Written questions by Wood.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 July 2025 to Question 66478 Innovation: Beer and Public Houses, for what reason it is his policy to prohibit sales of non-alcoholic products to people under the age of 18; and how non-alcoholic drinks would be differentiated from soft drinks.

The Government is committed to supporting further growth of the no- and low-alcohol market, which has grown significantly over the past 10 years.A non-alcoholic product differs from a soft drink as it is a beverage intentionally crafted to mimic traditional alcoholic drinks like beer, wine, or spirits but with very little to no alcohol content. A full definition of an alcohol substitute drink can be found in regulation 9 to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy Regulations 2018, which are available at the following link:https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/41/madeThis policy is being pursued as these alcohol substitute drinks are intended for consumption by adults and should not be sold or supplied to children.

How many (a) embedded communications and (b) members of the Government Communications Service are employed by (i) his Department and (ii) NHS England.

At the end of August 2025, the Department had 40 full-time equivalent (FTE) communications staff embedded in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities working on public health and prevention programmes, and 85 FTE staff working in the Communications Directorate, covering a broad range of roles including media relations, marketing and branding, public health campaigns, internal communications and external publishing on GOV.UK. All are members of the Government Communications Service.At the end of July 2025, NHS England had 330 FTE staff working in communications covering a wide range of roles and support functions, including business operations, system and stakeholder engagement, events and visits teams, and parliamentary briefing and Freedom of Information (FOI) management. There are also five FTE staff embedded in other directorates, including working with FOI management and parliamentary briefing.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on industrial action in the NHS.

The Government is committed to reforming trade union legislation, to bring it into the 21st century. We want to create an industrial relations framework fit for a modern economy and workplaces that work for everyone.The Department of Business and Trade has published an overarching economic analysis of the Employment Rights Bill, namely the Employment Rights Bill economic analysis, a copy of which is attached. It has also published a specific impact assessment on the repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016, the Repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016, a copy of which is also attached.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2025 to Question 46764 on Industrial Disputes: Trade Unions, if he will make it his policy to suspend (a) facility time and (b) check-off for NHS-recognised trade unions whilst they are on strike.

We have no plans to suspend facility time or check-off for National Health Service recognised trade unions whilst they are on strike.It is for the local NHS employers and trade unions to agree on the approach to facility time during any period of industrial action. NHS trade union representatives would normally hold contracts with their individual NHS employer.

Whether trade union diversity networks in (a) his department and (b) NHS England are eligible for trade union facility time; and whether people can claim both diversity network time and facility time.

Neither the Department nor NHS England have specific trade union diversity networks.

With reference to the press release entitled Internship Scheme To Get More Working Class Students Into Civil Service, published on 1 August 2025, whether children of (a) NHS doctors and (b) NHS nurses will be able to apply for the Summer Internship Programme in (i) DHSC and (ii) NHS England in 2026.

The Summer Internship Programme (SIP) is a Cabinet Office run scheme. The scheme places interns into Government departments. The Department of Health and Social Care participates in the scheme and is allocated interns from the Cabinet Office.

With reference to the publication entitled Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, published on 30 May 2025, which suppliers were used to provide the Black History Month event.

The suppliers used for Black History Month were Eurest Services, for catering services that cost £69.

What his planned timetable is for the review of NHS England guidance entitled Delivering same-sex accommodation; and what role he will play in the process.

The National Health Service is currently reviewing its ‘Delivering same-sex accommodation’ guidance and will ensure revised guidance reflects the Supreme Court ruling and is aligned with the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) statutory guidance when this becomes available.The EHRC is working at pace to develop a new statutory Code of Practice in light of the judgment. This will cover in detail the approach employers should take in relation to single-sex spaces to align with their legal obligations. All service providers, including the NHS, must comply with this Code of Practice.The EHRC recently closed their consultation for the new Statutory Code of Practice and are now processing the responses.In the meantime, I continue to expect NHS employers to act in line with their legal obligations, including applying the Equality Act 2010 in line with the Supreme Court’s judgment.

What estimate he has made of the amount the NHS spends on drugs imported from the US.

The Department has made no estimate of the amount the National Health Service spends on drugs imported from the United States. Published information from the Office for National Statistics on imports into the United Kingdom from the United States for all pharmaceutical products, including human blood, bandages, and wadding type goods, is available at the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/articles/uktradewiththeunitedstates2023/2023#:~:text=There%20were%20%C2%A37.8%20billion,chemicals%20from%20the%20United%20States The data included does not disaggregate NHS and non-NHS spending.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2025 to Question 32585 on NHS: Training, what assessment he has made of the (a) efficiency and (b) effectiveness of NHS spending on unconscious basis training.

There has not been a specific assessment made of spend on unconscious bias training in the National Health Service. As explained in the answer to Question 32585, there is no national NHS-wide policy on unconscious bias training in the NHS. Individual NHS organisations have responsibility for training their own staff, and provide relevant training where appropriate.Taxpayers rightly expect value for money from the funding that is spent in the NHS. The NHS and the Department’s arms-length bodies are continually expected to review their expenditure, with a view to finding efficiency savings and ensuring value for money for the public purse.

What estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of abolishing NHS England for (a) Civil Service Compensation Scheme payments and (b) other redundancy costs.

We recognise that there may be some short-term upfront costs as we undertake the integration of NHS England and the Department, but these costs and more will be recouped in future years because of a smaller and leaner centre. By the end of the process, we estimate that these changes will save hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services.As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.

Whether there is a should cost model prepared on abolishing NHS England.

We recognise that there may be some short-term upfront costs as we undertake the integration of NHS England and the Department, but these costs and more will be recouped in future years because of a smaller and leaner centre. By the end of the process, we estimate that these changes will save hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services.As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.

Whether the abolition of NHS England will require (a) primary legislation, (b) secondary legislation and (c) no legislation.

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation.Primary legislation will be required, and we intend to bring this forward when Parliamentary time allows.

What preparations his Department is making for currently unknown pathogens that could emerge in future.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has a comprehensive epidemic intelligence system to detect, assess, and communicate infectious health threats to the United Kingdom. Horizon scanning and intelligence gathering functions are designed to identify and monitor outbreaks, even when the cause is unknown, such as in the World Health Organization’s hypothetical "Disease X" scenario. Robust risk assessment processes are also in place to implement effective mitigation strategies, ensuring the protection of public health.For diseases of pandemic potential, the UKHSA’s Centre for Pandemic Preparedness (CPP) works to identify gaps in preparedness and opportunities to enhance readiness. The CPP also serves as the UK secretariat for the 100 Days Mission, a global initiative which aims to ensure that safe and effective diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines can be equitably deployed within the first 100 days of a pandemic.Further information on the Government’s ambition to protect the UK and ensure it is resilient to a spectrum of biological threats is set out in the Biological Security Strategy, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-biological-security-strategy

With reference to page 28 of the policy paper entitled Plan for Change: Milestones for mission-led government, published on 5 December 2024, CP1210, whether his Department plans to measure the success of the neighbourhood health service model by (a) patient satisfaction, (b) health outcomes and (c) service delivery times.

We are committed to moving towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered in local communities to spot problems earlier, supporting people to stay healthier and maintain their independence for longer.We recognise the need for robust evaluation and are developing plans to do so, including the appropriate measures of success. This will be aligned with the monitoring and evaluation activities of the 10-Year Health Plan.

With reference to page 28 of the policy paper entitled Plan for Change: Milestones for mission-led government, published on 5 December 2024, CP1210, what key performance indicators he plans to use to track the implementation of the 10 year health plan; and if he will publish definitions of success for each indicator.

The 10-Year Health Plan is being developed in line with best practice for policy making set out in the HM Treasury Green Book. This includes consideration of monitoring and evaluation before, during and after implementation.Identifying appropriate performance indicators will be done in conjunction with developing the detail of the plan. Further detail will be set out at an appropriate time, including any plans to publish specific success metrics and their definitions.

With reference to the policy paper entitled Plan for Change: Milestones for mission-led government, published on 5 December 2024, CP1210, how he plans to measure the impact of digital transformation in the NHS; and what performance targets he has set for patient access to single health records.

Digital transformation offers substantial opportunities for the National Health Service to improve care outcomes and to lower cost, while improving the experience of patients. The impact of digital tools and programmes are measured individually, and organisations are required to identify, manage, actively track and report impacts, outcomes and benefits against agreed plans. The Government has announced its intention to develop a Single Patient Record, and specific investment decisions and targets will be subject to the forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan, Spending Review Phase 2, and further detailed work. The Government has continued to take action in the short term on joining up patient records, including investing £19.5 million in Shared Care Records.