Written questions by Davies.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with international organizations to help improve access to HIV prevention tools in Africa.

The UK's funding and political support of global health institutions such as WHO, Unitaid, UNAIDS, CHAI, Medaccess, the Global Fund, and the Robert Carr Fund helps to ensure that people at high risk of HIV, including in Africa, can access HIV prevention and treatment when needed. This includes accelerating affordable access to new innovations. For example, our funding to Unitaid has helped expand affordable HIV self-testing for less than US$2 in 135 low-and middle-income countries and allowed for over 4.8 million kits to be distributed in Africa. Wider market shaping initiatives support generic production, increasing access to innovative medical countermeasures for HIV prevention, like Lenacapavir.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that (a) marginalized and (b) high-risk populations in (i) low and (ii) medium-income countries receive adequate HIV prevention support.

Addressing stigma, discrimination and barriers to access to HIV prevention, testing and treatment is vital for the global HIV response. The UK is a champion of human rights globally, and our funding to the Robert Carr Fund and UNAIDS has helped to combat stigma and improve access to services for those most marginalised, including LGBT+ people, in low- and middle-income countries.

What estimate she has made of the cost of providing suicide prevention training to (a) prison and (b) probation staff.

Suicide prevention training for prison staff has been developed by the HMPPS learning design team in conjunction with policy leads and subject matter experts. It is delivered locally, using a training for trainers approach where possible, to minimise the cost and resource impact on prisons, and delivered centrally only where this is not deemed appropriate.Suicide prevention training for probation staff was developed externally by the Zero Suicide Alliance (a suicide awareness and prevention initiative, funded via Mersey Cares NHS Charity) in conjunction with HMPPS subject matter experts, at no additional cost to HMPPS. It is delivered online, and as part of broader training for new entrants. It is not possible to disaggregate the costs of this training as they appear in a number of budgets including those for Learning and Development and for individual probation delivery units.We are unable to disaggregate suicide prevention costs from other learning activity. As the delivery model in prisons is local, the costs for trainers and staff attending are in prison budgets. In probation the training is completed online, the costs of staff time to complete the training are in PDU budgets.

With reference to the oral answer of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice on 11 March 2025 to Question 903119 on Female Offenders, whether specialised training includes suicide prevention training.

The Foundation training programme for all new prison officers includes learning in relation to suicide and self-harm. For officers working in the female estate, there is an additional week of Foundation training which gives officers an understanding of the potential for increased risk factors for women in custody in relation to self-harm and suicide.

If she will extend the Fire Kills campaign to raise awareness of fatal carbon monoxide poisoning.

The Home Office’s Fire Kills campaign raises awareness of fire safety advice and seeks to educate people on how to keep themselves and those they care for safe from the risks of fire in the home.The campaign supports fire and rescue authorities in delivering their statutory duty to promote fire safety through the provision of fire safety resources, materials and campaign initiatives.Other bodies, such as the Gas Safe Register promote gas safety messages for the public.

What steps his Department is taking to help prevent the online sale of carbon monoxide alarms that do not comply with UK trading standards.

All consumer products placed on the UK market must be safe. Businesses that produce or import products have obligations to ensure they are safe before placing them on the market, and relevant British Standards can assist those making carbon monoxide alarms available to comply.The Office for Product Safety and Standards undertakes market surveillance and engages with online marketplaces to remove unsafe products and reduce the risk of non-compliant products being sold online. The Product Regulation and Metrology Bill will also give the Government powers to introduce new duties on online marketplaces to increase the safety of products available online.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the uplift in the Public Health Grant is allocated effectively by local authorities to tackle the rising rates of sexually transmitted infections in England.

Dedicated local sexual health services play a key public health role in the diagnosis, early treatment, and management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Individual local authorities, funded through a ring-fenced Public Health Grant (PHG), are responsible for commissioning decisions about the sexual health services that best meet the needs of their local populations, including providing open-access sexual health testing and treatment services.In 2025/26, we are increasing funding through the PHG to £3.858 billion, providing local authorities with an average 5.4% cash increase and a 3% real terms increase. This represents a significant turning point for local health services, marking the biggest real-terms increase after nearly a decade of reduced spending.We continue to support the delivery of local sexual health services, including addressing rates of STIs, by providing guidance and data to support local decision makers. In October 2024, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published the STI Prioritisation Framework, which, combined with ongoing support from the UKHSA, will enable local systems to identify which combination of interventions to focus on for which populations, informed by the local situation.The Department is also investing over £6 million to deliver a National HIV Prevention Programme between 2021 to 2026 to raise awareness of HIV, and STI testing and prevention strategies. Also, the Department, the UKHSA, NHS England, and a broad range of system partners are developing the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year. A key objective of the plan will be to stabilise and support system enablers, including the wider sexual and reproductive health system.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections in England; and whether he plans to allocate public health funding to this.

Dedicated local sexual health services play a key public health role in the diagnosis, early treatment, and management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Individual local authorities, funded through a ring-fenced Public Health Grant (PHG), are responsible for commissioning decisions about the sexual health services that best meet the needs of their local populations, including providing open-access sexual health testing and treatment services.In 2025/26, we are increasing funding through the PHG to £3.858 billion, providing local authorities with an average 5.4% cash increase and a 3% real terms increase. This represents a significant turning point for local health services, marking the biggest real-terms increase after nearly a decade of reduced spending.We continue to support the delivery of local sexual health services, including addressing rates of STIs, by providing guidance and data to support local decision makers. In October 2024, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published the STI Prioritisation Framework, which, combined with ongoing support from the UKHSA, will enable local systems to identify which combination of interventions to focus on for which populations, informed by the local situation.The Department is also investing over £6 million to deliver a National HIV Prevention Programme between 2021 to 2026 to raise awareness of HIV, and STI testing and prevention strategies. Also, the Department, the UKHSA, NHS England, and a broad range of system partners are developing the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year. A key objective of the plan will be to stabilise and support system enablers, including the wider sexual and reproductive health system.

How much funding his Department plans to provide for smoking cessation programmes in the 2025-26 financial year.

The Government is providing £70 million of additional funding for local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England in 2025/26. We will invest £10 million of new funding in 2025/26 to support Trading Standards to tackle underage and illicit tobacco and vape sales, and to support the implementation of the measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The Government is also investing over £100 million over five years to boost HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force’s enforcement capabilities to tackle illicit tobacco, supporting the Illicit Tobacco Strategy. Decisions on other smoking cessation programmes will be announced in due course.

How much funding he plans to provide for the national lung cancer screening programme in each the next three years; and on what evidential basis his Department has determined that level of funding.

Funding for national lung screening is set by NHS England. The Department has set stretching targets for the National Health Service to improve cancer performance next year, and the Spending Review prioritised investment into the health service, with a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department over this year and next. Departmental settlements for future years will be set out in due course, following the conclusion of phase two of the Spending Review in late spring 2025. We will get the NHS diagnosing cancer earlier, including lung cancer, and treating it faster, so more patients survive. As a first step we have delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week during our first year in Government to ensure earlier diagnoses and faster treatment for those who need it most. We will address diagnostic waiting times, providing the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests that are needed to reduce cancer waits. The NHS will also maximise the pace of the roll-out of additional diagnostic capacity, delivering the final year of the three-year investment plan for establishing community diagnostic centres, with capacity prioritised for cancer diagnostics.

Whether he plans to provide funding for the additional (a) diagnostics and (b) treatment arising from the detection of early-stage lung cancer through the national lung cancer screening programme.

Funding for national lung screening is set by NHS England. The Department has set stretching targets for the National Health Service to improve cancer performance next year, and the Spending Review prioritised investment into the health service, with a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department over this year and next. Departmental settlements for future years will be set out in due course, following the conclusion of phase two of the Spending Review in late spring 2025. We will get the NHS diagnosing cancer earlier, including lung cancer, and treating it faster, so more patients survive. As a first step we have delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week during our first year in Government to ensure earlier diagnoses and faster treatment for those who need it most. We will address diagnostic waiting times, providing the number of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and other tests that are needed to reduce cancer waits. The NHS will also maximise the pace of the roll-out of additional diagnostic capacity, delivering the final year of the three-year investment plan for establishing community diagnostic centres, with capacity prioritised for cancer diagnostics.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce (a) homelessness and (b) the number of children in temporary accommodation.

Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected. The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. This includes chairing a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, bringing together ministers from across the key government departments with the greatest impact on homelessness to develop a long-term strategy, and an Expert Group bringing together representatives from across the homelessness and rough sleeping sector. We continue to engage with DEFRA on measures as part of the development of our long-term housing strategy. We are also delivering a number of lived experience forums to ensure that the voices of those with lived experience are reflected in the homelessness strategy. We are already taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Budget, grant funding for homelessness services is increasing this year by £233 million compared to last year (2024/25). This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total funding to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26. Further information on the allocations of homelessness grant funding in the 2025/26 financial year can be found in the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/homelessness-prevention-grant-allocations-2025-to-2026 The Government is also tackling the root causes of homelessness, including the delivery of the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and building 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament. And the Renters’ Rights Bill will abolish Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, prevent private renters being exploited and discriminated against, and empower people to challenge unreasonable rent increases.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that patients with Parkinson receive regular consultations.

We have delivered an additional two million appointments, seven months ahead of schedule. This includes operations, consultations, diagnostic tests and treatments. These additional appointments have taken place across several specialities, including neurology.We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the National Health Service. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital and treatment to prevention. A central and core part of the 10-Year Health Plan will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities.There are several initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with Parkinson’s disease in England, including the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology, the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit and the Neurology Transformation Programme (NTP). The GIRFT National Specialty Report made recommendations designed to improve services nationally and to support the NHS to deliver care more equitably across the country. The report highlighted differences in how services are delivered and provided the opportunity to share successful initiatives between trusts to improve patient services nationally. In addition, the NTP has developed a model of integrated care for neurology services to support integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including providing care closer to home. Once diagnosed, and with a management strategy in place, most people with Parkinson’s can be cared for through routine access to primary and secondary care. NHS England commissions the specialised elements of Parkinson’s care that patients may receive from 27 neurology centres across England. Within specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure patients can access a range of health professionals, including Parkinson’s disease nurses, psychologists and allied health professionals such as dieticians and speech and language therapists, and that they can receive specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) timely adjustments of medications and (b) access to treatments for people with Parkinson's.

Clinicians are responsible for making prescribing decisions for their patients, taking into account best prescribing practice and the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care boards. They are also expected to take account of appropriate national guidance on clinical and cost effectiveness, and are accountable for their prescribing decisions, both professionally and to their service commissioners.Timely adjustment and optimisation of medicines are important to ensure patients are receiving the most clinically appropriate and effective treatment to support their health and wellbeing. It is also critical in underpinning the six rights of safe medicines management: the right person; right medicine; right route; right dose; right time; and right to decline.The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for translating evidence into authoritative guidance for the health and care system on best practice. The NICE has produced guidance on the management of Parkinson’s disease, which includes recommendations on pharmacological management, including the timing of medicine administration. The NICE has also developed a Quality Standard for Parkinson’s disease that states that adults with Parkinson's disease who are in hospital, or a care home, should take levodopa within 30 minutes of their individually prescribed administration time. Clinicians are expected to take relevant national guidance fully into account when making clinical decisions regarding their patients, including the adjustment of medications.The Department is aware of supply constraints with one supplier of amantadine 100 milligram capsules used in the management of Parkinson’s disease, however stocks remain available from alternative suppliers to cover demand. The Department has also been notified of a discontinuation of apomorphine (APO-go PFS) 50 milligram/10 millilitre pre-filled syringes from April 2025. Alternative formulations of apomorphine remain available for patients and management guidance has been issued to the National Health Service.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on developing a food strategy.

On December 10, the Secretary of State spoke to businesses and industry groups from across the food sector and confirmed that work is underway to develop an ambitious food strategy. In developing the strategy, we are establishing a new way of working with the sector, building on strong partnerships to create a strategy drawing on shared expertise and collective commitments, backed by a clear vision and framework for change from government. Work to develop this is ongoing.

With reference to paragraph 4.5 of the Autumn Budget 2024, how many new (a) surgical hubs and (b) diagnostic scanners will be located in Yorkshire.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the 18-week Referral to Treatment constitutional standard by March 2029. The standard has not been met consistently since September 2015.Surgical hubs offer productive solutions by focusing on providing high volume low complexity surgery, and will contribute to providing the surgical capacity needed to return to the constitutional standard. There are 112 elective surgical hubs operational across England as of December 2024. There are 14 surgical hubs already operational in the North East and Yorkshire region, and three more are planned to open. These three are:- the Dewsbury and District Hospital Combined Elective Centre in Dewsbury;- the St Luke's Hospital Day Case Unit in Bradford; and- the Castle Hill Hospital Elective Hub in Cottingham.The Department cannot yet confirm the location of all the new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners from the capital investment announced in the Autumn Statement. NHS England is working with local National Health Service systems to identify the most appropriate locations for investments, including new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners. Details will be set out at the earliest opportunity.As detailed in the 2025/26 capital guidance, NHS England has provided systems with indicative allocations based on a combination of population-weighted shares and national and regional intelligence on where investment is needed and if it can be delivered within 2025/26. These allocations include funding for additional surgical hubs, diagnostic scanning capacity, urgent treatment centres co-located with emergency departments, and same day emergency care provision in those systems prioritised for these investments by national teams.

What steps he is taking to help mitigate the impact of (a) delayed diagnosis and (b) emergency presentation rates on people with blood cancer.

The Government has not taken a specific assessment on the potential impact of late diagnosis on outcomes for people with blood cancer. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancer, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes. We will start by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment. In addition to improving cancer waiting time performance, the NHS has implemented non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with vague and non-site-specific symptoms, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. This includes blood cancer, which the national evaluation found was one of the most common cancers diagnosed via these pathways, therefore mitigating the impact of late diagnosis, and reducing emergency presentation.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with blood cancer and other cancers with lower survival rates. We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be, and we will provide updates in due course.

Whether his Department plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) introducing a proxy staging measure for non-stageable blood cancers and (b) applying a national target to (i) measure and (ii) support a reduction in levels of late diagnosis.

There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancer, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes. We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancer earlier and treating it faster. We will start by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment. In addition to improving cancer waiting time performance, the NHS has implemented non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with vague and non-site-specific symptoms, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. This includes blood cancer, which the national evaluation found was one of the most common cancers diagnosed via these pathways. The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with blood cancer and other cancers with lower survival rates. We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be and will provide updates in due course.

What assessment he has made on the potential impact of late diagnosis on outcomes for people with blood cancer.

The Government has not taken a specific assessment on the potential impact of late diagnosis on outcomes for people with blood cancer. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancer, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes. We will start by delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, as the first step to ensuring early diagnosis and faster treatment. In addition to improving cancer waiting time performance, the NHS has implemented non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with vague and non-site-specific symptoms, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. This includes blood cancer, which the national evaluation found was one of the most common cancers diagnosed via these pathways, therefore mitigating the impact of late diagnosis, and reducing emergency presentation.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with blood cancer and other cancers with lower survival rates. We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be, and we will provide updates in due course.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the BBC on the financial pressures it faces.

The Secretary of State is a strong supporter of the BBC and, with Charter Review approaching, wants to ensure the long term financial sustainability of the corporation.Ministers and officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have regular discussions with the BBC, and the Secretary of State had her first formal meeting on the Charter Review process with the Director General in November 2024.As part of the next Charter Review, discussions with the BBC will continue to focus on how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond. This will include ongoing discussions on a range of important issues, including future funding models. Funding the BBC through general taxation is not being considered.