Written questions by Babarinde.

What steps his Department is taking to prevent the advertising of vapes and tobacco products alongside items such as toys and sweets in retail settings; and what assessment he has made of the potential steps of further restricting advertisements to ensure such products are not marketed in a way that could appeal to children.

Evidence shows that comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising have had a significant impact on reducing consumption, but partial bans have had no significant effect. This is why most forms of advertising and promotion of tobacco products are already banned under the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002. These products are also hidden from display in most retail settings to protect children and young people from the harms of tobacco.We know that vapes and other nicotine products are being deliberately branded and advertised to appeal to children, and it is concerning that youth vaping has more than doubled over the past five years.The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately promoted and advertised to children and will extend current tobacco advertising restrictions to vaping products and nicotine products. The bill also gives us the powers to make regulations to restrict the display of these products in stores. We will consult on display proposals later this year.The Government has published a thorough impact assessment of the measures included in the bill, including on the prohibition on the advertising of vaping and nicotine products. The Government will monitor the impact of these restrictions following their implementation.

What steps he is taking to help reduce colonoscopy waiting times in East Sussex.

The Government is aware of the impact that waiting for diagnostic tests, like colonoscopies, has on patients and is committed to reducing waiting times through transforming diagnostic services in acute hospitals and community diagnostic centres (CDCs). Earlier access to diagnostic tests is key to supporting earlier diagnosis and earlier treatment if needed.A colonoscopy is a type of an endoscopic procedure. The strategy for endoscopy across Sussex is for new treatments, such as cyto-sponge and colon capsule endoscopy, to be developed and delivered through its CDCs in 2026/27, offering less invasive alternatives to endoscopy for the many patients for whom they are suitable. This will reduce the demand on endoscopy services in hospitals which will be able to be more effectively used for those patients who require them.We are pleased to say that a new endoscopy centre on the Eastbourne Hospital site is due to start taking patients in March 2026, which will further improve the capacity and environment for patients.

If his Department will publish national data on endometriosis diagnostic waiting times.

The Department does not centrally hold data on the number of women in England and Wales awaiting specialised endometriosis care, or on the waiting times for patients waiting for a diagnosis of endometriosis.However, in England, the waiting list for gynaecology care, which includes those waiting for endometriosis care, stands at 575,986. This is a reduction of 19,979 since the Government came into office. Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times data, which includes the above data, is published monthly at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/Data is currently published on the waiting times for diagnostic tests that are used along an endometriosis pathway, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound, but does not differentiate between the suspected diagnosis. This can be found in the Monthly Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity dataset, published monthly at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-data-2025-26/The following table shows the number of patients waiting for MRI and non-obstetric ultrasound, as of November 2025: Total waiting listNumber waiting over six weeksPercentage waiting over six weeksMRI362,20867,55718.7%Non-obstetric ultrasound627,473115,90918.5%

What steps his Department has taken to help ensure that people from (a) ethnic minority and (b) low socio-economic backgrounds have adequate access to endometriosis diagnosis services.

The Government acknowledges the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce.The 10-Year Health Plan described our reimagined National Health Service, which will be designed to tackle inequalities in both access and outcomes, as well as to give everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, the means to engage with the NHS on their own terms.We are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis for all women, and we have already taken action to address this.£25 million has been invested in women’s health hubs to improve care for common gynaecological and urogynaecological conditions, with care for endometriosis outlined as a core service within the women’s health hubs. The women’s health hubs aim to address gaps in provision and long waiting times, specifically for those from low socio-economic background or those who are from minority ethnic backgrounds.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has updated their guidelines on endometriosis in November 2024, with two new treatments having been approved, and we are investing £5.6 million into research to support our efforts in gynaecology and are taking action to cut gynaecology waiting lists through our Elective Reform Plan.

What steps his Department has taken to help ensure the guidance on endometriosis published by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is effectively implemented.

The Government acknowledges the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce.We are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions including endometriosis, and we have already taken action to address this.In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) updated its guideline on the diagnosis and management of endometriosis. The guideline, Endometriosis: diagnosis and management, aims to raise awareness of endometriosis symptoms, and to provide clear advice on referral, diagnosis, and the range of treatments available.NICE will be working with National Health Service systems to ensure adoption of this best practice endometriosis care, including access to approved medicines.NHS England encourages adherence to guidance publications by NICE. However, professionals and practitioners are expected to exercise their judgement when taking NICE guidelines into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences, and values of their patients or the people using their service. It is not mandatory to apply the recommendations, and the guideline does not override the responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual, in consultation with them and their families, and carers or guardian.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help health authorities deliver endometriosis services in (a) East Sussex and (b) areas where the prevalence endometriosis is higher than the national average.

We are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis, and we have already taken action to address this.In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) updated their guideline on endometriosis, which makes firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referral and investigations for women with suspected diagnosis. This will help the estimated one in 10 women with endometriosis receive a diagnosis faster. NICE will be working with National Health Service systems to ensure adoption of this best practice endometriosis care, including access to approved medicines across all regions.

Whether the NHS works with local authorities to ensure that people moving into temporary accommodation are supported to make necessary changes to personal information and continue to access relevant health services.

The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 introduced a duty on specified public authorities to refer service users who they think may be homeless or threatened with homelessness to local authority homelessness/housing options teams. The specified public bodies include hospitals, emergency departments, and social services. As part of the recently published cross-Government strategy, A National Plan to End Homelessness, the Government is committing to a new Duty to Collaborate as well. This aims to strengthen and improve co-operation, early identification, and information sharing between health, housing, and social care services. Further information on A National Plan to End Homelessness is avaiable at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-national-plan-to-end-homelessness Integrated care boards are expected to work in partnership with local authorities and housing services to support continuity of care for people whose housing circumstances change, including those moving into temporary accommodation. The 2025 10-Year Health Plan sets out how the Single Patient Record will support more consistent capture of social risk factors such as housing status, enabling care to be better coordinated across organisations when personal details or accommodation changes.

What plans the department has to improve retention of level 3 staff within the NHS.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.To support this ambition, the Government plans to introduce a new set of standards for modern employment by April 2026. The new standards will reaffirm our commitment to improving retention by tackling the issues that matter to staff including promoting flexible working, improving staff health and wellbeing, and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace.NHS England is already leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.Regarding pay, the Government remitted the Pay Review Bodies on 22 July and published its written evidence on 30 October, with the target of getting uplifts into the pockets of health workers early next year.Earlier this year, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care was also able to accept the vast majority of recommendations that were produced from the non-pay work from the 2023 Agenda for Change deal. This covers work on a variety of issues including job evaluation and tackling violence and aggression against staff. NHS organisations are now in the process of implementing these recommendations.

What plans there are to widen pay bands for Level 3 Staff in the NHS.

Any changes to the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay structure, including for Band 3 staff, will be for the NHS Staff Council to ratify or agree to as part of any future discussions. The NHS Staff Council is a partnership body made up of trade unions and employers and has overall responsibility for the AfC pay system and the terms and conditions of service.The Government accepted the NHS Pay Review Body’s recommendations for 2025/26 in full, which included a recommendation to provide the NHS Staff Council with a funded mandate to make improvements to the AfC pay structure.The Department intends to deliver this mandate as soon as possible, to make the changes in time for 2026/27. Once the mandate is confirmed, the Department will work closely with the NHS Staff Council to agree the changes to the pay structure. This may or may not include changes to Band 3 pay, depending on NHS Staff Council views.

What funding his Department will provide to support the delivery of (a) art therapy, (b) animal therapy, (c) talking therapies, (d) group therapies and (e) other community-based preventative mental health support provision for residents in the Eastbourne area.

The NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board is responsible for funding decisions relating to the provision of mental health care for people in the Eastbourne area. Nationally, funding to expand evidence-based NHS Talking Therapies services has been prioritised, with the number of people completing a course of treatment expected to increase by 384,000 by 2028/29.

If he will take steps to allocate funding to the Lobular Moonshot Project.

Government responsibility for delivering cancer research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation, which includes the Medical Research Council (MRC).My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, accompanied by the Minister of State for Health, met with representatives of the Lobular Moonshot Project on 14 July 2025 to discuss their work. The Chief Scientific Adviser and officials from the Department of Health and Social Care and the MRC have held two further meetings with the Lobular Moonshot Project to provide advice on existing funding options.Both the MRC and the NIHR have committed to continuing to work with the Lobular Moonshot Campaign team to support the development of fundable research proposals in this area and help drive our collective ambition to increase understanding and effective management of this disease.The NIHR continues to welcome high quality, high impact funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including lobular breast cancer.

What steps he is taking to improve the supply of Pancreatin for people struggling to acquire their required quantity and dosage.

The Department is currently managing a supply issue with the pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) Creon, which is used by patients with conditions such as cystic fibrosis and certain cancers, including pancreatic cancer and neuroendocrine cancer. The supply issue with Creon is impacting countries throughout Europe and has been caused by the limited availability of raw ingredients and manufacturing capacity constraints to produce the volumes needed to meet demand. This is causing knock-on supply issues with alternative PERT products.The Department is continuing to work with all suppliers of PERT to help resolve the supply issues in the short and longer term. This includes asking that they expedite deliveries, source stock from other markets, and increase production. Through these discussions we have managed to secure additional volumes for 2025 for the United Kingdom.The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market. In May 2024, pancreatin preparations were added to the Department’s list of medicines that cannot be exported from the UK or hoarded. In the longer term, the Department has had interest from non-UK suppliers of PERT wishing to bring their products to the UK and, along with colleagues in the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, we are working with these potential suppliers, and if authorised, these products could further diversify and strengthen the market.The Department has widely disseminated comprehensive guidance to healthcare professionals about these supply issues, which provides advice on how to manage patients whilst there is disruption to supply to ensure that no patient is left without PERT.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce A&E waiting times in Eastbourne.

The Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance has fallen short in recent years and is committed to restoring accident and emergency waiting times to the NHS Constitutional standard across England, including in Eastbourne.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out a fundamental shift in the approach to urgent and emergency care. It will drive collaboration across the system to deliver improvements for patients this year, and is backed by nearly £450 million of capital investment.Furthermore, our 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will reduce waiting times in accident and emergency by shifting care into the community through new neighbourhood health services, forming a key part of our mission to reform the National Health Service.

What steps his Department is taking to improve hospital food for patients in Eastbourne.

Access to nutritious, tasty, and aesthetically pleasing hospital food can improve patient morale and contribute to their recovery.All National Health Service trusts, including in Eastbourne, are expected to follow the NHS National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink. There are eight mandatory standards all trusts are required to meet. This includes having a food and drink strategy and demonstrating that they have suitable food service provision, which is appropriate for their demographic, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Further information on the NHS National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-standards-for-healthcare-food-and-drink/

What steps his Department is taking to increase the number of dentist appointments in Eastbourne.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most.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 Eastbourne constituency, this is the NHS Sussex ICB. ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The NHS Sussex ICB is expected to deliver 26,546 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.ICBs have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

What steps his Department is taking to increase levels of cleanliness in hospitals in Eastbourne.

Cleanliness in hospitals is integral for patient safety and to ward off infections. We expect all National Health Service hospitals, including in Eastbourne, to follow the National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2025, which were published in February 2025. The standards apply to all healthcare organisations, and are available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-standards-of-healthcare-cleanliness-2025/

What steps his Department plans to take to support hospices in Eastbourne.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England, to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. The funding will help hospices to provide the best end of life care to patients and their families, in a supportive and dignified physical environment. The first £25 million tranche of that funding, which Hospice UK kindly allocated and distributed to hospices throughout England, has been fully spent by hospices on capital projects. From this first tranche of funding, St Wilfrid’s Hospice in Eastbourne received £179,191. Demelza Hospice Care for Children, which is the closest children’s hospice provider to Eastbourne, received £242,135. The second tranche of funding, consisting of £75 million, will be allocated in the coming weeks for use in 2025/26. In addition, we are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant. Demelza Hospice Care for Children will receive an allocation of £1,750,000 for 2025/26.

What steps he is taking to help tackle health inequalities in (a) Eastbourne and (b) the South East.

The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain, one where people can live longer, healthier lives regardless of where they are born or their financial circumstances. Tackling health inequalities requires a whole-Government effort. The newly published 10-Year Health Plan outlines a long-term vision to tackle these inequalities, address social determinants of health, and to make the National Health Service fit for the future, with further information available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-futureIn Eastbourne and across the South East, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ South East Regional Team provides system leadership for population health and for reducing health inequalities. This includes working with local authorities and integrated care systems to develop and deliver population health programmes at a local level, supporting regional NHS priorities and long-term planning on prevention and health inequalities, contributing to the development of the public health workforce, and enhancing data, intelligence, and insights for population health.

What steps his Department is taking to increase access to addiction support in Eastbourne.

The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug or alcohol problem can access the help and support they need, and we recognise the need for evidence-based, high-quality treatment.As a condition of the Public Health Grant, local authorities are responsible for improving the take up of, and outcomes from, their drug and alcohol treatment services, based on an assessment of local need and a plan which has been developed with local health and criminal justice partners. In addition to funding through the Public Health Grant, in 2025/26, the Department is providing East Sussex County Council with £3,095,946 from the Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Improvement Grant and £168,422 from the Individual Placement and Support grant to help improve drug and alcohol treatment and recovery support, which includes housing and employment. In the 12 months to May 2025, there were 2,791 adults who had benefited from treatment in East Sussex, compared to 2,657 in the 12 months to May 2024.This year, the Government is providing an additional £70 million for local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England, building on existing funding made available via the Public Health Grant. Additional funding for Stop Smoking Services is based on the number of smokers in each local authority, and East Sussex County Council has been allocated an extra £710,734 for 2025/26.All funding is provided at the East Sussex level, and it is for East Sussex County Council to determine how to meet needs in Eastbourne.In April 2025, a new statutory levy on gambling operators, expected to raise approximately £100 million per year, was introduced to fund the research, prevention, and treatment of gambling-related harms. The levy will be distributed across the three workstreams, with 50% allocated to NHS England, alongside appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, to commission the development of effective treatment and support services at national and sub-national levels.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the number of available general practice appointments in Eastbourne.

The Government is determined to work with the National Health Service to fix the front door of our health service and ensure that everyone can access general practice (GP) appointments and services, including in Eastbourne. Through our 10-Year Health Plan, it will be easier and faster to see a GP. The 8:00am scramble will end, we will train more doctors, and we will guarantee digital consultations within 24 hours. In October 2024, we invested £82 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of 1,900 individual GPs into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. We have also delivered the biggest boost to GP funding in years, an £889 million uplift, with GPs now receiving a growing share of National Health Service resources. Additionally, the new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 practices across England. This investment will deliver more appointments and improve patient care.