Written questions by Shannon.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the cost of electricity on people with health conditions requiring medical devices which use electricity.

The Department began an assessment process on patient support for at home medical equipment energy costs in August 2024 with a review of existing policy provision. This work includes consideration of the impact of the cost of running electrical medical equipment at home on vulnerable groups.At Ministerial direction, the Department is working with the National Health Service, gathering technical data from within the health sector on use, cost and power demand of at home medical devices, to support development of costed policy options.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of people referred for alcohol addiction support.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities publishes adult substance misuse treatment statistics annually which includes the numbers of adults aged 18 and over in contact with drug and alcohol treatment services in England. The latest publication is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/substance-misuse-treatment-for-adults-statistics-2023-to-2024/adult-substance-misuse-treatment-statistics-2023-to-2024-reportThis publication provides an analysis of trends over time. The data over the last ten years for adults newly presenting to treatment for alcohol only and treatment for alcohol and non-opiate drugs shows that from a previous high in 2013/14 of 84,533, the number of new presentations to treatment fell year-on-year between 2014/15 and 2017/18. The number of new presentations remained relatively stable between 2017/18 and 2020/21, before rising continuously since then to a new high of 94,782 in 2023/24. This is the highest number since records began in 2008.The most recent estimates of alcohol dependence in England from 2019/20 suggest that, of the people with alcohol dependence that could benefit from specialist alcohol treatment, in 2023/24, 80% were not in treatment.The following table shows the above information in more detail:YearNumbers of adults newly presenting to treatment for alcohol onlyNumbers of adults newly presenting to treatment for alcohol and non-opiatesTotal2013-1465,11019,42384,5332014-1561,40418,54879,9522015-1657,72318,82276,5452016-1752,58318,71671,2992017-1850,65618,75769,4132018-1952,39320,21572,6082019-2050,95721,16772,1242020-2152,22020,84973,0692021-2256,99523,23480,2292022-2357,80224,22982,0312023-2465,10829,67494,782Source: National Drug Treatment Monitoring SystemInformation on the number of young people under 18 years old being treated for substance misuse, including alcohol, is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/alcohol-and-drug-misuse-and-treatment-statistics

How many people have presented at Accident and Emergency with respiratory concerns in the last six months.

The following table shows the number of type 1 and 2 accident and emergency attendances, as well as the percentage and number of those with a chief complaint relating to airway and breathing, in each of the last six months:MonthNumber of type 1 and 2 atte...

What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on improving mental health provision in universities.

My Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has discussions on multiple areas across Government departments, including mental health for children and young people.

What steps he has taken to encourage uptake of the flu vaccination in 2024.

This year’s national communications campaign to encourage the uptake of essential winter vaccinations, including for influenza and COVID-19, launched on 30 September 2024. The campaign, called Get Winter Strong, targets eligible cohorts where uptake has h...

Whether he plans to widen the availability of spirometry testing in primary care settings.

NHS England is continuing to support the restoration of local spirometry services, and is enhancing capacity through Community Diagnostic Centres. These initiatives provide structured pathways for general practitioners (GPs) to refer patients for essentia...

What estimate he has made of the number of spirometry tests carried out in Community Diagnostic Centres in each of the last five years.

The Department does not currently hold validated data on the number of spirometry tests carried out in Community Diagnostic Centres. NHS England publishes data quarterly detailing the total activity carried out in Community Diagnostic Centres nationally, ...

What steps his Department is taking to help (a) raise awareness of the symptoms and (b) reduce the number of misdiagnoses of pancreatic cancer.

NHS England is already taking steps to deliver a range of interventions to improve awareness of pancreatic cancer symptoms. NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to enc...

Whether he has had recent discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on its decision to not proceed with the approval of Durvalumab for recovering cancer patients.

The Department has regular discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about a range of issues, including access to cancer treatments for National Health Service patients.The NICE currently has a number of appraisals rela...

If he will take steps to ensure that pharmacies are accessible.

Local Authorities’ Health and Wellbeing boards have statutory responsibility to assess if the local provision of pharmaceutical services meets the populations needs, publishes these assessments (PNAs) every three years, and keeps these assessments up to d...

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the payments made to women for their eggs from 1 October 2024 on trends in the number of (a) low income women and (b) students wh

The Department has no plans to make an assessment, as the compensation rate for egg donation is set by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), as provided for in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The HFEA has advised that t...

Whether he has commissioned research into the potential long-term health impact on young women's bodies of egg retrieval.

The Department has not commissioned research into the potential long-term health impact on young women's bodies of egg retrieval. However, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) set out strict requirements in its Licence Conditions and Co...

For what reason (a) women are paid of £985 per cycle for their eggs and (b) men are paid £45 per donation for their sperm.

The Department has not commissioned research into the potential long-term health impact on young women's bodies of egg retrieval. However, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) set out strict requirements in its Licence Conditions and Co...

How many women from the three lowest multiple deprivation deciles donated eggs between 2011 and 2020.

There are no plans to make an assessment on banning advertisements for egg donors. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) Code of Practice states that advertising should be designed with regard to the sensitive issues involved in recruiti...

What impact assessment his Department made of the increase in the amount paid to egg donors on 1 October 2024.

There are no plans to make an assessment on banning advertisements for egg donors. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) Code of Practice states that advertising should be designed with regard to the sensitive issues involved in recruiti...

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a minimum age of 25 for egg donation.

There are no plans to make an assessment on banning advertisements for egg donors. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) Code of Practice states that advertising should be designed with regard to the sensitive issues involved in recruiti...

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a ban on advertisements for egg donors.

There are no plans to make an assessment on banning advertisements for egg donors. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) Code of Practice states that advertising should be designed with regard to the sensitive issues involved in recruiti...

If he will make it a legal requirement to state the (a) risks to women's health and (b) potential side effects of egg retrieval on adverts for those services.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the United Kingdom’s fertility sector regulator, has advised that it sets out strict requirements in its Licence Conditions and Code of Practice relating to the information that must be given before...

How many people have been diagnosed with X-linked hypophosphatemia in the last two years.

The Department does not hold the data requested. The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as X-linked hypophosphatemia. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed wi...

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help encourage people to have healthy diets.

Supporting people to stay healthier for longer is at the heart of this government’s Health Mission. Government advice on a healthy, balanced diet is encapsulated in the United Kingdom’s national food model, the Eatwell Guide. The Eatwell Guide depicts a h...