Written questions by Rosindell.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing enforcement (a) powers and (b) resources available to (i) Trading Standards and (ii) local authorities to tackle the sale of illegal tobacco by businesses.

There are a range of tools available to enforce the sale of illicit tobacco, which reflect the severity of the offence committed. Trading Standards can seize illicit goods and refer cases to HM Revenue and Customs to make decisions about penalties, which can include fines of up to £10,000 and deactivation of a business's economic operator ID, restricting or removing their ability to purchase or sell tobacco in the United Kingdom. Further details are set out in HM Revenue and Customs’ Illicit Tobacco Strategy, at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/stubbing-out-the-problem-a-new-strategy-to-tackle-illicit-tobacco/stubbing-out-the-problem-a-new-strategy-to-tackle-illicit-tobaccoThe Tobacco and Vapes Bill will strengthen enforcement and crack down on rogue retailers selling illegal and unregulated tobacco and vape products to children and young people. The Bill introduces new £200 fixed penalty notices in England and Wales for certain tobacco and vape offences, including underage sales, and enables the introduction of a retail licensing scheme in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and a new registration scheme for tobacco, vape, and nicotine products sold on the UK market.Alongside the bill, we are investing £30 million of new funding for enforcement agencies in 2025/26, including Trading Standards, HM Revenue and Customs, and Border Force. This funding is being used to support the enforcement of illicit and underage tobacco and vape sales in England, and the implementation of the measures in the bill, including a boost to the Trading Standards workforce by recruiting approximately 80 new apprentices.

What steps he has taken to help improve the post-treatment recovery of NHS cancer patients.

Where appropriate, every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including a holistic needs assessment, a care plan, and health and wellbeing information and support. This includes the provision of information, empowering people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer and their treatment. Personalised care ensures that each person’s care is planned holistically, covering mental and physical health as well as any practical or financial concerns.Moreover, the NHS Cancer Programme, through local Cancer Alliances, is working to ensure that physical activity is fully integrated across the whole cancer pathway, which includes opportunities within rehabilitation for people who have undergone treatment.The National Cancer Plan, due to be published later this year, will set out plans to improve the experiences and outcomes for people at every stage of the cancer pathway, including post-treatment.

Whether his Department has considered (a) requiring non-medical practitioners to be shadowed during treating grade two aesthetic procedures and (b) undertaking an independent review of (i) statistics and (ii) petition responses to inform the development of a regulatory model that (A) safeguards public health and (B) supports (1) businesses and (2) (a) female entrepreneurs and (b) other working parents in the aesthetics sector.

The Government is committed to taking action to address longstanding concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector and has been exploring options for further regulation in this area. In doing so, the Government recognises the contribution the cosmetics industry makes to the economy, the entrepreneurship it fosters, and the employment opportunities it provides. Ministers recognise that Government action in this space must be proportionate if it is to protect the public from harm, whilst not unnecessarily restricting the activities of legitimate businesses. Any future changes to the regulation of the sector would be subject to public consultation, impact assessments, and the parliamentary procedure.We will set out the details of our approach in our response to the consultation on the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, which we will publish at the earliest opportunity.

What steps he is taking to support public education platforms that promote safe aesthetic treatment practices for (a) consumers and (b) practitioners.

The Government is committed to taking action to address longstanding concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector and has been exploring options for further regulation in this area. In doing so, the Government recognises the contribution the cosmetics industry makes to the economy, the entrepreneurship it fosters, and the employment opportunities it provides. Ministers recognise that Government action in this space must be proportionate if it is to protect the public from harm, whilst not unnecessarily restricting the activities of legitimate businesses. Any future changes to the regulation of the sector would be subject to public consultation, impact assessments, and the parliamentary procedure.We will set out the details of our approach in our response to the consultation on the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, which we will publish at the earliest opportunity.

If he will take steps to introduce (a) subsidised costs for (i) medical oversight and (ii) job support schemes and (b) other financial assistance for non-medical aesthetic practitioners.

The Government is committed to taking action to address longstanding concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector and has been exploring options for further regulation in this area. In doing so, the Government recognises the contribution the cosmetics industry makes to the economy, the entrepreneurship it fosters, and the employment opportunities it provides. Ministers recognise that Government action in this space must be proportionate if it is to protect the public from harm, whilst not unnecessarily restricting the activities of legitimate businesses. Any future changes to the regulation of the sector would be subject to public consultation, impact assessments, and the parliamentary procedure.We will set out the details of our approach in our response to the consultation on the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, which we will publish at the earliest opportunity.

If he will make it his policy to publish (a) a consultation and (b) an impact assessment before implementing regulations affecting non-medical aesthetic practitioners.

The Government is committed to taking action to address longstanding concerns about the safety of the cosmetics sector and has been exploring options for further regulation in this area. In doing so, the Government recognises the contribution the cosmetics industry makes to the economy, the entrepreneurship it fosters, and the employment opportunities it provides. Ministers recognise that Government action in this space must be proportionate if it is to protect the public from harm, whilst not unnecessarily restricting the activities of legitimate businesses. Any future changes to the regulation of the sector would be subject to public consultation, impact assessments, and the parliamentary procedure.We will set out the details of our approach in our response to the consultation on the licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England, which we will publish at the earliest opportunity.

What steps he has taken to improve state funded physiotherapy.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning the majority of health and care services, including physiotherapy, in England. ICBs arrange healthcare services to meet the needs of their local population, within available resources.NHS England is supporting ICBs to make informed decisions about the provision of physiotherapy services so that they can provide consistent, high quality, and integrated care.

What steps he has taken to improve state funded maternity care.

While there are outstanding examples of care in NHS maternity services, we know this is not the experience that all women have, and there are significant issues that need addressing.My Rt. Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, recently announced an independent Investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies and families experience unacceptable care. This will produce, by December 2025, one clear set of national recommendations to achieve high quality, safe care across maternity and neonatal services.The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care also announced the establishment of a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce that will use the recommendations from the Investigation to develop a national plan, with families and partners, to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.We are also taking a set of immediate action to start delivering the changes needed.These include actions to boost accountability and safety as part of the Government’s mission to build an NHS fit for the future, and actions to hold the system to account. Specific actions include embedding a system to better identify safety concerns, rolling out a programme to all trusts to tackle discrimination and racism, and new best practice standards in maternal mortality. Although significantly more action is required, there has been some good progress made in a range of areas. They include:Achieving full population coverage of Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Services for women with or at risk of mental health issues.Rollout to every Trust in England of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle, helping to reduce still births and pre-term birth.As of February 2025, having a record number of full-time equivalent midwives in post, totalling 24,991. This is over 1,400 (6.1%) more full-time equivalent midwives compared to July 2024.Nationally rolling out a new programme to reduce avoidable brain injuries in childbirth, following a successful pilot.

What steps he has taken to improve health outcomes for homeless people.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 July 2025 to Question 66125.

What steps he is taking to improve the health outcomes of veterans.

As well as being able to access all national health services across the United Kingdom, NHS England has also introduced several bespoke services to improve healthcare support available to veterans. These are: Op RESTORE which supports veterans with service-related physical health problems; Op COURAGE which supports veterans with a mental health pathway; and Op NOVA which supports veterans in the justice system.In addition, the veteran-aware trust and the veteran-friendly accreditation schemes raise awareness amongst healthcare professionals of the specific needs of veterans. These schemes provide support to ensure appropriate signposting and referrals to relevant veteran and wider services within the National Health Service.In May 2025, a national training and education plan was announced to help veterans benefit from improved and targeted healthcare. NHS staff across England will receive dedicated training to help them identify and support patients with military backgrounds. This will be rolled out across the NHS from 1 October 2025.

What steps he is taking to (a) improve mental health services and (b) reduce the rate of suicide in (i) England and (ii) Romford constituency.

NHS North East London Integrated Care Board is responsible for commissioning services to meet the mental health needs of people in Romford.Nationally, the Government is investing an extra £688 million this year to transform mental health services by hiring more staff, delivering more early interventions and talking therapies and getting waiting lists down.We are delivering on our commitment to recruit an additional 8,500 staff across children and adult mental health services by the end of the Parliament and 6,700 of these extra workers have been recruited since July 2024. And our Mental Health Bill, which has completed its committee stage in this House, will modernise the Mental Health Act and make it fit for the 21st century.The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country so that the right people get the right support at the right time. We are transforming mental health services into neighbourhood mental health centres that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, improving assertive outreach and giving patients better access to round-the-clock support directly through the NHS App, including self-referral for talking therapies.

What steps he has taken to improve health outcomes for homeless people.

The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain by tackling the structural inequalities that contribute to poor health, particularly for disadvantaged groups, including those experiencing homelessness. We recognise the importance of reducing barriers to healthcare services for those experiencing homelessness. This is why we supported the development and implementation of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, code NG214, which provides recommendations on ways to improve access to, and engagement with, health and social care services for people experiencing homelessness. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng214The Department has recently published a progressive 10-Year Health Plan. We are committed to reducing the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest, an ambitious commitment that shows that the Government is serious about tackling health inequalities and addressing the social determinants of health.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the scientific evidence underpinning the prohibition of kava-kava under the Medicines for Human Use (Kava-kava) (Prohibition) Order 2002.

The UK Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 3170 The Medicines for Human use (Kava-kava) (Prohibition) Order 2002 prohibits the sale, supply, and importation of Kava-kava for use in unlicensed medicines in the United Kingdom. The Prohibition Order was reviewed after it had been in force for two years by an Expert Working Group of the Committee on Safety of Medicines, which announced in February 2006 that the prohibition was justified and proportionate and should remain in place. No further review of the prohibition order has been made. The 2002 Prohibition Order does not exclude applicants applying for a traditional herbal registration or a marketing authorisation under Regulation 125 or Regulation 49, respectively, of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. Should a traditional herbal registration or a marketing authorisation application for a Kava-kava medicinal product be submitted to the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, its safety would be reviewed on an application-specific basis and based on the currently available evidence.

Whether his Department has received any representations from (a) medical and (b) ethnobotanical researchers on the potential therapeutic uses of Kava since 2020.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for the regulation of medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom, this includes the regulation of herbal medicinal products.The MHRA received requests in 2023 and 2024 to reconsider or remove Kava-kava from the UK’s list of restricted or banned herbal products, in order to allow the traditionally prepared beverage containing Kava-kava, used medicinally to treat anxiety and insomnia, to be marketed in the UK.The MHRA indicated that an application for a marketing authorisation or a traditional herbal registration would be required to place any medicinal product on the UK market, and provided information about the requirements. Applications for authorised products are exempt from the Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 3170 The Medicines for Human use (Kava-kava) (Prohibition) Order 2002. However, no application has been received by the MHRA.

Whether his Department plans to review the prohibition on the (a) import and (b) sale of Kava products.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for the regulation of medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom, and this includes the regulation of herbal medicinal products.The UK Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 3170 The Medicines for Human use (Kava-kava) (Prohibition) Order 2002 prohibits the sale, supply, and importation of Kava-kava for use in unlicensed medicines in the UK. The Prohibition Order was reviewed after it had been in force for two years by an Expert Working Group of the Committee on Safety of Medicines, which announced in February 2006 that the prohibition was justified and proportionate and should remain in place. No further review of the prohibition order has been made. The 2002 Prohibition Order does not exclude applicants applying for a traditional herbal registration or a marketing authorisation under Regulation 125 or Regulation 49, respectively, of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, should someone wish to market a Kava-kava medicinal product in the UK.

What steps he has taken to work with relevant authorities to reduce the number of allergy related deaths in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

The Department works with various other Government departments, agencies, and other organisations to improve allergy care and outcomes and, ultimately, to reduce the number of allergy related deaths, including for people in Romford constituency.The Expert Advisory Group on Allergy (EAGA) is jointly chaired by the Department, and includes representation from NHS England, relevant Government departments and agencies, and professional organisations and patient groups. The EAGA's purpose is to identify priority areas for policy change and development related to allergy care, and to advise on how to achieve improved outcomes for people with allergies. This includes identifying areas for the Department, NHS England, and other Government departments and agencies to focus attention on.Outside the EAGA, the Department collaborates with other Government departments and agencies on allergy policy to address the wide-ranging impact of allergies that can extend beyond healthcare to areas like education and food safety. This includes work with the Department for Education to ensure that schools have appropriate measures in place to support pupils with allergies, and with the Food Standards Agency to ensure that individuals with food allergies have access to safe food and are well-informed about potential allergens in the food they consume.This cross-Departmental approach is essential for developing comprehensive strategies that address the various challenges presented by allergies, including prevention, management, and the impact on individuals' quality of life.

What comparative assessment he has made of trends in the level of late diagnosis of (a) blood cancers and (b) solid tumour cancers.

There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancer, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes. We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancer earlier and treating it faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.  The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with blood cancer and other cancers with lower survival rates.

What plans he has to ensure early diagnosis targets in cancer can be (a) measured and (b) monitored for (i) blood cancers and (ii) other unstageable cancers.

There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancer, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes. We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancer earlier and treating it faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.  The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with blood cancer and other cancers with lower survival rates.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of an alternative to staging when measuring early diagnosis for (a) blood cancers and (b) other unstageable cancers.

There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancer, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes. We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancer earlier and treating it faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.  The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with blood cancer and other cancers with lower survival rates.

What progress his Department has made towards Smokefree 2030.

Smokefree 2030 was Government policy prior to and until the July 2024 General Election. The landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill will help deliver our current ambition to create a smoke-free generation, gradually ending the sale of tobacco products across the country. Creating a smoke-free generation is expected to help reduce smoking rates of people aged between 14 and 30 years old to near zero by 2050.To support current smokers, an additional £70 million is also being provided in 2025/26 to support local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England, and the national Swap to Stop scheme, swapping cigarettes for vapes, and Smoke-free Pregnancy Incentives Scheme are also continuing.