Written questions by Wood.

With reference to the answer of 23 April 2026, to Question HL16207, whether his Department played a role in highlighting the scheme to the wider NHS.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to the news story entitled Liz Chinchen appointed as senior adviser to Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, of 5 March 2026, whether Liz Chinchen remains in post.

Liz Chinchen’s appointment continues in accordance with the terms of her engagement.

With reference to the news story entitled Liz Chinchen appointed as senior adviser to Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, of 5 March 2026, whether Liz Chinchen made a declaration of poli

Liz Chinchen declared her political interests as part of the declaration of interests process for the appointment.

With reference to the answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 114500 on Data, Statistics and Research on Sex and Gender Independent Review, who the members are of the Health Statistics Leadership Forum;

The current members of the Health and Care Statistics Leadership Forum are:Deputy Director, Statistics and Data Science and Head of Profession for Statistics at the Department (Chair), and an appointed deputy;Deputy Director for Population Health Analysis...

With reference to the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts, Data for October to December 2025 for all departments, published on 31 March 2026, if he will list

The information is not held in the format requested.

With reference to the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts, Data for October to December 2025 for all departments, published on 31 March 2026, if he will list

The information is not held in the format requested.

How many staff work in his communications department; how many work in the communications department of NHS England; and for what reason external public relations staff have been engaged.

As of 31 May 2026, the Department had 79 staff working in the Communications Directorate, including four external affairs specialists who help to ensure our stakeholders and partners have visibility of the Department’s work and are able to support where a...

With reference to the answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 114500 on Data, Statistics and Research on Sex and Gender Independent Review, if he will publish the terms of reference for the United Infor

A copy of the Terms of Reference of the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics Publication Steering Group is attached.

What Baroness Casey’s total remuneration is as Chair of the Independent Commission into Adult Social Care in England.

Baroness Louise Casey has been appointed as a Direct Ministerial Appointment and, in line with Cabinet Office guidance, this appointment is remunerated. As the Commission is independent, the Commission is responsible for reporting on its financial expendi...

With reference to the government transparency data, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts, Data for October to December 2025 for all departments, published on 31 March 2026, for what reasons the Food Standards Agency contract for the Delivery of Official Controls in Approved Establishments in England and Wales with Eville and Jones requires the supplier to ensure that at least 2% of companywide headcount progresses through internal opportunities.

People and resourcing are central to the successful delivery of the Food Standards Agency Delivered Official Controls contracts and the social value targets for these contracts are:recruitment and retention of Supplier Personnel in the Delivery of Meat Official Controls on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA);promotion of an inclusive working environment that supports retention; andcompany culture that supports progression of Supplier Personnel. The purpose of these targets is to support the objective of lower attrition and higher experience levels of the workforce delivering these controls, ultimately improving the service that the FSA delivers for the public.

What dates the An NHS Fit for the Future Mission Board met since it ceased to be a Cabinet committee in November 2025.

Mission Boards ceased to be Cabinet Office committees at the end of last year. Since then, my ministerial colleagues and I have continued to engage stakeholders through a variety of fora to take forward the 10-Year Health Plan, through which we are delivering our Health Mission. Oversight is maintained by the Departmental Board, chaired by My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, details of which can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2025, to Question 70519, on Public Inquiries, what has been the total public cost to date of the Fuller Inquiry.

The total cost of the Fuller Inquiry from its commencement in November 2021 to the end of July 2025 is £3,767,395.

What has been the total cost to date of the Lampard Inquiry.

The Lampard Inquiry has published information on its expenditure at the following link:https://lampardinquiry.org.uk/financial-report/

What has been the total cost to date of the Thirlwall Inquiry.

The total cost of the Thirlwall Inquiry from its commencement in September 2023 to the end of March 2026 is £18,718,000.00. This includes March 2026 forecasted amounts.

What guidance the MHRA has provided to staff on whether they can express (a) gender-critical or (b) pro-transgender beliefs in the workplace.

All colleagues within the Civil Service, across the Government, are required to follow guidance set out in the Civil Service Code of Conduct. This is available to all on the GOV.UK website. In addition, colleagues are also required to follow Guidance on Diversity and Inclusion and Impartiality for Civil Servants. This guidance is also available on the GOV.UK website.

Pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2026 to Question 92264 on NHS England; Redundancy, how many departmental civil servants left under the voluntary exit scheme in the first cohort of November-December 2025; and how many will leave in the second cohort between January and May 2026.

198 employees left in November and December 2025. We are not yet in a position to confirm the total number of leavers, although as of 23 March 2026, a further 98 employees have left or are confirmed leavers under our voluntary exit scheme.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2026 to Question 113596 on Mission Boards: Cabinet Committees, if he will publish the current terms of reference of the NHS Fit for the Future Mission Board; and whether any changes have been made since the Mission Board was originally established.

Mission Boards have been reformed to become delivery-focused forums. The 10-Year Health Plan, published in July 2025, is delivering our Health Mission. Ministers and external stakeholders are involved in a variety of fora to take forward the 10-Year Health Plan. Oversight is maintained by the Departmental Board, chaired by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, details of which can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Whether Liz Chinchen made a declaration of political activity.

Liz Chinchen declared membership of the Labour Party as part of the declaration of interests process to approve the direct ministerial appointment.

With reference to the DHSC annual report and accounts 2024-25, HC1446, what the job titles were of the five civil servants who received exit payments over £200,000.

In the Department’s annual report and accounts for 2024/25, there were five civil servants who received exit payments over £200,000, all of whom were employees of the Department’s Executive Agency, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).During 2024/25 financial year, the UKHSA embarked on a restructure to streamline operations, optimise resources, enhance strategic decision-making capabilities, and respond to evolving priorities and demands within the health security landscape. The outcome being a more agile, lean, and effective organisation structured to fulfil its mission effectively.The five roles were removed as part of the restructuring exercise, these included Directors General, Directors and Deputy Directors. More detailed role information, such as job titles, is information that could identify individuals and therefore is not routinely disclosed. All exit payments and approaches followed the Civil Service Compensation Scheme rules and were approved by the Department and Cabinet Office in line with standard approval processes.

Pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2026 to Question 107388 on Care Quality Commission: Equality, if he will publish the documentation associated with the CQC’s positive action development programme.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) operates independently of the Department. The positive action development programme is an internal CQC initiative, and the Department does not hold the associated documentation. The Department has been informed by the CQC that this documentation is not published externally but is available to CQC staff via its intranet.