Written questions by Cooper.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 October to Question 77605 on Health Professions: Regulation, on what date he will publish a consultation on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework which would enable them to consider fitness to practise concerns arising from allegations of sexual misconduct that are more than five years old.

The Government is committed to modernising the regulatory frameworks for all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.We aim to consult on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework in early 2026 and to lay this legislation before Parliament in the same year. The Government will confirm a date for the public consultation in due course.We also plan to update the governing legislation for the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council within the current parliamentary period.

Whether he has made an assessment as part of the New Hospital Programme of the adequacy of the number of helipads available for air ambulance use.

The clinical need and business cases for helipads at New Hospital Programme schemes will continue to be reviewed as schemes’ business plans progress through the usual assurance processes. As part of the Hospital 2.0 standardisation work, we are continuing to assess the advantages and disadvantages of both rooftop and ground-level helipads for inclusion in new hospital designs.

What discussions his Department has had discussions with (a) NICE and (b) Servier on the barriers to approving Vorasidenib for use by the NHS for the treatment of low glade glioma.

Department officials regularly speak with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to discuss a range of issues, including the status of individual appraisals. As NICE is an independent body, it would not be appropriate for the Department to interfere in the development of NICE’s recommendations on specific medicines. The Department has had no discussions about the appraisal of vorasidenib with Servier.NICE recently published draft guidance for consultation on the use of vorasidenib for treating astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma with IDH1 or IDH2 mutations after surgery in people aged 12 years and over. The consultation closed on 4 November 2025 and NICE’s independent appraisal committee is scheduled to meet on 20 November 2025 to consider its recommendations in light of the consultation responses.It is important that we have a system in place for making evidence-based decisions on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service, based on an objective assessment of their costs and benefits.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 77609 on Medical Treatments: Cost Effectiveness, what percentage of completed NICE appraisals for brain tumour medications have led to approval for use of a medication by the NHS in the last 12 months.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not published final guidance on any brain tumour appraisals in the last 12 months.NICE is currently developing guidance on the use of vorasidenib for treating astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma with IDH1 or IDH2 mutations after surgery in people 12 years and over and recently consulted on its draft recommendations. NICE currently expects to publish final guidance in January 2026.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 77609 on Medical Treatments: Cost Effectiveness, if he will instruct NICE to review the adequacy of the Quality-Adjusted Life Year threshold for innovative medicines.

The pharmaceutical sector and the innovative medicines it produces are critical to our national interest, helping people access life changing treatments, reducing pressure on the health service over the longer-term, and ensuring we have a National Health Service that is fit for the future.That is why through our Life Sciences Sector Plan, we have committed to working with industry to accelerate growth in spending on innovative medicines, compared to the previous decade. Our 10-Year Health Plan set out how we’d reform National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 May to Question 51941 on Paraneoplastic Encephalomyelitis: Diagnosis, if his Department will write to the laboratories that do provide testing for the condition and ask whether they provide testing for KLHL11 antibodies.

There are no current plans to write to laboratories that provide testing for paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis to ask whether this includes KLHl11 antibody testing.27 pathology networks across England are working to provide a vast range of tests to ensure the accurate and timely diagnosis of conditions. This includes those tests that are typically used to support the diagnosis of paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis, such as immunology tests.The Government is supporting pathology networks to increase digital capabilities by March 2026 to reduce unnecessary waits and repeat tests, to ensure that patients receive their results sooner. This is supported by £600 million of capital in 2025/26 for diagnostics. This investment also provides funding for the automation of histopathology laboratories.

Whether he has had discussions with NICE on assessing (a) Optune and (b) other tumour treating field therapies for use in the UK.

No discussions have been held between the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on assessing (a) Optune and (b) other tumour treating field therapies for use in the UK.NICE considered the use of tumour treating fields (TTF) in its guideline on brain tumours (NG99) published in 2018 and recommended that the treatment should not be offered for the management of newly diagnosed glioblastoma or recurrent high-grade glioma, based on an assessment of the evidence available at the time.Decisions on whether guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence are taken by the NICE prioritisation board, chaired by NICE’s Chief Medical Officer, in line with its published prioritisation framework. NICE’s prioritisation board considered TTF for glioblastoma in July 2024 where they agreed the topic should not be prioritised but reconsidered when relevant key trials have completed.At the meeting on 15 September 2025, the topic was reconsidered. The prioritisation board noted that some trials are ongoing, including a key trial that is likely to publish in 2026, and consequently agreed that the topic should still not be prioritised at this time, but revisited once those trials have published.

Whether he has assessed the potential merits of reintroducing the Children of Alcohol Dependent Parents Programme.

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services as part of their public health responsibilities. In addition to the Public Health Grant, in 2025/26 the Department is providing a total of £310 million in further targeted grants to improve services and wider recovery support, which includes housing and employment. Further details are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drug-and-alcohol-treatment-and-recovery-funding-2025-to-2026/drug-and-alcohol-treatment-and-recovery-funding-allocations-2025-to-2026All local authorities can invest some of their funding allocation on interventions that strengthen the support available to children and families affected by alcohol and/or drugs, according to local need.The Government also has an alcohol and drug information and advice service called Talk to FRANK, which aims to reduce alcohol and drug use and its harms by providing awareness to young people, parents, and concerned others. Further information on Talk to FRANK is available at the following link:https://www.talktofrank.com/ For these reasons, there are no national plans to reintroduce the Children of Alcohol Dependent Parents Programme.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 56880 on Health Professions: Regulation, when he plans to publish a consultation on a draft legislative framework for the General Medical Council which would enable them to consider fitness to practise concerns arising from allegations of sexual misconduct that are more than five years old.

The Government is committed to modernising the regulatory frameworks for all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.As a first step, we aim to consult on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework in late 2025 and to lay this legislation before Parliament in 2026. This will be followed by further legislation which will modernise the governing legislation of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and of the Health and Care Professions Council, within the current parliamentary period.The Department will continue to work with regulators, the devolved administrations, and other key partners as we develop more consistent, efficient, and effective regulatory frameworks.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 May to Question 50928 on Brain: Tumours, what discussions he has had with (a) the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit and (b) other stakeholders in the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad on prioritising vaccine trials for brain cancers.

The Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform that will speed up access to clinical trials for cancer vaccines and immunotherapies for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. NHS England is responsible for the overall delivery of the CVLP and has contracted the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit to manage the day-to-day delivery of the platform. The platform is designed to be company and clinical trial agnostic so any company, including those developing vaccines for brain tumours, can contact the CVLP to explore how the platform can support their research. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and officials have not had discussions to prioritise cancer vaccine trials for brain or other cancer types. However, the Government is taking measures to boost brain cancer research. We are working closely with the patient and researcher communities to stimulate high-quality research applications through: establishing a national Brain Tumour Research Consortium to bring together researchers from different disciplines to drive scientific advancements in how to prevent, detect, manage and treat brain tumours; a dedicated funding call for research into wraparound care and rehabilitation for people living with brain tumours; and a partnership with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission to fund the next generation of researchers through the Allied Health Professionals Brain Tumour Research Fellowship programme. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including brain tumours. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on brain tumours to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

What steps his Department is taking with NHS England to support Integrated Care Boards to deliver the service specification entitled Specialised neurology services (adults), published on 13 August 2025.

NHS England has revised the national service specification for specialised neurology following extensive consultation with clinical and charity partners. The service specification includes guidance on both specialised and core neurology services, and includes an annex which provides greater clarity for neurology sub-specialties.The national specialised commissioning neurology transformation programme has also developed guidance as part of an integrated care system toolkit, specifically to support the implementation of the service specification.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of funding available for the UK Neuro Forum.

Whilst no specific programme of funding is currently available for the UK Neuro Forum, we will continue to look for funding opportunities and use existing levers in other health and care initiatives that align with the forum’s priorities. The Department has also dedicated staff resources to supporting the forum.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to (a) services and (b) support for people affected by Functional Neurological Disorder.

The majority of services for people with neurological conditions, including functional neurological disorder (FND), are commissioned locally. Integrated care board (ICB) commissioners are best placed to configure services for their populations, supported by clinical guidance.NHS England’s Neuroscience Transformation Programme is supporting ICBs to deliver the right services, at the right time for all neurology patients, which includes providing care closer to home.NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and RightCare Toolkits, including the Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit, the Headache and Migraine Toolkit, and the Epilepsy Toolkit, aim to improve care for patients with neurological conditions by reducing variation.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently developing the guidance Rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders including acquired brain injury, which is expected to be published in October 2025. The guideline covers rehabilitation in all settings for children, young people, and adults with a chronic neurological disorder, neurological impairment, or disabling neurological symptoms resulting from acquired brain injury, spinal cord injury or peripheral nerve disorder, progressive neurological disease, or FND. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10181

What steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of jobs for newly qualified nurses.

On 11 August 2025, the Government announced the Graduate Guarantee for nurses and midwives. The guarantee will ensure there are enough positions for every newly qualified nurse in England. The package of measures will unlock thousands of jobs and will ensure thousands of new posts are easier to access by removing barriers for National Health Service trusts, creating opportunities for graduates and ensuring a seamless transition from training to employment.

If he will take steps to enable Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB to allow GP to make referrals to adult ADHD assessment waiting lists.

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including providing access to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment and treatment, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.Due to the unprecedented demand for ADHD diagnosis and treatment nationally and locally across all age groups, the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB advises that it has implemented an interim measure which is intended to ensure that those patients most in need are prioritised and that those who can self-manage are supported to do so.Under the interim measure, referrals for adult ADHD assessments are being triaged, and assessments are progressed only for people who also have co-occurring complex psychosocial co-morbidity and/or co-existing secondary care mental health needs, to ensure needs are assessed and resources are utilised on those who are most in need. General practitioners are still able to refer patients to Right to Choose providers if the need for an ADHD assessment is clinically indicated.Nationally, NHS England has captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and to provide support to address people’s needs.

With reference to the consultation entitled Proposals to extend medicines responsibilities for paramedics, physiotherapists, operating department practitioners and diagnostic radiographers published on 5 August 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of adding occupational therapists to the list of regulated healthcare professionals under consideration for being given responsibility to prescribe medicines.

The Department welcomes healthcare professionals exploring how they can extend their scope of practice safely and appropriately.Non-medical prescribing remains a keen area of interest, and departmental officials are carefully considering proposals relating to the medicines responsibilities of a range of healthcare professionals, including those of occupational therapists, as part of a wider programme of work that is underway.

If he will take steps to create a standardised pathway for the genetic testing of people with motor neurone disease.

Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS). Testing is directed by the National Genomic Test Directory, which sets out the eligibility criteria for patients to access testing.Genomic testing for adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder is included in the Test Directory under specific clinical scenarios including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the most common type of motor neurone disease. The Test Directory is routinely reviewed to ensure that genomic testing continues to be available for all patients for whom it would be of clinical benefit, while delivering value for money for the NHS. The directory and associated supporting material are available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-genomic-test-directory-supporting-material/The strategic and systematic embedding of genomic medicine in end-to-end clinical pathways and clinical specialities is supported by a network of seven regional NHS GMS Alliances, which play an important role in achieving equitable access to standardised end-to-end pathways of care, including genomic testing, clinical genetics and genetic counselling services.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's proposal for pharmacists to be granted additional powers to make minor substitutions to prescribed medications, such as substituting it for a different quantity, if there is a shortage of the medication in question and it is out-of-stock.

We will consult on proposals enabling pharmacists working in a community pharmacy to be granted the flexibility to supply an alternative strength or formulation, and hence also quantity, against a prescription written by another prescriber, where it is safe and appropriate to do so. This will improve patient access to medicines and improve patient experience.Alongside this, we have serious shortage protocols (SSPs), which are a tool to manage and mitigate medicine and medical device shortages. An SSP enables community pharmacists to supply a specified alternative in accordance with a protocol rather than a prescription.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability for patients to message their GP practice using the NHS app for medical and appointment enquiries over lunchtime periods.

We want patients to be able to contact their general practice (GP) by phone, online, or by walking in, and for people to have an equitable experience across these access routes. This is a key intervention in the Government’s ambition to end the 8:00am scramble. From 1 October 2025, practices will be contractually required to keep their online consultation tool open for the duration of core hours, from 8:00am to 6:30pm, for non-urgent appointment requests, medication queries, and admin requests. This will be subject to the necessary safeguards that are in place to avoid urgent clinical requests being erroneously submitted online. These requirements are set out in ‘You and Your GP’, a new patient charter, which will come into effect from September. Practices must provide a link to ‘You and Your GP’ on their website.Patients can currently access their practice’s online consultation tool through their practice’s website. For 74% of practices this is also available via the NHS App, and this is due to increase to 95% of practices by March 2026.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 56880 on Health Professions: Regulation, whether the consultation expected by the end of this year will be open to submissions from Members of Parliament and the public.

We are aiming to commence consultation on a draft legislative framework for the General Medical Council by the end of this year. This will be a statutory three-month public consultation which anyone will be able to respond to, including Members of Parliament and the public.