Written questions by Paffey.

What assessment he has made of (a) the potential merits of adding fluoride to drinking water and (b) the potential impact of this on oral health for children.

Water fluoridation is an evidence based, effective public health intervention for improving the oral health of children and adults. The 2022 Health Monitoring Report showed that five-year-olds were less likely to experience dental caries, and less likely to experience caries of high severity, in areas with a fluoridation scheme. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-fluoridation-health-monitoring-report-for-england-2022The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our plans to expand water fluoridation in the north east of England by 2030, and that we will assess further rollout in areas where oral health outcomes are worst.

What steps his Department plans to take with the Department for Education to monitor the potential impact of the (a) expansion of free school meal eligibility and (b) changes to School Food Standards on children's health.

Free school meals offer a critical nutritional safety net to those children who require it most. Expanding the eligibility criteria to all families in receipt of universal credit will provide 500,000 more children with access to a nutritious lunchtime meal each school day from September 2026. The Government is now considering how best to monitor the impact of the expansion of free school meal eligibility and the update the School Food Standards on child health.

What proportion of eligible families were in receipt of Healthy Start in Southampton Itchen constituency on 9 June 2025.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. Monthly figures for the number of people on the digital Healthy Start scheme are published on the NHS Healthy Start website, which is available at the following link:https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/healthcare-professionals/The NHSBSA does not hold data on the number of families receiving Healthy Start and does not currently hold data on the number of people eligible for Healthy Start. The NHSBSA does not hold data on local constituencies. The table below shows the number of people on the digital scheme in the relevant local authorities as of 23 May 2025:Local authorityNumber of people on the digital schemeBlackpool1,434City of Bristol2,778County of Herefordshire736Southampton1,677Worthing348Brighton and Hove1,041East Suffolk1,129

When he plans to update NHS commissioning policy to include funding for Selective Internal Radiation Therapy for patients with neuroendocrine tumours with liver metastases.

The Department recognises the need to offer patients the most suitable treatment, including the use of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT).NHS England is currently in the early stages of policy development for SIRT as an additional treatment option for patients with neuroendocrine tumours with liver metastases. NHS England, through its specialised commissioning function, is responsible for setting national service standards, and for the development of clinical commissioning policies for prescribed specialised services. Should NHS England’s Clinical Panel consider that the evidence is robust enough to warrant making the treatment routinely available across the National Health Service in England, it will require further consideration through relative prioritisation and investment.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate availability of Premarin in the NHS; and what steps he is taking to support patients who are unable to access it.

Premarin tablets remain available. However, the supplier of Premarin has debranded this product, which means the product's brand name, Premarin, has been removed and it is now available and known under its generic name, which is conjugated oestrogens tablets.

If he will make an assessment of the potential feasibility of extending free prescriptions to care leavers aged 18 to 25.

There are no current plans to make an assessment of the feasibility of extending free prescriptions to care leavers aged 18 to 25 years old.

If he will implement a national breast cancer screening awareness campaign to encourage people to attend appointments.

The NHS Breast Screening Programme has high levels of activity, however NHS England has advised that some women are simply not coming forward for screening. To address this, NHS England is carrying out research into the best approaches to target specific ...

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of NHS prescribers for ADHD medication.

No specific assessment has been made. It is the responsibility of integrated care boards to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder services, in l...

What progress the Commission for Human Medicines has made on its review of how the risk of sexual dysfunction is communicated to patients; and whether that review includes the potential effects of

The first meeting of the Expert Working Group (EWG) on antidepressant risk minimisation convened by the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, on the advice of the Commission on Human Medicines, was held on 4 July 2024.At the initial meeting ...

If his Department will (a) review evidence on the health impacts of Primodos and (b) make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a financial redress scheme for people affected by Prim

We are hugely sympathetic to the families who believe that they have suffered because of using Hormone Pregnancy Tests (HPTs). Currently, the available scientific evidence does not support a causal association between the use HPTs during early pregnancy a...

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of health inequalities in Southampton Itchen constituency; and what steps he plans to take to tackle those inequalities.

As part of our health mission, the Government is committed to ensuring that people live well for longer. This includes tackling the determinants that underpin stark health inequalities, to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.Southampton has 19 Lower Layer Super Output Areas (LSOAs) within the 10% of the most deprived in England. Of the 317 local authorities in England, Southampton is ranked 55th most deprived, based on the average rank of the LSOAs, and 61st most deprived based on the average score of the LSOAs. There has been very little change in relative deprivation levels in Southampton, compared to other local authorities in England, since the last Index of Multiple Deprivation published in 2015. Of the five most deprived neighbourhoods in Southampton, four are within the Southampton Itchen constituency.Local authorities, both upper tier and unitary, are responsible for commissioning drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services as part of their public health responsibilities, for which Southampton has been allocated £2,069,974 for 2024/25. For those who are also homeless, just over £800,000 has been made available to provide wraparound support and treatment.Southampton Itchen is one of 75 local authorities with high levels of deprivation receiving funding to improve outcomes for families with babies, as part of the £300 million Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme. The Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Southampton includes an ambition to significantly improve health and wellbeing outcomes, and reduce citywide health inequalities by 2025. It recognises the importance of addressing the wider determinants of health, the conditions into which people are born, live, work, and age. Southampton is also a key member of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Partnership, working collectively to tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience, and access for the local population.