Written questions by Duncan-Jordan.

What steps he is taking to help develop short-term and long-term strategic plans for the social care sector.

The independent commission into adult social care is underway, developing plans for how we move to a National Care Service based on greater choice and control, joined-up health and care services, and higher quality of care.Phase 1 of the commission will report this year, making recommendations to address immediate priorities for adult social care, laying the groundwork for long-term reform and setting us on the path to deliver a National Care Service.In the meantime the Government is already putting the foundations in place, enabling choice and control through record investment in the Disabled Facilities Grant, including £723 million this year, improving care quality through the first ever adult social care Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million, and joining up services by improving national data and digital infrastructure and developing neighbourhood health services.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of social care resources being transferred to local government departments to deliver social care services.

Funding for adult social care is provided by the Government to local authorities as part of the local government finance settlement and various grants. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people.In exercising these duties, local authorities should balance a range of relevant factors when considering the type of care provider they commission. They should encourage or deliver a range of different services to ensure people have a genuine choice of high-quality care services. Market decisions should be informed by considerations of population needs and market sustainability, with the aim of improving outcomes through high‑quality, personalised care.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how local authorities in England are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. The assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed. If the CQC identifies that a local authority has failed or is failing to discharge its duties under the Care Act to an acceptable standard, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has powers to intervene. All reports are published on the CQC’s website at the following link:https://www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports

If it will make an assessment of the potential merits of transferring control of social care to the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government to provide services at the local level.

No estimation or assessment has been made. The Department currently has responsibility for social care policy. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to meet the eligible care and support needs of people in their local area.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of the provision of social care services by Local Authority Social Service Departments.

Funding for adult social care is provided by the Government to local authorities as part of the local government finance settlement and various grants. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people.In exercising these duties, local authorities should balance a range of relevant factors when considering the type of care provider they commission. They should encourage or deliver a range of different services to ensure people have a genuine choice of high-quality care services. Market decisions should be informed by considerations of population needs and market sustainability, with the aim of improving outcomes through high‑quality, personalised care.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how local authorities in England are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. The assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed. If the CQC identifies that a local authority has failed or is failing to discharge its duties under the Care Act to an acceptable standard, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has powers to intervene. All reports are published on the CQC’s website at the following link:https://www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports

What level of skilled professional workforce the Department estimates is needed to meet the current demand of the social care sector and what steps is it taking to meet this target.

Demand for long‑term care is projected to rise markedly over the next decade, driven by growth in the older population. Current projections from Skills for Care, and the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre at the London School of Economics suggest that this would require workforce growth of approximately 2% to 3% per year to broadly keep pace with demand.Recent data from Skills for Care shows a 3.2% increase in filled posts in domiciliary care and a 1.4% increase in residential care between March 2025 and February 2026.The Department’s immediate priority is to support the adult social care sector to meet current demand by improving recruitment, retention, and workforce stability. While responsibility for workforce planning and delivery sits primarily with local authorities and providers, the Department is taking action to support the sector and improve its sustainability.This includes introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement to improve pay, and terms and conditions, delivering a national recruitment campaign to promote care as a career, working with the Department for Work and Pensions to support domestic recruitment, and continuing to monitor workforce capacity through Skills for Care data, the Capacity Tracker, and intelligence from sector partners.The Department of Health and Social Care is also taking action to professionalise and upskill the workforce, which is essential for both short-term capacity and long-term sustainability. This includes implementing the Care Workforce Pathway as the first universal career structure for adult social care, investing a further £10 million this financial year through the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme to fund training and qualifications including the Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate, providing £2.3 million to support newly qualified social workers through the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment, and piloting a fund to enable adult social care nurses to prescribe medications and support care workers to take on healthcare activities.Together, these measures aim to improve retention through clearer progression, better recognition of skills, and increased opportunities for development, while supporting the sector to meet rising and increasingly complex demand.

What estimations his Department has made of the cost of integrating the social care sector into the Department and devolving it to local government level.

No estimation or assessment has been made. The Department currently has responsibility for social care policy. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a duty to meet the eligible care and support needs of people in their local area.

What steps he is taking to help to support the development of individual good life plans for people in social care.

The Care Act 2014 places a duty on local authorities to promote wellbeing when arranging social care for an individual, and this provides individuals and their carers with more control over the way in which care and support is provided. As part of the Department’s national improvement and support offer to the adult social care sector, it funds Think Local Act Personal (TLAP), to deliver a programme that supports the personalisation of services. This includes facilitating local use of TLAP’s Making it Real framework and principles, which ensure that people who draw on care and support are involved in shaping services. TLAP also helps with practical models of self-directed support and advice on the personalisation of services. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how local authorities in England are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including assessing needs. The assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed. If the CQC identifies that a local authority has failed or is failing to discharge its duties under the Care Act to an acceptable standard, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has powers to intervene. All reports are published on CQC’s website at the following link: https://www.cqc.org.uk/care-services/local-authority-assessment-reports. As part of the progress we are making on building a National Care Service, we are supporting the CQC to be a trusted partner, regulator, and driver of standards across England for adult social care, underpinned by provider inspections and local authority (LA) assessments that shine a light on LA performance.

What level of skilled professional workforce the Department estimates is needed to meet the current demand of the social care sector and what steps is it taking to meet this target.

Demand for long‑term care is projected to rise markedly over the next decade, driven by growth in the older population. Current projections from Skills for Care, and the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre at the London School of Economics suggest that this would require workforce growth of approximately 2% to 3% per year to broadly keep pace with demand.Recent data from Skills for Care shows a 3.2% increase in filled posts in domiciliary care and a 1.4% increase in residential care between March 2025 and February 2026.The Department’s immediate priority is to support the adult social care sector to meet current demand by improving recruitment, retention, and workforce stability. While responsibility for workforce planning and delivery sits primarily with local authorities and providers, the Department is taking action to support the sector and improve its sustainability.This includes introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement to improve pay, and terms and conditions, delivering a national recruitment campaign to promote care as a career, working with the Department for Work and Pensions to support domestic recruitment, and continuing to monitor workforce capacity through Skills for Care data, the Capacity Tracker, and intelligence from sector partners.The Department of Health and Social Care is also taking action to professionalise and upskill the workforce, which is essential for both short-term capacity and long-term sustainability. This includes implementing the Care Workforce Pathway as the first universal career structure for adult social care, investing a further £10 million this financial year through the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme to fund training and qualifications including the Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate, providing £2.3 million to support newly qualified social workers through the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment, and piloting a fund to enable adult social care nurses to prescribe medications and support care workers to take on healthcare activities.Together, these measures aim to improve retention through clearer progression, better recognition of skills, and increased opportunities for development, while supporting the sector to meet rising and increasingly complex demand.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a new community social work professional that combines essential clinical skills with relationship- and strengths-based practical knowledge.

Adult social care is part of our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service that shifts care from hospitals to communities, with more personalised, proactive, and joined-up health and care services that help people stay independent for as long as possible. Social work professionals already work in and with the National Health Service and will be an important part of neighbourhood teams to help people stay independent for longer and play an enhanced role in rehabilitation and recovery. We recognise that in order to achieve this, cultural changes will be needed within the NHS and wider health and care system, and we are keen to strengthen partnership between the NHS and local government.We support the supply of social workers with the right skills, knowledge, and values to support adults, children, and families. Strength-based and relationship-based approaches are fundamental to social work practice and are a key part of training and re-registration requirements.In the NHS, social workers are classed as 'clinicians', having the same protected title, professional qualification, registration, and continuing professional development requirements as other professionals, meaning they develop similar clinical skills as other clinicians.We engage and work closely with the social work sector including through the Chief Social Worker (CSW) for Adults. The CSW provides independent expert advice to ministers on social work reform and works with key leaders in the sector to drive forward the improvement and reform programme for social care, contributing to social work and social care policy implementation.

What steps the Department is taking to create a system of democratic accountability and consultative governance system to advise elected representatives in their responsibilities to social care.

The Department ensures that adult social care operates within clear lines of democratic accountability, with ministers accountable to Parliament, and local authorities responsible under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs. Alongside this, we maintain regular and structured engagement with a wide range of stakeholders across the sector, including local government, provider organisations, charities, and people with lived experience, to ensure decision-making is informed by consultations with those working in and affected by the system.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Earned Settlement proposals on vacancy rates for adult social care workers.

The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Home Office on issues relating to immigration and the adult social care sector, including the social care workforce.The Government ran a public consultation on whether the existing pathway for settlement should be increased to 15 years for those admitted to the United Kingdom to work in occupations skilled below Regulated Qualifications Framework Level 6, under the Skilled Worker and Health and Care routes. This includes care workers and senior care workers.The consultation, which ran for 12 weeks, opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026. The Home Office is now reviewing and analysing all responses received. This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model.Following analysis of the consultation responses, the necessary impact assessments will be undertaken.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Earned Settlement proposals on the supply of care workers.

The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Home Office on issues relating to immigration and the adult social care sector, including the social care workforce.The Government ran a public consultation on whether the existing pathway for settlement should be increased to 15 years for those admitted to the United Kingdom to work in occupations skilled below Regulated Qualifications Framework Level 6, under the Skilled Worker and Health and Care routes. This includes care workers and senior care workers.The consultation, which ran for 12 weeks, opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026. The Home Office is now reviewing and analysing all responses received. This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model.Following analysis of the consultation responses, the necessary impact assessments will be undertaken.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Earned Settlement proposals on the number of care workers leaving the sector.

The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Home Office on issues relating to immigration and the adult social care sector, including the social care workforce.The Government ran a public consultation on whether the existing pathway for settlement should be increased to 15 years for those admitted to the United Kingdom to work in occupations skilled below Regulated Qualifications Framework Level 6, under the Skilled Worker and Health and Care routes. This includes care workers and senior care workers.The consultation, which ran for 12 weeks, opened on 20 November 2025 and closed on 12 February 2026. The Home Office is now reviewing and analysing all responses received. This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model.Following analysis of the consultation responses, the necessary impact assessments will be undertaken.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the decision in England to end or restrict gluten free prescriptions on (a) the health of affected patients and (b) additional costs faced by affected patients.

No recent assessment has been made. In 2017, the Government at the time decided to restrict gluten-free prescribing to bread and mixes only. The majority of consultation responses were in favour of this. An analysis of the anticipated impact of the decision was published alongside the consultation response and is available on the GOV.UK website at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/availability-of-gluten-free-foods-on-nhs-prescription

If he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to publish a cross-government strategy to reduce health inequalities including tackling the potential impact of damp, cold and mould on people's health.

The Government is driving action to reduce health inequalities through the 10-Year Health Plan, which stated our commitment to halve the gap in the healthy expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.The 10-Year Health Plan recognises that people’s health and wellbeing are influenced by factors other than health service. The plan sets out actions being taken across the Government to tackle the wider determinants of health, for example, action is being taken to address poor-quality housing and the impact of damp, mould, and excess cold on health. This includes working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to implement the new Decent Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law, and with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, to implement the Warm Homes Plan and Fuel Poverty Strategy for England.By improving the standard of rented homes and through the £15 billion of investment announced in the Warm Homes Plan, we will help to make homes warmer, more comfortable, and more energy-efficient to improve health and reduce health inequalities.Further cross-Government action includes legislating for a new statutory health and health inequalities duty for strategic authorities, the Homelessness Strategy, and the Child Poverty Strategy.

What plans are in the GP IT roadmap to allow for the safe handover of care at the end of each working day to out-of-hours providers.

As part of the Government’s National Health Service 10‑Year Health Plan commitment to deliver a single patient record, we are supporting healthcare professionals to access important medical information about patients by investing £20 million in the Connecting Care Records programme. This programme ensures authorised health and care professionals in England have safe and secure access to the person-related information that they need to provide care when they need it, where they need it, and how they need it.

What assessment his Department has made of (a) the prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) the number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in Poole constituency compared with national averages; and what steps he is taking to ensure respiratory health is prioritised nationally, including through the introduction of a Modern Service Framework for respiratory care.

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.The Department holds data on emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of respiratory condition for Poole and England, for activity from August 2024 to November 2025, although the data is provisional. The following table shows the number of emergency FAEs with a primary diagnosis of respiratory condition, for Poole and England, for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, from August 2024 to November 2025:Westminster Parliamentary Constituency of Residence2024/25 (August 2024 to March 2025)2025/26 (April 2025 to November 2025)Poole1370985England608,449423,588Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England. Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s Fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at a regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Dorset is available at the following link:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E06000059/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1 The Government has committed to delivering the three big shifts that our NHS needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country. Through our community diagnostic centres, we are building capacity for respiratory testing and enabling people to get diagnosed closer to home. 101 community diagnostic centres across the country now offer out of hours services, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around busy working lives. This is alongside action being taken to expand capacity and improve the quality of pulmonary rehabilitation services to support patients living with respiratory conditions.

Whether he plans to introduce a form of licencing for high street vape shops.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, currently being considered in the House of Lords, provides powers for ministers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to introduce a licensing scheme, in their respective nations, for the retail sale of tobacco, vapes, and nicotine products. This will strengthen enforcement and support legitimate businesses, while acting as a deterrent to retailers who breach the law. In doing so, it will support public health.We recently launched a call for evidence to gather views on a range of topics related to tobacco, vapes, and nicotine products, including the proposed licensing scheme. The call for evidence ran for eight weeks and closed in December 2025. The evidence gathered will be used to inform the development of the licensing scheme, and we will launch a subsequent consultation on our policy proposals before bringing forward secondary legislation.

What discussions he has had with stakeholders on his Department's modelling of workforce numbers in the 10 Year Workforce Plan.

The Government will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026. This plan will set out action to create a National Health Service workforce which is able to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. It is important we do this in a robust and joined up way. We are therefore engaging extensively with partners to ensure this plan delivers for staff and patients.That engagement began well before the call for evidence was closed. In early November, ministers hosted an event with nearly one hundred representatives of partner organisations to hear views from across the health system.Engagement is now continuing while we analyse the submissions to our call for evidence, including a roundtable with medical royal colleges on 14 January, which I chaired.We have committed to publishing regular workforce planning. This will start with the 10-Year Workforce Plan, which will include updated workforce modelling and its underlying assumptions when published in spring 2026. The updated workforce modelling will be subject to independent scrutiny by our appointed external scrutiny panel.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of medication available on the NHS to treat Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in babies.

Acute myeloid leukaemia is rare in babies, as there are approximately 10 cases in England each year. Standard upfront chemotherapy is available but options for patients who do not respond to standard chemotherapy or relapse are limited. NHS England encourages clinicians to submit proposals to expand the range of clinical commissioning policies, helping to ensure that patients are able to access the latest, evidence-based treatments and care.The Department continues to work with NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to support the development of new treatments for rare paediatric cancers.