Written questions by Holden.

With reference to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 108307 on Marriage: Relatives, whether the internal review has concluded; and if he plans to publish its findings.

Awaiting answer.

What the status is of the NHS investigation into inappropriate wording referring to the potential benefits of cousin marriage; and whether the outcome of that investigation has resulted in amendments to (a) guidance and (b) training materials.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

When his Department plans to publish a response to The Hughes Report: Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024; and whether he plans to approve redress schemes for sodium valproate and pelvic mesh.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to the Answer of 24 April 2026 to Question 107772, whether his Department plans to make the recording of consanguinity and related information in the Maternity Services Dataset mandatory; and which NHS trusts have recorded births using relevant SNOMED CT codes.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

With reference to the answer of 24 April 2026 to Question 107772 on Childbirth: Medical Records, which NHS trusts have recorded SNOMED CT codes (a) 125678001, (b) 699110007, (c) 1269487002, (d) 1269486006 and (e) 842009 within the Maternity Services Dataset since the introduction of guidance on consanguinity recording in September 2024.

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Further to the HMT policy paper, "New approach to ensure regulators and regulation support growth, published on 17 March 2025, whether the Food Standard Agency’s commitment to meet EU regulatory requirements for food grade recycled plastic a deregulatory policy; and in what respect do such EU requirements apply to (a) Great Britain and (b) the United Kingdom.

The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) commitment to support United Kingdom businesses in meeting European Union regulatory requirements for food-grade recycled plastics is not a deregulatory policy. It reflects a facilitative and proportionate approach that supports economic growth and international trade while maintaining high standards of food safety.Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU requirements for food grade recycled plastics do not apply directly in Great Britain as domestic law. However, they apply in practice where UK operators choose to place recycled plastic food contact materials, or food packaged in such materials, on the EU market. In Northern Ireland, relevant EU food contact materials legislation continues to apply under the Windsor Framework, including the EU rules on recycled plastic food contact materials.The EU regulation on recycled plastic food contact materials requires specified “national authority” functions to be carried out. These functions are obligatory to support Northern Ireland-based operators in achieving full compliance with EU law. The FSA, together with Food Standards Scotland, has committed to act as the competent authority for food grade recycled plastic in respect of UK operators, enabling Northern Ireland obligations to be met and supporting Great Britain-based operators where they choose to access the EU market.

When he plans to respond to Question 107772 from the Rt hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 April 2026 to Question 107772.

When he plans to respond to Question 117002 from the Rt Hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 March 2026 to Question 117002.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 112364, whether the annual spend on maternity care reported in the NHS National Cost Collection includes or excludes payments made by NHS Resolution for maternity clinical negligence claims; and under which budget heading such payments are accounted for.

The annual spend on maternity in the NHS National Cost Collection does not include payments made by NHS Resolution.Payments for maternity clinical negligence claims are made from the clinical negligence scheme for trusts, which is managed by NHS Resolution.https://resolution.nhs.uk/services/claims-management/clinical-schemes/clinical-negligence-scheme-for-trusts/

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 114110, what information his Department holds on tyre procurement by its arm’s-length bodies, including NHS trusts and other agencies; and whether he plans to collect centrally data on the proportion of retread and single-use imported tyres procured for heavy vehicle fleets operated by those bodies.

The Department does not hold any information on tyre procurement by its arm’s length bodies and does not intend to collect data on the proportion of retread and single-use imported tyres by those bodies. NHS England reports that that emergency ambulances and rapid response vehicles used by National Health Service trusts, which are based on light commercial vehicle and car platforms, do not routinely utilise retread tyres. This reflects the demanding operational duty cycles associated with frontline emergency response, where vehicle reliability, performance, and safety are critical. As a result, these vehicles typically operate with new tyres in line with manufacturer guidance and operational requirements.

With reference to the Freedom of Information response reference FOI-251202287377 of 9 January 2026, if he will place a copy of the training modules on close relative marriage and genetic risk for (a) midwives and (b) health visitors in the Library; and if he will place a copy of the associated guidance on submitting data on consanguinity and pregnancy to the Maternity Services Dataset in the Library.

The NHS Learning Hub originally had five training modules on close relative marriage and genetic risk. Three of these modules were retired in October 2025. The remaining two modules were subsequently updated and can be found online on the NHS Learning Hub, which is available at the following link:https://learninghub.nhs.uk/Catalogue/close-relative-marriageThe guidance on submitting data on consanguinity and pregnancy to the Maternity Services Dataset can be found on the NHS England Digital website, which is at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-sets/maternity-services-data-set/guidance/msds-consanguinity-data-quality-guidanceThere are currently no plans to place a copy of the training modules on close relative marriage and genetic risk or a copy of the guidance on submitting data on consanguinity and pregnancy to the Commons Library as these are publicly available.

What information their Department holds on (a) the proportion of tyres procured that were re-tread tyres for (i) Department-operated and (ii) commercially contracted heavy vehicle fleets, including lorries, buses and refuse vehicles and (b) the volume of tyres procured for those fleets that were single-use imported tyres in the last 12 months; and whether such information is held centrally or by individual contractors.

The Department does not operate vehicles and does not procure tyres.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2026 to Question 108297, whether his Department holds any evidence on rates of neonatal and post-neonatal death, including accidental suffocation and overlaying, associated with parental cannabis use during pregnancy and the postnatal period.

The Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK (MBRRACE-UK) programme is responsible for reviewing stillbirths and neonatal deaths across the United Kingdom to identify causes, improve clinical care, and reduce future preventable deaths. Analysis of MBRRACE-UK data found that between 2014 and 2024, there were 17 neonatal deaths attributed to accidental suffocation, with only one case explicitly linked to cannabis use. There was also one neonatal sudden infant death syndrome case involving maternal cannabis and alcohol history, and one neonatal death where maternal cannabis use was a secondary contributor. There were thus a total of three neonatal deaths linked to cannabis use between 2014 and 2024.The National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) collects and analyses data on the deaths of all children under 18 years of age. The latest data published by the NCMD highlighted that of the deaths reviewed by Child Death Overview Panels between April 2024 and March 2025, substance misuse during pregnancy was identified as a contributing factor in 62 out of 4,035 infant deaths where data was available. The NCMD thematic report on Deaths of children and young people due to traumatic incidents also highlighted that between 1 April 2019 and March 2022, there were 42 deaths as a result of accidental strangulation or suffocation. 13, or 31%, children were aged under one years old, 17, or 40%, were aged one to four years old, and 12, or 29%, were aged five to 17 years old. In total, 18 children died where entrapment or overlay was found to be a significant contributing factor, but the analysis did not look at whether or not there was substance misuse by the parents.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2026 to Question 107160, which countries are defined by the Nursing and Midwifery Council as majority English-speaking for the purposes of meeting English language proficiency requirements.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has published an accepted list of countries where English is a majority spoken language on its website. This is available at the following link:https://www.nmc.org.uk/registration/joining-the-register/english-language-requirements/recent-practice-in-english/This list is primarily based on the UK Visas and Immigration skilled worker visa list, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/knowledge-of-englishAny variation from this list is based on independent evidence as to whether a country is majority English-speaking.No assessment has been made by the Department of the adequacy of English language proficiency requirements for registered nurses and care staff in National Health Service settings.As the independent regulator of registered nurses, the NMC is responsible for establishing the requirements that applicants must meet to demonstrate English language proficiency for registration.It is the responsibility of NHS employers to assess the English language proficiency of nurses and the care staff they employ as part of their recruitment process to ensure workers have a sufficient level of English to carry out their role safely.

How much his Department has spent in each of the last 3 years on (a) maternity services and (b) compensation for errors in maternity services.

The following table shows the annual spend for providing maternity care for each of the last three years:YearAnnual spend2022/23£4,722,376,5942023/24£5,174,161,6372024/25£5,790,365,917Source Patient-Level Costing dataset, NHS National Cost Collection, NHS EnglandNote: data is not yet available for the financial year 2025/26.NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. The following table shows the total payments for maternity, including obstetrics and neonatology, clinical negligence claims across all clinical schemes between 2022/23 and 2024/25, broken down by primary specialty and payment year:Payment YearObstetrics (£)Neonatology (£)Total Maternity (£)2022/231,086,187,27620,097,4301,106,284,7062023/241,145,173,13430,185,7391,175,358,8732024/251,287,368,29147,037,7981,334,406,089Source: NHSR.Notes:the data includes the damages and NHS legal costs and claimant legal costs paid in each relevant financial year;payments include those raised against both claims that were closed or open at the end of each financial year; anddata on “notified claims value” only includes an early estimate of eventual settlement value if all the claims were to settle with damages.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2026 to Question 107160, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of English language proficiency requirements for registered nurses and care staff in NHS settings.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has published an accepted list of countries where English is a majority spoken language on its website. This is available at the following link:https://www.nmc.org.uk/registration/joining-the-register/english-language-requirements/recent-practice-in-english/This list is primarily based on the UK Visas and Immigration skilled worker visa list, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/knowledge-of-englishAny variation from this list is based on independent evidence as to whether a country is majority English-speaking.No assessment has been made by the Department of the adequacy of English language proficiency requirements for registered nurses and care staff in National Health Service settings.As the independent regulator of registered nurses, the NMC is responsible for establishing the requirements that applicants must meet to demonstrate English language proficiency for registration.It is the responsibility of NHS employers to assess the English language proficiency of nurses and the care staff they employ as part of their recruitment process to ensure workers have a sufficient level of English to carry out their role safely.

Whether his Department has identified general dental practices participating in locally commissioned schemes to provide prioritised oral healthcare for patients undergoing cancer treatment.

The Government is working to ensure that patients who have a diagnosis of cancer receive timely, safe, and effective dental care.NHS England has produced guidelines which aim to ensure that patients across England with a diagnosis of cancer, including oral cancer, have equitable access to oral healthcare. This could include oral health assessments, prevention, rehabilitation, and reconstruction in primary, either National Health Service or independent, community, secondary, or tertiary care settings. This would be provided as part of a multi-disciplinary team care plan. Ongoing oral health management for the duration of the cancer therapy would take place. Further information can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/oral-healthcare-provision-for-cancer-pathways/ The responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population is delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. In the South West a number of pilot models are being trialled, for example, if a patient does not have 'a usual dental practice’ and has primary dental care requirements, they will be referred to specific general dental practices, referred to as cancer action support practices, based in ICBs where the pathway is running. Participation in schemes supporting patients undergoing cancer treatment does not create any automatic entitlement to additional contractual or financial support. Any supplementary funding, including through flexible commissioning, is determined locally and subject to commissioner discretion, identified local need, and available resources.

What steps NHS England is taking to encourage integrated care boards to commission prioritised oral health pathways for patients undergoing cancer treatment; and whether practices that participate in such schemes are eligible for additional contractual or financial support.

The Government is working to ensure that patients who have a diagnosis of cancer receive timely, safe, and effective dental care.NHS England has produced guidelines which aim to ensure that patients across England with a diagnosis of cancer, including oral cancer, have equitable access to oral healthcare. This could include oral health assessments, prevention, rehabilitation, and reconstruction in primary, either National Health Service or independent, community, secondary, or tertiary care settings. This would be provided as part of a multi-disciplinary team care plan. Ongoing oral health management for the duration of the cancer therapy would take place. Further information can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/oral-healthcare-provision-for-cancer-pathways/ The responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population is delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. In the South West a number of pilot models are being trialled, for example, if a patient does not have 'a usual dental practice’ and has primary dental care requirements, they will be referred to specific general dental practices, referred to as cancer action support practices, based in ICBs where the pathway is running. Participation in schemes supporting patients undergoing cancer treatment does not create any automatic entitlement to additional contractual or financial support. Any supplementary funding, including through flexible commissioning, is determined locally and subject to commissioner discretion, identified local need, and available resources.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2026 to Question 101856, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Food Scanner app on people with eating disorders.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 January 2026 to Question 101856.

What guidance NHS England has issued to maternity services on when and how pregnant patients are informed of their BMI, including requirements on explaining associated clinical risks and available support.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence provides detailed guidelines for maternity service staff in relation to body mass index (BMI) and managing weight during pregnancy.This includes the Antenatal Care Guidance which specifies that women should be offered measurement of height and weight, including a calculation of BMI, at their antenatal booking appointment. This should also include an explanation of BMI’s relevance to pregnancy, as well as associated risks and available support. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng201In addition, the Overweight and Obesity Management Guidance specifies that for women with a BMI of 40 kilogram per meter squared of height or above, this discussion should include the option of referral to a specialist obesity service or specialist practitioner for tailored advice and support during pregnancy. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng247