Written questions by Shannon.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of reported increased restrictions on religious leaders in Nicaragua; and what steps her Department is taking to support and strengthen freedom of religion or belief and religious voices in the country.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 3 November 2025 to Question 85308. We share widespread international concern about the suppression of democratic, religious, and other fundamental freedoms in Nicaragua.

How much funding he has provided for services supporting people with post traumatic stress disorder in the last three years.

It is not possible to identify the amount of funding specifically for services supporting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many people treated for PTSD will receive treatment in NHS Talking Therapies, which support other common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, as well as PTSD.Depending on the circumstances of their case, individuals with diagnosed and undiagnosed PTSD may also be referred or could present themselves to most other forms of mental health provision, including community, crisis, and inpatient services, as well as to specific pathways for other conditions which may be co-occurring for some patients.For 2026/27, overall National Health Service mental health spending is forecast to increase to a record £16.1 billion. The following table shows the amount of mental health spend for the past three years:YearNHS Mental Health Spend2025/26£15.7 billion2024/25£15.1 billion2023/24£13.9 billionNote: the figure for 2025/26 is forecast.

What percentage of people diagnosed with breast cancer began treatment within the 62-day cancer target in the most recent reporting period.

Published data for the 62-day treatment standard of 85% shows that in February 2026, 66.9% of patients diagnosed with breast cancer began treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral. This data is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/ The Government is committed to improving performance against cancer waiting time standards, including the 62-day standard, and has set an ambition to meet these standards by the end of this Parliament. We are supporting this through expanding diagnostic capacity, streamlining cancer pathways, and providing targeted support to areas with the greatest challenges.

What the average waiting time is children and young people diagnosed with depression to access child and adolescent mental health services in the last 12 months for which data is available.

The data for this question is unavailable. NHS England does not report waiting times data for specific conditions unless there is an existing waiting times standard, for example Children and Young People eating disorders or Early Intervention in Psychosis.

What steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for psychological therapy.

The Government recognises that waiting times for psychological therapies are too long and is committed to improving timely access to care. We are expanding NHS Talking Therapies, which continue to meet their waiting time standards, and increasing capacity in mental health services generally by recruiting 8,500 additional mental health workers, with over 8,000 already in post. Alongside this, we are rolling out new community‑based and digital models of care, improving data on waits, and supporting self‑referral routes to help people access support earlier and reduce waiting times overall.

How many patients are waiting more than 52 weeks for treatment for Cataracts within the NHS.

As of 12 April 2026, there are 1,124 patients waiting more than 52 weeks for treatment of cataracts within the National Health Service in England.As set out in the Plan for Change and the Elective Reform Plan, we are committed to returning by March 2029 to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment. As part of this ambition, we are continuing to encourage and support providers to reduce waits for patients who have waited longest for treatment.The Elective Reform Plan also provides a range of measures to improve the experience of care for patients, including those experiencing long waits. This includes engaging with patients and carers to publish a set of minimum standards that patients can expect to experience in elective care.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of restricting young people’s eligibility for the Universal Credit health element on a) poverty and b) employment.

We have launched The Young People and Work Report to investigate the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training, with a holistic view of the welfare, health, skills and employment system. Led by former Health Secretary Alan Milburn, it will also identify areas for reform. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun. The Author will produce an interim Report this May, with a full and final report in September To ensure we can take a decision in the round we are awaiting the Young People and Work Reports conclusions before making any decisions on whether to delay access to Universal Credit Health Element to 22. The Universal Credit Act 2025, which came into force on 6 April 2026, delivered the first sustained, above inflation rise in the basic rate of UC since it was introduced. This means a little under four million households will benefit overall from government’s decision to increase the UC standard allowance, estimated to be worth around £760 annually in cash terms for a single parent aged 25 (£250 above inflation) or over £1195 (£400 above inflation) for a couple where one is aged 25 or over with children by 2029/30. A little under 4 million households will benefit from the sustained, above-inflation increase to the UC standard allowance - worth around £295 in 2026/27, in cash terms around £110 above inflation, for a single person aged 25 or over and around £760, around £250 above inflation, by the end of the decade. For couples, where one member is aged 25 or over, it will increase by around an additional £465 this year, around £180 more than if up-rated by inflation alone. Claimants who declared a health condition or disability before 6 April 2026 and are subsequently found to have Limited Capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA), receive the higher rate - £429.80 per month. This applies even if the decision on their LCWRA entitlement was made on or after 6 April 2026. In our Pathways to Work Green Paper we set out our Pathways to Work offer, backed by £1 billion a year of new funding by the end of the decade. Our Pathways to Work support offer will ensure a coherent and navigable offer of support, building on and bringing together initiatives such as Connect to Work, WorkWell and local Trailblazers. Since July 2025, there have been around 1000 (full-time equivalent) Pathways to Work Advisors in place in Jobcentres across England, Scotland and Wales helping disabled people and people with health conditions towards and into work. This increased deployment will help ensure that everyone impacted by the recent changes to the Universal Credit Health Element is offered support. People affected by the changes, including young people, will be able to access a conversation about their needs, goals and aspirations; offered one-to-one follow-on support, and given voluntary help to access additional work, health and skills support that can meet their needs.

How many people aged 16-24 are claiming the Universal Credit health element while in full-time non-advanced education.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 20 April 2026 to Question 125932.

What steps he is taking to reduce preventable admissions in A&E.

We are significantly expanding urgent care across the country, including building and expanding 40 same day emergency care services and urgent treatment centres. This will mean patients are treated more quickly and in the most appropriate setting, while easing pressure on busy accident and emergency departments so they can focus on the most serious cases.Alongside this, we are expanding urgent care outside hospital through new neighbourhood health services. Urgent community care enables people to receive timely, high‑quality care in their own homes or communities, helping to maintain independence and ensuring hospital attendance only where clinically necessary. The Neighbourhood Health model prioritises urgent community response, virtual wards, and coordinated multidisciplinary teams to support people with escalating or acute needs, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions and supporting care closer to home.The Urgent and Emergency Care Delivery Plan 2025/26 also committed to scaling a new “Home First” approach, enabling ambulance services to prioritise the most critical cases while providing alternative pathways for those with less urgent needs. This includes “see and treat” and “hear and treat” approaches, supported by additional clinicians in emergency operations centres and single points of access.

How many GP practices in England are currently accepting new patients.

NHS England does not hold information on the number of general practices (GPs) currently accepting new patients. Decisions to approve or reject GP requests to close their patient lists temporarily to new patient registrations are delegated to integrated care boards (ICBs). NHS England does hold some historic information relating to these decisions.ICBs received a total of 30 applications from GPs to close their patient lists during 2024/25, compared with 51 in 2023/24. 23, or 77%, of the 30 applications were approved in 2024/25, which compares to 42 approved applications, or 82%, in 2023/24. Of the 23 approved applications, 11 GPs, or 48%, had reopened their patients list by the end of 2024/25, compared with 22, or 52%, which reopened by the end of 2023/24.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of staffing levels on accident and emergency waiting times.

We recognise the importance of ensuring that emergency departments operate safely and effectively. Decisions on staffing levels are matters for local National Health Service trusts, working with integrated care boards, who are best placed to assess and manage services in line with local needs and circumstances.Nationally, NHS England sets standards for emergency care and provides guidance to support trusts in maintaining safe staffing.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to GP services for patients with long-term conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

We know that improving access to general practice (GP) services is key for all patients, including those with long-term conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).In England, we have invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of over 2,000 individual GPs into primary care networks (PCNs) across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. We are also introducing a practice-level GP reimbursement scheme using £292 million of repurposed funding from the current Capacity and Access Payment. This funding will be available to practices to hire additional GPs or fund more sessions with existing GPs to improve access in GPs The Government will bring back the family doctor for those who would benefit from seeing the same clinician regularly, for example, those living with chronic illness, such as COPD. In the 2026/27 GP Contract we will make it a core requirement for PCNs to identify and prioritise cohorts for continuity of care using risk stratification tools as part of their core activities. This will make continuity a core expectation within primary care and support future work to embed more meaningful continuity models in subsequent contract reform. As a result of all our measures, we've delivered 8.3 million more GP appointments, and Office for National Statistics data shows that nearly three quarters of patients now report a good experience with their GP.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to ensure that technology companies comply with duties under the Online Safety Act to prevent fraud.

Fraud and other financial crimes are ‘priority offences’ under the Online Safety Act, meaning regulated services must prevent users encountering user-generated fraudulent content, swiftly remove it if it appears, and mitigate and manage the risk of their services facilitating fraud. Ofcom, as the independent regulator, has robust powers to act if it finds services are failing in their regulatory duties, including issuing fines of £18 million or 10% global turnover (whichever is higher).

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of removing the Universal Credit health element from young people on their ability to a) meet essential costs and b) participate in employment support programmes.

We have launched The Young People and Work Report to investigate the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training, with a holistic view of the welfare, health, skills and employment system. Led by former Health Secretary Alan Milburn, it will also identify areas for reform. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun. The Author will produce an interim Report this May, with a full and final report in September To ensure we can take a decision in the round we are awaiting the Young People and Work Reports conclusions before making any decisions on whether to delay access to Universal Credit Health Element to 22.

How many hospital admissions in the last 12 months have been related to complications arising from Type 2 Diabetes.

This data is not collected. Primary diagnosis is recorded on admission to hospital, but not the complications which may have led to the admission. Where a patient is known to have diabetes, this will always be recorded on their Hospital Episode Statistic (HES) record, regardless of the actual reason for their admission.It should be noted that where a patient is known to have diabetes this will always be recorded on their HES record, regardless of the actual reason for their admission. Within HES, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision code E11 is used to diagnose type 2 diabetes, so it is possible to provide a count of admissions where that is the primary diagnosis. However, this cohort will only comprise a small proportion of the total number of occasions where a complication of type 2 diabetes necessitated that the patient be admitted to hospital since, in most instances where a patient has diabetes, the primary diagnosis is likely to be recorded as something else. There will be many other conditions that could be, but they won’t necessarily actually be complications of type 2 diabetes. For example, the National Health Service website page Complications of type 2 diabetes - NHS mentions ‘stroke’ as something that can potentially be caused by having diabetes. However, where a patient who has diabetes has been admitted to hospital with a stroke, we cannot say for certain whether this was a complication of their having type 2 diabetes or was caused for some other reason. Since diabetes, where known to be present, is always recorded on the patient record, we cannot assume that where it is recorded, the primary diagnosis will be due to a complication arising from it. For this reason, we cannot provide any meaningful data to answer the query.

What discussions his Department has had with maritime training providers and coastal communities on encouraging recruitment into the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

The Royal Navy regularly engages with maritime training providers, schools, coastal communities industry bodies, including Maritime UK, to support recruitment into the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. This includes nationally delivered outreach, including in coastal towns, delivered through established partnerships and showcasing RFA employment opportunities, career pathways and contribution to Defence and the wider maritime sector.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help prevent cyber harassment in online gaming communities.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What steps she is taking to provide adequate funding for rural police stations.

Decisions regarding the management of the police estate, including provision of police stations, as well as the allocation of officers and resources are matters for Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (or equivalents). They are best placed to make these decisions based on their knowledge of local need, experience, and in line with their existing budget.

What steps she is taking to support small rural police stations to maintain effective local presence.

Decisions regarding the management of the police estate, including provision of police stations, as well as the allocation of officers and resources are matters for Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (or equivalents). They are best placed to make these decisions based on their knowledge of local need, experience, and in line with their existing budget.

How rare and neglected diseases are prioritised in research funding allocations.

Government responsibility for delivering research into rare diseases is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation, which includes the Medical Research Council (MRC).The Department of Health and Social Care invests over £1.7 billion each year on research through the NIHR, including research on rare diseases, such as the RareCare study which aims to better understand what causes delays to diagnosis so we can take steps to address this.The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases through the UK Rare Diseases Framework. Pioneering research is an underpinning theme of the framework. In the 2025 England Rare Disease Action Plan we introduced a new action to support rare disease research through changes to clinical trial regulations. For rare disease research, where patient populations are small and trial designs often complex, the flexibility and proportionality of this framework will enable more efficient set-up and conduct of clinical trials. We have also made significant investments to support rare disease research. This includes the Rare Disease Research UK Platform, a £14 million investment over five years from the MRC and the NIHR, announced in 2023, which is now established and positioned well within the rare disease research landscape. Further information the Rare Disease Research UK Platform is available at the following link:https://rd-research.org.uk/nodes/