that Integrated Care Boards meet national service specifications for neurological conditions; and what steps he is taking where ICBs do not mee
NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme, which ended in March 2026, was a multi-year, clinically led programme, which has developed a new model of integrated care to support integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver the right service, at the right...
What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing breast cancer screening for women under 40 with Neurofibromatosis type 1.
The Government is committed to improving cancer screening services in line with the National Cancer Plan and as part of the 10-Year Health Plan’s shift from treatment to prevention.Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) affects individuals differently. An individual’s risk of breast cancer is based on a number of factors. These factors may vary throughout a lifetime which is why individuals are advised to seek advice from their health professionals.Most individuals with NF1 would be considered at moderate risk of breast cancer, which would mean they could be referred to local cancer surveillance programme commissioned via the integrated care boards.The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence’s guidance does not address NF1 specifically but does state that people with certain genetic conditions should be referred through to a geneticist to consider their risk and may qualify for annual breast screening between the ages of 40 and 50 years old.The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), which advises the Government on all screening matters, has never been asked to look at creating a separate programme for women with NF1. Any individual or organisation can submit a proposal during the committee’s three-month open call for topics.The UK NSC will consider whether the proposal is within the UK NSC remit and, if so, how the topic should be explored further.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Food Standard Agency’s official control charges on the viability of small and medium sized abattoirs.
Information on the 2025/26 charge rates for official controls, or inspections, conducted in meat premises is available on the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) website at the following link:https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/charges-for-controls-in-meat-premisesAs in previous years, the impact of charges will be offset by a discount which provides the greatest proportional support to smaller businesses. The impact of the discount on different sized food businesses in England and Wales for 2025/26 is set out in the Cost Data Slides the FSA has published.The FSA has conducted an evaluation of the current discount scheme which began with a Call for Evidence in autumn 2024. Extensive stakeholder engagement and consideration by the FSA Board in its public meetings has followed which has informed proposals for a revised scheme. At its public meeting on 10 December, the FSA Board agreed to a full public consultation on proposals for a scheme that would direct more targeted support towards smaller abattoirs. The consultation is planned for spring 2026 and will be accompanied by an assessment of impact.
Whether he plans to grant local authorities powers to apply local means-testing policies to the Disabled Facilities Grant budget.
In England, we continue to fund the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) which is administered by local authorities. This grant helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes to make them safe and suitable for their needs. Practical changes include installing stairlifts, level-access showers, and ramps.Local authorities already have a significant amount of flexibility in how they deliver the DFG, including removing means testing for grants costing under a certain amount. Local authorities have flexibility on determining the level below which they wish to remove the means test.We have provided an additional £172 million over two years to uplift the DFG, which could fund approximately 15,000 extra home adaptations. This brings total funding for the DFG to £711 million in each of 2024/25 and 2025/26.
What information his Department holds on the number of claims for clinical negligence in each NHS Trust in the most recent period for which data is available.
NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. The table attached shows the number of clinical claims and incidents received in the 2024/25 financial year, broken down by NHS trust.The table provided sets out the number of clinical negligence claims and incidents notified to NHSR by NHS trusts in the most recent period for which data is available. It should be noted that these figures are based on the financial year in which a claim or incident was notified to NHSR, however, the incident may have occurred in previous financial years.
What estimate his Department have made of potential savings of the implementation of Fixed Recoverable Costs for clinical negligence claims valued up to (a) £25,000, (b) £100,000 and (c) £250,000.
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 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.As announced in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC will be providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs and how we can improve patients’ experience of clinical negligence claims, ahead of a review by the Department in the autumn. 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. The Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps, in due course.
What (a) organisations and (b) individuals has David Lock KC had discussions with as part of his review into the legal costs of clinical negligence.
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 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.As announced in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC will be providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs and how we can improve patients’ experience of clinical negligence claims, ahead of a review by the Department in the autumn. 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. The Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps, in due course.
Whether David Lock KC’s review of the legal costs of clinical negligence will be published.
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 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.As announced in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC will be providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs and how we can improve patients’ experience of clinical negligence claims, ahead of a review by the Department in the autumn. 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. The Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps, in due course.
Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of repealing S2(4) of the Law Reform (Personal Injuries) Act 1948 on NHS costs.
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 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.As announced in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC will be providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs and how we can improve patients’ experience of clinical negligence claims, ahead of a review by the Department in the autumn. 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. The Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps, in due course.
Whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of utilising shareable health data to help (a) fire and rescues services and (b) local authorities identify vulnerable residents.
The Department has not made a formal assessment of using health data in this way but is aware of exploratory work underway in the National Health Service, including in Greater Manchester. This year the Department is working to tackle the underlying barriers to linking health and non-health data to improve outcomes and is supporting a small number of priority projects.
When he plans to publish the men’s health strategy; and whether it will include funding to help prevent (a) suicide and (b) premature death for men.
We are developing a Men's Health Strategy which will seek to improve the health and wellbeing of all men in England. This includes finding the right ways to promote healthier behaviours, improving outcomes for health conditions that hit men harder, and improving engagement with healthcare. The strategy will be informed by the Call for Evidence which closed on 17 July 2025. We aim to launch the Men’s Health Strategy later this year.
How many of the commercial arrangements made by NHS England with marketing authorisation holders between January 2020 and September 2025 involving indication-specific pricing were for indications for (a) rare non-oncology and (b) ultra-rare non-oncology conditions.
Between January 2020 and September 2025, NHS England entered into 75 commercial arrangements involving indication-specific pricing. Of these, eight of the commercial agreements have involved indication-specific pricing for rare non-oncology conditions, and of those eight, two were for indications classed as ultra-rare non-oncology conditions. Please note that the following definitions of rare and ultra rare non-oncology conditions have been applied: rare, meaning a condition which affects less than 1 in 2,000 people, as per the National Health Service rare diseases framework; and ultra-rare, meaning a condition affecting 1 in 50,000 people or fewer in England.
If his Department will include a target in a future Rare Disease Action Plan on proportionate access to multi-indication medicines for (a) rare and (b) ultra-rare disease patients.
Improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs is a priority under the UK Rare Diseases Framework. The 2025 England Rare Diseases Action Plan was published in February 2025 and reports on progress against existing actions under this priority. This included reviewing the effectiveness of the Early Access to Medicines Scheme, the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway, and the Innovative Medicines Fund, which are key access initiatives aimed at facilitating earlier availability of innovative treatments. Our review specifically assessed how effective these pathways are in supporting timely access to therapies for individuals living with rare diseases.As set out in the Life Sciences Sector plan, we will be introducing a new and proportionate approach to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) appraisals and NHS indication-specific based pricing agreements for medicines with large numbers of indications, strong long-term outcome data, and low affordability risk. This will support treatments for rare diseases. There are currently no plans to introduce an access target, as it is essential to review the available evidence on a case-by-case basis. However, the Government remains committed to improving access to medicines for rare and ultra-rare diseases.
How many integrated care boards have a designated senior leader responsible for (a) neurology and (b) rehabilitation services.
This information is not held centrally. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for designating senior leaders as appropriate, as well as for commissioning most services for people with long term conditions including for neurology and rehabilitation services. ICBs are allocated funding by NHS England to meet local need and priorities and improve outcomes.
When he plans to publish the Delivery Plan for ME/CFS.
The myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, final delivery plan will be published shortly. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.
What steps he is taking is taking to ensure that people diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer are routinely offered MRI scans for follow-up monitoring.
The National Health Service is committed to ensuring that all cancer patients in England, including those with lobular breast cancer, have access to personalised care, including a needs assessment, a care plan, and health and wellbeing information and support.Treatment for cancer is highly individualised and decisions about cancer treatment, including ongoing monitoring and follow up care, are typically made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals. These decisions are based on medical assessments and what's best for the individual's overall health and well-being.