Written questions by Rankin.

When Down Syndrome guidance will be published.

Awaiting answer.

Whether his Department prepared for potential legal challenges to the Down Syndrome Guidance upon the passing of the Down Syndrome Act.

Awaiting answer.

Whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential impact of the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983 on the ability of agencies to complete terrorism risk assessments prior to the discharge of convicted terrorist offenders.

Awaiting answer.

What guidance is issued to NHS mental health providers on assessing terrorist risk when discharging patients convicted of terrorism offences.

Awaiting answer.

What his planned timetable is for publishing the consultation on the proposed retail licensing scheme for tobacco, vape, and nicotine products under the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026.

The Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 provides powers for ministers in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland to introduce, within their respective nations, a licensing scheme for the retail sale of tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products. A future scheme will stre...

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of recommending screening for the BRCA 1 gene for women who have a mother who has died from (a) breast and (b) ovarian cancers.

The current eligibility criteria for genetic testing are set out in the NHS National Genomic Test Directory. The aim is to offer individuals at higher risk of developing cancer (those with pathogenic variants in their genes) clinical pathways to support t...

What estimate he has made of the potential cost savings to the NHS from earlier identification of BRCA1 mutations through expanded screening.

The current eligibility criteria for genetic testing are set out in the NHS National Genomic Test Directory. The aim is to offer individuals at higher risk of developing cancer (those with pathogenic variants in their genes) clinical pathways to support t...

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS eligibility criteria for BRCA1 genetic testing for individuals with a family history of (a) breast and (b) ovarian cancer.

The current eligibility criteria for genetic testing are set out in the NHS National Genomic Test Directory. The aim is to offer individuals at higher risk of developing cancer (those with pathogenic variants in their genes) clinical pathways to support t...

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of vaping devices that (a) contain and (b) can be configured to contain more than the standard 2ml tank capacity through (i) interchangeable and (ii) modular components on public health.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will stop vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately branded, promoted, and advertised to children and provides the Government with new powers to restrict the packaging, device appearance, and display of vapes and other nicotine products to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine.On 8 October 2025, we launched a Call for Evidence which sought evidence on the size and shape of vapes, vape tanks, and the components of vaping products, including pods, puff-count capacity, and nicotine delivery.We are now reviewing the responses, and these will help inform decisions around our future regulatory approach once the Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been enacted.The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as part of their upcoming Circular Economy Growth Plan, will consider evidence across a range of interventions, including but not limited to the regulation of product features to support increased recyclability.

How much their Department has spent on X and xAI since July 2024.

As of January 2026, total expenditure by the Department since July 2024 has been £69,384.94, inclusive of VAT, on X and zero on xAI.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the retirement villages sector and the role of specialist older people's housing on the ability of older people to live independently for longer.

We are working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure the right supply of suitable housing, including specialist older people’s housing.High quality, safe, and suitable homes can help people stay independent and healthy for longer and reduce the need to draw on health and social care provision.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of DCVax-L following its trial at King’s College Hospital.

The Department has made no assessment of the potential merits of DCVax-L following its trial at King’s College Hospital.Northwest Biotherapeutics has submitted a Marketing Authorisation Application to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for DCVax-L, an immunotherapy for glioblastoma. The MHRA is unable to comment on applications during the process of review, but the MHRA can confirm that this application is not affected by any historical backlogs and is assessing all applications rapidly for safety, quality, and efficacy.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether all new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness. NICE aims wherever possible to issue recommendations on new medicines close to the time of licensing. The NHS is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance. NICE is in discussions with the manufacturer of DCVax-L, Northwest Biotherapeutics, about a potential appraisal subject to licensing.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of value-based procurement for MedTech innovation for (a) the New Hospital Programme and (b) current NHS sites; and what steps his Department takes to ensure that the NHS has adequate flexibility in allocated budgets to take into account inflation when projects are delayed by 6 months or more.

The Department is developing Value Based Procurement (VBP) Standard Guidance to improve consistency in National Health Service procurement of medical technology in England, and to ensure taxpayer’s money delivers better outcomes for patients, staff and the environment.In September 2025, the Department launched the VBP Pilots in which 13 existing trusts will test the VBP Standard Guidance. During the pilots, the Department will assess the usability of the Guidance including its effectiveness to procure innovative technology, before publication of the final Guidance in early 2026. The New Hospital Programme is out of scope for these pilots.The Spending Review 2025 settlement allocated a £2.3 billion real terms increase, or £4 billion cash increase, in Departmental annual capital budgets from 2023/24 to 2029/30. As this is a real-terms funding settlement, this assumes a level of inflation, with capital budgets growing in line with projected inflation. HM Treasury also agreed to grant additional flexibilities, including the relaxation of some ringfences, for the Department to manage capital budgets. This will support systems’ and providers’ abilities to maximise delivery against agreed priorities and measured outcomes.

Whether his Department will be attending the European Regional Summit ahead of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Eleventh Session of the Conference of Parties on (a) 14 and (b)16 October 2025; and if his Department will share its position with Parliament ahead of the meeting.

Our position on vaping is clear, that it is less harmful than smoking and can be an effective tool to help adults to stop smoking, but that non-smokers and young people should never vape. The Government has regularly set out this position on vaping at the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and will continue do so at the upcoming conference.Officials in the Department attended the European Region Pre-Cop meeting. These were informative sessions, and the United Kingdom did not make any interventions at these meetings. We have not yet confirmed the UK’s delegation with the World Health Organization. We are aiming to do so shortly.

With reference to his Department's plans to introduce a prohibition on the advertising of vaping products and nicotine products, what other restrictions or alternatives to a blanket prohibition on advertising were assessed as options; and what comparative evidence was used in the decision to introduce a blanket prohibition.

Youth vaping has doubled in the past five years, and one in four 11 to 15-year-olds tried vaping in 2023. There has been a significant growth in the awareness of vaping promotion over recent years, with more than half of all children aged 11 to 17 years old, or 55%, being aware of promotion in shops, up from 37% in 2022.Advertising of nicotine vapes is already restricted by United Kingdom regulations. This includes a ban on advertising on television and radio, and through internet advertising or commercial email. However, there are currently no restrictions on the advertising of non-nicotine vapes and other nicotine products such as pouches. There are also minimal restrictions on entering sponsorship agreements which promote these products, and we do not want children to be aware of these promotions which may make the products seem ‘cool’, for instance, if it appears on their favourite football team’s kit.This is why the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately advertised and promoted to children. This will stop the next generation from being hooked on nicotine. However, the bill will not stop public health authorities from undertaking necessary and important public health messaging or campaigns on vaping and smoking cessation.The Government has published a comprehensive impact assessment on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, including the proposed ban on advertising vaping and nicotine products. This assessment was reviewed in full by the Regulatory Policy Committee, which deemed it ‘fit for purpose’ in its published opinion on 5 November 2024. Paragraph 529 of the impact assessment details options that were previously considered but discounted. Our approach reflects evidence showing that comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising had a significant impact on reducing consumption, while partial bans had no significant effect. The World Health Organisation cites advertising bans as ‘one of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco consumption’ so they are also likely to be effective for vaping and nicotine products.The Government will monitor the impact of this advertising and sponsorship ban following its implementation.

Pursuant the Answer of 25 July 2025 to Question 68895 on WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: Conferences, what position his Department plans to set out on vaping at the Conference of Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Geneva in November 2025.

Our position on vaping is clear, that it is less harmful than smoking and can be an effective tool to help adults to stop smoking, but that non-smokers and young people should never vape. The Government has regularly set out this position on vaping at the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and will continue do so at the upcoming conference.Officials in the Department attended the European Region Pre-Cop meeting. These were informative sessions, and the United Kingdom did not make any interventions at these meetings. We have not yet confirmed the UK’s delegation with the World Health Organization. We are aiming to do so shortly.

Whether he has made a comparative assessment of the potential (a) merits and (b) costs of (i) a total prohibition on advertising of nicotine and vaping products and (ii) other measures short of total prohibition.

Youth vaping has doubled in the past five years, and one in four 11 to 15-year-olds tried vaping in 2023. There has been a significant growth in the awareness of vaping promotion over recent years, with more than half of all children aged 11 to 17 years old, or 55%, being aware of promotion in shops, up from 37% in 2022.Advertising of nicotine vapes is already restricted by United Kingdom regulations. This includes a ban on advertising on television and radio, and through internet advertising or commercial email. However, there are currently no restrictions on the advertising of non-nicotine vapes and other nicotine products such as pouches. There are also minimal restrictions on entering sponsorship agreements which promote these products, and we do not want children to be aware of these promotions which may make the products seem ‘cool’, for instance, if it appears on their favourite football team’s kit.This is why the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately advertised and promoted to children. This will stop the next generation from being hooked on nicotine. However, the bill will not stop public health authorities from undertaking necessary and important public health messaging or campaigns on vaping and smoking cessation.The Government has published a comprehensive impact assessment on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, including the proposed ban on advertising vaping and nicotine products. This assessment was reviewed in full by the Regulatory Policy Committee, which deemed it ‘fit for purpose’ in its published opinion on 5 November 2024. Paragraph 529 of the impact assessment details options that were previously considered but discounted. Our approach reflects evidence showing that comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising had a significant impact on reducing consumption, while partial bans had no significant effect. The World Health Organisation cites advertising bans as ‘one of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco consumption’ so they are also likely to be effective for vaping and nicotine products.The Government will monitor the impact of this advertising and sponsorship ban following its implementation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2025 to Question 68895 on WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: Conferences, what decision his Department has made on the Senior Civil Servant grades that will attend as part of the UK delegation to the World Health Organisation Eleventh Session of the Conference of Parties by (a) job title and (b) name.

Our position on vaping is clear, that it is less harmful than smoking and can be an effective tool to help adults to stop smoking, but that non-smokers and young people should never vape. The Government has regularly set out this position on vaping at the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and will continue do so at the upcoming conference.Officials in the Department attended the European Region Pre-Cop meeting. These were informative sessions, and the United Kingdom did not make any interventions at these meetings. We have not yet confirmed the UK’s delegation with the World Health Organization. We are aiming to do so shortly.

Whether his Department plans to promote the UK’s Swap to Stop scheme at the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Eleventh Session of the Conference of Parties.

The health advice is clear, that whilst vapes can be an effective quit aid for adult smokers, children and non-smokers should never vape. The Swap to Stop scheme is a national smoking cessation programme through which the Department provides adult smokers access to free vape start kits alongside behavioural support to help them quit.The Government has regularly set out our position on vaping at the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and will do so at the next conference in Geneva in November 2025.

What representatives his Department plans to send to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Eleventh Session of the Conference of Parties by (a) job title and (b) name.

The World Health Organization Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control will take place in Geneva from Monday 17 to Saturday 22 November.The United Kingdom’s delegation will consist of officials from the Department of Health and Social Care, as is usual practice for this conference.A decision on who will attend is yet to be made. However, it is departmental policy not to name officials below Senior Civil Service grades who attend these events.