Written questions by Campbell.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the reduction in the qualifying age for bowel cancer screening on detection rates in the past five years.

The final roll out of this policy only concluded in April 2025. As such, NHS England has not yet made any formal assessment of the impact of lowering the age for bowel cancer screening down to 50 on detection rates.However, when making the recommendation to extend the screening age, from 60- to 74- year olds to 50- to 74- year olds, and to replace the faecal occult blood test with the faecal immunochemical test at the current test sensitivity threshold of 120 micrograms of haemoglobin per gram of faeces, these two activities combined were estimated to nearly double the number of colorectal cancer incidences detected and mortality reduced.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure more widespread availability of the drug 2-HDP.

We are pleased to see promising results from the Queen's University Belfast study into the novel drug known as 2-Hydrazino-4,6-dimethylpyrimidine (2-HDP). This demonstrates the strength of the United Kingdom’s clinical research environment and the important role played by patient organisations such as Diabetes UK.This is early-stage research and further studies, including clinical trials, are required before it can be made available to patients. We look forward to seeing how it progresses.In the UK, medicines need to have a licence before they can be marketed. These are granted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Licences confirm the health condition the medicine should be used for and the recommended dosage. To get a licence, the manufacturer of the medicine has to provide evidence which shows that the medicine is safe and effective enough to be used for a specific condition and for a specific group of patients, and that they can manufacture the medicine to the required quality.The anticipated licensing timelines for 2-HDP are currently unknown, but the MHRA and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence liaise closely with pharmaceutical companies on their plans with respect to regulatory approval in the UK to support timely access to clinically and cost-effective licensed medicines for National Health Service patients.

How many and what proportion of people aged 75 years and over have requested a bowel screening kit by phoning the free bowel cancer screening helpline in the last two years.

The National Health Service bowel cancer screening programme’s published data for 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024 shows that 396,325 people self-referred or opted back into the programme within the year. This includes ‘over-age self-referrals’, those aged 75 years old and over who are not invited routinely, and also ‘late responder self-referrals’ who have not responded to the initial invitation but have later chosen to participate. This data cannot be disaggregated into each of the categories listed. This data is provided in the Bowel cancer screening standards data report 2022/23 and the Bowel cancer screening standards data report 2023/24, which are available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bowel-cancer-screening-annual-report-2022-to-2023/bowel-cancer-screening-standards-data-report-2022-23https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bowel-cancer-screening-annual-report-2023-to-2024/bowel-cancer-screening-standards-data-report-2023-24Additional unpublished data available to the programme shows that for this time period, from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024, 224,665 requests were made for self-referrals from individuals who are aged 75 years old and over. We are unable to identify if all of these requests were made via the bowel screening helpline. The total number of people aged 75 years old and over is 5,736,072, sourced from the Patients Registered at a GP Practice, October 2025 dataset, which is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/patients-registered-at-a-gp-practice/october-2025

How often the UK National Screening Committee met in 2024; and in what format it met.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) usually meets three times a year. In 2024 the UK NSC met twice, firstly in March, in an online format, and again in November, in person with online facilities available. The June meeting did not take place as it fell in between the pre-election period of 25 May to 4 July ahead of the United Kingdom general election. Information about the UK NSC’s meetings and minutes can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-nsc-meetings-and-minutes

What progress he is making on finding (a) a cure and (b) improved treatments for people with Huntingtons disease.

We recognise the significant challenges faced by those living with rare diseases such as Huntington’s disease. Although there is currently no cure for the disease, there are efforts to ensure that innovative treatments and research opportunities reach patients and improve outcomes for those affected by Huntington’s disease. The Department supports research into Huntington’s disease through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR invests not only in individual studies but also in world-class research centres, a dedicated delivery workforce, and specialist facilities across the National Health Service. This infrastructure supports pioneering research into Huntington's, including the positive preliminary results for a novel gene therapy reported last month. The NIHR’s Be Part of Research service helps people find and participate in relevant research. There are eight Huntington’s disease studies currently recruiting.The UK Rare Diseases Framework identifies four main priorities, including improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs. In February 2025, we published the England annual action plan, which outlines the steps we have taken to advance this priority.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition's report entitled SACN statement on the WHO guideline on non-sugar sweeteners: summary, published on 2 April 2025.

In its statement, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) concluded that the evidence of a risk to health from consuming non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) is inconsistent. It also made a precautionary recommendation that intakes of NSS be minimised. With greater certainty of the impact of sugars on health, the SACN recommended that “swapping sugars for NSS may help reduce sugar intake from foods and drinks (and so reduce energy intake), at least in the short term. The long-term goal is to limit both sugar and NSS intake”.A number of Government policies encourage businesses to reduce sugar levels in products. As a result of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, the sugar levels of the drinks included within the levy have reduced by nearly half, or 47% specifically, and through other policies reductions of approximately 15% have been seen in breakfast cereals, with reductions of over 13% and approximately 7% also having been seen in yogurts and ice creams, respectively. Sugar levels in pre-packed milk-based drinks have also reduced by approximately 32%.For the levy, the sugar that has been removed has largely been replaced with sweeteners, although this is not the case for all of the drinks included in the scope of the levy where sugar levels have been reduced. Sweeteners have not been used in food products to such a great extent, which is generally due to legislative or business-related restrictions, the latter largely arising because of consumer concerns around their usage.It is ultimately up to businesses to decide if and the extent to which they use sweeteners in their products, where these are permitted for use. It is recognised, however, that there are benefits to not replacing the sugar removed with sweeteners as these maintain a highly sweet taste in a product, rather than allowing palates to adapt to having less sugar in food and drink.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that patients in emergency departments of hospitals are treated in appropriate spaces.

This Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so patients can be treated with dignity.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out steps that we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding.We will also publish new clinical operational standards for the first 72 hours of care which will support better hospital flow, aimed at reducing overcrowding and long waits.We have been taking key steps to ensure the health service is prepared for the colder months. This includes taking actions to try and reduce demand pressure on accident and emergency departments, increasing vaccination rates and offering health checks to the most vulnerable, as well as stress-testing integrated care board and trust winter plans to confirm they are able to meet demand and support patient flow.

Whether his Department plans to hold discussions with the hospitality sector on the promotion non-sugar sweeteners.

Most people are regularly consuming double the recommended amount of free sugars. Diets high in sugar increase the risk of tooth decay and weight gain. Being overweight or living with obesity is associated with a range of negative health impacts such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some kinds of cancers.On 2 April 2025, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) published its position statement on the World Health Organisation guideline on non-sugar sweeteners. SACN concluded that the evidence of risk to health, including type 2 diabetes, from consuming non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) is inconsistent. SACN also made a precautionary recommendation that intakes of NSS should be minimised. As there is greater certainty of the negative impact of sugars on health, including type 2 diabetes, SACN recommended that “swapping sugars for NSS may help reduce sugar intake from foods and drinks (and so reduce energy intake), at least in the short term. The long-term goal is to limit both sugar and NSS intake”. It is up to businesses to decide whether they choose to use NSS when reformulating products to reduce sugar levels. While some businesses have used them, others have chosen not to which may be due to legislative restrictions on their use in some products or in recognition of consumer preferences. It is recognised, though, that there are benefits in businesses not using NSS as this maintains a highly sweet taste in a food or drink and does not allow people’s palates to adapt to a less sugary taste. This applies to businesses in all sectors. The Soft Drinks Industry Levy has led to reductions of 47% in sugar levels in drinks in scope. Much of this reduction has been delivered by using NSS. Many reformulated drinks are available in the out of home sector as well as supermarkets.

What estimate he has made of the number of women who did not have a postnatal check-up with their general practitioner after six to eight weeks in each of the last three years.

The Department does not hold this information. NHS England has published guidance written in collaboration with the Royal College of General Practitioners on the six-to-eight week postnatal check-up for all women who have given birth. This provides an important opportunity for general practitioners to listen to women in a discreet, supportive environment to provide personalised postnatal care for their physical and mental health and support them with family planning.

What the change in obesity rates has been among young adults in the last 10 years.

NHS England publishes data from the Health Survey for England (HSE) which collects data annually on measured height and weight of adults in England which is used to calculate the prevalence of obesity in the population.The following table shows the prevalence of obesity among young adults aged between 16 and 24 years old from 2012 to 2022, the latest period for which data is available:Survey yearPercentage of adults aged between 16 and 24 years old living with obesity201213.1%201311.1%201410.8%201516.4%201611.3%201715.5%201813.5%201912.9%2020no data20217.9%202213.9%Source: HSENotes:There is no HSE data for 2020. Pandemic-related restrictions meant that fieldwork for HSE 2020 could not be carried out during most of the year.The data for 2021 is produced using adjusted self-reported height and weight, as pandemic-related restrictions meant the survey was not conducted as a face to face interview. The self-report data was adjusted to better align with measured height and weight, but the estimates are not directly comparable with other years of HSE data that uses measured height and weight. Obesity prevalence among young adults has remained stable in the last 10 years, with some variation in the estimates which may be due to the small sample size of the HSE when split by age. It is expected that data from the 2024 survey will be published in early 2026.

Whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the NHS England Help Us Help You campaign on cancer symptom awareness.

The Department and NHS England recognise the importance of directly targeting awareness campaigns at areas that we know will make a difference, to increase awareness of cancer symptoms and encourage people to get checked.NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and to address the barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns are evaluated in line with best practice, considering media metrics, campaign awareness, understanding and intention to act, along with analysis of operational data.The most recent phases of Help Us Help You, which ran between January and March 2025, saw increases in symptom knowledge and intention to act. NHS England is undertaking operational data analysis, with early data showing an increase in cancer diagnosis at the same time as campaign activity. 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.

When he expects to receive the report of the latest review of prostate cancer diagnosis from from the UK National Screening Committee.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) received two evidence review reports about screening for prostate cancer and is considering them alongside experts. Subject to no further revisions being required, a public consultation will start this calendar year. This will run for three months as usual, and the UK NSC will then make a recommendation on prostate cancer screening. Once the recommendation is made, ministers will consider whether to accept it or not.

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 67821 on Dementia, what steps he is taking to help tackle the increasing rates of dementia diagnosis.

The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan is underlined by three big shifts in healthcare: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention.As part of this shift from sickness to prevention, we will tackle ill health, prevent premature deaths, and build a fairer country where everyone lives longer, healthier lives.Following the 10-Year Health Plan, we will deliver the first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia to deliver rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.The Government is investing in dementia research across all areas, including on its causes, diagnosis and prevention. Through partnerships with patients, researchers, funders and charities, we continue to play a significant role in global efforts against the disease.

How many people were diagnosed with dementia in (a) 2020 and (b) 2024.

The data requested is not collected centrally.We can provide a count of patients with a recorded diagnosis of dementia. This is a count of patients with a dementia diagnosis on their general practice record at the specified point in time irrespective of when the diagnosis was made. The data has been published under the Primary Care Dementia Data publication series since April 2022, and under the Recorded Dementia Diagnoses publication series prior to that.The following table shows the dementia diagnosis figures for all ages for December of each year for 2019, 2020, 2023, and 2024:DateRecorded dementia diagnoses for all agesDecember 2024498,221December 2023479,540December 2020438,361December 2019472,890 It is worth highlighting that these represent an estimate of the total number of people living with a diagnosis of dementia, and that changes over 2020 and over 2024 do not reflect only new diagnoses.

Whether the outcome of the Prostate Cancer UK-led TRANSFORM screening trial will be shared with Health Departments in each of the devolved institutions.

The TRANSFORM screening trial, funded in partnership with Prostate Cancer UK, is investigating new prostate cancer screening methods. This national randomised control trial will provide data to policymakers for a decision on recommending prostate cancer screening. Results will be shared with the UK National Screening Committee, representing all four nations.

What information his Department holds on the number of children recommended to have annual eye tests who have not done so in each of the past five years.

Free National Health Service sight tests are widely available for children under 16 years old and under 19 years old in full time education. It is recommended that all children under 16 years old should have an annual sight test. Sight tests for children under seven years old with binocular vision anomaly or corrected refractive error and children over seven and under 16 years old with binocular vision anomaly or rapidly progressing myopia are recommended every six months.Although data on the number of NHS sight tests is collected, it is not routinely broken down to be able to identify the numbers of sight tests provided to children. We are therefore unable to estimate the number of children who have not had a sight test.

What steps he is taking to reduce the number of deaths from late diagnosis of prostate cancer.

The Department remains committed to diagnosing all cancer types earlier, including prostate cancer. We recognise that there is more to be done to ensure that patients have timely access to diagnosis and treatment.To combat late diagnosis, the Government is investing £16 million towards the Prostate Cancer UK-led TRANSFORM screening trial, which is seeking to find ways to catch prostate cancer in men as early as possible.The Department will publish a National Cancer Plan which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients in England, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, and ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology. The overarching goal is to drive up this country’s cancer survival rates and provide a National Health Service that is there when you need it.

What estimate he has made of the number of people with dementia in (a) 2025 and (b) 2029.

No specific estimate has been made for the number of people with dementia in 2029.The Dementia Surveillance Factsheet estimates that, in May 2025, there were 740,640 people aged 65 years old and over estimated to have dementia in England. Of these, 485,653 have been formally diagnosed.This factsheet uses Primary Care Dementia Data, which replaced the Recorded Dementia Diagnosis data in October 2022.

What steps is he taking to support national campaigns which (a) raise awareness of glaucoma and (b) encourage regular eye tests for preventable sight loss conditions.

The Department seeks to support national campaigns where possible, such as national eye health week. The NHS.UK website provides information about glaucoma and the importance of regular sight tests whilst also providing information about entitlement to free National Health Service sight tests.

What data his Department holds on the current number of people with Activated P13K-delta syndrome.

NHS England does not hold data on the current number of patients diagnosed with activated P13K-delta syndrome.