Written questions by Evans.

Pursuant to WPQ 94952 answered on 10 December 2025 about Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, when in 2026 will Diagnosis Connect be rolled out across England to provide tailored information and support to newly diagnosed Chohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis patients.

Initially, the Diagnosis Connect Service will be piloted across a small number of long-term conditions which will be determined based on conditions diagnosed and referred from primary care, and readiness of the charities to proceed, as well as considerations around which diagnostic pathways might most benefit from this approach.The aim will be to focus more support going to those with greatest need and areas with the worst health outcomes, therefore impacting on inequalities.An open procurement process will enable us to secure a partnership with three or more specialist charities which have the infrastructure, capabilities, and networks to deliver a successful pilot for patients and the National Health Service, ahead of a full rollout across the wider health system.

Pursuant to WPQ 95192 answered on 11 December 2025 about men's health, will he include information about the mental and physical health impact of [a] anabolic steroids and [b] ipeds as part of the men's health literacy programme announced as part of the Men's Health Strategy.

As set out in the Men’s Health Strategy, we have committed to a range of actions to improve men’s health literacy, from building the evidence base to identifying ways to build media and health literacy skills in men.We are now turning our focus to implementing these commitments. We will consider the evidence base on anabolic steroids and image and performance enhancing drugs in defining the scope of our actions.By investing in innovative, evidence-based, and locally led community programs, we aim to address health inequalities, improve health literacy, and challenge societal norms that may hinder men from seeking care. This targeted approach lays the foundation for long-term, meaningful change in men's health outcomes.

Pursuant to WPQ 94952 answered on 10 December 2025 about Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, what steps is [a] DHASC and [b} NHS England taking to monitor the effectiveness of the Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) programme in the field of supporting people living with Chrohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

NHS England supports local integrated care boards to deliver high-quality, timely services through initiatives such as the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme.As part of its work within the gastroenterology specialty, GIRFT is sharing a template and best practice for the use of advice and guidance, and advice and referencing to promote earlier diagnosis, and is also encouraging the use of single point of access models, which can help patients get earlier access to specialist opinions, advice, and treatment.GIRFT has also recently published a new inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) handbook pulling together examples of innovative practice, proven solutions, and practical actions to help optimise the care of National Health Service patients with IBD. The GIRFT IBD pathway and associated handbook include specific guidance for paediatric care and transition to adult services, recognising the unique needs of children and young people with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The handbook is available at the following link:https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/practical-advice-and-key-actions-in-new-girft-handbook-for-optimising-the-care-of-patients-with-ibd/GIRFT is also working with providers on a Further Faster Follow-Up programme, which introduces key protocols for gastroenterology, with IBD and suspected IBD being included, and is also collaborating on national work to develop a digital IBD pathway. It is too early to assess the effectiveness of these initiatives.

What steps she is taking to capture the needs of adoptive and kinship families as part of the SEND White Paper.

The department is committed to ensuring parents and carers play a central role in helping shape the future special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system through our National Conversation including in-person and online events, as well as inviting views online. Our SEND regional engagement events bring together diverse stakeholder groups for meaningful dialogue. In addition, we have organised online sessions with Ministers and expert panels to discuss the department’s five principles of reform. Full details, including ways to share views and resources for engaging children, young people, teachers, and others, are available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-reform-national-conversation/.This is not a formal consultation but an expansion of ongoing engagement to ensure parents’ voices are heard. The Schools White Paper, due early next year, will outline our proposed SEND reforms and will be followed by a formal consultation and further engagement.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2025 to Question 87412, how many applications have been received to NHS England’s voluntary redundancy scheme.

NHS England’s voluntary redundancy scheme opened on 1 December 2025 and closed for applications on 16 December 2025. Applications to the scheme are currently being reviewed.Our ambition is to let as many people leave voluntarily as possible and alongside ongoing recruitment controls and natural staff turnover, we believe this will allow us to make significant progress towards the 50% headcount reduction.

Pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2025 to Question 87412, if he will make an estimate of the potential cost of the applications received to NHS England’s voluntary redundancy scheme.

The estimated overall cost of redundancy exits across the Department, NHS England, integrated care boards (ICBs) and commissioning support units is estimated at approximately £1 billion to £1.3 billion. This calculated estimate was informed by inputs from subject matter experts across both organisations, including human resources, the transformation team, and other relevant functions, to ensure that the estimate reflected the full range of financial and operational implications, as well as staff exit estimates provided by ICBs. The process included designing modelling frameworks, integrating workforce data, stress-testing scenarios and ensuring alignment between the Department’s and NHS England’s finance teams.The redundancy and restructuring programme is now in the stage of active policy development. Final costs are subject to actual take-up of exit schemes and calculated individual costs, which is being continuously monitored.

What materials will be provided by the Government for the (a) the Premier League and (b) Samaritans in the Together Against Suicide Partnership.

As part of England's first ever Men's Health Strategy, the Government announced a groundbreaking partnership with the Premier League to tackle male suicide and improve health literacy. We will work with the Premier League to co-create materials that promote signposting to existing mental health and suicide prevention support. The partnership will also champion NHS England’s new Staying Safe from Suicide guidance, embedding its principles across club staff and driving adoption of the associated e-learning among mental health practitioners within club networks, ensuring best practice reaches those supporting players and fans. Further information on the Staying Safe from Suicide guidance and the associated e-learning is available, respectively, at the following two links:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/staying-safe-from-suicide/#https://www.minded.org.uk/Component/Details/849008

How much funding the (a) Government, (b) Premier League and (c) Samaritans are providing for the Together Against Suicide Partnership.

Through the Men’s Health Strategy, we have established a partnership with the Premier League to tackle male suicide and improve health literacy. This supports the Premier League’s Together Against Suicide initiative with the Samaritans. The funding contributed towards the Together Against Suicide initiative is not within the Department’s remit.

Pursuant to question 87411, if he will publish the calculations for the figure of £860 million.

The £860 million figure reflects funding brought forward from the Department’s 2025 Spending Review settlement. It will be brought forward to earlier years to bring NHS England into the Department, resulting in one organisation, and significantly reducing integrated care board running costs. This investment now will deliver savings of at least £1 billion per year by the end of this Parliament. This reprofiling was agreed following detailed discussions with HM Treasury and was announced at the Budget in November 2025.The cost estimates to support this reprofiling were calculated jointly by the Department and NHS England’s finance teams, with input from subject matter experts. The calculations remain subject to ongoing policy development and refinement as part of wider transformation planning and prioritisation. Relevant material financial information will be published in due course in line with transparency obligations.The profile by financial year has been published by HM Treasury within table 4.1, page 90, line 38 of the 2025 Budget policy paper, a copy of which is attached. It should be noted that these figures represent United Kingdom-wide allocations informed by the Barnett formula, rather than the England-only value referenced in the question.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2025 to Question 87411 on NHS England: Redundancy, what proportion of the £860 million will be spent in each financial year.

The £860 million figure reflects funding brought forward from the Department’s 2025 Spending Review settlement. It will be brought forward to earlier years to bring NHS England into the Department, resulting in one organisation, and significantly reducing integrated care board running costs. This investment now will deliver savings of at least £1 billion per year by the end of this Parliament. This reprofiling was agreed following detailed discussions with HM Treasury and was announced at the Budget in November 2025.The cost estimates to support this reprofiling were calculated jointly by the Department and NHS England’s finance teams, with input from subject matter experts. The calculations remain subject to ongoing policy development and refinement as part of wider transformation planning and prioritisation. Relevant material financial information will be published in due course in line with transparency obligations.The profile by financial year has been published by HM Treasury within table 4.1, page 90, line 38 of the 2025 Budget policy paper, a copy of which is attached. It should be noted that these figures represent United Kingdom-wide allocations informed by the Barnett formula, rather than the England-only value referenced in the question.

If he will make an assessment for the reasons for the difference in the number of additional NHS appointments that were provided between (a) July 2024 and June 2025 and (b) the preceding 12 months.

Between July 2024 and June 2025, we delivered over 5.2 million additional appointments compared to the previous year, more than double our pledge of two million. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/recovery-of-elective_activity-mi/Consequently, between the start of July 2024 and the end of June 2025, the waiting list decreased by over 250,000 (252,128) despite over 21 million (21,004,977) new referrals. This comes against the backdrop of 2024/25 Planning Guidance which signalled a reduction in elective activity compared to the 2023/24 financial year.Thanks to an additional £2.1 billion invested, the Government not only avoided a reduction, but delivered a significant increase in elective activity, as part of the first step commitment to ensuring patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks. Further information is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67ea4faf085277e9961b207b/dhsc-revised-financial-directions-to-NHS-England-2024-to-2025-print-ready.pdf Jul-22 to Jun-23Jul-23 to Jun-24Jul-24 to Jun-25Working Days251252253Total Appointments63,175,22369,945,97275,435,185Standardised baseline (253 Days)163,678,61170,223,53575,435,185Additional Appointments (compared to previous 12 months)-6,544,9245,211,650Data standardised to 253 working days to ensure comparability

If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the number of additional NHS appointments delivered between (a) July 2024 and June 2025 and (b) July 2023 and June 2024.

Between July 2024 and June 2025, we delivered over 5.2 million additional appointments compared to the previous year, more than double our pledge of two million. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/recovery-of-elective_activity-mi/Consequently, between the start of July 2024 and the end of June 2025, the waiting list decreased by over 250,000 (252,128) despite over 21 million (21,004,977) new referrals. This comes against the backdrop of 2024/25 Planning Guidance which signalled a reduction in elective activity compared to the 2023/24 financial year.Thanks to an additional £2.1 billion invested, the Government not only avoided a reduction, but delivered a significant increase in elective activity, as part of the first step commitment to ensuring patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks. Further information is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67ea4faf085277e9961b207b/dhsc-revised-financial-directions-to-NHS-England-2024-to-2025-print-ready.pdf Jul-22 to Jun-23Jul-23 to Jun-24Jul-24 to Jun-25Working Days251252253Total Appointments63,175,22369,945,97275,435,185Standardised baseline (253 Days)163,678,61170,223,53575,435,185Additional Appointments (compared to previous 12 months)-6,544,9245,211,650Data standardised to 253 working days to ensure comparability

Whether he plans to continue the Mental Health Investment Standard.

Despite the challenging fiscal environment, the Department expects all integrated care boards to continue to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard in 2025/26. Spending on mental health support in 2025/26 is forecast to increase compared with 2024/25, reaching £15.6 billion. This represents an increase of £688 million in cash terms. The Government recognises the need for a new approach to mental health in order to reduce waiting times, improve the quality of care, and increase the productivity of mental health services. Funding is a key component of this. The NHS Medium Term Planning Framework therefore sets out that integrated care boards will be required to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard over the next three years by protecting mental health spending in real terms, ensuring that spending increases in line with inflation.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs during Environment, Food and Rural Affairs questions on 13 November 2025, Hansard col 291, on what date does she plans to publish the animal welfare strategy.

As set out by the Prime Minister, we will publish our Animal Welfare Strategy this year which will set out our priorities for animal welfare.

With reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under Secretary for Net Zero during Energy and Net Zero questions on 18 November 2025, on what date he plans to launch the fuel finder service.

The government is committed to launching Fuel Finder as quickly as possible. The Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) Regulations 2025 were debated in the House of Lords on 4 December 2025 and should be in place from 18 December 2025.

What recent discussions he has had with OFCOM on a) the business challenges facing Royal Mail and (b) Royal Mail's ability to meet the Universal Service Obligation.

Ministers and officials meet with Ofcom regularly to discuss a range of issues in relation to its role as the independent regulator for the postal sector. It is for Ofcom to oversee Royal Mail’s delivery of the universal service obligation and decide how to respond should Royal Mail fail to meet its obligations. Ofcom takes compliance with its regulatory targets seriously and this involves conducting thorough investigations where failures have been identified. In October, Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21 million for failing to meet its quality-of-service targets and has told Royal Mail it must urgently publish and deliver a credible plan that delivers major and continuous improvement.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to consider legislative and non-legislative options to take forward changes to low-welfare activities abroad.

The Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023 provides a framework for the introduction of future bans on the advertising and offering for sale, in England and Northern Ireland, of low-welfare animal activities abroad. We continue to engage with stakeholders including the tourism industry and animal welfare groups to explore both legislative and non-legislative options to stop the advertising of low-welfare animal activities abroad.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2025 on WPQ 90372 on Agriculture: Subsidies, what plans her department has to (a) conclude and (b) publicise the outcomes of their work on future agricultural grant funding models.

We are working to simplify and rationalise our grant funding from 2026 onwards to ensure they are targeted towards those who need them most and where they can deliver the most benefit for food security and nature. We will communicate more on future grants in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2025 to Question 31508 on religious freedom, what issues have been recently considered between the Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Minister for Human Right to inform wider foreign policy.

The UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief continues to work closely with ministers and officials across a range of issues and geographies, including the current situations in Sudan, Nigeria and Syria. He also works to strengthen international coalitions and represent the UK internationally, most recently at the High-Level International Religious Freedom or Belief (Article 18) Alliance Conference, held in Prague on 12-13 November.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the patterns of social engagement by young men about issues concerning (a) anabolic steroids and (b) image and performance enhancing drugs are captured as part of improving men's health literacy.

On 19 November 2025, to coincide with International Men’s Health Day, we published the first ever Men’s Health Strategy for England. The strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community, and family networks, and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention, respiratory illness, prostate cancer, and heart disease.We are taking a range of actions to improve men’s health literacy. For example, our landmark partnership with the Premier League will bring together football clubs and the Government to improve health literacy, particularly around mental health and suicide prevention. We are also ensuring health literacy improvements are embedded at the community level, building the evidence base on heath literacy in men, and identifying ways to build media literacy skills in men to help them critically assess health information and protect against misinformation that harms health.We will consider the impacts on young men in the implementation of the strategy. The strategy sets up a strong foundation for improving how we think and act on men's health and we will learn, iterate, and adapt as new challenges emerge. As a first step, we will work with the Men's Health Academic Network and the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector to develop and publish a one-year-on report, highlighting the improvements made and where future efforts will need to be targeted.