Written questions by Osborne.

What assessment his Department has made of the distribution of medicines margin across the community pharmacy sector; and when the outcomes of that assessment will be published.

The Department does not assess the distribution of medicine margin across the community pharmacy sector. However, as part of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework funding settlement 2025/26, the Department committed to a range actions to try to deliver medicine margin more fairly across pharmacy contractors and reduce over delivery which included improving and validating the medicines margin survey to underpin work on medicines margin distribution.Further, along with Community Pharmacy England, representative body of community pharmacies, the Department assesses the overall medicines margin retained through a quarterly medicine margin survey which samples independent pharmacy contractors’ sale invoices to identify the actual price they paid for a sample of medicines and compares this with the amount reimbursed by the National Health Service. Comparison of the margin that is found in the margin survey, along with the amount of margin set as part of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework, determines whether there needs to be any adjustments to payments made to community pharmacies.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of applying the new Nutrient Profiling Model to advertising and promotions restrictions on food inflation.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of (a) respiratory disease and (b) the number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions (i) in Chatham and Aylesford constituency and (ii) nationally; and what steps he is taking to ensure respiratory health is prioritised nationally.

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.Data is available for emergency finished admission episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. Data for Chatham and Aylesford is shown in the table.Activity in English National Health Service Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sectorWestminster Parliamentary Constituency of Residence (Office for National Statistics)2024/25 (August 2024 to March 2025)2025/26 (April 2025 to November 2025, provisional)Chatham and Aylesford840530England608,449423,588Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England Available data on trends in respiratory conditions is available at the Department of Health and Social Care Fingertips website. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency, but is available at regional, county, unitary authority and integrated care board level. Information for Kent is available at the following link:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E10000016/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1The Government has committed to delivering three big shifts that our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country. Through our community diagnostic centres (CDCs), we are building capacity for respiratory testing and enabling people to get diagnosed closer to home. 101 CDCs across the country now offer out of hours services, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around busy working lives. This is alongside action being taken to expand capacity and improve the quality of pulmonary rehabilitation services to support patients living with respiratory conditions.

What data his Department holds on the number of patients waiting to start treatment with Medway NHS Foundation Trust in (a) July 2024 and (b) December 2025.

The latest publication was on 15 January 2026 for November 2025 data. Data for December will be published on 12 February 2026.At the start of July 2024, the number of pathways on the referral-to-treatment waiting list for the same trust was 43,820.As of the latest published data for the end of November 2025, the number of pathways on the waiting list at the same trust was 37,104. The waiting list at Medway has therefore reduced by 6,716, or by 15.3%.Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are committed to putting patients first by ensuring that they are seen on time and that they have the best possible experience of care. Since the Government came into office, the waiting list for routine appointments, operations and procedures in England has now been cut by 312,369. This is despite 30.1 million referrals onto the waiting list.Data on elective performance is published monthly, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/

What data his Department holds on the number of patients waiting to start treatment with Maidstone and Tunbridge NHS Foundation Trust in (a) July 2024 and (b) December 2025.

At the start of July 2024, the number of pathways on the referral-to-treatment waiting list at the Maidstone and Tunbridge NHS Foundation Trust was 44,761.As of the latest published data for the end of November 2025, the number of pathways was 49,595. Published data is available at the following link:https://data.england.nhs.uk/dashboard/rttData for December 2025 will be published on 12 February 2026.

If his Department will take steps to deploy drone technologies carrying (a) defibrillators and (b) other emergency medical equipment.

The Government is committed to innovation in drones and other growth sectors, and work is ongoing across Government, including between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Civil Aviation Authority, to support the safe and effective introduction of drones into medical logistics.Last year, the Department of Health and Social Care, working in collaboration with the Department for Transport, Innovate UK, and UK Research and Innovation, supported five pilot projects, allocating them a total of £500,000 to explore the use of drones in the National Health Service. Given the potential of drones to improve how the NHS delivers patient care, the Department of Health and Social Care is supportive of trials that explore the use of drones in medical logistics.Recent drone trials in the NHS have included pathology deliveries in Cornwall, blood deliveries in London, and the transport of chemotherapy to the Isle of Wight, where drone use reduced journey times from four hours by road and sea to a 30-minute flightThe National Institute for Health and Care Research has also funded a study into the use of drones to deliver defibrillators in emergency simulations, with more information available at the following link:https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/drones-could-deliver-defibrillators-cardiac-arrest-patients-ukCurrently, there are no plans to deploy drone technologies carrying defibrillators outside of trials. The Department of Health and Social Care continuously reviews the available evidence surrounding the use of drones in medical logistics and is supportive of new trials, including those involving defibrillators, to further build this evidence base.

What data his Department holds on the number of patients waiting to start treatment at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust in (a) July 2024 and (b) June 2025.

Referral to Treatment data published by NHS England shows that the waiting list at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust was 45,074 at the end of July 2024.Official statistics have not yet been released for June 2025, though the latest published data shows the waiting list was 46,988 at the end of May 2025. This marks an increase of 1,914 from July 2024.Provisional management information published by NHS England estimates the waiting list to be 48,944 in the week ending 29 June 2025.

What data his Department holds on the number of patients waiting to start treatment with the Medway NHS Foundation Trust in (a) July 2024 and (b) June 2025.

Referral to Treatment data published by NHS England shows that the waiting list at the Medway NHS Foundation Trust was 43,722 at the end of July 2024.Official statistics have not yet been released for June 2025, though the latest published data shows the waiting list was 40,087 at the end of May 2025. This marks a reduction of 3,635 in the waiting list from July 2024.Provisional management information published by NHS England estimates the waiting list to be 39,980 in the week ending 29 June 2025.Official statistics containing data for June will be published on 14 August.

What steps his Department is taking to support (a) the (i) Medway Community Healthcare and (ii) other NHS providers, (b) healthcare social enterprises and (c) community interest companies with cyber-resilience.

Last year, we provided technical support to Medway Community Healthcare to help the organisation respond to and recover from a cyber incident. In the past year we have invested £37.6 million across health and social care, building on the £338 million invested since 2017. Through our ambitious Cyber Improvement Programme, we are tackling the changing cyber risk head-on, expanding protection and services to better protect the health and care system.The Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) online self-assessment tool allows organisations to measure their performance against national expectations. Guidance and regular webinars are available via the DSPT website. Further guidance and cyber alerts are published on the NHS England cyber and data security website and via the National Cyber Security Centre. Organisations can report urgent cyber security issues to the National Health Service data security helpline, which is available 24/7. We are currently reviewing our national policy on cyber security for social enterprises and community interest companies.

If he will make an estimate of the number of people on NHS waiting lists in (a) Chatham and Aylesford, (b) Gillingham and Rainham, (c) Rochester and Strood and (d) Sittingbourne and Sheppey constituency in (i) August 2024 and (ii) March 2025.

The Department does not hold data at the requested granularity. Tackling waiting lists remains a top priority for the Government. We are working to cut National Health Service waiting lists and to ensure people have the best possible experience during their care. As a first step, we have exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered over three million more appointments. We have seen a reduction in the national list of over 219,000 since July 2024.

Whether he plans to issue new guidance on the use of (a) Novarapid, (b) Insulin flextouch, (c) Insulatard and (d) Levimir for diabetes patients before March 2025.

In late 2024, the Department issued communications on the discontinuation of both Novorapid Flextouch and Insulatard Penfill cartridges to the National Health Service, advising on suitable alternatives. The Department is working with NHS England and clinical experts to develop management advice for healthcare professionals ahead of the discontinuation of Levemir, in December 2026. This will be communicated at the earliest opportunity. There are no plans to issue guidance on Insulin Flextouch.

Whether the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will be resuming the annual evidence reviews on tobacco-based products previously undertaken by Public Health England.

Public Health England did not previously publish annual evidence reviews on tobacco-based products. However, Public Health England did publish a series of reports on nicotine vaping products over 10 years. They are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/e-cigarettes-and-vaping-policy-regulation-and-guidanceThese reports aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool. Heated tobacco products were also assessed in two of the reports. The final report in the commission was published in 2022, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nicotine-vaping-in-england-2022-evidence-updateThe Department continues to monitor emerging data, and we are working closely with stakeholders and experts, including internationally, to ensure we are researching the long-term health impacts of vaping. We are exploring additional research and will set out plans in due course.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a statutory food hygiene rating scheme in England.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is operated by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with local authorities across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.We will consider whether the mandatory display of ratings should be introduced in England in due course. In the meantime, the FSA is working with its local authority partners to maintain and improve the impact and benefits of this highly successful public health scheme.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandating the display of restaurant food hygiene ratings in all English licenced premises assessed.

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is operated by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with local authorities across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.We will consider whether the mandatory display of ratings should be introduced in England in due course. In the meantime, the FSA is working with its local authority partners to maintain and improve the impact and benefits of this highly successful public health scheme.

What his Department's timetable is for making a decision on the development Medway Maritime Trust elective care centre in Chatham.

Presently, there is no Medway elective treatment business case going through assurance with the Department. NHS England has delegated authority for business cases costed at under £25 million, in which case the Department is not the decision maker. This aligns with our approach that local health infrastructure needs are determined by local health system planners, in collaboration with NHS England.