Written questions by Maskell.

How will he ensure that the number of deaths for alcohol use will reduce in this Parliament.

The Government is committed to shortening the amount of time spent in ill health and preventing premature deaths by addressing the key preventable drivers of poor health, such as alcohol.Action to prevent harms from alcohol feature in several current strategies and plans. The National Health Service 10-Year Health Plan commits to some crucial steps to help people make healthier choices about alcohol, including making it a legal requirement for alcohol labels to display health warnings and consistent nutritional information. The Men’s Health Strategy outlines the impact alcohol can have on men’s health, and several initiatives to address this, including piloting a new brief intervention to target the rise in cardiovascular disease deaths from combined alcohol and cocaine use among older men. The upcoming National Cancer Plan will continue the work to shift from treatment to prevention, including for alcohol-related cancer risks.To support better outcomes for people experiencing harmful drinking, the first ever United Kingdom clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment were published in November. All drug and alcohol treatment and recovery funding is channelled through the Public Health Grant, with over £13.45 billion allocated across three years, including £3.4 billion ringfenced for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery. Furthermore, in 2025/26, in addition to the Public Health Grant, the Department is providing a total of £310 million in targeted grants to improve treatment services and recovery support, including housing, employment, and inpatient detoxification.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the change in the public health grant for 2025/6 and 2026/7 on the shift to prevention in the NHS 10 Year Plan.

Our 10-Year Health Plan will deliver a shift in the whole health system from sickness to prevention.Over £13.4 billion will be consolidated into the Public Health Grant over the three-year period beginning in 2026/27, a 5.6% total cash increase over the period. We will publish three-year consolidated Public Health Grant allocations up to 2028/29, in line with the Local Government Finance Settlement, giving local authorities greater certainty to support long term prevention planning and make the best decisions to promote better population health.The Government will continue to work closely with local authorities and integrated care boards to assess progress on prevention of ill health. For example, the Public Health Outcomes Framework will help us to understand trends in the public’s health by tracking key indicators linked to healthy life expectancy, thereby reducing inequalities, preventing disease, and boosting well-being, as well as providing data for policy, planning, and targeting of interventions which support the shift to prevention.

What recent consideration has he made of the need for a harm reduction strategy to the use of alcohol.

The Government is committed to shortening the amount of time spent in ill health and preventing premature deaths by addressing the key preventable drivers of poor health, such as alcohol.Action to prevent harms from alcohol feature in several current strategies and plans. The National Health Service 10-Year Health Plan commits to some crucial steps to help people make healthier choices about alcohol, including making it a legal requirement for alcohol labels to display health warnings and consistent nutritional information. The Men’s Health Strategy outlines the impact alcohol can have on men’s health, and several initiatives to address this, including piloting a new brief intervention to target the rise in cardiovascular disease deaths from combined alcohol and cocaine use among older men. The upcoming National Cancer Plan will continue the work to shift from treatment to prevention, including for alcohol-related cancer risks.To support better outcomes for people experiencing harmful drinking, the first ever United Kingdom clinical guidelines on alcohol treatment were published in November. All drug and alcohol treatment and recovery funding is channelled through the Public Health Grant, with over £13.45 billion allocated across three years, including £3.4 billion ringfenced for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery. Furthermore, in 2025/26, in addition to the Public Health Grant, the Department is providing a total of £310 million in targeted grants to improve treatment services and recovery support, including housing, employment, and inpatient detoxification.

What assessment is made of level of need for unmet trauma interventions for offenders (a) in prison and (b) on probation; and how these needs are being met.

No assessment has been made of the level of need for unmet trauma interventions for offenders in prison and on probation, or how these needs are being met.NHS England commissions healthcare services in every prison in England to a level equivalent to community provision. The National Integrated Prison Mental Health Service Specification requires trauma‑informed care as a core part of mental health support, with teams equipped to recognise and respond to the effects of trauma through assessment, screening, care planning, risk management, and evidence‑based interventions.NHS England is reviewing the National Integrated Prison Mental Health Service Specification to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the prison population.

What discussions has he had with the Home Secretary on the reclassification of ketamine as a Class A substance.

The Department of Health and Social Care takes seriously addressing harms from ketamine. We are working with partners across Government, including Home Office, to respond to existing and new drug threats and to reduce and prevent the health harms they cause. This includes launching a recent media campaign alerting young people to the dangers of ketamine through providing £3.4 billion for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services over the next three years.

How can MPs be involved in supporting Baroness Casey in developing an Adult Social Care strategy.

The Independent Commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Casey, is working to build consensus on the future of adult social care, meeting with people with first-hand experience of the social care system and sector organisations. As part of building political consensus, Baroness Casey held the first cross-party engagement in September last year.Details about how to engage with the Commission are available on its website at the following link:https://caseycommission.co.uk/

Which agencies have been involved in the work of Baroness Casey in the Adult Social Care strategy.

The Independent Commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Casey, is working to build consensus on the future of adult social care, meeting with people with first-hand experience of the social care system and sector organisations, and holding the first cross-party engagement.The Commission has already met with over 350 people, including those drawing on care and support, national organisations, and delivery or provider organisations.Further detail on the Commission is available on its website at the following link:https://caseycommission.co.uk/

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of enabling directors of children's services to commission CAMHS on the holistic provision for (a) children and (b) children with neurodiversity.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of enabling directors of children’s services to commission Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services on holistic provision for children, including those with neurodiversity.The Government’s priority is to ensure that health and children’s social care work together effectively to provide timely, joined-up support for children and young people. This is being delivered through integrated care systems, which bring National Health Services and local authorities together to plan and deliver care collaboratively.The Government recently announced a three-year pilot to improve mental health support for children in care by bringing together social workers and NHS professionals. Additionally, programmes such as ‘Early Language Support for Every Child’ and ‘Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools’ promote early intervention, alongside special educational needs and disabilities reforms in the forthcoming Schools White Paper.

How much has been spent on Bootham Park Hospital (a) security and (b) maintenance and upkeep since its closure as an NHS facility.

The former Bootham Park Hospital site was declared surplus to National Health Service requirements in 2016 and has been vacant since 2018. Returning the property to any operational use is considered unviable, with previous estimates indicating that approximately £75 million would be required to bring it back into economic use.NHS Property Services, who own the site, invited bids from public bodies and other interested parties in October 2023, but none were received. Separately, a potential purchaser withdrew their interest after securing planning permission for redevelopment that included significant public benefits alongside a commitment that 50% of sale proceeds will be reinvested into the local health system. Since its closure, combined holding costs for security, maintenance, and upkeep have totalled approximately £5.5 million, reflecting the management of a Grade I heritage asset in line with Historic England and Cabinet Office guidance.

Further to the commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan for England to expand the Start for Life/Healthy Babies programme to every local authority, when will York receive funding to provide these services for the 2,614 babies aged 0-2 in York Central constituency.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out an ambitious agenda to how we will improve the nation’s health by creating a new model of care that is fit for the future.We recognise that local authorities such as City of York Council are ambitious, seeking to deliver universal support to families and prevent escalating need. We are committed to delivering the 10-Year Health Plan ambition to match Healthy Babies, formerly Start for Life, to Best Start Family Hubs over the next decade.Healthy Babies is one element of our broader commitment to supporting babies, children, and families. From April 2026, Best Start Family Hubs will expand to every single local authority, including City of York Council, backed by over £500 million to reach up to half a million more children and families. This funding will help all local authorities to integrate a range of statutory and non-statutory health and family services.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of Botham Park Hospital being used as an asset for community use.

The former Bootham Park Hospital site was declared surplus to National Health Service requirements in 2016 and has been vacant since 2018. Returning the property to any operational use is considered unviable, with previous estimates indicating that approximately £75 million would be required to bring it back into economic use.NHS Property Services, who own the site, invited bids from public bodies and other interested parties in October 2023, but none were received. Separately, a potential purchaser withdrew their interest after securing planning permission for redevelopment that included significant public benefits alongside a commitment that 50% of sale proceeds will be reinvested into the local health system. Since its closure, combined holding costs for security, maintenance, and upkeep have totalled approximately £5.5 million, reflecting the management of a Grade I heritage asset in line with Historic England and Cabinet Office guidance.

What steps he is taking to invest more in prevention and public health.

For 2025/26, the Government increased the Public Health Grant by £224 million to support local authorities to deliver public health services. The Government will continue to invest in local authorities' vital public health work, providing more than £13.4 billion over the next three years through a consolidated Public Health Grant and giving authorities certainty over their future funding with a three-year settlement.Annual National Health Service spending will increase by £15 billion in real terms by 2028/29, taking the resource budget to £225 billion, and the health capital budget will increase to £15.2 billion by the end of the Spending Review period. This will support national public health services such as world-leading immunisation programmes, including new vaccinations for chickenpox, helping to prevent young children from getting seriously ill and raising a healthier generation, and screening programmes to detect, act, and in some cases to prevent serious diseases. It will enable investment in wider preventative services, including Neighbourhood Health which will focus resources on keeping people well and shifting activity out of hospital and into local communities, and will deliver 250 neighbourhood health centres, with the first 120 upgrades due to be operational by 2030.

How does he intend to address the revenue shortfall in palliative care.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning palliative care services to meet the reasonable needs of their population, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and a service specification.Whilst the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, the Government has confirmed multi-year revenue support for children and young people’s hospices, totalling £26 million in 2025/26 and approximately £80 million across the three years 2026/27 to 2028/29, adjusted for inflation, which will, once again, be allocated via ICBs on behalf of NHS England, providing greater certainty for planning.We are developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England later this year. The MSF will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life and will enable ICBs to address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care. This will be aligned with the ambitions set out in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan.Through our MSF, we will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality.The recently published Medium-Term Planning Framework also states that, from April 2026, ICBs and relevant NHS providers should ensure an understanding of current and projected total service utilisation and costs for those at the end of life.

How he is drawing on professional experience of those working in adult social care for developing the strategy.

We are progressing towards a National Care Service with around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. We are already putting the core foundations of a National Care Service in place, aligned with the Government’s three objectives for adult social care:improving the quality of care by valuing and supporting our vital care workforce, legislating for a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million of funding;strengthening join-up between health and social care services by developing neighbourhood health services and reforming the Better Care Fund; andenabling people to have more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments.In December 2025, the department launched a new publication 'Adult social care priorities for local authorities: 2026 to 2027', which sets out priority outcomes and expectations for local authority delivery of adult social care from 2026/27.The Government recognises the vital importance of coproduction and is committed to working with people who draw on care and support, and those with professional experience of care to design and develop a National Care Service that is shaped by what matters most to people. But we know that meaningful, lasting reform of adult social care cannot be delivered overnight. Phase 1 of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care will report this year, making recommendations to address immediate priorities for adult social care, laying the groundwork for long-term reform. We will consider and respond to the recommendations when Baroness Casey reports and work will then begin on implementing phase 1 recommendations, alongside ongoing reforms in the Department.

How he is drawing on lived experience in shaping the strategy for adult social care.

We are progressing towards a National Care Service with around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. We are already putting the core foundations of a National Care Service in place, aligned with the Government’s three objectives for adult social care:improving the quality of care by valuing and supporting our vital care workforce, legislating for a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million of funding;strengthening join-up between health and social care services by developing neighbourhood health services and reforming the Better Care Fund; andenabling people to have more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments.In December 2025, the department launched a new publication 'Adult social care priorities for local authorities: 2026 to 2027', which sets out priority outcomes and expectations for local authority delivery of adult social care from 2026/27.The Government recognises the vital importance of coproduction and is committed to working with people who draw on care and support, and those with professional experience of care to design and develop a National Care Service that is shaped by what matters most to people. But we know that meaningful, lasting reform of adult social care cannot be delivered overnight. Phase 1 of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care will report this year, making recommendations to address immediate priorities for adult social care, laying the groundwork for long-term reform. We will consider and respond to the recommendations when Baroness Casey reports and work will then begin on implementing phase 1 recommendations, alongside ongoing reforms in the Department.

What elements of the Adult Social Care strategy does he intend to publish this year as the first phase of the strategy.

We are progressing towards a National Care Service with around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. We are already putting the core foundations of a National Care Service in place, aligned with the Government’s three objectives for adult social care:improving the quality of care by valuing and supporting our vital care workforce, legislating for a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million of funding;strengthening join-up between health and social care services by developing neighbourhood health services and reforming the Better Care Fund; andenabling people to have more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments.In December 2025, the department launched a new publication 'Adult social care priorities for local authorities: 2026 to 2027', which sets out priority outcomes and expectations for local authority delivery of adult social care from 2026/27.The Government recognises the vital importance of coproduction and is committed to working with people who draw on care and support, and those with professional experience of care to design and develop a National Care Service that is shaped by what matters most to people. But we know that meaningful, lasting reform of adult social care cannot be delivered overnight. Phase 1 of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care will report this year, making recommendations to address immediate priorities for adult social care, laying the groundwork for long-term reform. We will consider and respond to the recommendations when Baroness Casey reports and work will then begin on implementing phase 1 recommendations, alongside ongoing reforms in the Department.

How he is drawing on the work of the Independent Palliative Care Commission to develop the strategy for the delivery of palliative care.

We welcome the independent scrutiny by the Independent Palliative Care Commission. I met the Hon. Member for York Central and Baroness Finlay of Llandaff to discuss the commission’s first report of three and formally responded to that report last year.The Government is developing a palliative and end of life care modern service framework (MSF) for England. The MSF is be developed in close collaboration with stakeholders, including members from the Independent Palliative Care Commission.

What recent progress he has made in developing a strategy for delivering Adult Social Care.

We are progressing towards a National Care Service with around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care by 2028/29 compared to 2025/26. We are already putting the core foundations of a National Care Service in place, aligned with the Government’s three objectives for adult social care:improving the quality of care by valuing and supporting our vital care workforce, legislating for a Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million of funding;strengthening join-up between health and social care services by developing neighbourhood health services and reforming the Better Care Fund; andenabling people to have more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments.In December 2025, the department launched a new publication 'Adult social care priorities for local authorities: 2026 to 2027', which sets out priority outcomes and expectations for local authority delivery of adult social care from 2026/27.The Government recognises the vital importance of coproduction and is committed to working with people who draw on care and support, and those with professional experience of care to design and develop a National Care Service that is shaped by what matters most to people. But we know that meaningful, lasting reform of adult social care cannot be delivered overnight. Phase 1 of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care will report this year, making recommendations to address immediate priorities for adult social care, laying the groundwork for long-term reform. We will consider and respond to the recommendations when Baroness Casey reports and work will then begin on implementing phase 1 recommendations, alongside ongoing reforms in the Department.

What discussions he is having with (a) local authorities and (b) independent sector agencies on the delivery of adult social care.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has met with sector representatives including the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors for Adult Social Services to discuss operational issues, emerging challenges, and opportunities to improve adult social care services.Minister Kinnock and his officials maintain regular engagement with the adult social care sector, discussing policy and local delivery. For example, in December 2025, I attended the Fair Pay Agreement Working Group, comprised of trade unions, local government, employer representatives and wider social care partners. In November 2025, I gave a speech at the National Children and Adults Services Conference attended by local government and independent sector representatives. We are committed to working in genuine partnership with social care professionals, local authorities, policy makers, and crucially the people who draw on care and support.

If he will develop a workforce plan for palliative care with service commissioners.

We have published our 10-Year Health Plan to deliver a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and a central part of the plan is 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.We will publish a new workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, to ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups. We are committed to working with partners to ensure the plan meets its aims and will engage independent experts, including those in the palliative and end of life care sector, to make sure the plan is ambitious, forward looking, and evidence based. The workforce plan will be published in spring of this year.We are also developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. The MSF will align with the Workforce Plan, which commits to ensuring staff have better training, more fulfilling roles, and the right skills for future models of care.