Written questions by Maskell.

What steps he is taking to help support local authorities to acquire property from NHS Property Services.

Bootham Park Hospital was declared surplus to National Health Service operational requirements in 2017 and was fully vacated in 2018. The NHS Property Services (NHSPS), which owns and manages the site, is required to dispose of surplus assets in accordance with HM Treasury's Managing Public Money, Cabinet Office heritage guidance, and its mandate to achieve best value to enable reinvestment into the NHS. Bootham Park Hospital is no longer suitable for healthcare use and has been classified as surplus to requirement for the provision of healthcare.If public sector bodies such as a local authority wish to purchase a property from the NHSPS to facilitate the delivery of alternative public services from the building, they would be able to register their interest and make an offer. When disposing of surplus healthcare assets, all such sites are expected to be advertised to public sector bodies before wider marketing activity commences. If there is no economically viable expression of interest from another public sector body, then it is up to the NHSPS to determine the most appropriate marketing strategy to deliver the best value from the sale, in accordance with requirements set out HM Treasury’s guidance on Managing Public Money.The NHSPS engaged with City of York Council and other public sector bodies through the One Public Estate programme, during which no viable public sector use was identified. In October 2023, the NHSPS formally invited bids via a tender process following the withdrawal of a prospective purchaser from the sale process. No bids were received from City of York Council or any other public sector bodies in that or any earlier sale process.The NHSPS has subsequently entered negotiations with private sector parties and agreed the terms for sale to a purchaser with planning consent in place, which will see the site converted for retirement living. The sale has been structured to deliver best value while securing a range of public benefits.The agreed disposal arrangements include substantial community and public benefits as part of the redevelopment proposals. Financially, the transaction sale proceeds will be reinvested directly into the NHS estate. Disposal of the property in its current form for public sector or community ownership would not deliver these benefits, neither would releasing this site as a community asset to the City of York.

What steps he is taking to increase recruitment of social care workers.

English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care (ASC).The Government recognises the scale of reforms needed to make the ASC sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth and improve the recruitment and retention of the domestic workforce. This is why we are introducing the first ever Fair Pay Agreement so that care professionals are recognised and rewarded for the important work that they do. As we work towards a Fair Pay Agreement, the Government will engage all those who draw upon care, as well as those that work to provide care and support. We will also consult local authorities, unions, and others from across the sector.We are supporting the professionalisation of the ASC workforce, through expanding the Care Workforce Pathway, including registered manager and deputy manager roles. The Pathway will set out how people can develop across a long-term career in adult social care with support and training; attracting people to join and remain in the sector.The Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund (MSIF) will provide over £1 billion for adult social care to local authorities over 2025/26. MSIF is designed to support increased adult social care capacity and improve market sustainability. One of the three target areas local authorities can spend their allocation on is increasing adult social care workforce recruitment and retention.

What recent assessment NHS Property Services has made of the state of repair of Bootham Park Hospital.

Since the site was fully vacated in 2018, the NHS Property Services (NHSPS) has spent £5 million on holding costs, including site security, and building and grounds maintenance, for the Bootham Park Hospital site.The NHSPS has assessed that the investment required to bring Bootham Park Hospital back into operational use would be very significant, given the current estimate for backlog maintenance and operating costs. When the decision was taken in 2018 to permanently decommission Bootham Park Hospital, the estimate at that point was that over £30 million was needed to make the site safe, in order to provide operational National Health Services, and this will have significantly increased since then. The NHSPS continues to undertake essential maintenance to the building in the period the asset has been held for sale.

How much the NHS has spent on Bootham Park Hospital since it closed in September 2015.

Since the site was fully vacated in 2018, the NHS Property Services (NHSPS) has spent £5 million on holding costs, including site security, and building and grounds maintenance, for the Bootham Park Hospital site.The NHSPS has assessed that the investment required to bring Bootham Park Hospital back into operational use would be very significant, given the current estimate for backlog maintenance and operating costs. When the decision was taken in 2018 to permanently decommission Bootham Park Hospital, the estimate at that point was that over £30 million was needed to make the site safe, in order to provide operational National Health Services, and this will have significantly increased since then. The NHSPS continues to undertake essential maintenance to the building in the period the asset has been held for sale.

If he will release Bootham Park Hospital as a community asset to the city of York.

Bootham Park Hospital was declared surplus to National Health Service operational requirements in 2017 and was fully vacated in 2018. The NHS Property Services (NHSPS), which owns and manages the site, is required to dispose of surplus assets in accordance with HM Treasury's Managing Public Money, Cabinet Office heritage guidance, and its mandate to achieve best value to enable reinvestment into the NHS. Bootham Park Hospital is no longer suitable for healthcare use and has been classified as surplus to requirement for the provision of healthcare.If public sector bodies such as a local authority wish to purchase a property from the NHSPS to facilitate the delivery of alternative public services from the building, they would be able to register their interest and make an offer. When disposing of surplus healthcare assets, all such sites are expected to be advertised to public sector bodies before wider marketing activity commences. If there is no economically viable expression of interest from another public sector body, then it is up to the NHSPS to determine the most appropriate marketing strategy to deliver the best value from the sale, in accordance with requirements set out HM Treasury’s guidance on Managing Public Money.The NHSPS engaged with City of York Council and other public sector bodies through the One Public Estate programme, during which no viable public sector use was identified. In October 2023, the NHSPS formally invited bids via a tender process following the withdrawal of a prospective purchaser from the sale process. No bids were received from City of York Council or any other public sector bodies in that or any earlier sale process.The NHSPS has subsequently entered negotiations with private sector parties and agreed the terms for sale to a purchaser with planning consent in place, which will see the site converted for retirement living. The sale has been structured to deliver best value while securing a range of public benefits.The agreed disposal arrangements include substantial community and public benefits as part of the redevelopment proposals. Financially, the transaction sale proceeds will be reinvested directly into the NHS estate. Disposal of the property in its current form for public sector or community ownership would not deliver these benefits, neither would releasing this site as a community asset to the City of York.

What steps he plans to take to ensure (a) MPs, (b) care provider organisations, (c) VCS and (d) other stakeholders are included in the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care.

The Terms of Reference are sufficiently broad to enable the commission to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future. The commission is independent and will consider its own plans on how to engage with stakeholders and lead a national conversation on how best to meet the current and future needs of the population.

How many meetings he has had on (a) assisted dying and (b) palliative care since his appointment.

Department ministers have attended 16 meetings on assisted dying and palliative care since July 2024.These were a combination of introductory meetings to the policy area, meetings with the bill team and bill meetings with officials and the sponsor.

What recent assessment he has made of the level of capacity with the NHS for (a) ADHD and (b) autism assessments.

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.Lord Darzi’s independent review of the National Health Service, published September 2024, highlighted that demand for assessments for ADHD and autism have grown significantly in recent years, and highlighted the severe delays for accessing such assessments.The report noted that nationally the growth in demand for ADHD assessments over recent years has been so significant that it risks completely overwhelming the available resources. NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity, and justice sectors. The taskforce is working to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, with the final report expected in the summer.In respect of autism, the latest Autism Waiting Times Statistics published by NHS England show that, in December 2024, there were 212,964 patients with an open referral for suspected autism. Of these, 191,656 had a referral that had been open at least 13 weeks. On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance to deliver improved outcomes in all-age autism assessment pathways. This guidance aims to help ICBs and the NHS to deliver improved outcomes for children, young people, and adults referred to an autism assessment service. Since publication, NHS England has been supporting systems and services to identify where there are challenges for implementation and how they might overcome these.

When the impact assessment for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will be published.

The Government expects to publish the impact assessment before Members consider the bill on Report.

How many families receive support under the Healthy Start scheme in York.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link:https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/The NHSBSA does not hold data on the number of families receiving Healthy Start. The number of people on the scheme in March 2025 in York was 595.

What the average waiting time for an NHS dental appointment was in (a) York Central constituency, (b) Yorkshire and (c) England in each of the last ten years.

Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements. Patients unable to access an urgent dental appointment directly through an NHS dental practice are advised to contact NHS 111 for assistance.The responsibility for commissioning primary care, including dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the York Central constituency, this is the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB.

How many and what proportion of speech and language therapy posts are vacant in (a) each Integrated Care Board and (b) England.

The Department does not hold information on the number of speech and language therapist posts which are vacant.NHS England publishes quarterly NHS hospital trust vacancy and job advert data. This data identifies vacancy rates for total NHS staff and also separately for registered nurses and doctors at a national and regional level but is not detailed enough to identify vacancy rates for speech and language therapists.The vacancy statistics are published at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-vacancies-survey

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on (a) (i) autism and (ii) ADHD assessments and (b) other functions of the Patient Choice department.

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job. We will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for all patients, driving productivity up, and getting waiting times down.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the NHS Payments Scheme on access to assessment for (a) autism and (b) ADHD.

The consultation on the Payment Scheme proposed requiring commissioners to set a payment limit for elective services, and all services paid for on an activity basis, based on the value of planned levels of activity. Providers would not be paid for activity above this limit.Following consideration of consultation feedback, this proposal has not been implemented. As in previous years, providers will be paid prices for all activity delivered, subject to any activity management restrictions contractually applied by commissioners.Activity management provisions in the Contract will be strengthened, subject to consultation, to allow commissioners to plan affordable activity levels to meet key standards and to manage provider activity in line with their plan. The provisions in the Contract would be much more collaborative than the proposed payment limit. Commissioners would be required to engage with providers to a much greater extent and undertake analysis and discussion before any limits are applied. The escalation route would also ensure that, where needed, impartial expertise will help ensure appropriate plans are put in place.NHS England has allocated all elective funding to integrated care boards (ICBs) and there will be no additional funding available during the year. Local ICBs are responsible for planning service provision in their local area, including for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism assessments. In doing so, ICBs should take account of waiting lists, considering how local funding can be deployed to best meet the needs of their local population.

Whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the response by Integrated Care Boards to long Covid.

NHS England has recently completed a long COVID stocktake, aiming to provide a nationwide overview of service delivery in commissioning and contracting, assessing access, activity, and outcomes. Executive NHS England board members were updated on the current provision of long COVID, noting challenges and significant variation. Discussions where held considered service prioritisation and potential inquiry recommendations. It was agreed that long COVID services are commissioned by integrated care boards, which have responsibility for ensuring coverage for their population.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the number of available training positions for qualified graduates to become registered biomedical scientists.

Decisions on the availability of graduate-entry trainee positions to become registered biomedical scientists are matters for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level to ensure they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Cobenfy; and whether he is taking steps to licence this medication in the UK.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has not received an application for the Market Authorisation of Cobenfy by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

If he will help ensure that smoking cessation is offered as an opt-out, co-located service for lung screening appointments.

The NHS Lung Cancer Screening programme’s standard protocol includes a mandatory referral to smoking cessation services for all current smokers invited to the programme.The Government is providing £70 million of additional funding this year to support local authorities to increase the provision of local stop smoking services, which will support improved referral pathways and integrated working.

Whether he plans to (a) maintain and (b) increase funding for local authority smoking cessation services; and if he will take steps to raise public awareness of those services.

The Government has invested an additional £70 million in 2024/25 to support local authority-led stop smoking services to help smokers quit smoking, and this funding is being used to build capacity and demand. We encourage local authorities to invest in marketing and promoting local interventions to quit smoking. The Department will confirm the settlement for different programmes for future years in due course.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a 10-year national cancer plan.

The Health Mission sets the objective of building a National Health Service fit for the future. As part of that work, and in response to Lord Darzi’s report, we have launched an extensive programme of engagement to develop a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts from hospitals to the community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.In addition, following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will develop a new national cancer plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients.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 on this at the earliest opportunity.