Written questions by Gardner.

What steps his department is taking to improve awareness and understanding of Type 1 Diabetes across the Health and Social Care system.

As I reaffirmed in the Westminster Hall debate on type 1 diabetes on 9 March 2026, the Government is committed to improving awareness of type 1 diabetes. NHS England carried out communications activity to coincide with World Diabetes Day in November 2025, with a focus on the “4Ts” symptoms of type 1 diabetes, namely thirst, tired, thinning, and toileting, meaning increased urine output. This included messaging to the public via social media, and the cascade of information via clinical networks.NHS England is currently engaging and coordinating with other national organisations on supportive action, raising awareness of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes, improving training and education, and exploring what supportive tools may be available to further support healthcare professionals to identify type 1 diabetes.

What plans his department has to increase the uptake of annual diabetes health checks.

The Government is committed to supporting people with diabetes. Improving the uptake of annual diabetes health checks recommended by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is a key primary care metric in the NHS Oversight Framework, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-oversight-framework-2025-26/The framework sets out how NHS England will assess providers and integrated care boards, to identify where support is needed and promote improvement.NHS England is also working closely with systems within the National Health Service to monitor improvement of achievement rates in delivering the annual diabetes health checks. To help deliver this, NHS England has recently launched a new National Diabetes Audit Care Processes and Treatment Targets dashboard to support systems to benchmark and improve delivery of the health checks.

What steps his department is taking to improve access to finger-prick blood glucose testing for Type 1 Diabetes when symptoms first appear.

As I set out in the debate on Type 1 Diabetes: Infant Testing in response to petition 728677 on Monday 9 March 2026, the Government is committed to supporting people with type 1 diabetes. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recently updated the clinical guidelines on type 1 diabetes in children and young people, which is available at the following link:http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng18This sets out that children and young people without a known diagnosis of diabetes can also present with diabetic ketoacidosis which requires urgent diagnosis and management. This includes the measurement of capillary blood glucose, which is usually undertaken through a finger-prick test.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using uropathogen infection testing for diagnosing urinary tract infections.

The Department has not made a specific assessment. There are several sources of guidance regarding the diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTIs), including from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and the UK Health Security Agency.The TOUCAN study was part-commissioned by NHS England as an assessment of future more timely diagnostics, including various point of care tests for UTIs in primary care.

What steps his Department is taking to support research on vaccinations against recurrent and chronic urinary tract infections.

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds, supports, and carries out high-quality research to improve health outcomes and care services. Over the last five financial years, the Department has provided over £22 million in programme research funding for urinary tract infection (UTI) research, including research on improved treatment for recurrent and chronic UTIs. In addition, NIHR infrastructure is supporting Phase 3 trials on vaccines against Escherichia coli infection in older adults who have a history of UTI, delivered by the NIHR Bristol Clinical Research Facility and the NIHR Wellcome Trust Manchester Clinical Research Facility. The NIHR also funds the James Lind Alliance, which has run a Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) focused on chronic and recurrent UTIs. This PSP, funded by AMR Action UK and delivered in partnership with Bladder Health UK and The Urology Foundation, has identified the top 10 research priorities in this area. A rolling funding opportunity is available for research projects that align with priorities aligning with PSPs.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of medical (a) gender inequality and (b) misogyny on the (i) diagnostics and (ii) treatment of urinary tract infections.

The Department has not made a specific assessment. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines, such as those for the diagnosis and management of urinary tract infections, are subject to equality impact assessments as part of NICE’s governance processes, which mean that protected characteristics, including sex, are considered as part of the guideline's development.

Whether his Department is taking steps with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to introduce a definition for chronic urinary tract infections.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence‑based guidance for the National Health Service on best practice in the care and treatment of patients with specific conditions.NICE does not ordinarily define specific clinical conditions. NICE has no current plans to develop guidance on chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) at this time, and the topic has not been considered by its prioritisation board. However, NICE has produced a clinical guideline on antimicrobial prescribing for recurrent UTIs which provides recommendations on treatments and self-care for the prevention of recurrent UTIs. This guideline is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng112

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of phage medicines on tackling (a) recurrent and chronic urinary tract infections and (b) associated antimicrobial resistance.

The Department recognises bacteriophage, or phage, medicines as a promising complementary option for difficult bacterial infections, including recurrent and chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs), and as a potential tool to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR).However, phage therapy is not yet used routinely in the National Health Service. Although case reports and small studies show benefit in hard-to-treat infections, there is still insufficient largescale, high-quality clinical trial evidence to support widespread adoption.For UTIs specifically, there is currently no evidence of benefit of phage therapy from randomised controlled trials, the only trial to date showed no effect. The proposed UK Clinical Phage Service will help generate further clinical evidence and support individual patient use where treatment options are limited.As a result, phage therapy in the United Kingdom is generally accessed only through specialist or compassionate use pathways, typically when conventional antibiotics have failed and expert clinical teams judge it appropriate. This cautious approach ensures appropriate safety, efficacy, and regulatory oversight before routine use.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure the psychological impacts of chronic urinary tract infections are recognised.

The Department and NHS England recognise the psychological impact of chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs). NHS England published the Excellence in Continence Care framework on 23 July 2018, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/excellence-in-continence-care/This framework brings together evidence-based resources and research as guidance for commissioners, providers, health and social care staff, and it explicitly acknowledges a range of psychological impacts including loss of self-esteem, depression, loss of independence, and impacts on relationships and employment prospects.Further, NHS England’s existing system wide clinical messaging around UTIs acknowledges behavioural and cognitive impacts, particularly confusion, agitation, and changes in mental state, indicating institutional recognition of psychological and neuro‑behavioural effects associated with UTIs.NHS England’s national UTI awareness campaign states that UTIs can cause agitation and confusion in older adults, demonstrating the system’s acknowledgement that infection-related symptoms extend beyond physical pain to include cognitive and psychological changes. This ensures clinicians are prompted to consider psychological and cognitive changes as part of UTI presentations. The awareness campaign can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/2023/10/new-awareness-campaign-to-help-reduce-hospital-admissions-for-urinary-tract-infections/

What recent progress has been made on incorporating menopause screening into NHS Health Checks.

We are currently working with experts, including general practitioners, to co-design the menopause content for the NHS Health Check.The inclusion of menopause in the NHS Health Check will support eligible women across England to access high quality information on the menopause, including advice on managing symptoms and where to seek support.We will ask local authorities to implement this addition in the NHS Health Checks later this year and will urge them to implement it as quickly as possible.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of importation of synthetic cathinones through mail; and what progress her Department has made in tackling the importation of illicit substances through mail.

The Forensic Science Regulator has established a working group to develop regulatory requirements around the use of drug testing kits and devices. The working group involves police, forensic providers, academia and government organisations, including the Home Office. No assessment has been made of the merits of updating Home Office guidance with specific regard to synthetic cathinones.The Home Office and operational partners have processes and capabilities in place at the UK Border to detect illicit substances, including synthetic cathinones trafficked through mail. The Home Office engages with postal and parcel operators both in the UK and internationally to tackle this threat.Most synthetic cathinones are controlled as Class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Drug Testing on Arrest gives police the power to identify offenders under the influence of Class A drugs and get them the help they need. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are expanding tests to cover specified Class A, B and C drugs. These drugs will be specified through secondary legislation. The Crime and Policing Bill is progressing through Parliament and the Government will look to bring forward the necessary secondary legislation following Royal Assent.I am grateful to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs for their comprehensive report on synthetic cathinones. The Government is considering the ACMD’s recommendations carefully and we will respond as soon as possible.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of expanding drug testing on arrest powers to synthetic cathinones.

The Forensic Science Regulator has established a working group to develop regulatory requirements around the use of drug testing kits and devices. The working group involves police, forensic providers, academia and government organisations, including the Home Office. No assessment has been made of the merits of updating Home Office guidance with specific regard to synthetic cathinones.The Home Office and operational partners have processes and capabilities in place at the UK Border to detect illicit substances, including synthetic cathinones trafficked through mail. The Home Office engages with postal and parcel operators both in the UK and internationally to tackle this threat.Most synthetic cathinones are controlled as Class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Drug Testing on Arrest gives police the power to identify offenders under the influence of Class A drugs and get them the help they need. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are expanding tests to cover specified Class A, B and C drugs. These drugs will be specified through secondary legislation. The Crime and Policing Bill is progressing through Parliament and the Government will look to bring forward the necessary secondary legislation following Royal Assent.I am grateful to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs for their comprehensive report on synthetic cathinones. The Government is considering the ACMD’s recommendations carefully and we will respond as soon as possible.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs' recommendations on synthetic cathinones in its report entitled Synthetic Cathinones: an Updated Harms Assessment report.

The Forensic Science Regulator has established a working group to develop regulatory requirements around the use of drug testing kits and devices. The working group involves police, forensic providers, academia and government organisations, including the Home Office. No assessment has been made of the merits of updating Home Office guidance with specific regard to synthetic cathinones.The Home Office and operational partners have processes and capabilities in place at the UK Border to detect illicit substances, including synthetic cathinones trafficked through mail. The Home Office engages with postal and parcel operators both in the UK and internationally to tackle this threat.Most synthetic cathinones are controlled as Class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Drug Testing on Arrest gives police the power to identify offenders under the influence of Class A drugs and get them the help they need. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are expanding tests to cover specified Class A, B and C drugs. These drugs will be specified through secondary legislation. The Crime and Policing Bill is progressing through Parliament and the Government will look to bring forward the necessary secondary legislation following Royal Assent.I am grateful to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs for their comprehensive report on synthetic cathinones. The Government is considering the ACMD’s recommendations carefully and we will respond as soon as possible.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of updating the Home Office Approved Field Testing guidance in relation to synthetic cathinones.

The Forensic Science Regulator has established a working group to develop regulatory requirements around the use of drug testing kits and devices. The working group involves police, forensic providers, academia and government organisations, including the Home Office. No assessment has been made of the merits of updating Home Office guidance with specific regard to synthetic cathinones.The Home Office and operational partners have processes and capabilities in place at the UK Border to detect illicit substances, including synthetic cathinones trafficked through mail. The Home Office engages with postal and parcel operators both in the UK and internationally to tackle this threat.Most synthetic cathinones are controlled as Class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Drug Testing on Arrest gives police the power to identify offenders under the influence of Class A drugs and get them the help they need. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are expanding tests to cover specified Class A, B and C drugs. These drugs will be specified through secondary legislation. The Crime and Policing Bill is progressing through Parliament and the Government will look to bring forward the necessary secondary legislation following Royal Assent.I am grateful to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs for their comprehensive report on synthetic cathinones. The Government is considering the ACMD’s recommendations carefully and we will respond as soon as possible.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed change to standard recall length, from the current 28 days to 56 days, on pregnant women and mothers of dependent children.

Recall is a last resort for cases where risk in the community becomes unmanageable.The Department published an Equalities Impact Statement alongside the Sentencing Act, which can be found here: Sentencing Bill equalities statement.It was assessed that the Act’s recall measures will not disproportionately impact those with protected characteristics.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that content relating to women’s health is not inappropriately restricted or shadow-banned on social media platforms; and whether her Department has issued to platforms on safeguarding access to educational health information.

The Online Safety Act does not set out to prevent adults from seeking out legal content, nor does it decide what legal content companies should or should not allow on their platforms. Platforms will not be able to arbitrarily remove content, and users will have access to effective complaints procedures when content is unduly taken down. Ofcom, the independent regulator, is working to ensure services understand how to comply with the new requirements.

With reference to the introduction of HPV self-sampling planned for January 2026, a) what information and awareness-raising programmes are being developed to inform under-screened women of the advantages and disadvantages of the available cervical screening options and b) when will the programmes be rolled out.

NHS England is committed to eliminating cervical cancer by 2040. Following ministerial endorsement of a UK National Screening Committee recommendation, in June 2025, NHS England indicated its intention to transform its approach to cervical screening for under-screened women. From early 2026, they will receive home testing kits starting with those that are the most overdue for screening. This will help tackle deeply entrenched barriers that keep some away from life-saving screening.As part of implementation, NHS England is developing a communications and engagement plan to raise awareness of the option of self-testing. This includes underserved groups, NHS staff providing screening services, and key stakeholders such as charities. Materials developed have been tested with the Eve Appeal and build on extensive insights and user testing in the NHS cervical screening programme.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that the National Curriculum adequately covers a) practical skills related to basic food preparation and nutrition and b) education on the origins of food and agricultural production.

Food education is covered primarily within design and technology, and elements of food education can also be covered across biology, geography and relationships, sex and health education in the national curriculum. The curriculum requires that pupils learn about healthy eating, where food comes from, nutrition and sustainability. Schools also have flexibility within the broad framework of the national curriculum to tailor curriculum subjects to meet the needs of their pupils. Additional resources are available from Oak National Academy, who have recently developed a new cooking and nutrition curriculum package. This has been designed by experts to give access to practical, engaging lessons covering food preparation, cooking techniques and healthy eating. In the recent response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the department has set out that we will be ensuring that the programmes of study for cooking and nutrition, which will be renamed food and nutrition, are more specific and prepare pupils for life and potential future careers in the food sector.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that cancer patients receive radiotherapy treatment within the 62 day standard wait time in Stoke-on-Trent South constituency.

The Department remains committed to ensuring that all patients receive a swift diagnosis and timely access to treatments, including patients in the Stoke-on-Trent South constituency. We know that patients are often waiting too long for treatment which is why we have recently invested £70 million into new LINAC radiotherapy machines, replacing older, less efficient machines. These machines are currently being rolled out. This will be the first step in boosting productivity across the country, thereby allowing more patients to be seen per session, reducing waiting times for patients who require radiotherapy treatment.In addition, the National Health Service is delivering an additional 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week. The NHS has exceeded its pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments in our first year of Government, having delivered 5.2 million more appointments.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of private parking firms using payment by app only on users who cannot use a mobile phone.

In accordance with the Private Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, the government has recently consulted on its proposals for a new code of practice for private parking operators to follow.The government is aware that predominantly elderly and disabled motorists are the most likely to experience challenges when using mobile phones to pay for parking.As part of the consultation, the government sought views on the impact its proposals would have on protected groups, as defined by the 2010 Equality Act.The consultation closed on 26 September and the government will respond in due course.