Written questions by Evans.

With reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice of 31 March 2025 in the debate on the Report Stage of the Mental Health Bill, Official Report, House of Lords, column 103, what the remit of the health and justice strategic advisory group is.

The first formal meeting of the mental health and justice strategic advisory group is planned to take place on 1 July 2025. The group will be chaired by NHS England’s National Medical Director for Mental Health and Neurodiversity, who will report regularly to Ministers and be responsible for agreeing a joint work plan to support implementation of the statutory time limit for transfers between prisons and hospitals, identifying solutions to common barriers to timely transfers and holding partners to account.An initial planning meeting was held on 30 April 2025 and the chair, along with senior leads in health and justice, specialised commissioning and community mental health are in the process of agreeing the terms of reference for the group.

With reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice of 31 March 2025 in the debate on the Report Stage of the Mental Health Bill, Official Report, House of Lords, column 103, how many times the health and justice strategy advisory group has met.

The first formal meeting of the mental health and justice strategic advisory group is planned to take place on 1 July 2025. The group will be chaired by NHS England’s National Medical Director for Mental Health and Neurodiversity, who will report regularly to Ministers and be responsible for agreeing a joint work plan to support implementation of the statutory time limit for transfers between prisons and hospitals, identifying solutions to common barriers to timely transfers and holding partners to account.An initial planning meeting was held on 30 April 2025 and the chair, along with senior leads in health and justice, specialised commissioning and community mental health are in the process of agreeing the terms of reference for the group.

With reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice of 31 March 2025 in the debate on the Report Stage of the Mental Health Bill, Official Report, House of Lords, column 103, how he plans to monitor the effectiveness of the health and justice strategy advisory group.

The mental health and justice strategic advisory group will be chaired by NHS England’s National Medical Director for Mental Health and Neurodiversity, and the group’s membership is still in the process of being confirmed. The mental health and justice strategic advisory group has not yet started its work. The National Medical Director for Mental Health and Neurodiversity, along with senior leads in health and justice, specialised commissioning, and community mental health are in the process of agreeing the terms of reference for the group, and its first meeting is expected to take place in early July. The Chair will provide a quarterly report on progress and impact to ministers in both the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Health and Social Care, with the first report expected in the Autumn.

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the Advertising Standards Authority ruling on EME Aesthetics and Beauty Academy Ltd, published on 16 April 2025.

Cosmetic treatment providers have a responsibility to ensure that their advertising does not trivialise medical risks, provide misleading information or pressure customers to book without proper consultation. The Government supports the Advertising Standard Authority’s ruling to ensure that consumers are supported to make safe and informed choices about any cosmetic procedure they wish to undergo.We are exploring options for further regulation in this area and will set out the details of our approach in our response to the consultation on the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, which we will publish at the earliest opportunity.

What assessment he has made of the potential causes of trends in the number of people being diagnosed with melanoma.

Diagnoses of skin cancers, including melanoma, have been increasing. NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including melanoma. This information can be found at sources such as the NHS.UK website.As well as raising awareness, there have been changes in the way skin cancers, including melanoma, are diagnosed. NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time national report provided recommendations to encourage the wider use of technology to ensure skin cancer patients get faster and more equitable access to care.NHS England has been rolling out teledermatology services, which allow a virtual review of dermoscopic images to identify skin cancers. In providers where this has been fully implemented, improvements in workforce capacity have enabled up to double the number of patients to be reviewed per clinic. This has also resulted in an improved performance for the Faster Diagnosis Standard.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 44000 on NHS England, what ongoing assessments his Department is currently undertaking to assess the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England healthcare delivery.

It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. Ongoing assessment is part of the reform programme, and the evidence collected will inform the programme as appropriate and ensure our decisions focus on improving patient care.The Government is committed to transparency, and will consider how best to ensure the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 44000 on NHS England, what criteria his Department is using to assess and understand the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on healthcare delivery.

It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. Evidence from these ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate, and will ensure our decisions focus on improving patient care.When appropriate, we will update Parliament on progress with the plans for the organisational changes.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 43997 on NHS England: ICT, if he will publish a (a) timeline and (b) outline of the plans he intends to put in place to ensure a smooth integration of IT systems.

Ministers and senior Department officials are working closely with the new NHS England executive team on the creation of a new centre and to ensure delivery is prioritised and protected during this period of change. The Government is committed to transparency to Parliament, staff and the public.When appropriate, we will update Parliament on progress with the plans for the organisational changes. We will put plans in place to ensure, where appropriate, a smooth integration of internal IT systems; and the continued operation of those providing live services to the National Health Service.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 43999 on NHS England, what evidence is being collected from these ongoing assessments.

At this stage, it is too early to share details of the assessments. The joint programme team has been assessing resourcing, responsibilities and functions from across both organisations, whilst also mapping statutory functions.The Government is committed to transparency to Parliament, staff and the public. When appropriate, we will update Parliament on progress with the plans for the organisational changes.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 44003 on NHS England, when the next meeting between Ministers and the new executive team in NHS England is planned.

Ministers and senior Department officials are working closely with the new NHS England executive team on the creation of a new centre and to ensure delivery is prioritised and protected during this period of change.Ministers meet regularly with members of the new NHS England executive team on a range of topics.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the number of GP appointments in the last five years.

Appointment numbers continue to increase year-on-year, and in the 12 months to March 2025 an estimated 383.4 million appointments were delivered. This is an increase of 3.7% compared to the 12 months up to March 2024, with 369.7 million appointments delivered, and an increase of 23.6% compared to the 12 months up to March 2020, with 310.3 million appointments delivered.In response to this growing demand, the Government has invested £82 million in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, which has enabled the recruitment of more than 1,500 recently qualified general practitioners (GPs) in England since October. This will increase the number of available appointments, secure the future supply of GPs, and alleviate the pressure on those currently working in the system.

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the number of (a) GP appointments and (b) GPs recruited through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme since August 2024.

Appointment numbers continue to increase year-on-year, and in the 12 months to March 2025 an estimated 383.4 million appointments were delivered. This is an increase of 3.7% compared to the 12 months up to March 2024, with 369.7 million appointments delivered, and an increase of 23.6% compared to the 12 months up to March 2020, with 310.3 million appointments delivered.In response to this growing demand, the Government has invested £82 million in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, which has enabled the recruitment of more than 1,500 recently qualified general practitioners (GPs) in England since October. This will increase the number of available appointments, secure the future supply of GPs, and alleviate the pressure on those currently working in the system.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 45881 on NHS England: Redundancy Pay, on what evidential basis he said that the cost of abolishing NHS England will be offset by future reductions in spending.

The organisational change programme is still in its early phases, but we expect a contribution to overall efficiency to be realised from functional integration, more coherent policy and delivery alignment, and improved performance and accountability mechanisms, which will all in turn reduce reporting burdens and empower local leaders. While there will be some upfront costs, we expect the reform to wipe out duplication and drive a smaller centre, based in a single organisation, will generate significant savings in the long run allowing us to divert savings to the front line. Further detail will be provided as the programme develops.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 45881 on NHS England: Redundancy Pay, if he will publish the modelling data on the offsetting of the redundancy package costs.

It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts and costs, as is due process. Evidence from these ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate.The Government is committed to transparency and will consider how best to ensure that the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 44003 on NHS England, what his planned timetable is to determine the (a) leadership, (b) structure and (c) requirements for abolishing NHS England.

Work has already begun on bringing teams in NHS England and the Department even closer together, to share knowledge and allow for joint planning, whilst we progress the design of the new centre, so clarity can be given to staff as soon as possible. This is in line with the one-team culture we have been building over the past eight months.Since the announcement, the Department has set up a joint board, assessed resources and responsibilities across existing organisations, developed proposals on the role, functions, and structure of the new centre, and started detailed operational and legislative planning.NHS England will continue to carry out its statutory duties until parliamentary time allows for legislation to be brought forward. We are aiming for the work to be completed within two years.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 43999 on NHS England, if he will publish the evidence from the ongoing assessments.

It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. Evidence from these ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate.The Government is committed to transparency and will consider how best to ensure that the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of implementing new caps on clinical pathway consultations on Pharmacy First from April 2025.

Caps on Pharmacy First clinical pathway consultations were first introduced in April 2024. In October 2024, the methodology used to calculate clinical pathway caps changed to be based on actual delivery, and from April 2025 caps will be calculated monthly instead of quarterly.As part of the 2024/25 and 2025/26 Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework, we have agreed to maintain the current cost control mechanism linked to Pharmacy First, which will manage the growth of the service to ensure delivery remains within the agreed funding envelope. This methodology has been designed to ensure fair and consistent access for all contractors. Any underspend, where caps are not met, will be redistributed and moved into subsequent months.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 43996 on NHS England, what plans his Department plans to put in place to help ensure that there are no risks to patient safety.

NHS England will continue to undertake its statutory functions while working with the new NHS England executive during the transition, until parliamentary time allows for primary legislative changes to be made.Patient safety will remain paramount over this transformation period. We will put plans in place to ensure continuity of care and that there are no risks to patient safety.

Whether Baroness Casey has begun the independent commission into adult social care.

The independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock DBE CB, formally launched on 29 April 2025 with a meeting with people who draw on social care. On 2 May 2025, the Government published the terms of reference, outlining the scope of the commission’s work, which are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-commission-into-adult-social-care-terms-of-reference/independent-commission-into-adult-social-care-terms-of-reference

What resources have been provided to Baroness Casey to support (a) the independent commission into adult social care and (b) associated costs.

The terms of reference set out that Baroness Casey of Blackstock DBE CB will lead the commission’s work fully independently, with the Department of Health and Social Care as the lead sponsor department. All relevant Government departments will cooperate fully, be transparent, and will provide all data and analysis needed to support the commission. The commission will report on its financial expenditure in due course. The terms of reference are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-commission-into-adult-social-care-terms-of-reference/independent-commission-into-adult-social-care-terms-of-reference