Written questions by Allin-Khan.

What steps his Department is taking to make dentistry more affordable.

The Government is committed to National Health Service dental services being available for all those who need them. Free NHS dental care is available to people who meet one of the following criteria:under 18 years old, or under 19 years old and in full-time education;pregnant or had a baby in the previous 12 months;being treated in an NHS hospital and the treatment is carried out by the hospital dentist, although patients may have to pay for any dentures or bridges; andreceiving low-income benefits, or under 20 years old and a dependant of someone receiving low-income benefits. Support is also available through the NHS Low Income Scheme for those patients who are not eligible for exemption or full remission of dental patient charges. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/dentists/who-is-entitled-to-free-nhs-dental-treatment-in-england/

What steps her Department is taking to increase awareness of e-visas in other countries.

The Home Office is developing a border and immigration system that is more digital and streamlined. eVisas - which over 6 million people have been successfully using for several years - are a key part of this transformation and will enhance people's experience and increase the immigration system's security and efficiency.We continue to deliver a wide range of communications activity to raise awareness of eVisas, both in the UK and overseas.We have undertaken extensive engagement with foreign governments in conjunction with the FCDO to raise awareness of the transition to eVisas and the phasing out of physical immigration documents. Our Engagement Team have met with Embassies and High Commissions and produced communication materials to assist with this transition.We have also delivered a significant eVisa communications campaign, which has encouraged holders of physical immigration documents to take action to access their eVisa, and key elements of this have sought to reach an international audience. At key points in eVisa delivery throughout 2024, the Home Office communications team issued eVisa announcement press notices to diaspora media and international journalists, and held three press briefings to which international media were invited. This activity resulted in wide-ranging international eVisa media coverage.We recognise that the transition to eVisas may affect some countries’ internal processes where verification of UK immigration status may be required. We have informed other Governments that a person can do this through a share code, a physical document confirming their UK status or permission, a screen from a person’s UKVI account, or a copy of a letter or email sent to the person when their status or permission was granted. It is a matter for individual countries to set their own policies but we have engaged with them, through FCDO, about what the transition to eVisa means, and continue to do so. We advise that people check what individual countries’ requirements are before travelling or applying for a visa.

When she plans to respond to the correspondence of 11 December 2024 from the hon. Member for Tooting, reference number RA60941.

The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 7 January.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the rights of women in Afghanistan.

We have repeatedly condemned Taliban restrictions on women and girls' rights, including through UN Security Council and Human Rights Council resolutions. As the Foreign Secretary has said, exclusion of women from all aspects of public life is a tragic set...

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reforming the non-qualifying leaseholder status for building remediation funding.

We understand that many leaseholders are frustrated by the limits of qualifying status set out in the Building Safety Act.The principle of the leaseholder protection package is to protect leaseholders living in their own homes in unsafe buildings. They al...

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of consumer protection provided by (a) package travel and (b) ATOL regulations.

The rights provided under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangement Regulations 2018 (PTRs) have been key to resolving many consumer issues in recent years- including supplier insolvencies. DBT is looking to expand options for businesses to protect...

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of consumer protection provided by the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018.

The additional consumer rights provided to travellers under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (“PTRs”) have played an important role in ensuring consumers are supported through supplier insolvencies. The Department is curr...

What steps his Department is taking to improve the rate of breast cancer diagnoses for women with asymptomatic breast density.

The UK National Screening Committee is currently reviewing the evidence surrounding breast density in screening.Improving early diagnosis of cancer, including breast cancer, is a priority for NHS England. To support early detection and diagnosis, the Nati...

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including breast density in medical data collection, in the context of diagnosing breast cancer.

The UK National Screening Committee is currently reviewing the evidence surrounding breast density in screening.Improving early diagnosis of cancer, including breast cancer, is a priority for NHS England. To support early detection and diagnosis, the Nati...

What assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the adequacy of healthcare provision in HMP Wandsworth.

Healthcare services at HMP Wandsworth underwent inspection, jointly undertaken by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons and the Care Quality Commission, in May 2024. The joint inspectorate noted that improvements had been made across the provision of heal...

What steps his Department is taking to improve the quality of healthcare provision across the prison estate.

NHS England’s Health and Justice Oversight Delivery Group is responsible for governance and oversight of delivery and continuous improvement in health and justice commissioned services. NHS England, via the regional health and justice teams, has regular m...

With reference to the correspondence of 12 and 26 September 2024 from the Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending to the hon Member for Tooting on HMP Wandsworth, what assessment she has made of

Additional netting is one of a number of measures that HMP Wandsworth is seeking to progress in the coming months, in order to address the shortcomings that have been identified by HM Inspectorate of PrisonsHM Prison & Probation Service is continuing ...

What steps her Department is taking to improve road safety for (a) cyclists and (b) pedestrians.

This Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing our road safety strategy, and will set out more details in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of strengthening legal penalties for motorists at fault in hit-and-run incidents.

This Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. My Department is developing our road safety strategy and will set out more details in due course.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department is taking steps with private mobile network operators to improve (a) mobile phone signal and (b) 5G coverage in London.

The Government wants all areas of the UK, including London, to benefit from reliable and good quality mobile coverage. Our ambition is for all populated areas to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030, and to increase 4G coverage to 95% of the UK landm...

What steps his Department is taking to improve the number of breast cancer diagnoses at mammogram or other early stages.

Lord Darzi’s report has set out the scale of the challenges we face in fixing the National Health Service and the need to improve cancer waiting time performance and cancer survival, including for breast cancer. In particular, he has highlighted the need ...

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the (a) acceptable and (b) achievable levels of S07b incident screenings for mammograms.

As part of the NHS Breast Screening Programme, S07b is the ‘screening standard’ whereby ‘incident screens’, that is any subsequent breast screen after first screen, are referred for further assessment.NHS England has advised that there is expected to be a...

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to regulate websites that promote (a) eating disorders, (b) suicide and (c) self harm.

The Online Safety Act requires all in-scope services to swiftly remove illegal content as soon as they become aware of it. This includes content that intentionally encourages or assists suicide and self-harm, including eating disorder behaviours. User-to-...

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of regulating websites that promote (a) eating disorders, (b) suicide and (c) self harm.

The Online Safety Act requires all in-scope services to swiftly remove illegal content as soon as they become aware of it. This includes content that intentionally encourages or assists suicide and self-harm, including eating disorder behaviours. User-to-...

What steps his Department is taking to prevent fraudulent practices by online shopping sites

DBT is implementing the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act which strengthens consumer law enforcement by giving the CMA new administrative powers, and the CMA and courts the ability to impose significant monetary penalties. The Act also update...