Written questions by Anderson.

What steps he is taking to support hospices with the increase in (a) the level of inflation and (b) staffing costs and (c) energy prices.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. 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. In 2024/25 and 2025/26, this funding was administered via integrated care boards in line with National Health Service devolution.The Department and NHS England are looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care, including hospice provision, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.The Government and the NHS will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, including from hospices, to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required changes to palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams. Hospices will play an important role in that shift.The Department and NHS England will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, to understand the issues and pressures they face.

What steps his Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for radiotherapy treatment.

Radiotherapy is vital in cancer care, and it remains a key priority for the Government to reduce radiotherapy waiting times and provide the highest quality of treatment available. This is why the Government has invested £70 million of central funding on 28 new radiotherapy machines across the country to replace older machines. These new machines are more efficient meaning that more patients can be seen more quickly. This will help to reduce waiting times for cancer patients.

What recent discussions he has had with (a) NICE and (b) NHS England on the (i) availability of and (ii) access to new treatments for patients with secondary breast cancer.

Ministers and Department officials have regular discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England on a range of issues including access to new treatments.NICE makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether all new licensed medicines, including medicines for secondary breast cancer, should be routinely funded by the NHS. NHS England funds all NICE-recommended treatments for breast cancer with the funding available from the point of a positive draft NICE decision. Since 2018, NICE has recommended all but one of the treatments for breast cancer that it has assessed, including treatments for advanced breast cancer, such as Truqap and Korserdu, which are now available to eligible NHS patients. NICE recommended treatments are available to NHS patients in line with NICE’s recommendations.

For what purposes their Department has used artificial intelligence in the last year.

The Department has developed, as proof-of-concept projects, artificial intelligence (AI) enabled summarisation tools that have been used to analyse and draw out key themes from free text and survey responses, as well as to summarise academic journals and parliamentary speeches. AI-enabled topic modelling tools have also been used to label text data source results and to group together similar responses in consultation analysis.In addition, a generative AI tool, Microsoft 365 Copilot, is currently being trialled by the Department’s staff in anticipation of a Department wide roll out of the tool in October 2025.The Department regularly reviews the usage of AI to maximise productivity benefits for staff and the public.

How many cases of tuberculosis have been recorded in each of the last 10 years.

The number of people notified with tuberculosis in England over the last 10 years is published as part of the UK Health Security Agency’s tuberculosis annual report. The latest annual report, released in December 2024, includes data up to the end of 2023. The full report and data tables are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tuberculosis-in-england-2024-reportThe following table shows tuberculosis notifications for the previous 10 years:YearTotal number of notifications20146,47320155,73420165,62120175,06620184,61020194,70420204,12420214,40720224,37520234,85520245,480Note: data for 2024 is provisional and was included in the quarterly report for quarter four of 2024, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tuberculosis-in-england-national-quarterly-reports/national-quarterly-report-of-tuberculosis-in-england-quarter-4-2024-provisional-data

If he will make provision for the early diagnosis of blood cancers in the National Cancer Plan.

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers such as myeloma, as well as other unstageable cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, in order to improve outcomes.To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancer earlier and treating it faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.

What recent steps he has taken to improve access to new treatments for patients with secondary breast cancer.

The Department is committed to ensuring that the National Health Service diagnoses cancer earlier and treats it faster so that more patients, including those with breast cancer, survive.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the NHS on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on their costs and benefits. Cancer medicines are eligible for funding from the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point of a positive NICE recommendation. Since January 2022, NICE has recommended all but one of the treatments for breast cancer that it has assessed, including treatments for secondary breast cancer such as Truqap and Korserdu, which are now available to eligible NHS patients.The National Cancer Plan for England will be published later this year and will set out further details on how we will improve outcomes for all cancer patients, including those with secondary breast cancer. The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 67468 on Diseases: Undocumented Migrants, what the cost to the public purse was for initial health assessments for irregular migrants in each of the last five years.

The Department and NHS England do not hold the information requested.The Department, NHS England and UK Health Security Agency officials are supporting the Home Office and regional and local health partners to support delivery of reforms to the asylum system, including to accommodation for asylum seekers. The Department’s role focuses on addressing the health needs of asylum seekers, protecting local services, and addressing the transmission risks for infectious diseases.

What discussions he has had with the Food Standards Agency on increasing the frequency of food hygiene assessments.

The Food Law Code of Practice (the Code), which is prepared by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and issued by my rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, provides statutory guidance to local authorities and Port Health Authorities responsible for the delivery of official food controls and other official activities. Within the Code is guidance for authorities on how to determine the frequency of official controls using a risk-based approach. Higher risk or non-compliant establishments receive a higher frequency of official control than lower risk, compliant establishments.The FSA has recently consulted upon a revised Code which included proposals to introduce and develop flexibilities available to authorities. These can help support more focus on higher risk or non-compliant food establishments. The FSA aims to lay the revised Code in autumn 2025. The FSA also continues to work across Government and with local authority partners to ensure food safety regulation remains proportionate and effective.

What steps he is taking with the Food Standards Agency to help increase levels of public awareness of dangerous food product recalls.

Food recalls and allergy alerts often receive a high level of engagement depending on the scale and risk associated with each recall. It is the responsibility of businesses to reach the public through displaying in-store notices and notifying consumers through their own communication channels. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) amplifies recalls to reach a wider audience and those most vulnerable.The FSA works with national and regional media outlets, and shares recall information across its social media channels. This strategy achieves regular national coverage, plus targeted regional coverage. Targeted advertising campaigns on social media encourage the public to sign up for the food alerts and recalls service. Promoting the alerts and recall service is a key objective of our current business campaign. Safer food means better business, which aims to support small and micro businesses in protecting their customers.Targeted partnerships with healthcare providers, charities and organisations that represent vulnerable consumers facilitate direct access to those who are most at risk to food borne diseases. This includes immunocompromised groups or those living with an allergy.The FSA carried out a key review of the recall process in 2017 with the strengthened processes in place by 2019, and an evaluation of improvements carried out in 2022. At the heart of this work is making sure that as much as possible the system works smoothly across all those involved so that consumers are aware when unsafe foods are recalled.

What steps he is taking to help reduce the number of GP visits before diagnosis for patients with blood cancer.

The Department continues to support the National Health Service to diagnose and treat cancer as early and fast as possible. However, because of the state of the NHS this Government inherited, we recognise that patients with cancers with non-specific symptoms such as blood cancer, are waiting too long for diagnosis and subsequent treatment.To help prevent multiple general practice (GP) visits and emergency setting diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England with blood cancers being one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.The Department recently hosted a roundtable with industry experts to discuss the proposal for Jess’s Rule. Outcomes and further steps will be confirmed in due course.

What steps he is taking to help reduce the number of blood cancer patients diagnosed through A&E.

The Department continues to support the National Health Service to diagnose and treat cancer as early and fast as possible. There have been improvements in the prognosis of blood cancer patients, with patients now living twice as long. However, we recognise that because of the damaged NHS this Government inherited, patients with cancers with non-specific symptoms such as blood cancer, are waiting too long for diagnosis and subsequent treatment.There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. However, the Department will continue to engage with blood cancer charities and key stakeholders to determine how to support the best outcomes for blood cancer patients.At this time no current assessment has been made on the potential merits of a proxy measure for early diagnosis in unstageable blood cancers. However, we remain committed to making improvements across different cancer types and reducing disparities in cancer survival. Early cancer diagnosis is also a specific priority within the NHS’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities. The NHS currently track early diagnosis in stageable blood cancers by combining the percentage of diagnoses within stage 1 or 2, as it would for any other stageable cancer.Furthermore, to tackle late, emergency setting diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England with blood cancers being one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), through the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Services, collects information on how many people in England have cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms. The NDRS website also shows the number of people treated for different tumour types by treatment type, as well as survival rates, mortality rates, and data on urgent suspected cancer referrals. Further information is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/cancer-data-hubThe National Cancer Plan will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients in England, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will ensure patients, including those with blood cancer, have timely access to the latest treatments and technology.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 67468 on Diseases: Undocumented Migrants, what information her Department holds on the number of irregular migrants who were found to have an infectious disease upon arrival in each of the last three years.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) does not routinely collect or hold data on communicable disease by visa status for new arrivals to the United Kingdom. However, if an outbreak occurs, data associated with outbreak cases may be collected.There was an outbreak of diphtheria among this group in 2022 and 2023. Monthly data on these cases is published by UKHSA and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diphtheria-cases-among-asylum-seekers-in-england-2022/diphtheria-cases-among-asylum-seekers-in-england-weekly-data-tablesNo cases were reported in 2024, and two cases have been confirmed so far in 2025.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the early (a) detection and (b) diagnosis of blood cancer.

The Department continues to support the National Health Service to diagnose and treat cancer as early and fast as possible. There have been improvements in the prognosis of blood cancer patients, with patients now living twice as long. However, we recognise that because of the damaged NHS this Government inherited, patients with cancers with non-specific symptoms such as blood cancer, are waiting too long for diagnosis and subsequent treatment.There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. However, the Department will continue to engage with blood cancer charities and key stakeholders to determine how to support the best outcomes for blood cancer patients.At this time no current assessment has been made on the potential merits of a proxy measure for early diagnosis in unstageable blood cancers. However, we remain committed to making improvements across different cancer types and reducing disparities in cancer survival. Early cancer diagnosis is also a specific priority within the NHS’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities. The NHS currently track early diagnosis in stageable blood cancers by combining the percentage of diagnoses within stage 1 or 2, as it would for any other stageable cancer.Furthermore, to tackle late, emergency setting diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England with blood cancers being one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), through the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Services, collects information on how many people in England have cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms. The NDRS website also shows the number of people treated for different tumour types by treatment type, as well as survival rates, mortality rates, and data on urgent suspected cancer referrals. Further information is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/cancer-data-hubThe National Cancer Plan will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients in England, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will ensure patients, including those with blood cancer, have timely access to the latest treatments and technology.

If he will undertake a review of the adequacy of targets based on the staging of solid tumours for the early diagnosis of blood cancers in patients.

The Department continues to support the National Health Service to diagnose and treat cancer as early and fast as possible. There have been improvements in the prognosis of blood cancer patients, with patients now living twice as long. However, we recognise that because of the damaged NHS this Government inherited, patients with cancers with non-specific symptoms such as blood cancer, are waiting too long for diagnosis and subsequent treatment.There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. However, the Department will continue to engage with blood cancer charities and key stakeholders to determine how to support the best outcomes for blood cancer patients.At this time no current assessment has been made on the potential merits of a proxy measure for early diagnosis in unstageable blood cancers. However, we remain committed to making improvements across different cancer types and reducing disparities in cancer survival. Early cancer diagnosis is also a specific priority within the NHS’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities. The NHS currently track early diagnosis in stageable blood cancers by combining the percentage of diagnoses within stage 1 or 2, as it would for any other stageable cancer.Furthermore, to tackle late, emergency setting diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England with blood cancers being one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), through the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Services, collects information on how many people in England have cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms. The NDRS website also shows the number of people treated for different tumour types by treatment type, as well as survival rates, mortality rates, and data on urgent suspected cancer referrals. Further information is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/cancer-data-hubThe National Cancer Plan will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients in England, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will ensure patients, including those with blood cancer, have timely access to the latest treatments and technology.

What steps his Department is taking to improve (a) education about and (b) awareness of endometriosis.

The Government recognises 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.On 15 July, the Department for Education published the revised Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (RSHE) statutory guidance, which stipulates that secondary school RSHE lessons should cover menstrual and gynaecological health, covering aspects such as what is an average period, conditions including endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, and when to seek help from healthcare professionals. This revised guidance emphasises the importance of ensuring that pupils have a comprehensive understanding of women’s health topics.The General Medical Council has introduced the Medical Licensing Assessment to encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the United Kingdom. The content map for this assessment includes several topics relating to women’s health, including menstrual problems, endometriosis, menopause, and urinary incontinence. This will encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the UK.Endometriosis is also included in the core curriculum for trainee general practitioners, and for obstetricians and gynaecologists. In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence updated their guideline on endometriosis which makes firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referral and investigations for women with a suspected diagnosis, which is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG73)www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG73

What information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

The Department does not record remote workdays. Data on office attendance is published on the Civil Service HQ occupancy data - GOV.UK page.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential risk of infectious diseases from immigrants who arrive illegally on boats.

The UK Health Security Agency routinely monitors infectious disease risk across England and manages any public health action required following notification of infectious diseases.The Migrant Health Guide recommends that all new arrivals to the United Kingdom, including people seeking asylum, should have access to an initial health assessment, which includes infectious disease screening and routine vaccine catch-up. The guide is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migrant-health-guide

What data his department holds on how much health tourism has cost the NHS in each of the last 5 years.

The Department does not currently hold data on the overall cost to the National Health Service of treating complications arising from procedures carried out overseas. However, we are actively exploring ways to better understand the scale and impact of these costs on NHS services.

How much their Department has spent on translating documents into languages other than (a) English and (b) other native UK languages in each year since 2023; and what these languages were.

There has been no expenditure by the Department on translating documents into any languages other than English and other languages native to the United Kingdom since 2023.