Written questions by Jarvis.

What steps he is taking to improve access to HIV support services for people affected by HIV.

The Government is committed to ending new transmissions of HIV in England by 2030 and is developing the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year. The plan will address ways to optimise rapid access to treatment and retention in care, and will improve the quality of life for people living with HIV, including consideration of peer support services.A key component of the Government’s successful HIV emergency department opt-out testing programme includes a recommendation that 10% of the funding allocated to each site should be used to support community and peer services for individuals diagnosed with a blood borne virus.NHS England is responsible for delivering HIV care, including support services for those living with HIV. In April 2024, it published the updated national Service Specification for Adult HIV services, which sets out the standards of care that HIV providers are expected to meet, including the availability of community, psychological, and psychosocial support for patients.

What steps his Department is taking to expand audiology testing capacity.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services, including for audiology.The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the 18-week constitutional standard by the end of this Parliament. The plan commits to transforming and expanding diagnostic services and to speeding up waiting times for tests, a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the referral to treatment 18-week standard.NHS England is supporting provider organisations and integrated care boards, who are the commissioners of audiology services, to improve performance and reduce waiting lists. This includes capital investment to upgrade audiology facilities in NHS trusts, expanding audiology testing capacity via community diagnostic centres, and direct support through a national audiology improvement collaborative. The latest management information data shows that community diagnostic centres have delivered over 56,000 audiology assessments since July 2021.The 2025 Spending Review confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective, and urgent care capacity. Further details and allocations will be set out in due course.

If his Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of the funding into Parkinson's Disease research.

Government responsibility for delivering Parkinson’s disease research 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.Between the financial years 2019/20 and 2023/24, the Government spent a total of £79.1 million on research into Parkinson’s disease. Research spend is calculated retrospectively, with a time lag due to annual reporting lapses, and so 2023/24 is the most recent financial year we have data for.As well as funding research itself, the NIHR invests significantly into research expertise and capacity, specialist facilities, support services, and collaborations to support and deliver research in England. Collectively this forms NIHR infrastructure. NIHR infrastructure enables the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical, and applied research into Parkinson’s disease. For example, in the financial year 2022/23, the NIHR Clinical Research Network enabled 114 studies related to Parkinson’s disease to be conducted in the National Health Service.The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including Parkinson’s disease. These 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.Welcoming applications on Parkinson's disease to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the decision to remove The Gardens Trust as a statuatory consultee on planning applications that may affect a site nationally designated on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement 10th March (HCWS510), the government intends to consult on the impacts of removing statutory consultee status from a limited number of bodies, including The Gardens Trust.

If his Department will take steps to prioritise primary care audiology.

NHS Audiology services are locally commissioned, and the responsibility for prioritising primary care audiology lies with local National Health Service commissioners.NHS England is supporting the integrated care boards to make informed decisions about the provision of audiology services so that they can provide consistent, high quality, and integrated care.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of safety regulations on the storage of lithium-ion powered (a) e-bikes and (b) e-scooters.

There is a cross-Government programme of work to tackle unsafe e-bikes, e-scooters and associated products such as lithium-ion batteries, involving the Office for Product Safety and Standards in my Department, and the Department for Transport, Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. DBT is not responsible for regulations covering the storage of electric vehicles. The Government’s Buy Safe, Be Safe campaign contains vital safety advice for consumers where these products are kept in the home.

Whether he has conducted an impact assessment for the decision to extend cervical screening intervals.

The UK National Screening Committee’s recommendation to change the cervical screening intervals from three to five years for women aged 25 to 49 years old was made in 2019. The evidence and consultation responses supporting the recommendation can be found at the following link:https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/cervical-cancer/The decision to make the changes was based on what is best for individuals. The more accurate human papillomavirus test requires less frequent screening, and changing the frequency eliminates the unnecessary over screening of the population.The IT system supporting the national cervical screening programme was updated in July 2024, and can now enable the changes that were recommended.A full impact assessment and equality impact assessment were considered before the changes were agreed by the Government. We will publish these shortly.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes in the level of Overseas Development Assistance on projects preventing the spread of malaria.

Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through following the recent Spending Review and through resource allocation processes, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is focused on ensuring that every pound is spent in the most impactful way.

What steps he is taking to improve access to NHS dentistry in Eastleigh constituency.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Eastleigh constituency, this is the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB.ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The Hampshire and Isle of Wright ICB is expected to deliver 30,032 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.ICBs have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

What steps he is taking to improve child vaccination uptakes rates.

We are committed to improving vaccination uptake rates to fully protect children and the public from preventable diseases. It is vitally important that everyone has their recommended vaccinations, as they are the best way to help protect yourself and your family from these viruses that can cause serious harm.The NHS Vaccination Strategy outlines the steps that we will take to improve uptake of our childhood vaccination programmes through investing in the digital infrastructure and data systems for vaccination programmes, delegating commissioning of services to integrated care boards (ICBs), and exploring new ways of using workforce and delivery networks to administer vaccinations that meet the needs of local communities. The strategy is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-vaccination-strategy/In line with the strategy and with the Government’s commitment, children will receive vital vaccines more easily thanks to a new trial using health visitors to administer childhood immunisations. The initiative, outlined in our urgent and emergency improvement plan, will test having health visiting teams deliver flu vaccinations and other jabs to eligible children, making protection more accessible for underserved families across selected areas.We are also updating the vaccination schedule from 1 January 2026 to offer the second dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine at eighteen months old to give young children the best protection against measles, mumps and rubella. Any children who have missed this second dose of MMR can have it at their pre-school vaccinations, at the same time as their 4 in 1 booster. This change is expected to improve MMR vaccine uptake, as has been demonstrated in a number of London boroughs where this change has already been made, and better uptake will reduce the likelihood of measles outbreaks. This is in addition to schedule changes from 1 July 2025 to move the second dose of meningococcal B vaccination to 12 weeks of age to provide earlier protection.To raise awareness of potential vaccination benefits and increase awareness of the programmes, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) provides a comprehensive suite of resources, including information leaflets in multiple languages and accessible formats. UKHSA also provides comprehensive clinical guidance, including e-learning programmes and training, for healthcare professionals. These are available in print form and for download at the following link:https://www.healthpublications.gov.uk/ArticleSearch.htmlUKHSA also undertakes regular surveys of parents and adolescents to understand how their knowledge, beliefs and attitudes towards immunisation, vaccine safety, and disease severity influence their vaccine uptake decision-making. This information enables the resources to be revised and updated to meet the needs of those accessing vaccination services. Data on vaccination uptake is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake

What steps she is taking to help ensure that disabled students entering higher education receive (a) timely and (b) appropriate support from Student Finance England.

The department and the Student Loans Company (SLC) are committed to ensuring that disabled students domiciled in England and entering higher education receive timely and appropriate support through the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).Eligible students undergo a Study Needs Assessment (SNA), which identifies their individual needs. These are then compiled into a Needs Assessment Report and are submitted to SLC for approval, helping to ensure that students receive the right support efficiently, and enabling them to access higher education with confidence and the resources they need to succeed.In previous years, approximately 40% of DSA applications are submitted at the start of the academic year. However, this year, SLC has worked with UCAS to encourage earlier applications. This has resulted in a higher volume of submissions ahead of the 2025/26 academic year. To manage this, SLC has increased resourcing to improve processing times and ensure students receive funding promptly.Additionally, SLC’s suppliers, Capita and Study Tech, have recruited more Needs Assessors to offer flexible assessment scheduling. SLC continues to monitor demand and capacity throughout the academic cycle to maintain effective support for students.Current processing times for DSA and other applications can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sfe-current-application-timescales.

Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will (a) continue and (b) improve the Chalk Stream Restoration Strategy.

Cleaning up our waters, including iconic sites such as chalk streams is a top government priority. That is why on 23 October 2024, the Secretary of State announced the launch of an independent commission to fundamentally transform how our water system works. Fixing the systemic issues in the water system is essential to address the multiple pressures facing chalk streams, namely over abstraction, phosphorous pollution and physical modifications of habitats. Restoring our chalk streams to better ecological health is part of our overall programme of reforms for the water sector. Alongside this, we are continuing to direct investment to projects that will improve chalk streams. Through the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP), over 1000 improvement projects are planned within chalk stream catchments between 2024-2029.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of patients previously without access to NHS dental care being able to register with an NHS dentist since July 2024.

Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Some dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements.We are aware of the challenges in accessing an NHS dentist and we are committed to tackling dental access for patients. The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of dental surgery closures in Hampshire since July 2024.

The National Health Service contracts with independent dental providers, to deliver NHS dental treatment in primary care settings. This means that providers can terminate their contracts within the required terms of the contract, including a notice period. NHS England and the integrated care boards across England work together to ensure that patients who are affected by closures of NHS dental practices will continue to have access to the dental care they need.The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.Patients in England are not registered with an NHS dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Some dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements.

If he will take steps to clarify the new guidance sent to the Horizon Shortfall scheme by his Department on cases where a shortfall has previously not been identified; and what his planned timeline is for the new process to address these cases being available to claimants.

My Department is working with the Post Office to develop a way to fairly assess claims where there is no record of a Horizon Shortfall. Recognising the challenges postmasters may face in providing evidence, Post Office is further investigating its branch files as quickly as possible.Fixed sum payments will be made as quickly as possible when evidence of shortfalls is found. Where further information is required, Post Office will ask individuals for further information.Claimants opting for a full assessment will have their case considered on the basis of the evidence available.

With reference to the Green Paper entitled Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain, published on 5 June 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's proposed changes to disability benefits on people with multiple sclerosis.

No separate assessment has been made.Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).Impacts of the proposed changes depend on many factors including how the mix of conditions among claimants evolves over time, and behavioural responses. These impacts are uncertain at an overall England and Wales level, and it would not be possible to make an informed assessment at such a granular level as individual primary medical conditions.Changes to PIP eligibility aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. PIP changes will only apply at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years.We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis, but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment which I am leading, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect blue carbon ecosystems.

In England, we have established a comprehensive network of 181 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), including 3 Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs), which cover most of our saltmarsh and seagrass habitats. While blue carbon habitats may not always be an explicitly designated feature, MPA protection may still yield benefits. HPMAs were designated to protect the entire marine ecosystem within each site, including areas of habitat considered important for the long-term storage of carbon. Our focus is now on ensuring these MPAs are effectively protected to allow the designated features to achieve favourable condition and meet HPMA conservation objectives to recover to a natural state. We have recently announced our latest proposals to manage damaging fishing activity in 42 MPAs, covering 30,000 km2 of English waters. Defra set up the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership in partnership with DESNZ and the Devolved Administrations to address evidence gaps around these important habitats, to support effective protection and restoration. The Environment Agency are leading the Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) initiative to reverse centuries of decline in key estuarine and coastal habitats. By 2043, ReMeMaRe aims to restore 15% of saltmarsh and seagrass extent in England, along with functional oyster reef habitats in 15% of suitable water bodies.

What plans he has to include (a) community equipment services and (b) the timely provision of community care equipment in the NHS 10-Year Plan.

The Government will deliver a National Health Service fit for the future, creating a truly modern health service designed to meet the changing needs of our changing population. Moving care from hospitals into the community and putting the building blocks in place to enable this to happen will be at the heart of the 10-Year Health Plan.

What steps he is taking to help improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of staff in the NHS cancer workforce.

Recruitment to National Health Service roles is managed locally by trusts and systems. However, NHS England is taking a range of actions to support the recruitment and retention of staff in the NHS cancer workforce.To grow the workforce, NHS England has been expanding specialty training places in key cancer professions, including histopathology, clinical radiology, and gastroenterology. Targeted national campaigns and outreach activities, for example in clinical oncology, also promote cancer career pathways, with a focus on increasing applications.To improve retention, NHS England is investing in structured career development and education support. The Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development programme provides a nationally agreed framework for capability, career development, and education for nurses, allied health professionals, and the support workforce working in cancer care.

What steps he is taking to help increase public awareness of (a) frailty of and (b) fall prevention among people aged 65 and over.

The National Health Service website has public information and advice on fall prevention. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy’s (CSP) Get up and go – a guide to staying steady is a 32-page guide for the public and patients on how to prevent falls, and was produced by Saga in partnership with the CSP and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.To help healthcare systems support people living with frailty, NHS England has developed a RightCare frailty toolkit. The RightCare toolkit aims to support systems to understand the priorities in frailty care and the key actions to take. It provides a way to assess and benchmark current systems, in order to find opportunities for improvement.NHS England’s Falls and Fragility Fractures RightCare Pathway defines the core components of an optimal service for people who have suffered from a fall or who are at risk of falls and fragility fractures. It recommends that the commissioners responsible for falls and fragility fractures for their population should work across the system to ensure that schemes to deliver the higher value interventions are in place.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has also recently published guidance in April 2025 on the assessment and prevention of falls in older people and in people aged 50 years old and over who are at higher risk. The guidance aims to reduce the risk and incidence of falls, and the associated distress, pain, injury, loss of confidence, loss of independence, and mortality.