Written questions by Shannon.

Media and Sport, if she will make an estimate of the amount of money (a) spent and (b) lost on illegal gambling sites in each of the last five years.

The issue of illegal gambling is a concern for this Government and we are committed to working closely with the Gambling Commission, the statutory regulator for gambling in Great Britain, to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. The Commission continues to monitor this area closely and take action against unlicensed operators where needed.Estimating the size of the illegal gambling market is difficult due to the changing nature of the sites and channels through which customers are able to access illegal activity. While research in this space is improving, further research is required to confidently estimate the extent of illegal gambling within Great Britain, who is engaging with it, and the impact that it is having. The Gambling Commission is working to improve its evidence base around the unlicensed gambling market, using web traffic data and gambling behaviour data to estimate the size of the online unlicensed market and conducting qualitative research to understand consumer motivations for participation in illegal gambling. The Commission published a blog outlining its approach in October 2024.Gambling regulation is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland, where it falls under The Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 and The Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Amendment) Act 2022.

If he will have discussions with his counterparts in Northern Ireland on potential steps to facilitate the provision of records from mother and baby homes in Northern Ireland to affected individuals.

I understand that the Truth Recovery Programme in the Executive Office, working closely with victims and survivors of historical institutions in Northern Ireland, has made progress on the right to information and access to records. The Northern Ireland’s Department of Health has also produced practice guidance and there is work ongoing to progress secondary legislation with the Department for Science, Information and Technology to support this important objective.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has for the provision of support to Ukraine.

The Government's support for Ukraine is ironclad. The UK has provided £12.8 billion in military, humanitarian and economic support to Ukraine since 2022. We have committed £3 billion a year in military assistance to Ukraine for as long as it takes. The UK will also provide £2.26 billion as part of the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration Loans to Ukraine scheme. This is additional funding on top of our existing £3 billion a year commitment and will be used for Ukraine to procure military equipment via the MOD.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Darfur.

The UK condemns the growing body of evidence of serious atrocities being committed against civilians in Darfur and wider Sudan, including in the recent report by the UN Fact Finding Mission. We analyse the conflict and atrocities on an ongoing basis including through funding the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR), a research body which is gathering open-source evidence about the ongoing fighting in Sudan, with an eye to future accountability processes. In October, the UK led the mandate renewal of the UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan (FFM) as part of the 'Sudan Core Group' at the UN Human Rights Council. The FFM is vital for ensuring credible allegations of human rights violations and abuses by all sides, including atrocities being committed in Darfur, are investigated impartially. The UK also continues to provide support to the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR), a UN body that plays a crucial role in monitoring and reporting on human rights violations. We are working with the UN, key regional actors, and UN Security Council (UNSC) members to shine a spotlight on Sudan during our UNSC presidency. On 12 October, the Minister for Africa chaired an open meeting on protection of civilians at the UNSC, seeking to galvanise greater action on protection and humanitarian access following the publication of the UN Secretary General's recommendations.

What steps he is taking to prevent the spread of Mpox.

There are two distinct types, known as clades, of the Mpox virus, specifically clade I and clade II. The previous significant outbreak in the United Kingdom in 2022 was from clade II. Details of the current National Health Service Mpox vaccination programme are available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/mpox/#:~:text=people%20who%27ve%20been%20in,up%20to%2014%20days%20afterClade I is currently classified as a high consequence infectious disease. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has led extensive planning across the Government and the NHS to deal with Mpox cases in the UK, and will coordinate contact tracing and offer testing and vaccination to contacts as needed.Four cases of clade I Mpox have been detected in the UK, three of which are household contacts of the first case. All four patients are currently under specialist medical care.In line with the advice of the Advisory Committee for Dangerous Pathogens, the border response for direct flights from affected countries includes pre-arrival health declarations. Digital messaging is displayed on information screens at 10 international airports in England and the Eurostar terminal, and the UKHSA is meeting flights from affected countries and giving health advice leaflets to passengers and crew.We are placing a strong emphasis on ensuring that there are high levels of awareness among clinicians about the risks and the actions they need to take. The UKHSA Returning Workers Scheme for organisations sending workers to outbreak areas also provides pre-travel advice, active monitoring on return, and medical support for symptomatic returnees when necessary. Pre-travel advice for Mpox is publicly available on TravelHealthPro website, which is available at the following link:https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/The risk to the general population of the UK of being exposed to Mpox clade I is currently considered low.

What discussions he has had with his Northern Irish counterpart on funding for hospices.

Healthcare, including hospice care, in Northern Ireland is devolved, and therefore a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive, although we are always happy to learn from the experiences of devolved governments.

What steps he is taking to encourage international investment across the UK.

Attracting investment is one of the key pillars to the Government’s growth mission and is vital to helping address the challenge of achieving sustained growth, improving productivity and increasing the number of good, well-skilled jobs across the country. At the International Investment Summit, we secured £63bn worth of investments across the whole of the UK, creating nearly 38,000 jobs. On top of this we have launched Invest 2035, our vision for a modern Industrial Strategy “Invest 2035”: a credible, 10-year plan to deliver the certainty and stability businesses need to invest. As an example of the many steps we are taking to encourage investment, we have today (12th November) launched the Clean Industries Bonus which will encourage investment in renewable energy projects.

If he will provide additional funding for prostate cancer (a) care and (b) research.

The Government is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster, so that more patients survive with better outcomes, including for those with prostate cancer. The NHS is working towards the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS), which ensures a patient receives their cancer diagnosis or has cancer ruled out within 28 days of an urgent referral. NHS England has streamlined cancer pathways, including implementing a best-timed prostate cancer diagnostic pathway, so that those suspected of prostate cancer receive a multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging scan first, which ensures that only those men most at-risk undergo an invasive biopsy. Best practice timed pathways support the on-going improvement effort to shorten diagnosis pathways, reduce variation, improve experience of care, and meet the FDS.Furthermore, the NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme published guidance in April 2024 to support the implementation of good practice in the management of prostate cancer, which includes ensuring the diagnostic pathways for prostate cancer were implemented from a primary care setting to a secondary care presentation.The Government is strongly committed to supporting research into cancer. Through partnerships with patients, researchers, funders, and charities we continue to play a significant role in global efforts against the disease. Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests £1.5 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £121.8 million in 2022/23. The NIHR spends more on cancer than any other disease group.The TRANSFORM trial is an important example of prostate cancer research, as a £42 million screening trial which aims to find ways of detecting prostate cancer earlier. Prostate Cancer UK is leading the development of the trial, with the Government contributing £16 million through the NIHR. The TRANSFORM trial will also aim to address some of the inequalities that exist in prostate cancer diagnosis today, ensuring that at least 10% of the men who are invited to participate in the trial are black, to inform a targeted approach for earlier diagnosis.The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including prostate cancer. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of salmon stocks in the last 12 months.

The latest assessment of Atlantic salmon stocks in England and Wales, produced by the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and the Centre for Fisheries, Environment and Aquaculture was published on 7 October and can be found here.

How many people were on waiting lists for colonoscopies in each year between 2020 and 2024 by trust.

A table showing the number of people on a waiting list for a colonoscopy each year between 2020 and 2024, broken down by acute National Health Service trust, is attached. Monthly activity and waiting list data for diagnostics is published monthly, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/Validated data collections on the breakdown of insourced and outsourced activity by NHS trusts, including for individual procedures such as a colonoscopy, are not maintained at a national level, so we do not hold information on how much was spent to outsource or insource additional resources to manage colonoscopy procedures in each of the last five years, by trust.The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services, including for colonoscopies, and will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for these services.The NHS is delivering on a number of specific steps to reduce waiting times for gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy services, including colonoscopy procedures. This includes the establishment of a national transformation project to recover GI endoscopy services, investment in an additional 80 dedicated endoscopy rooms to expand capacity, as well as a number of Community Diagnostic Centres offering endoscopy services.NHS England has also established GI endoscopy networks across the country. Whilst many are still in their infancy, one of the key functions of these networks is to address unwarranted variation in timely access to care. GI endoscopy training academies have also been established in each region to enable the training and education of the required workforce.At the 2024 Autumn Budget, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £1.5 billion of capital funding for new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners. This will build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures and over 1.25 million diagnostic tests, as well as new beds which will create more treatment space in emergency departments, reduce waiting times, and help shift more care into the community.

How much was spent to (a) outsource and (b) insource additional resource to manage colonoscopy procedures in each of the last five years by trust.

A table showing the number of people on a waiting list for a colonoscopy each year between 2020 and 2024, broken down by acute National Health Service trust, is attached. Monthly activity and waiting list data for diagnostics is published monthly, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/Validated data collections on the breakdown of insourced and outsourced activity by NHS trusts, including for individual procedures such as a colonoscopy, are not maintained at a national level, so we do not hold information on how much was spent to outsource or insource additional resources to manage colonoscopy procedures in each of the last five years, by trust.The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services, including for colonoscopies, and will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for these services.The NHS is delivering on a number of specific steps to reduce waiting times for gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy services, including colonoscopy procedures. This includes the establishment of a national transformation project to recover GI endoscopy services, investment in an additional 80 dedicated endoscopy rooms to expand capacity, as well as a number of Community Diagnostic Centres offering endoscopy services.NHS England has also established GI endoscopy networks across the country. Whilst many are still in their infancy, one of the key functions of these networks is to address unwarranted variation in timely access to care. GI endoscopy training academies have also been established in each region to enable the training and education of the required workforce.At the 2024 Autumn Budget, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £1.5 billion of capital funding for new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners. This will build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures and over 1.25 million diagnostic tests, as well as new beds which will create more treatment space in emergency departments, reduce waiting times, and help shift more care into the community.

Whether his Department plans to reform colonoscopy services.

A table showing the number of people on a waiting list for a colonoscopy each year between 2020 and 2024, broken down by acute National Health Service trust, is attached. Monthly activity and waiting list data for diagnostics is published monthly, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/monthly-diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/Validated data collections on the breakdown of insourced and outsourced activity by NHS trusts, including for individual procedures such as a colonoscopy, are not maintained at a national level, so we do not hold information on how much was spent to outsource or insource additional resources to manage colonoscopy procedures in each of the last five years, by trust.The Government is committed to transforming diagnostic services, including for colonoscopies, and will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for these services.The NHS is delivering on a number of specific steps to reduce waiting times for gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy services, including colonoscopy procedures. This includes the establishment of a national transformation project to recover GI endoscopy services, investment in an additional 80 dedicated endoscopy rooms to expand capacity, as well as a number of Community Diagnostic Centres offering endoscopy services.NHS England has also established GI endoscopy networks across the country. Whilst many are still in their infancy, one of the key functions of these networks is to address unwarranted variation in timely access to care. GI endoscopy training academies have also been established in each region to enable the training and education of the required workforce.At the 2024 Autumn Budget, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £1.5 billion of capital funding for new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners. This will build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures and over 1.25 million diagnostic tests, as well as new beds which will create more treatment space in emergency departments, reduce waiting times, and help shift more care into the community.

How many medical technologies were (a) piloted in the NHS in (i) 2023 and (ii) 2024, (b) supported after successful pilots in those years and (c) adopted at scale in the last year.

In February 2023, the Department published its first ever strategy for MedTech, as well as a one year on update in April 2024, outlining our priorities for improving the adoption and spread of safe, effective, and innovative medical technologies across the National Health Service.NHS England holds data on innovation adoption and scale for specific NHS England programmes and policies, such as the MedTech Funding Mandate programme. Providing data on individual programmes in response to this question does not provide a complete picture of activity.For example, the Health Tech Adoption and Acceleration Fund will have funded a mixture of pilots and scaling of existing programmes, however this was largely managed at local level, and NHS England do not centrally hold data on what is a pilot and what is a scaled programme.Pilot and evaluation data is held at provider level, which includes acute, primary, community, and secondary care providers. These organisations are not required to report pilot outcomes to NHS England. They work autonomously but in partnership with technology evaluators, academics, researchers, or other expert partners such as the Health Innovation Networks. NHS England produces an annual Health Innovation Network report, which is due to come out this Autumn. The 2022/23 is available at the following link:https://thehealthinnovationnetwork.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/AHSN-Network-Workforce-Impact-Report-2023.pdfThe data is aggregated, so it is not possible to extrapolate from the report how many of the projects are technology pilots.

Media and Sport, what recent discussion she had with the BBC on decriminalising non-payment of the TV license fee.

The Culture Secretary believes it is important that the television licence fee has a fair enforcement regime that does not disproportionately impact vulnerable people, and has discussed her concerns on this issue with the BBC’s leadership.As part of the next Charter Review, the government will engage with the BBC and others to consider how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond. This will include discussions on a range of important issues, including future funding models for the BBC and their enforcement.

How many long covid clinics are active.

Since 2020, the National Health Service in England has invested significantly in supporting people with long COVID. This includes setting up specialist post-COVID services nationwide for adults, and children and young people, as well as investing in ensuring general practice (GP) teams are equipped to support people affected by the condition.As of 1 April 2024, there are over 90 adult post-COVID services across England, along with an additional ten children and young people’s hubs. These services assess people with long COVID and direct them into care pathways which provide appropriate support and treatment. GPs will assess patients that have COVID-19 symptoms lasting longer than four weeks and refer them into a long COVID service where appropriate. Referral should be via a single point of access, which is managed by clinician-led triage.

How many people aged between 16 and 25 are medically treated for psoriasis in England, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender.

A table showing a count of Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) for patients aged 16 to 25 years old with a recorded primary diagnosis of psoriasis, broken down by patient age and gender, for the period 2019/20 to 2023/24, and in English National Health Service hospitals, is attached.Please be aware that the majority of psoriasis is treated by a general practitioner or elsewhere in the community, with only a small minority of cases, typically the most serious, requiring hospital admission. The data presented will, therefore, only represent a small proportion of the total number of cases that were treated.

What progress his Department has made on providing universal access to fracture liaison services by 2030.

The Government and NHS England support the clinical case for services which help to prevent fragility fractures and to support patients who sustain them. Fracture Liaison Services are a globally recognised care model and can reduce the risk of refracture for people at risk of osteoporosis by up to 40%, depending on the fracture type and population considered.That is why expansion of Fracture Liaison Services is a key priority for the Department and officials are working closely with NHS England to consider a range of options exploring the most effective ways to ensure access to these important preventative services across the country.

What estimate he has made of the number of children who have been fully vaccinated for MMR in the last year.

Official childhood vaccine coverage estimates, including for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, are published annually by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England, and also quarterly by UKHSA. Coverage of childhood vaccines are measured when children reach their first, second, and fifth birthdays.Annually published coverage figures from the Cover of Vaccination Evaluated Rapidly surveillance scheme show that for 2023/24, at two years old, 649,287 out of 726,395 children, or 89.4%, have one dose of MMR coverage. At five years old, 721,672 out of 781,492 children, or 92.3%, have one dose of MMR coverage, and 660,680 out of 781,492 children, or 84.5%, have two doses.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the average time from women finding breast lumps to being referred for diagnostic tests.

People presenting to their general practice (GP) with signs or symptoms that could indicate breast cancer may be referred on the suspected breast cancer referral pathway, or the breast symptoms referral pathway, depending on the details of their case. Suspected breast cancer contributes the highest number of referrals of any urgent suspected cancer pathway, with over 376,000 patients seen in 2023/24.The National Health Service in England committed, in the NHS Long Term Plan, to provide faster diagnosis through the introduction of the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS). The standard ensures that people are told they have cancer, or that cancer is ruled out, within 28 days from referral. This applies to the suspected breast cancer pathway and the breast symptoms pathway. Further information on the NHS Long Term Plan is available at the following link:https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/In March 2024, NHS England published the Breast Best Practice Timed Pathway Guidance to support the ongoing improvement effort to shorten diagnosis pathways, reduce variation, improve experience of care, and meet the FDS. The most recent data, for August 2024, shows that 90.4% of patients with suspected breast cancer receive a diagnosis or all-clear within 28 days of referral.The Department does not hold data on the average time from women finding breast lumps to being referred for diagnostic tests. However, data from the 2023 Cancer Patient Experience Survey indicates that the majority of respondents diagnosed with breast cancer had spoken to a health professional at their GP about their symptoms only once before being diagnosed.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the exposure of babies to microplastics.

While there are National Health Service trusts involved in research on the effects of microplastics on certain health issues, the Department has made no assessment of the potential implications for policies of the exposure of babies to microplastics.