Written questions by Gill.

What steps his Department is taking to expand patient access to clinical trials for (a) less survivable cancers and (b) pancreatic cancer.

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with pancreatic cancer and other less survivable cancers, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.The Department funds research and research infrastructure through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which supports National Health Service patients, the public, and NHS organisations across England to participate in high-quality research, including clinical trials into cancers.The NIHR provides an online service called Be Part of Research, which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest.The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across the country. It will ensure that more patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and to clinical trials.The Government also supports the Rare Cancers Private Members Bill. The bill will make it easier for clinical trials, on for example pancreatic cancer, to take place in England, by ensuring the patient population can be more easily contacted by researchers.

What steps his Department is taking to support research into pancreatic cancer.

The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and in 2024/25 spent £141.6 million on cancer research, signalling its high priority. This includes studies that focus specifically on pancreatic cancer as well as studies that are relevant to or include pancreatic cancer. For example, between the financial years 2020/21 to 2024/25, the NIHR committed £1.5 million to specific pancreatic cancer studies.The NIHR has also invested £1.9 million in research to detect the early stages of gastrointestinal cancers, which includes pancreatic cancer, through a non-invasive breath test which will aim to streamline the referral process for primary care.The NIHR’s wider investments in research infrastructure, for instance facilities, services, and the research workforce, supported the delivery of 160 pancreatic cancer research studies and enabled over 8,200 people to participate in potentially life-changing research during this time period. This includes support for the PemOla trial, which is the first to explore using precision immunotherapies to treat pancreatic cancer. Further information on the PemOla trial is available at the following link:https://cambridgebrc.nihr.ac.uk/2025/07/18/pancreatic-cancer-precision-medicine-trial/The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome high quality funding applications into pancreatic cancer.

How many GP practices (a) opened and (b) closed in (i) Birmingham Edgbaston constituency, (ii) Birmingham and (iii) the West Midlands between May 2010 and June 2024.

The tables in the document attached show the number of general practices (GPs) which have opened and closed between January 2014 and May 2025 in the Birmingham Edgbaston constituency, in Birmingham, and in the West Midlands, as this is the furthest the data goes back to the most recently published.This analysis only considers head practices and ignores branch practices. If a practice ceases to be a main practice and becomes a branch practice of another, this will count as a “closure” in this data, while in reality GP provision at the site may well have continued under the new head practice.Practices close for a variety of reasons, including mergers or retirement, and so do not necessarily indicate a reduction in the quality of care. When a practice does close, patients are informed of the closure and advised to register at another local practice of their choice within their area.

How many full time equivalent NHS dentists were employed in (a) Birmingham Edgbaston constituency, (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2024.

The following table shows how many full time equivalent (FTE) National Health Service dentists were employed in 2024 within the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB), which includes the Birmingham Edgbaston constituency, as well as regional figures for the Midlands:YearNumber of FTE dentists employed in the Birmingham and Solihull ICBNumber of FTE dentists employed in the Midlands20243372,887Notes:we do not hold data on how many NHS dentists are employed at a constituency level or for the West Midlands region; andFTE refers to hours worked by one full-time employee during a standard workweek. The employee is contracted to do 37.5 hours per week.Data is not held for full time equivalent NHS dentists employed in 2010.

What data (a) his Department and (b) NHS England hold on the number of (i) Sikh and (ii) Jewish people with late stage cancer diagnoses.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects and analyses diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. The religion of patients is not collected or stored by the NDRS. Further information on the NDRS is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs

What data he holds on the number of (a) referrals and (b) complaints to social care services received by councils from (i) retirement residential home and (ii) independent living providers.

The Department does not hold this information. By law, all health and social care services must have a procedure for dealing efficiently with complaints, and anyone who has seen or experienced poor-quality care has the right to complain to the organisation that provided or paid for the care. If an individual is not satisfied with the way a provider or local authority has dealt with a complaint, they may escalate it to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman who can investigate individual concerns.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing specific (a) Sikh and (b) Jewish options for a person’s ethnic group in data collection conducted by his Department.

The merits of including Jewish or Sikh as an option when recording ethnicity in National Health Service data, and other issues relating to how the NHS records information on protected characteristics, are being considered by the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics (UISPC) programme. The UISPC programme is a wide-ranging NHS England and Department led review of equality monitoring that examines workforce, employment, and patient datasets and national surveys. It explores how best to update equality monitoring arrangements by reference to the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010.

What data he holds on the number of people with late stage cancer diagnoses broken down by religious group.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects and analyses diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. The religion of patients is not collected or stored by the NDRS. Further information on the NDRS is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs

What data his Department holds on late stage cancer diagnoses, by ethnic group.

The National Disease Registration Service in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects and analyses diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. Further information on the National Disease Registration Service is available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs The following estimates are taken from the data used in Accredited Official Statistics on Cancer Registration for 2022, the most recent diagnosis year available, with further information available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-registration-statistics/england-2022 The estimates apply the 2021 census ethnic groups for England and Wales, namely:Asian or Asian British;black, black British, Caribbean, or African;mixed or multiple ethnic groups;white; andother ethnic groupFurther information on the ethnic groups used is available at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/ethnicity/bulletins/ethnicgroupenglandandwales/census2021 Where an ethnicity is not stated on the data sources that are used to compile the cancer registration statistics, these are given the label “Unknown (not stated)”. The proportions given are on a complete case basis, which compares known stage at diagnosis, and stageable diagnoses for which insufficient data has been reported to the National Disease Registration Service are not included. The definition of early and late stage diagnoses are those used in the NHS Long Term Plan ambitions for cancer, specifically that diagnoses at stages 1 and 2 are considered to be early, and diagnoses at stages 3 and 4 are considered to be late. Further information on the NHS Long Term Plan ambitions for cancer is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/cancer/strategy/ The following table shows the number and proportion of cancers diagnosed early and late for all stageable diagnoses combined, by ethnic group, in 2022, in England: Ethnic groupNumber of early stage diagnosesProportion of early stage diagnosesNumber of early stage diagnosesProportion of late stage diagnosesAsian or Asian British4,12657%3,12243%Black, Black British, Caribbean, or African3,49957%2,61243%Mixed or multiple ethnic groups80458%57142%White112,39155%93,08545%Other ethnic group2,03555%1,65445%Unknown (not stated)11,69758%8,34542%All ethnicities combined134,55255%109,38945% Not every cancer is stageable, and some types of cancer do not have a staging system, so the tabulations above are for a subset of the reported total number of diagnoses of cancer.

What assessment he has made of (a) trends in the number of and (b) outcomes from type 2 diabetes among Sikh people.

The Government is committed to ensuring fewer lives are lost to the biggest killers, including cardiovascular disease. That is why our Health Mission sets an ambition to reduce premature death from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade.Currently, no assessment has been made on the trends or outcomes of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease among Sikh people, as we do not collect information on religion.

What assessment he has made of (a) trends in the number of and (b) outcomes from cardiovascular disease among Sikh people.

The Government is committed to ensuring fewer lives are lost to the biggest killers, including cardiovascular disease. That is why our Health Mission sets an ambition to reduce premature death from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade.Currently, no assessment has been made on the trends or outcomes of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease among Sikh people, as we do not collect information on religion.

What data his Department holds on maternal mortality rates in Jewish women.

The Department does not hold data on maternal mortality rates in Jewish or Sikh women. Maternity data broken down by several factors including maternal age and ethnicity is published by NHS England.

What data his Department holds on maternal mortality in Sikh women.

The Department does not hold data on maternal mortality rates in Jewish or Sikh women. Maternity data broken down by several factors including maternal age and ethnicity is published by NHS England.

How many emergency hospital admissions for (a) infectious diseases and (b) infections among Jewish people were recorded between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2024.

The data is not available in the format requested as it is not collected centrally.

How many emergency hospital admissions for (a) infectious diseases and (b) infections among Sikh people were recorded between 1 September 2023 and 31 August 2024.

The data is not available in the format requested as it is not collected centrally.

What information the NHS holds on the number of Jewish people with breast cancer.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects and analyses diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. Further information is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrsThe NDRS does not record patients’ religion as part of cancer registration data. Additionally, in line with guidance from the Office for National Statistics and the National Health Service, ethnicity data is collected using standardised categories that do not separately identify Jewish ethnicity. Further information on the classification of ethnic groups can be found at the following link:https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/style-guide/ethnic-groups

What information his Department holds on the number of Jewish people who are on the register waiting for a transplant.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) manages transplant services across the United Kingdom, and this includes the operation of the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR).NHSBT does not collect data on the religion of those on the transplant waiting list. The information available on annual activity and the current waiting list is captured in the NHSBT Annual Activity Report, available on the NHSBT organ donation and transplantation website, which is available at the following link:https://www.odt.nhs.uk/Individuals can choose to provide details of their faith or beliefs when registering on the ODR via the NHSBT webpage. Some sources of registration onto the ODR do not have an option to record or report religion. As of 29 April 2025, where religion was reported, there were:23,629 registrations on the ODR which identified as Sikh, comprising of 11,684 Opt-In registrations and 11,945 Opt-out registrations; and43,562 registrations on the ODR which identified as Jewish, comprising of 9,499 Opt-in registrations and 34,063 Opt-out registrations.

What information his Department holds on the number of Sikhs who are on the register waiting for a transplant.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) manages transplant services across the United Kingdom, and this includes the operation of the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR).NHSBT does not collect data on the religion of those on the transplant waiting list. The information available on annual activity and the current waiting list is captured in the NHSBT Annual Activity Report, available on the NHSBT organ donation and transplantation website, which is available at the following link:https://www.odt.nhs.uk/Individuals can choose to provide details of their faith or beliefs when registering on the ODR via the NHSBT webpage. Some sources of registration onto the ODR do not have an option to record or report religion. As of 29 April 2025, where religion was reported, there were:23,629 registrations on the ODR which identified as Sikh, comprising of 11,684 Opt-In registrations and 11,945 Opt-out registrations; and43,562 registrations on the ODR which identified as Jewish, comprising of 9,499 Opt-in registrations and 34,063 Opt-out registrations.

What information his Department holds on the number of Sikhs who have liver disease according to the NHS.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities publishes mortality data and National Health Service hospital admission rates related to liver disease in England, in public health profiles. There is no data available for the number of Sikhs who have liver disease specifically.

Whether his Department collects data on the number of people registered as organ donors who are (a) Sikh and (b) Jewish.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) manages transplant services across the United Kingdom, and this includes the operation of the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR).NHSBT does not collect data on the religion of those on the transplant waiting list. The information available on annual activity and the current waiting list is captured in the NHSBT Annual Activity Report, available on the NHSBT organ donation and transplantation website, which is available at the following link:https://www.odt.nhs.uk/Individuals can choose to provide details of their faith or beliefs when registering on the ODR via the NHSBT webpage. Some sources of registration onto the ODR do not have an option to record or report religion. As of 29 April 2025, where religion was reported, there were:23,629 registrations on the ODR which identified as Sikh, comprising of 11,684 Opt-In registrations and 11,945 Opt-out registrations; and43,562 registrations on the ODR which identified as Jewish, comprising of 9,499 Opt-in registrations and 34,063 Opt-out registrations.