Written questions by O'Brien.

What the annual budget was for the (a) Care Quality Commission, (b) UK Health Security Agency and (c) the Food Standards Agency in each year since 2005.

The table attached shows the annual budget and the number of full time equivalent (FTE) employees for the UK Health Security Agency, the Food Standards Agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Care Quality Commission, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, each year from 2005/06 to 2024/25. The number of people employed by each arm's-length body has been recorded as FTE (payroll). The annual budget comprises both the Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit and the Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit to give the total Departmental Expenditure Limit budget.

How many people have been employed by (a) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and (b) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in each year since 2005.

The table attached shows the annual budget and the number of full time equivalent (FTE) employees for the UK Health Security Agency, the Food Standards Agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Care Quality Commission, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, each year from 2005/06 to 2024/25. The number of people employed by each arm's-length body has been recorded as FTE (payroll). The annual budget comprises both the Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit and the Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit to give the total Departmental Expenditure Limit budget.

How many people have been employed by (a) the Care Quality Commission, (b) the UK Health Security Agency and (c) the Food Standards Agency in each year since 2005.

The table attached shows the annual budget and the number of full time equivalent (FTE) employees for the UK Health Security Agency, the Food Standards Agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Care Quality Commission, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, each year from 2005/06 to 2024/25. The number of people employed by each arm's-length body has been recorded as FTE (payroll). The annual budget comprises both the Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit and the Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit to give the total Departmental Expenditure Limit budget.

How many employment tribunal claims have been lodged against his Department for (a) unfair dismissal and (b) claims under the Equality Act 2010 in each of the last five years.

The Department has defined an employment tribunal claim as a formal submission which includes claims made against the Department, excluding arm's-length bodies, and submitted to an Employment Tribunal, for which the Department has responded by submitting a grounds for resistance. Early conciliations, which are the step ahead of a claim submission, are not included in this definition.Employment Tribunal data is not readily available prior to 2023. As such, the Department only has access to employment tribunal information for the period of 2023 to 2025. During this period, six employment tribunal claims have been lodged citing unfair dismissal. Our records do not show claims listed with a specific reference to the Equality Act 2010.We are unable to provide further information about specific years due to the low numbers involved in each year which could lead to the identification of individuals.

How many staff in his Department (a) did not retain employment following the completion of their probationary period and (b) had their probationary period extended in each of the last five years.

The Department’s probation policy and guidance advises managers on the steps to take to assess a new employee’s suitability for the post and to provide support to enable them to succeed. It also advises on the steps to take where performance, attendance, or conduct are not satisfactory. This can include exiting the employee or extending their probation to provide further evidence for a final decision on their suitability.The number of staff in the Department who did not retain employment following the completion of their probationary period, and those whose probationary period was extended, in each of the last five years is set out below:- in 2025, four staff did not retain employment and four had their probationary period extended;- in 2024, two staff did not retain employment and two had their probationary period extended;- in 2023, there were no staff who did not retain employment and no staff had their probationary period extended;- in 2022, four staff did not retain employment and three had their probationary period extended;- in 2021, one staff member did not retain employment and one had their probationary period extended.

How many performance reviews were undertaken for staff in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; in how many of those cases performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left as a result of such a rating; and what proportion of full-time equivalent staff this represented.

Senior civil servants (SCS) and delegated grades, non-SCS staff, follow different performance management frameworks. SCS staff operate within the framework for SCS performance management prescribed by the Cabinet Office. For delegated performance there is a flexible framework that requires departments to reflect a number of core elements in their approach, including differentiating performance, addressing under and poor performance, and addressing diversity and inclusion. In the Department of Health and Social Care, the policy is that all individuals should have monthly reviews and performance ratings that are collated and returned to human resources mid-year, in October, and at the end of the year, in April. Whilst the Department of Health and Social Care only collected data for delegated grades for the 2024/25 performance year, it has complete data for SCS staff for the last five years. The following table shows the number of end of year performance ratings returned from 2020/21 to 2024/25: YearSCSDelegated grades2020/21192Not recorded2021/22284Not recorded2022/23257Not recorded2023/24227Not recorded2024/252252,820 Furthermore, the following table shows how many were rated as unsatisfactory or below, or the equivalent ratings used by the relevant organisations, on each occasion, from 2020/21 to 2024/25: YearSCSDelegated grades2020/2021[c]*Not recorded2021/2022[c]*Not recorded2022/202310Not recorded2023/202410Not recorded2024/202513<10Note: *[c] means confidential and suppressed due to small numbers of less than five. The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold data on how many staff left as a result of an unsatisfactory performance rating. In the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the policy is that all individuals should have monthly performance conversations, and performance ratings are collated and returned to human resources at end of year in April. The UKHSA only collected data for delegated grades for the 2024/25 performance year but has complete data for SCS staff for the last five years. The MHRA did not collect data for delegated grades or SCS staff for the 2020/21 and 2021/22 performance years. The following table shows the number of performance reviews undertaken by the UKHSA and the MHRA in the last five years: UKHSAMHRAYearSCSDelegated gradesSCSDelegated grades2020/21446Not recordedNot recordedNot recorded2021/22237Not recordedNot recordedNot recorded2022/23172Not recorded788372023/24145Not recorded1081,0242024/251181,5181341,272 In addition, the following table shows how many were rated as unsatisfactory or below, or the equivalent ratings used by the relevant organisations, on each occasion, for each of the last five years: UKHSAMHRAYearSCSDelegated gradesSCSDelegated grades2020/2100002021/2200002022/23[c]*00< 102023/24[c]*0[c]*< 102024/25[c]*39[c]*12Note: *[c] means confidential and suppressed due to small numbers of less than five. The UKHSA does not hold data on how many staff left as a result of an unsatisfactory performance rating. The following table shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) staff at the MHRA and the percentage of the staff who left due to unsatisfactory ratings, for each of the last five years: 2020/212021/222022/232023/242024/25Total organisation FTE staff1,3341,097.21,1521,294.11,456.4Percentage of FTE staff who left due to unsatisfactory rating0%0%0%0%0%

How many staff in his Department are recorded as having a (a) mental health condition and (b) physical disability by grade.

The following data reflects employees’ self-declared disability information as of the end of September 2025. The following table shows the number of Department staff who declared as having a mental health condition by grade, as of September 2025:GradeHeadcountAdministrative Officer/Executive Officer10Higher Executive Officer/Fast Stream/Senior Executive Officer60Grade 7/650Senior Civil Servant[c]Total120Note: [c] means the figure is confidential and has been suppressed due to small numbers of less than five In addition, the following table shows the number of Department staff who declared as having a physical disability by grade, as of September 2025:GradeHeadcountAdministrative Officer/Executive Officer20Higher Executive Officer/Fast Stream/Senior Executive Officer70Grade 7/660Senior Civil Servant10Total160

How many staff left his Department in each of the last five years by grade.

Information on the number of civil servants leaving each Government department and organisation for the years 2021 to 2025 is published annually through the ‘Civil Service data browser’ as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. This information is available through the Civil Service data browser for 2021 through 2025 at the following link:https://civil-service-statistics.jdac.service.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/

When his Department plans to publish the report on the adult social care relative needs formula on the Adult Social Care Policy Research Unit Website.

The report on the adult social care relative needs formula was published on the Adult Social Care Policy Research Unit’s website in June 2025.The Department funds independent research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR).The publication of research is led by the research team. The views expressed in the outputs of the research are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department.

How many (a) general practices and (b) GP premises there were in each integrated care board area in each month since June 2024.

NHS England has provided a table showing the number of general practices (GPs) by integrated care board (ICB) and the number of branch surgeries by ICB. It also shows the number of GPs that opened and closed since June 2024 and the number of branch surgeries that opened and closed since June 2024. A copy of the table has been placed in the Library due to the size of the data.Updated data is published daily at 14:00. This information is available in the public domain and can be extracted by using the Data Search and Export website, at the following link: https://www.odsdatasearchandexport.nhs.uk/The data in the attachment is accurate as of 23 July 2025.

How many medical school places he expects there to be in each year up to 2031.

The total maximum fundable limit for medical school places in England set by the Office for Students is 8,230 places for the 2025/26 academic year. The limit is confirmed on an annual basis.We will publish a new 10 Year Workforce Plan later this year to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again.

How many children were prescribed antidepressants in each year since 2007.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) holds data going back to April 2015, but not prior to this date. The following table shows the total number of patients aged 17 years old and under that were prescribed antidepressants for the financial years 2015/16 to 2023/24:Financial yearTotal identified patients aged 17 years old and under2015/1665,5942016/1765,4282017/1865,5552018/1967,6312019/2068,7942020/2165,2662021/2271,2512022/2371,2632023/2466,483Source: NHSBSA Statistical Collections, available at the following link: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/medicines-used-mental-health-englandThese cover antidepressants prescribed in England that are then dispensed in the community in England, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands.

What the median time taken to register a death was in each (a) integrated care board and (b) local authority area in the most recent six months for which data is available.

The Government is monitoring the impact of the death certification reforms, which came into legal effect on 9 September 2024, through the Death Certification Strategic Board and a cross-Government data strategy group. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes a weekly deaths release which includes the provisional number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the latest weeks, and which is available at the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/weeklyprovisionalfiguresondeathsregisteredinenglandandwalesAs part of this release, the ONS publishes data on the median time taken to register a death in England and Wales in each region. This data is also split by certification type and place of occurrence. The latest data available covers deaths registered in the week ending 18 April 2025. The ONS does not publish any data on the median time taken in integrated care boards or local authorities.The introduction of medical examiners is in part about making sure deaths are properly described and improving practice, but the impact on the bereaved is also central. The reforms aim to put the bereaved at the centre of the process, and the medical examiner’s office must offer a conversation with representatives of the deceased, so they can ask any questions they have about the death or to raise concerns. Ensuring the system is appropriately resourced and works for all those who interact with it is crucial, and something we will continue to monitor with NHS England.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 December 2024 to Question 19000 on Social Services, when the report on the adult social care relative needs formula will be made available on the Adult Social Care Policy Research Unit Website.

The Department of Health and Social Care is still considering this research as part of its ongoing policy work. We are working closely the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the role of a specific adult social care funding formula was considered within the consultation Local authority funding reform: objectives and principles, published on 18 December 2024 and closed on 12 February 2025. We will update further in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2024 to Question 15468 and 6 March 2024 to Question 15467, how many staff in (a) his Department and (b) NHS England have job titles that include the words (i) equality, (ii) diversity, (iii) inclusion, (iv) gender, (v) LGBT and (vi) race.

The Department currently has four roles with job titles that include the words equality, diversity, inclusion, gender, LGBT and race. These roles sit within policy areas linked to supporting the Department’s work externally, and are not internally or HR focussed.As per 22nd of April 2025, there are 47 direct employees in NHS England whose job title include either of the following words: equality, diversity, inclusion, gender, LGBT, or race.

How many (a) general practices and (b) GP premises there were in each integrated care board area in each month since June 2024.

A table showing the number of general practices and premises in each current integrated care board (ICB) area in England, each month since June 2024, is attached.Opening and closing dates for both practices and branches were identified using data from the NHS Organisation Data Service. Locations have been mapped to current ICB boundaries. The locations sheet in the attached document includes both main and branch practices.

How many and what proportion of people starting an (a) F1 and (b) F2 placement were international medical graduates in each deanery in each year since 2015.

The attached table contains information published by the General Medical Council (GMC) on the place of qualification of all foundation programme doctors by their region. The tables cover the period since 2012 and illustrate the increase in international recruitment following decisions taken by the last government in 2020.This information is available at the following link as part of the GMC’s Data Explorer tool:https://gde.gmc-uk.org/postgraduate-training/postgraduate-trainees/country-of-primary-medical-qualification

Whether patients who have changed gender from female to male are still automatically invited to cervical screening.

The NHS Cervical Screening Programme provides all women and people with a cervix between the ages of 25 and 64 years old with the opportunity to be screened routinely to detect certain types of human papillomavirus infection, which is the cause of 99.7% of cervical cancer.Trans men who are still registered as female with their general practice (GP) will be routinely invited to cervical screenings. Trans men registered as male do not automatically receive invitations, but are still entitled to screenings if they still have a cervix.Trans men who want to have cervical screenings should ask their GP to contact the NHS Cervical Screening Programme so that they are opted-in on the Cervical Screening Management System and invited for screenings correctly.

How many referrals for masculinising chest surgery there were from the NHS Gender Dysphoria National Referral Support Service in each year for which data is available since 1997.

Referrals for masculinising chest surgery are made by the specialist clinical teams in the NHS Gender Dysphoria Clinics, not by the NHS Gender Dysphoria National Referral Support Service (GDNRSS). The non-clinical role of the GDNRSS is to process the referrals on behalf of the providers.The GDNRSS was established in 2020. Between 1 April 2020 and 31 December 2024, the GDNRSS received 5,463 requests for masculinising chest surgery.

How many gender (a) reassignment and (b) affirmation operations were carried out by the NHS in each year since 2000 for which data is available.

The Department does not hold this data centrally, as it is held at an individual National Health Service provider level.