Written questions by Hayes.

What steps his Department is taking to support community based preventative services for elderly people in Lincolnshire.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service. The Neighbourhood Health Service will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a person’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and only in a hospital if necessary.We have launched wave one of the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP) in 43 areas across England, including North East Lincolnshire. The NNHIP is supporting systems across the country in driving innovation and integration at a local level, to improve the care they provide to their communities.We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations, and which could include services for elderly people. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in rural communities such as Lincolnshire, coastal towns, or deprived inner cities.

What steps he is taking to support people with ME in Lincolnshire.

The Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Service is a specialist service which provides assessment and advice on myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), management strategies.This service is available to adults and children. The ME/CFS service team consists of a wide range of skilled staff, including consultant clinical psychologists, assistant psychologists, specialist occupational therapists, and rehabilitation staff.At a national level, the ME/CFS Final Delivery Plan, which the Department published in July, includes an action for the Department and NHS England to explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for very severe ME/CFS. Officials from the Department have commenced discussions with NHS England on how best to take forward this action.NHS England has also started its work on co-designing resources for systems to improve services for mild and moderate ME/CFS. It will meet a group of key stakeholders to progress this in the coming weeks.

How much the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department which regulates medicine, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom, with responsibility for ensuring medicines meet appropriate standards of safety, quality, and efficacy. The following table shows how much the MHRA has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years:YearTranslationSign languageTotal2020/21£521.86£1,554.00£2,075.862021/22£9,725.01£648.00£10,373.012022/23£796.24£1,050.00£1,846.242023/24-£3,138.00£3,138.002024/25£355.60£2,275.20£2,630.80Total£11,398.71£8,665.20£20,063.91

How much the Food Standards Agency has spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years.

The following table show how much the Food Standards Agency spent on translation and interpretation services in each of the last five years: 2020/212021/222022/232023/242024/25Expenditure on translation and interpretation services£8,000£5,000£4,000NilNil Data in the table relates to the Food Standards Agency’s Westminster budget. Expenditure in Wales and Northern Ireland, funded by the respective devolved administrations, has been excluded. Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

What recent steps he has taken to train more GPs in Lincolnshire.

As of 30 September 2025, there were 115 full-time equivalent general practitioners (GPs) in training grade in practices in Lincolnshire county. The Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) reports that it has a very good track record of training GPs. This includes:supporting the First5 group. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) supports and encourages its First5 members to shape their membership experience through the running of its First5 Community Group, which exists to ensure that newly qualified GPs, or First5s, have the opportunity to shape their experience as a First5 member of the RCGP, discuss matters relevant to the early stages of their career, and make suggestions and propose changes to improve the college's offer for newly qualified GPs;encouraging portfolio careers;delivering support with international visa applications; andan increase in training practices to support the expansion of training practices in Lincoln and Boston vocational training schemes.The Lincolnshire Training Hub, working alongside the ICB’s primary care team, has developed a comprehensive recruitment and retention programme, which has delivered projects including the Future Doctor Programme, an entry level pipeline schools’ initiative across Lincolnshire.

If he will list the titles of all the events organised by Civil Service networks in his Department since 2017.

The information is not held centrally by the Department and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

How many (a) single sex and (b) gender neutral bathroom facilities his Department provides in its premises.

The Department’s premises have 187 single sex cubicles, 62 urinals, and 11 non-gendered universal toilets which are individual self-contained lockable toilet rooms which contain a toilet, a washbasin, and hand-drying facilities. This is in addition to 34 wheelchair accessible toilets.

What steps he is taking to improve children's palliative care services in Lincolnshire.

Palliative care services, including children’s palliative care services, are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs, including the Lincolnshire ICB, in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and a service specification for children and young people. The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations.The Department and NHS England are currently working at pace to develop plans on how best to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.Whilst the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part charitable hospices play as well. This is why we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. St Andrew’s Hospice, which serves children in Lincolnshire, is receiving £370,356 from this funding.We are also providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. St Andrew’s Hospice is receiving £372,000 from this funding.I am pleased to confirm the continuation of approximately £26 million, adjusted for inflation, for the next three financial years, from 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive, to be distributed again via ICBs. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.

What information his Department holds on the number of men treated for prostate cancer in (a) South Holland and the Deeping constituency and (b) Lincolnshire in 2024.

The Department holds information on the number of patients treated for prostate cancer broken down into trusts rather than constituencies. However, using data from the three main trusts in South Holland and the Deeping constituency and Lincolnshire, it is possible to provide the number of patients treated for prostate cancer in 2024 at these trusts.The three trusts that the data comes from are the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, and the United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The number of patients treated for prostate cancer at each trust was 1,170, 532, and 1,333 respectively.

What quantity of illegal meat was seized from (a) shops and (b) restaurants in England in each of the last five years.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) does not hold United Kingdom-wide local authority seizure data centrally. This data is held by individual local authorities.Where a non-compliant product, for example illegal meat, is identified in-land, the FSA works closely with local authority partners. These partners are responsible for this aspect of enforcement and for the removal of non-compliant products from potential sale in the UK market. This work is supported by the FSA’s National Food Crime Unit, in conjunction with wider FSA teams.

If he will list the organisations his Department has consulted on its upcoming acquired brain injury action plan.

I attended the UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum’s (UKABIF’s) annual summit in Manchester on 3 November 2025, where I discussed our forthcoming acquired brain injury (ABI) plan with a number of stakeholders, patients with lived experience and healthcare professionals with a specialist interest in ABI.The Government’s ABI action plan will be published in the first half of 2026. It will be a landmark step in delivering the joined-up approach that people with ABI deserve.

When his Department intends to publish the acquired brain injury action plan.

I attended the UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum’s (UKABIF’s) annual summit in Manchester on 3 November 2025, where I discussed our forthcoming acquired brain injury (ABI) plan with a number of stakeholders, patients with lived experience and healthcare professionals with a specialist interest in ABI.The Government’s ABI action plan will be published in the first half of 2026. It will be a landmark step in delivering the joined-up approach that people with ABI deserve.

How many NHS dentists were employed in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire in each of the last ten years.

The data for how many NHS dentists were employed in each of the last ten years in Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board, which includes South Holland and The Deepings constituency, is published annually. The latest 2024/25 data is published by the NHS Business Services Authority and is available at the following link: https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202425 Figures prior to 2019/20 were published by NHS Digital and are available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-dental-statistics We do not hold data on how many NHS dentists are employed at constituency level.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing funding for palliative care services in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission, including the NHS Lincolnshire ICB, which covers the South Holland and The Deepings constituency. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative care and end of life care. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.The statutory guidance states that ICBs must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of palliative care and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.We are also providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. I am pleased to confirm the continuation of circa £26 million, adjusted for inflation, for the next three financial years, 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive, to be distributed again via ICBs. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.More widely, the Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

What steps his Department is taking to help support men to access PSA blood tests on the NHS to check for early warning signs of prostate cancer.

The Department continues to work with NHS England in the ongoing Help Us Help You Campaigns to raise awareness of prostate cancer and ensure men have access to the information and services they need to make informed decisions about their health.Men who are concerned about their risk of prostate cancer, or who are experiencing symptoms, are encouraged to discuss prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing with their general practitioner (GP). The National Institute for of Health and Care Excellence has developed guidance for referring patients if prostate cancer is suspected after a physical examination using the suspected cancer referral pathway. The guidance advises clinicians to consider PSA testing only for those with certain symptoms outlined in the guidance.The Government also published guidance for GP’s on advising men without symptoms of prostate cancer who ask about the PSA test. The guidance advises GPs should use their clinical judgement to manage asymptomatic men and those who they consider to be at increased risk of prostate cancer.

What plans NHS England Digital has in place to ensure that critical services continue to operate in the event of a major internet outage.

NHS England ensures that its digital services are built with resilience and redundancy at their core. Critical systems are supported by robust technical architecture designed to maintain continuity where possible during disruptions. We have resilience in our internet access by having multiple connections and we are resilient to local and regional outages. However, a national internet outage would put all digital systems under pressure.There are comprehensive business continuity plans and disaster recovery processes in place to mitigate digital service disruptions, which are regularly tested and reviewed to aid recovery from significant events.

On how many occasions (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in his Department have met with abortion providers since July 2024.

Ministers and special advisers have held no meetings with abortion providers since July 2024.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the NHS provides adequate support to digitally-excluded people in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Digital health tools should be part of a wider offering that includes face-to-face support with appropriate help for people who struggle to access digital services. Digital inclusion is a key priority for the National Health Service as it will support the shift from ‘analogue to digital’. It is one of the five national NHS England Health Inequalities Strategic Priorities, and they published a Digital Healthcare Framework which has guided the approach of integrated care boards.In line with this, the Lincolnshire Integrated Care System (ICS) has collaboratively developed the Lincolnshire Health and Care Digital Inclusion Strategy 2025-2028 in partnership with ICS organisations and individuals with lived experience. A Patient Participation Group representative from Bourne actively contributed to the oversight group, and extensive engagement with the population groups most at risk of digital exclusion was carried out to support the development of the strategy.Following on from previously successful initiatives in Mablethorpe utilising community-based digital learning and support from the voluntary sector, a project is underway in Boston, the highest area at risk of digital exclusion, which will provide digital community drop sessions for the local population until March 2026.

What recent steps he has taken to promote awareness of screening for prostate cancer.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead on 7 July 2025 to Question 63475.

What recent steps he has taken to improve migraine care in Lincolnshire.

At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with migraine, including those in Lincolnshire, such as the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit. The GIRFT programme published a National Speciality Report, which makes several recommendations in relation to improving recognition and diagnosis of migraine by general practitioners. Additionally, the RightCare Toolkit sets out key priorities for improving care for patients with migraine, including those in Lincolnshire, which includes correct identification and diagnosis of headache disorders. The Royal College of General Practitioners has developed two e-learning modules about migraine and cluster headaches, which aim to raise awareness amongst primary care clinicians about the different types of migraine and their associated symptoms, and how to differentiate. NHS England has also established a Neurology Transformation Programme, a multi-year, clinically led programme, which has developed a new model of integrated care for neurology services, to support integrated care boards to deliver the right service, at the right time for all neurology patients, including for those with migraine. There are a number of policies outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan which have the potential to have a very positive impact on care for patients with migraine. More tests and scans delivered in the community, better joint working between services, and greater use of technology will all support people to manage their long-term conditions, including migraine, closer to home. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the NHS App will be enhanced to allow patients to manage appointments, medications, and view or create their own care plans. Patients will be able to manage their care in one place, giving them direct access and preference over the services they need. The My Medicines section will enable patients to manage their prescriptions, and the My Health section will enable patients to monitor their symptoms and bring all their data into one place. Patients will be able to self-refer to services where clinically appropriate through the My Specialist section on the NHS App. This will accelerate their access to treatment and support.