Written questions by Lowe.

What the total value was of fraud detected across NHS procurement systems in each year since 2020.

The following table shows the value of the procurement fraud detected in the National Health Service in England for each of the last five years:YearProcurement fraud detected2020/21£9,100,0002021/22£9,300,0002022/23£3,200,0002023/24£5,800,0002024/25£3,000,000Source: the data is derived from the NHS related Consolidated Data Return. Notes:the table details the financial value of fraud detected in each financial year where the fraud area matches Cabinet Office fraud taxonomy where procurement is referenced; andfigures shown in this table are gross losses that do not include monies subsequently recovered as a result of loss recovery activity.

What the total value is of (a) unused and (b) expired PPE stock held by the NHS.

Data on personal protective equipment (PPE) items held in storage within individual National Health Service trusts is not held centrally. As of 16 June 2025, PPE items with a value of £24,496,465 are being held in storage by NHS Supply Chain for sale to NHS trusts. This stock is all in date. The programme to dispose of excess COVID-19 related PPE concluded in January 2025. Some excess stock was used to replenish the Department’s pandemic PPE stockpile, where possible and appropriate, based on anticipated PPE requirements during a pandemic. The value of in-date PPE held in the Department’s Pandemic Preparedness stockpile by NHS Supply Chain as of 16 June 2025 is £172,923,563. The value of expired PPE held in the Pandemic Preparedness stockpile is £12,514,945, pending replacement and disposal. Dynamic stockpiling will be the default for any new PPE we buy for the pandemic stockpile. Stockpiled PPE is being sold for use in the NHS wherever possible, before it expires. This represents better value for money by reducing costs for storage, procurement of new products, and disposal of expired products, as well as reducing waste.

How much their Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for languages other than (i) British Sign Language and (ii) languages native to the UK for people contacting (A) their Department and (B) its agencies in 2025.

The Department’s expenditure with external suppliers of translation or interpretation services for the 2025 calendar year to date was £7,196, excluding British Sign Language expenditure. In addition, there was no expenditure for languages native to the United Kingdom. This was expenditure mainly for providing accessible, easy to understand versions of technical and legal documents for patients and the public, commissioned by different directorates within the Department.

How many NHS appointments were missed in the last 12-months.

The Department does not hold data on the number of missed appointments across the whole National Health Service. In the year from April 2024 to March 2025, the latest provisional data indicates that there were 8.1 million outpatient appointments not attended by the patient, representing 5.6% of all appointments.

What proportion of NHS Trusts provide free parking to patients.

National Health Service trusts decide locally on whether they charge for parking on their sites. The published Estates Return Information Collection gives a breakdown of NHS trusts charging for hospital parking for patients and visitors combined.The latest figures from 2023/24 show that 34% of NHS trusts do not charge hospital car parking for patients and visitors. The data on this is collected in the Estates Return Information Collection (ERIC) and available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2023-24More widely, some patients already receive free hospital car parking as this is provided to those in ‘most need’. This is defined as frequent outpatient attenders, parents of children staying overnight, disabled blue badge holders and NHS staff working overnight. All NHS Trusts that charge for hospital car parking have implemented this commitment.

What the cost to the NHS was of missed appointments in 2024.

The Department does not hold data on the overall cost to the National Health Service of missed appointments.

What steps he is taking to bring retired NHS staff back into service.

NHS England operates Return to Practice for Nurses, Midwives and Health and Care Professions Council professionals, which is for those wanting to return after their professional registration has lapsed. This includes retired National Health Service staff going back into service.NHS Pension Scheme rules have been changed over recent years to make returning to service and contributing extra hours more attractive.

What information his Department holds on the number and proportion of GP registrations made by people not born in the UK in the last five years, broken down by region.

The Department does not hold data regarding the number and proportion of National Health Service general practice registrations that were for people not born in the United Kingdom.

What information his Department holds on the number of births in NHS hospitals to mothers not born in the UK in 2023, broken down by the (a) region of the hospital and (b) mother's country of birth.

The Department does not hold data on the number of births in National Health Service hospitals to mothers not born in the United Kingdom.However, the Office for National Statistics publishes statistics on live births in England and Wales in 2023 by parent’s country of birth and area of usual residence. These statistics include live births to the 2.2% of women who did not give birth in an NHS hospital and instead gave birth at home, in a non-NHS establishment, or elsewhere, and are available at the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/bulletins/parentscountryofbirthenglandandwales/2023

What estimate his Department has made of the number of individuals accessing NHS services who do not have lawful residency status in the UK; and whether such data is used to inform other estimates of immigration.

The Department does not hold or collect the information requested.

If they will make it their policy to not provide (a) translation and (b) interpretation for speakers of non-UK languages for services provided by their Department.

General Medical Council guidance states that all possible efforts must be made to ensure effective communication with patients. This includes arrangements to meet patients’ communication needs in languages other than English.Where language is a problem in discussing health matters, NHS England’s guidance stipulates that a professional interpreter should always be offered, rather than using family or friends to interpret. NHS England’s guidance for interpreting and translation services in primary care is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/guidance-for-commissioners-interpreting-and-translation-services-in-primary-care/Working with professional interpreters will:Ensure the accuracy and impartiality of the interpreting;minimise the legal risk of the misinterpretation of important clinical information, for example informed consent to undergo clinical treatments and procedures;minimise the safeguarding risk, for example for victims of human trafficking, where the trafficker may introduce themselves as a family member or friend, and speak on behalf of the patient;allow family members and friends to attend appointments and support the patient, emotionally and with decision-making, without the added pressure of needing to interpret; andfoster trust with the patient.

How many cases of communicable diseases were recorded in new arrivals to the UK in the last five years by visa status.

The UK Health Security Agency does not collect or hold data on communicable disease by visa status for new arrivals to the United Kingdom.Advice on communicable disease screening and vaccinations for new arrivals to the UK is available in the Migrant Health Guidance, published on the GOV.UK website, and available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/assessing-new-patients-from-overseas-migrant-health-guide

What proportion of new GP registrations were made by non-UK nationals in each of the last five years.

The Department does not hold data regarding the number and proportion of National Health Service general practitioner registrations that were for non-United Kingdom nationals.

What proportion of ambulance response times in Great Yarmouth constituency exceeded national targets for category 1 and category 2 calls in the last 12 months.

The Department does not hold the information in the format requested.NHS England publishes official statistics for average ambulance response times by category of incident at a national level and at ambulance trust level. In addition, information on Category 2 ambulance response times has also been published since April 2024 by integrated care board area. This information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of GP service availability in Great Yarmouth constituency.

General practitioners (GPs) have delivered an estimated 32.3 million appointments in March 2025, an increase of 6% since March 2024. In March 2025, in the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board there were 643,000 GP appointments delivered.In addition, through an £82 million funding boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), we have recruited 1,503 more GPs since 1 October 2024.As of 31 March 2025, the median number of full-time equivalent doctors in general practice per 10,000 registered patients was 7.0 in Great Yarmouth constituency. GPs employed through the ARRS are not included as they are employed by primary care networks, rather than directly by practices.There is no NHS England recommendation for how many patients a GP should have assigned, or the ratio of GPs or other practice staff to patients.The demands each patient places on their general practice are different and can be affected by many different factors, including rurality and patient demographics. It is necessary to consider the workforce for each practice as a whole; not only GPs but also the range of health professionals available who are able to respond to the needs of their patients.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of GP-to-patient ratios in the Great Yarmouth constituency as of April 2025.

General practitioners (GPs) have delivered an estimated 32.3 million appointments in March 2025, an increase of 6% since March 2024. In March 2025, in the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board there were 643,000 GP appointments delivered.In addition, through an £82 million funding boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), we have recruited 1,503 more GPs since 1 October 2024.As of 31 March 2025, the median number of full-time equivalent doctors in general practice per 10,000 registered patients was 7.0 in Great Yarmouth constituency. GPs employed through the ARRS are not included as they are employed by primary care networks, rather than directly by practices.There is no NHS England recommendation for how many patients a GP should have assigned, or the ratio of GPs or other practice staff to patients.The demands each patient places on their general practice are different and can be affected by many different factors, including rurality and patient demographics. It is necessary to consider the workforce for each practice as a whole; not only GPs but also the range of health professionals available who are able to respond to the needs of their patients.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of dentistry in Great Yarmouth constituency.

Dental Statistics - England 2023/24, published by the NHS Business Services Authority on 22 August 2024, is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324As Lord Darzi made clear in his independent investigation of the National Health Service in England, there are wide variations in the number of NHS dentists per population in different areas of the country. Rural and coastal communities particularly lack access to NHS dentistry. This is certainly the case in Norfolk and Waveney, where the integrated care board has 31.5 dentists per 100,000 population, compared to an average of 49.5 per 100,000 across England.We have announced a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

If he will make an estimate of the proportion of halal food served in hospitals.

Data on the amount of halal food served in the National Health Service is not collected centrally. No estimate has been made of the proportion of halal food served in hospitals.

What information his Department holds on the (a) nationality and (b) immigration status of people using NHS (i) primary and (ii) secondary care services.

The Department does not hold or collect the information requested.

Whether their Department plans to amend its policies on access to (a) toilets, (b) changing facilities and (c) other single-sex spaces in (i) Departmental buildings and (ii) other buildings within their Department’s remit following the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.

The Department welcomes the Supreme Court's ruling and the clarity that it brings. We will review our internal policies wherever necessary, ensuring that they follow the clarity provided by the ruling and comply with the latest legal position. We will also ensure that the protections which remain in place for trans people to live free from discrimination and harassment, including in relation to their employment, are also taken into account.