Written questions by Barclay.

If he will make an estimate of the impact of providing a one per cent increase in pay to all NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts in the 2025-26 financial year on (a) total costs, (b) pension contributions, (c) National Insurance contributions and (d) spillover costs.

The following table shows the total cost of uplifting the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay scales by one percent in 2025/26, as well as the costs of employer pension contributions (EPC), employer National Insurance contributions (ENIC), and spillover elements from that total:Full cost to the Department, including spilloversEPCENICSpillover costs£950,000,000£110,000,000£80,000,000£240,000,000 These estimates represent the gross cost per one percent uplift payable from National Health Service funding for AfC staff only. The exact cost will vary depending on the workforce size and composition, and these estimates are based on current assumptions. ENIC costs include the cost of the 2025/26 increase in ENIC rates. EPC and ENIC costs relate to the substantive workforce only. Spillover costs allow for full system costs, including EPCs and ENICs, beyond the substantive workforce.

How much funding his Department plans to provide for motor neurone disease research in 2025.

Government responsibility for delivering motor neurone disease research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation. Since the start of 2022/23, the Government has allocated £47.8 million to motor neurone disease research.The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including motor neurone disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on motor neurone disease to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

How many people who do not meet the criteria to reside were inpatients in (a) Hinchingbrooke Hospital, (b) Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn and (c) Peterborough City Hospital on 21 April 2025.

The following table shows the number of patients with no criteria to reside as of 21 April 2025, in Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn, and Peterborough City Hospital:HospitalNumbers of patients with no criteria to resideHinchingbrooke Hospital35Peterborough City Hospital47Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn49 No criteria to reside refers to patients who are medically fit for discharge but are still in hospital. These delays can be caused by a range of issues including hospital processes, delays in arranging ongoing support, a lack of care capacity, and wellbeing concerns.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 27517 on Hospitals: Concrete, whether he plans to publish the comprehensive report into the seven reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete schemes.

As stated in Question 27517, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has commissioned a comprehensive report into the seven reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) schemes being delivered through the New Hospital Programme. The final contract has been awarded to Mott MacDonald and can be found in the public domain on contract finder, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finderThe report is due to take a total of 19 weeks to complete. We do not expect to publish the report in its entirety as it will contain sensitive commercial information. This is in line with the approach taken with previous reports of this nature. We do, however, recognise the importance of transparency and the significant level of interest in the report outcomes, and will consider what can be released publicly once the report is complete.We remain committed to removing RAAC fully from the National Health Service estate whilst working to keep facilities open, with patient and staff safety at the forefront of our decision making.

How many individual cases of overseas visitors' debt have been written off by NHS Trusts in respect of maternity care in the last 12 months; and if he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of this.

This information is not held in the format requested. The consolidated National Health Service provider accounts for 2023/24 were published by NHS England, and recorded £44 million as written-off from overseas visitors.The information requested regarding written-off debt for maternity care is not held centrally, and there are no current plans to make an estimate. The consolidated NHS provider accounts for 2023/24 are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consolidated-nhs-provider-accounts-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024

How much and what proportion of debt has been written off by NHS Trusts as a result of overseas visitors in each of the last 12 months.

This information is not held in the format requested. The consolidated National Health Service provider accounts for 2023/24 were published by NHS England, and recorded £44 million as written-off from overseas visitors.The information requested regarding written-off debt for maternity care is not held centrally, and there are no current plans to make an estimate. The consolidated NHS provider accounts for 2023/24 are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consolidated-nhs-provider-accounts-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024

What information his Department holds on the cost to the public purse for the treatment of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in accordance with the NICE Quality Standard QS204 in each of the last five years.

The Department does not collect information on the numbers and proportion of patients with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) because it is not possible to specifically classify FASD within the National Health Service dataset. FASD is an umbrella term used to describe a range of cognitive, behavioural, physical and mental health conditions associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. In the NHS dataset, it is possible to identify conditions that could have been caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol, but it cannot be drawn from the data that prenatal exposure to alcohol was the direct cause of these conditions.The cost associated with treatment for people affected by FASD as outlined in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Quality Standard in England (QS204) is also not collected.

How many and what proportion of patients have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in (a) England, (b) Cambridgeshire and (c) Peterborough Integrated Care Board.

The Department does not collect information on the numbers and proportion of patients with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) because it is not possible to specifically classify FASD within the National Health Service dataset. FASD is an umbrella term used to describe a range of cognitive, behavioural, physical and mental health conditions associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. In the NHS dataset, it is possible to identify conditions that could have been caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol, but it cannot be drawn from the data that prenatal exposure to alcohol was the direct cause of these conditions.The cost associated with treatment for people affected by FASD as outlined in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Quality Standard in England (QS204) is also not collected.

With reference to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care during the debate on New Hospitals of 25 May 2023, Official Report, column 477, whether a further assessment (a) of the end date of safe operation of the seven most RAAC-affected hospitals been conducted and (b) will be required before construction of new hospitals can begin.

Following the General Election in July 2024, the Government inherited a programme to deliver new hospitals that was unfunded beyond March 2025 and was repeatedly delayed. We now have a plan to deliver the New Hospital Programme which is realistic and affordable.My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, commissioned a comprehensive report into the seven reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) schemes being delivered through the New Hospital Programme, as the last report was undertaken in autumn 2022 and covered the five hospitals not at the time within the New Hospital Programme.Part of the objectives of this report is to form an assessment of RAAC condition and other structural elements, backlog maintenance risks, as well as planned and current mitigations, and the remaining expected life of affected sites. The site-by-site report on RAAC hospitals will help inform individual development plans, which continue to progress at pace. We will expedite the delivery of schemes to replace hospitals built wholly or primarily from RAAC by focussing on the most affected buildings and services first.

Pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 22603 on Community Diagnostic Centres: Cambridgeshire, how many tests were delivered at North Cambs Diagnostic Centre in each month since June 2023.

Published data is not held in the format requested. Data for the number of tests delivered by Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) is held centrally and published at the national level, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/cdc-management-information/As of November 2024, CDCs have collectively delivered over 12.1 million tests and checks since July 2021.

How many patients were seen at North Cambs Diagnostic Centre in each month since its opening in June 2023.

Published data is not held in the format requested. Activity data, specifically the number of tests delivered, rather than patients seen, for community diagnostic centres (CDCs) is held centrally and published at the national level, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/cdc-management-information/

How many officials were working in his Department, excluding Arm’s Length Bodies, on (a) 13 November 2023, (b) 5 July 2024 and (c) 27 November 2024.

The Department only holds data on the number of officials working in the Department at the end of each calendar month. The following table shows the data for the end of each calendar month from July 2022 to October 2024:MonthHeadcountFull-time equivalentJuly 20224,0373,916August 20223,9813,840September 20224,0153,874October 20223,9793,838November 20223,9783,837December 20223,9133778January 20233,8433,708February 20233,7303,598March 20233,6703,541April 20233,5333,407May 20233,5163,392June 20233,4563,335July 20233,3743,254August 233,3273,208September 20233,3063,187October 20233,3013,184November 20233,2873,165December 20233,1853,073January 20243,1853,074February 20243,2133,103March 20243,2533,146April 20243,3083,201May 20243,3363,232June 20243,4033,294July 20243,4503,340August 20243,4753,367September 20243,5443,431October 20243,5993,483