Written questions by Shannon.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Teplizumab in slowing the development of type 1 diabetes; and when he plans to roll-out that drug on the NHS.

Teplizumab was licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in August 2025, to delay the onset of Stage 3 type 1 diabetes in adult and paediatric patients 8 years of age and older with Stage 2 type 1 diabetes. Newly licensed medicines are appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on new medicines which represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. NICE aims wherever possible to issue draft guidance on new medicines close to the time of licensing and the NHS in England is legally required to fund NICE-recommended medicines, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.NICE is currently evaluating teplizumab and has published draft guidance for consultation in which it was unable to recommend teplizumab for delaying the onset of stage 3 type 1 diabetes in people 8 years and over with stage 2 type 1 diabetes. Final guidance is due to be published on 26 November 2025.

What steps he is taking to increase the availability of donor organs.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is the organisation responsible for organ donation in the United Kingdom. NHSBT is working to improve the availability of donor organs by encouraging more people to record their wishes on the Organ Donor Register. Current activity includes:high profile year-round campaigns including Organ Donation Week, World Sight Day, and World Kidney Day, in partnership with a wide range of charities and community groups;year-round national and regional media and public relations, focusing particularly on the need for more black and Asian organ donors to reduce current inequities in access to transplants;national networking with trusted community organisations such as the National BAME Transplant Alliance, to support trusted leaders with expertise in organ donation to deliver culturally and religiously sensitive messaging;funding a Community Grants Programme to drive awareness of the importance and benefits of organ donation and addressing barriers to donation; andthe Organ Donation Joint Working Group, formed jointly between NHSBT and the Department, will provide recommendations to improve the organ donation consent rates, increase societal action for organ donation, and increase the pool of potential donors. This report is due to be published this autumn.

What discussions she has had with Transport for London on improving safety on the London Underground.

Ministers and officials have regular conversations with Transport for London (TfL) on a variety of issues. However transport in London is devolved to the Mayor, and TfL is responsible for safety on the London Underground.

How much funding his Department has allocated to blood cancers.

The Department is committed to improving cancer outcomes for patients across England, including for blood cancer.It is not possible to break down the Department’s overall spend on blood cancer in England as cancer funding is provided across a range of cancer diagnosis and treatment pathways, with national and local cancer initiatives driving improvement across many different cancer types.Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with cancer one of the largest areas of spend. The NIHR made 70 awards for research projects into blood cancer for the period April 2020 to March 2025 with a combined total funding value of approximately £18 million.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of creatine on public health.

Scientific risk assessment of nutrition and health claim applications in Great Britain are carried out by the UK Nutrition and Health Claims Committee (UKNHCC) and based on thorough and robust evaluations.In 2024, the UKNHCC considered a health claim on creatine supplementation and improved cognitive function. The proposed conditions of use for the health claim were that creatine should be ingested in an amount of 3g per day and the target population for the health claim is the general population, healthy adults of both sexes.The UKNHCC considered evidence submitted by the applicant to substantiate the claim and published a negative scientific opinion. Based on the data presented by the applicant, the committee concluded that a cause-and-effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of ≤3g per day creatine and improved cognitive function.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the joint statement in April 2025 by UN Special Rapporteurs and Special Mechanisms on discrimination faced by the Baha’i community in Egypt; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of that statement on her Department's engagement with Egypt on human rights.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 September to Question 75629.

What steps he is taking to reduce regional inequalities in access to eye care services.

Integrated care boards, as commissioners of primary and secondary eye care services, are required to work with local authorities to assess the current and future health, care, and wellbeing needs of their local populations. They will then set out, in joint local health and wellbeing strategies, how they will meet those needs, and this could include addressing any identified inequalities in accessing services. Understanding patient demographics is an essential step in identifying and tackling health inequalities. The Elective Reform Plan included a commitment to publish waiting list information broken down by demographics to allow for greater visibility of potential health inequalities. Further information on the Elective Reform Plan is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/reforming-elective-care-for-patients/ This enables local health services to understand the demographics of the patients on their waiting list to better tailor services to their needs. Data on the demographics of the elective waiting list for week ending 28 September 2025 is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/ This data shows referral to treatment waiting times from the Waiting List Minimum Data Set for ophthalmology split by age, sex, deprivation, and ethnicity. The Public Health Outcomes Framework Eye Health Indicator also continues to track the rate of sight loss for age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. This information is available to commissioners and can be used to drive improved local outcomes and interventions.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help uphold the right to free speech.

DCMS has responsibility for protecting media freedom, which is protected under the Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which sets out the right to freedom of expression. An integral part of DCMS's work to support media freedom is working with partners to tackle threats to journalist safety and protect journalistic freedoms. DCMS and Home Office Ministers co-chair the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, which convenes criminal justice, civil society and media partners to tackle journalist safety and oversees a National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists.

How many active legal cases are open against the NHS.

NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England.NHSR handles negligence claims on behalf of the members of their indemnity schemes. The indemnity schemes are divided into clinical and non-clinical negligence schemes.Clinical negligence schemes:the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) handles all clinical negligence claims against member NHS bodies where the incident in question took place on or after 1 April 1995, or when the body joined the scheme if that is later;the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice (CNSGP) covers clinical negligence claims for incidents occurring in general practice on or after 1 April 2019;the Existing Liabilities Scheme for General Practice (ELSGP) covers historic NHS clinical negligence of staff of GP members of participating medical defence organisations occurring before 1 April 2019;The Clinical Negligence Scheme for Coronavirus (CNSC) meets clinical negligence liabilities arising from NHS services provided in response to the coronavirus pandemic where no other indemnity or insurance arrangements are in place already to cover such liabilities.DHSC Clinical (DH CL) covers clinical negligence liabilities that have transferred to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care following the abolition of any relevant health bodies;The Existing Liabilities Scheme (ELS) covers clinical negligence claims against NHS organisations for incidents occurring before 1 April 1995; and Non clinical negligence schemes:the Liabilities to Third Parties Scheme (LTPS) covers non-clinical claims such as public and employers’ liability;the Property Expenses Schemes (PES) covers ‘first party’ losses such as property damage and theft, for incidents on or after 1 April 1999; andDHSC Non-clinical (DH Liab) covers non-clinical negligence liabilities that have transferred to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care following the abolition of any relevant health bodies.NHSR has provided the attached information:Table 1: Number of Clinical and Non-Clinical Claims received between Financial Years '2006/07' and '2024/25' where the status of the claim was open as at 31/03/2025. Broken down by Scheme (as noted above).Table 2: Number of Clinical and Non-Clinical Claims and Incidents received between Financial Years '2006/07' and '2024/25' where the status was 'Open' or 'Incident' as at 31/03/2025. Broken down by Scheme (as noted above).Note: NHSR defines an ‘open’ claim as one where NHSR is yet to settle or claims that have settled but remain open, where NHSR are yet to agree costs. NHSR has not included cases which are settled but remain open due to ongoing periodical order payments.The distinction between Table 1 and Table 2 is that Table 2 includes incidents reported to NHSR that have not yet progressed to a formal notification of claim. NHSR encourages its members and beneficiaries to report such incidents directly, even prior to the receipt of a claim.

What discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nursing on pay.

Annual pay awards for staff on Agenda for Change contracts in England, including nurses, are decided by the Government following receipt of recommendations made by the independent NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB). The Government accepted the 2025/26 recommendations in full, and in July, the Government asked the NHSPRB to begin the 2026/27 pay round. Relevant stakeholders are invited to submit evidence to the NHSPRB to inform its deliberations.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has met with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on multiple occasions since taking office, as have I, to discuss working conditions for National Health Service staff, including pay, and is always open to talking to unions about how they can work with the Government to support the NHS workforce. Officials continue to engage with the RCN on pay and contractual matters through the NHS Staff Council.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps she is taking to encourage a resolution to the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 15th September to question 75809.

If she will take steps to reduce the cost of the firearms licence application fee.

Increased firearms licensing fees were introduced on 5 February 2025, enabling full cost recovery for police forces and fulfilling a manifesto commitment.Firearms licensing fees were last updated in 2015 and had fallen significantly below the cost of delivering the service. We will keep the level of fees under close review.

What information his Department holds on the proportion of ambulance call-outs that were related to (a) drug and (b) alcohol use in each of the last five years.

This information is not held centrally.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her counterparts in the US on relations with China.

The UK regularly discusses foreign policy with the US at all levels, including issues relating to China.

What information his Department holds on the number of people aged under 21 who have been diagnosed as legally deaf in the last 12 months.

The information requested is not held centrally.The Office for National Statistics collates data on deaf adults, but not on deaf children. It estimates in its 2022/23 annual population survey that 1,235,855 adults aged 16 years old and over in the United Kingdom have difficulty in hearing. These statistics are available at the following link:https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/ukhearingpopulationfordeafandhardofhearingstatisticsHowever, other organisations have data or estimates of the number of deaf children and young people. For example, the Consortium for Research into Deaf Education, which brings together a range of organisations with an interest in improving the educational outcomes achieved by deaf children, identified in its 2024 report that there were 54,321 deaf children reported by services across the UK, a 3% increase since 2023. The report is available at the following link:https://cms.ndcs.org.uk/sites/default/files/2025-05/CRIDE%20UK%20-%202024.pdfNHS audiology services are locally commissioned, and the responsibility for meeting the needs of non-hearing people lies with local NHS commissioners. We expect local commissioning to be informed by the best available evidence, relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, and guidance issued by NHS England. In 2019, NHS England, with input from the National Deaf Children’s Society, produced a guide for commissioner and health and local authority providers who support children and young people with hearing loss. This guide is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/what-works-chswg-guide.pdf

What steps he is taking to ensure that the (a) pricing and (b) reimbursement system for multi-indication medicines does not disadvantage patients with (i) rare and (ii) ultra-rare conditions.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers my Rt Hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Health gave on 1 September 2025 to Questions 69240, 69241, and 69242.

Whether he plans to remove parental (a) income and (b) education levels as factors in cases of maternity clinical negligence.

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.As announced in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC will be providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs and how we can improve patients’ experience of clinical negligence claims, ahead of a review by the Department in the autumn. The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point.

What steps he is taking to extend funding for advice and guidance services for GPs to other parts of primary care.

The Department currently has no plans to introduce funding for Advice and Guidance Enhanced Services for community pharmacy, dental practices, or opticians. Most referrals to specialist services come from general practices (GPs), who have a primary role in the management of patient health and care in the community.In 2025/26, the Government introduced the General Practice Advice and Guidance Enhanced Service, which makes provision for GPs to claim a £20 fee for each new advice and guidance request, to recognise the key role they play in delivering on the Government’s commitments to shift care from hospital to community and to return to the 18-week Referral to Treatment constitutional standard by March 2029.

Whether she has made a recent assessment of trends in levels of fatigue among pilots flying in UK airspace.

There are stringent regulations in place to prevent pilot fatigue. The risk of flight crew fatigue is managed under the flight time limitation regulations which limit the number of hours pilots can be on duty.  The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as the UK’s independent aviation safety regulator, monitors and oversees UK Airlines’ management of flight time limitation requirements and how these impact pilot fatigue.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the requirement in the NHS England Commercial Framework for New Medicines for medicines to provide value at-or-below NICE’s cost-effectiveness threshold on access to treatments for (a) rare and (b) ultra-rare disease patients .

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers my Rt Hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Health gave on 1 September 2025 to Questions 69240, 69241, and 69242.