Written questions by Rosindell.

What steps he is taking to help prevent abortion drugs sent in the mail from being used to commit crimes.

Before an early medical abortion can be undertaken at home, a consultation is held with the woman requesting the termination. Women are given the choice to have either an in-person consultation or a virtual consultation. If the medical practitioner has any concerns during a virtual consultation, the woman will be asked to attend a clinic for an in-person consultation.The prescription of mifepristone and misoprostol for abortions is controlled by the Abortion Act 1967 and the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. During the consultation, women are informed that it is illegal to give their prescribed abortion medication to anyone else.

What steps he is taking to help detect coercion in women seeking abortions during remote (a) phone and (b) video consultations.

Safeguarding is an essential aspect of abortion care, and all providers are required to have effective arrangements in place to safeguard children and vulnerable adults, in compliance with the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures for the approval of independent sector places for termination of pregnancy in England. Providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse and coercion in adult women, and know how to respond. This applies to remote phone, video, and in-person consultations.In addition, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has published national safeguarding guidance for under 18 year olds accessing early medical abortion services, which will ensure that robust safeguarding processes are embedded across all abortion services. We expect all providers to have due regard to the RCPCH’s safeguarding guidance.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of data collection for abortions performed in the UK.

In accordance with the Abortion Act 1967, registered medical practitioners must notify the Chief Medical Officer of abortions within 14 days. The HSA4 abortion notification form is provided to collect the required information. The HSA4 form is a statutory instrument, the content of which cannot be changed without legislation.

What steps he is taking to reduce the cost of wholesale medications bought by the National Health Service.

The Department has well established mechanisms to control the level of spend on medicines. For example, the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access, and growth, the statutory scheme for branded medicines to control their growth in sales, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s evaluations all ensure that spend on new medicines represents a clinically and cost effective use of National Health Service resources.The Government’s policy on generic medicines is to allow suppliers freedom of pricing for their products, relying on competition between suppliers and efficient purchasing by community pharmacies to deliver value for money for the NHS. However, this can mean that prices can fluctuate because of normal market forces, and can go up as well as down. Typically, this approach leads to some of the lowest prices of generic medicines in Europe.

What steps his Department is taking to support people with Sickle Cell Anaemia.

Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as sickle cell anaemia.The National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme seeks to improve outcomes and the quality of life for those with sickle cell disorder. This programme has launched two-year emergency department bypass pilots to provide services for people requiring emergency care for an uncomplicated vaso-occlusive crisis. It also includes work to provide digital care plans across London and Manchester, to improve the safety of blood transfusions, as well as educational programmes, which include information on genetic counselling.In February 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved exagamglogene autotemcel (Casgevy) for use in the National Health Service in England through the Innovative Medicines Fund, and it is now available for eligible patients.

What steps his Department is taking to support the retention of social workers in the NHS.

The Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, to ensure the retention of our hardworking and dedicated staff, including social workers.NHS England is leading the National Retention Programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.In addition, the Department currently funds the Assessed Year in Employment to support the development and retention of newly qualified social workers employed within the statutory, private, voluntary, or independent sectors. This is a 12-month, employer led and employment-based programme of support and assessment for newly qualified social workers.

How much funding his Department is providing the London Ambulance Service.

Responsibility for commissioning ambulance services is a matter for the local integrated care board. The London Ambulance Service received £704.2 million in the financial year 2024/25.

What steps he is taking to decrease reliance on private emergency ambulance service companies.

The information requested is not held. Decisions on the use of private ambulance companies to increase capacity are taken at a local level by the relevant ambulance trust.At a national level, the Government and NHS England are committed to improving ambulance services. The National Health Service’s 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance set national priorities, which include improving accident and emergency waiting times and ambulance response times compared to 2024/25.

How much his department has spent on private emergency ambulance service companies in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

The information requested is not held. Decisions on the use of private ambulance companies to increase capacity are taken at a local level by the relevant ambulance trust.At a national level, the Government and NHS England are committed to improving ambulance services. The National Health Service’s 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance set national priorities, which include improving accident and emergency waiting times and ambulance response times compared to 2024/25.

Whether his Department plans to provide additional funding for domestic plasma collection; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such funding on supply chains, in the context of the UK’s reliance on US plasma imports.

The Department, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), and NHS England are working in partnership to develop a more sufficient and resilient supply of plasma, reducing the need for reliance on imports of plasma derived medicines.A new end-to-end supply chain has been built, enabling the first National Health Service patients to receive life-saving plasma treatments made from the blood of United Kingdom donors in March, and increasing self-sufficiency for plasma derived medicines, specifically for immunoglobulins, from 0% to 25% self-sufficiency, and for albumin, from 0% to 80% self-sufficiency.NHSBT has incorporated plasma collection into its business model, enabling growth in domestic plasma collection. This includes the use of modern automated collection technologies, used to enhance efficiency and consistency in the donation process. NHSBT is currently exploring future locations to expand its collection footprint and develop more donor centres.Plasma collection is benefitting from the Department’s investment in NHSBT’s work to increase blood collection capacity and resilience, as plasma is collected from whole blood donations as well as dedicated plasma donation.

Whether his Department plans to provide additional funding for plasma (a) collection and (b) automation technologies; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such funding on the resilience of plasma-derived medicine supply chains.

The Department, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), and NHS England are working in partnership to develop a more sufficient and resilient supply of plasma, reducing the need for reliance on imports of plasma derived medicines.A new end-to-end supply chain has been built, enabling the first National Health Service patients to receive life-saving plasma treatments made from the blood of United Kingdom donors in March, and increasing self-sufficiency for plasma derived medicines, specifically for immunoglobulins, from 0% to 25% self-sufficiency, and for albumin, from 0% to 80% self-sufficiency.NHSBT has incorporated plasma collection into its business model, enabling growth in domestic plasma collection. This includes the use of modern automated collection technologies, used to enhance efficiency and consistency in the donation process. NHSBT is currently exploring future locations to expand its collection footprint and develop more donor centres.Plasma collection is benefitting from the Department’s investment in NHSBT’s work to increase blood collection capacity and resilience, as plasma is collected from whole blood donations as well as dedicated plasma donation.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of EU investment in local pharmaceutical production in the Caribbean on UK-Caribbean healthcare partnerships.

The Government has not made any assessment of the potential impact of this investment. The United Kingdom remains committed to working with Caribbean partners to strengthen healthcare systems, and to supporting healthcare development and collaboration in the Caribbean region through bilateral and multilateral engagement.

What steps he has taken to improve (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of skin cancer.

The Department will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier, including skin cancer, and treating it faster so more patients survive. As a first step we have delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week during our first year in Government to ensure earlier diagnoses and faster treatment for those who need it most.Since 2023/24, NHS England has also been rolling out teledermatology services, which allow a virtual review of dermoscopic images. In providers where this has been fully implemented, improvements in workforce capacity have been seen doubling the number of patients that can be reviewed per clinic in some cases, and improving faster diagnosis standard performance.NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) national report has provided recommendations to encourage the wider use of technology to ensure skin cancer patients get faster and more equitable access to care. Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) is also planning a programme to support primary care colleagues, offering training for new staff to recognise harmless skin lesions, like moles and warts, with the aim of reducing unnecessary referrals to hospital and freeing up capacity for other patients on the waiting list. NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns in England to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including skin cancer. This information can be found at sources such as NHS.UK.

What steps he has taken with relevant authorities to reduce instances of skin cancer in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

The Department will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier, including skin cancer, and treating it faster so more patients survive. As a first step we have delivered an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week during our first year in Government to ensure earlier diagnoses and faster treatment for those who need it most.Since 2023/24, NHS England has also been rolling out teledermatology services, which allow a virtual review of dermoscopic images. In providers where this has been fully implemented, improvements in workforce capacity have been seen doubling the number of patients that can be reviewed per clinic in some cases, and improving faster diagnosis standard performance.NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) national report has provided recommendations to encourage the wider use of technology to ensure skin cancer patients get faster and more equitable access to care. Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) is also planning a programme to support primary care colleagues, offering training for new staff to recognise harmless skin lesions, like moles and warts, with the aim of reducing unnecessary referrals to hospital and freeing up capacity for other patients on the waiting list. NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns in England to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including skin cancer. This information can be found at sources such as NHS.UK.

What steps he has taken to improve (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of learning difficulties in adults.

A learning difficulty is a reduced ability for a specific form of learning and includes conditions such as dyslexia and dyspraxia. These are life-long conditions.It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population. Information on dyslexia assessments as well as those for dyspraxia in adults are available at the following links:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dyslexia/diagnosis/https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/developmental-coordination-disorder-dyspraxia-in-adults/The Department for Education has invested £1.34 billion in the 2024/25 academic year in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF). This is funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency and includes funds for learning support, which helps adult education providers to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including the costs of reasonable adjustments, as set out in the Equality Act 2010.Learning support can cover a range of needs, including an assessment for dyslexia, funding to pay for specialist equipment or helpers, and/or arranging signers or note takers. The Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority have a devolved ASF and decide how to make best use of the ASF, beyond the ASF’s statutory entitlements, to meet their local needs.

What steps he is taking to work with faith groups to support the terminally ill.

We do acknowledge the importance of access to psychological, social and spiritual support for those who wish to access such support, including those at the end of life, as well as those important to them.NHS England’s statutory guidance for palliative and end of life care states that integrated care board commissioners should work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care service providers available to deliver high-quality end of life care, paying particular attention to access to mental health and wellbeing support and spiritual care.Chaplains promote pastoral, spiritual and religious wellbeing through compassionate, person-centered care. This is available to patients, their families and carers, and to National Health Service staff, volunteers and students.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of a ban on the (a) marketing and (b) advertising of (i) e-cigarette and vaping products, (ii) non-medically licensed nicotine products and (iii) heated tobacco products on the number of adults switching from cigarettes to alternatives.

The health advice is clear that vaping is only recommended for adult smokers who wish to quit smoking. Youth vaping has more than doubled in the last five years with one in four children aged between 11 and 15 years old having tried vaping in 2023. It is unacceptable that vapes are deliberately promoted and advertised to children, and this must be stopped to prevent future generations from being hooked on nicotine.The Government has published a thorough impact assessment of the measures included in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, including the prohibition on the advertising of vaping products and nicotine products.Public health messaging and campaigns will continue to support the promotion of vapes as a quit aid for smokers, as outlined on the Better Health and National Health Service websites. Additionally, the Government is committed to supporting smokers to quit, through a range of services. We are investing an additional £70 million in 2025/26 for local Stop Smoking Services in England and are working to ensure all NHS hospitals offer ‘opt-out’ smoking cessation purposes.All tobacco products are harmful to health. There is evidence of toxicity from heated tobacco in laboratory studies. The aerosol generated by heated tobacco also contains carcinogens, and there will be a risk to the health of anyone using these products.The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 prohibits the advertisement and sponsorship of tobacco products, and that prohibition applies to tobacco products intended to be smoked, sniffed, sucked or chewed. It is the Department’s view that the legislation applies to any tobacco product, regardless of when it was developed, and that heated tobacco products and the heating device to be used with it are caught under this legislation.

What steps he is taking to ensure a regular supply of Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy medication in the North East London NHS Foundation Trust area.

The Department monitors and manages medicine supply issues at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within individual National Health Service trusts is not held centrally.The Department is continuing to engage with all suppliers of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) to mitigate the supply issue that is affecting the whole of the United Kingdom. Through this, we have managed to secure additional volumes of PERT for 2025 for the UK. We are continuing to work with all suppliers to understand what more can be done to add further resilience to the market. The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market.In the longer term, the Department has had interest from non-UK suppliers wishing to bring their products to the UK and, along with colleagues in the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, we are working with these potential suppliers, and if authorised, these products could further diversify and strengthen the market.In December 2024, the Department issued further management advice to healthcare professionals. This directs clinicians to consider the unlicensed imports when licensed stock is unavailable and includes actions for integrated care boards to ensure local mitigation plans are put in place and implemented. The Department continues to collaborate closely with NHS England colleagues, clinicians, patient groups, and charities to ensure that these mitigation plans are supporting patients, and routinely updates advice and issues further guidance when necessary. There are no current plans to provide additional funding for unlicensed imports.The Department will continue to meet with suppliers, clinicians, representatives from the impacted patient advocacy groups, and charities so that they are informed on the supply situation and the mitigation actions being taken.

How many NHS prescriptions for cannabis-based products have been issued in Romford constituency in each year since 2018.

The following table shows the total number of cannabis-based medicines with a marketing authorisation, namely nabilone, sativex, and epidyolex, dispensed in the community in the North East London Integrated Care Board against a National Health Service prescription, each year from 2018 to 2024:Calendar yearNumber of prescription items201822201927202014202130202244202361202472Source: NHS Business Services Authority.Data on unlicensed cannabis-based medicines is withheld in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulations, due to the number of items attributed to fewer than ten patients and the enhanced risk of release of patient identifiable information.

What steps he is taking to improve patient treatment for pancreatic cancer within the North East London NHS Foundation Trust area.

The Department is working with NHS England to deliver interventions to improve treatment for those with pancreatic cancer across England, including within the North East London NHS Foundation Trust area. As the first step to ensuring faster diagnosis and treatment, the National Health Service is delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week. Early diagnosis is imperative to improving outcomes for all types of cancer, especially pancreatic cancer due to the non-specific nature of its symptoms. NHS England is providing a route into pancreatic cancer surveillance for those at inherited high-risk to identify lesions before they develop into cancer, creating pathways to support faster referral routes for people with non-specific symptoms, and increasing direct access for general practitioners to diagnostic tests. On 12 September 2024, the National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre published their State of the Nation Report on Pancreatic Cancer. The NHS cancer programme is currently considering how to take forward the initial recommendations of that audit. NHS England is also funding a new audit into pancreatic cancer to increase the consistency of access to treatments, and to stimulate improvements in cancer treatments and outcomes for patients.