Written questions by Wrigley.

What recent discussions he has had with NHS England on private parking companies.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of parking costs on National Health Service staff in Devon. All NHS trusts that charge for hospital car parking provide free parking for those ‘in-most need’. This includes frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight, blue badge disabled holders, and NHS staff working overnight.Data on the income from car parking charges is published annually through the NHS Estates Return Information Collection. Data on the income from patients and visitors is combined. The latest figures, from 2023/24, show that the income received from patients and visitors for parking on NHS hospital sites was £101,812,089. The income received from staff for parking on NHS hospital sites in 2023/24 was £70,510,110. Data for the income from NHS trusts for carparking is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2023-24No data is collected on the income generated by the number of parking fines issued or the amount of annual income received by parking companies from the NHS. No data is collected to determine the number of NHS hospitals that use a private parking company.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had no recent discussions with NHS England on private parking companies. NHS trusts are expected to comply with the NHS car parking guidance 2022 for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts. This applies to all NHS trusts, including those that use private parking companies to operate their hospital car parks.

If he will make an estimate of annual income received by parking companies from the NHS.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of parking costs on National Health Service staff in Devon. All NHS trusts that charge for hospital car parking provide free parking for those ‘in-most need’. This includes frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight, blue badge disabled holders, and NHS staff working overnight.Data on the income from car parking charges is published annually through the NHS Estates Return Information Collection. Data on the income from patients and visitors is combined. The latest figures, from 2023/24, show that the income received from patients and visitors for parking on NHS hospital sites was £101,812,089. The income received from staff for parking on NHS hospital sites in 2023/24 was £70,510,110. Data for the income from NHS trusts for carparking is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2023-24No data is collected on the income generated by the number of parking fines issued or the amount of annual income received by parking companies from the NHS. No data is collected to determine the number of NHS hospitals that use a private parking company.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had no recent discussions with NHS England on private parking companies. NHS trusts are expected to comply with the NHS car parking guidance 2022 for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts. This applies to all NHS trusts, including those that use private parking companies to operate their hospital car parks.

If he will make an estimate of annual income received by the NHS from parking fines.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of parking costs on National Health Service staff in Devon. All NHS trusts that charge for hospital car parking provide free parking for those ‘in-most need’. This includes frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight, blue badge disabled holders, and NHS staff working overnight.Data on the income from car parking charges is published annually through the NHS Estates Return Information Collection. Data on the income from patients and visitors is combined. The latest figures, from 2023/24, show that the income received from patients and visitors for parking on NHS hospital sites was £101,812,089. The income received from staff for parking on NHS hospital sites in 2023/24 was £70,510,110. Data for the income from NHS trusts for carparking is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2023-24No data is collected on the income generated by the number of parking fines issued or the amount of annual income received by parking companies from the NHS. No data is collected to determine the number of NHS hospitals that use a private parking company.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had no recent discussions with NHS England on private parking companies. NHS trusts are expected to comply with the NHS car parking guidance 2022 for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts. This applies to all NHS trusts, including those that use private parking companies to operate their hospital car parks.

How many and what proportion of NHS hospitals use private parking companies.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of parking costs on National Health Service staff in Devon. All NHS trusts that charge for hospital car parking provide free parking for those ‘in-most need’. This includes frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight, blue badge disabled holders, and NHS staff working overnight.Data on the income from car parking charges is published annually through the NHS Estates Return Information Collection. Data on the income from patients and visitors is combined. The latest figures, from 2023/24, show that the income received from patients and visitors for parking on NHS hospital sites was £101,812,089. The income received from staff for parking on NHS hospital sites in 2023/24 was £70,510,110. Data for the income from NHS trusts for carparking is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2023-24No data is collected on the income generated by the number of parking fines issued or the amount of annual income received by parking companies from the NHS. No data is collected to determine the number of NHS hospitals that use a private parking company.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had no recent discussions with NHS England on private parking companies. NHS trusts are expected to comply with the NHS car parking guidance 2022 for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts. This applies to all NHS trusts, including those that use private parking companies to operate their hospital car parks.

If he will make an estimate of annual income received by the NHS from parking payments from staff.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of parking costs on National Health Service staff in Devon. All NHS trusts that charge for hospital car parking provide free parking for those ‘in-most need’. This includes frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight, blue badge disabled holders, and NHS staff working overnight.Data on the income from car parking charges is published annually through the NHS Estates Return Information Collection. Data on the income from patients and visitors is combined. The latest figures, from 2023/24, show that the income received from patients and visitors for parking on NHS hospital sites was £101,812,089. The income received from staff for parking on NHS hospital sites in 2023/24 was £70,510,110. Data for the income from NHS trusts for carparking is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2023-24No data is collected on the income generated by the number of parking fines issued or the amount of annual income received by parking companies from the NHS. No data is collected to determine the number of NHS hospitals that use a private parking company.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had no recent discussions with NHS England on private parking companies. NHS trusts are expected to comply with the NHS car parking guidance 2022 for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts. This applies to all NHS trusts, including those that use private parking companies to operate their hospital car parks.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of parking costs on NHS staff in Devon.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of parking costs on National Health Service staff in Devon. All NHS trusts that charge for hospital car parking provide free parking for those ‘in-most need’. This includes frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight, blue badge disabled holders, and NHS staff working overnight.Data on the income from car parking charges is published annually through the NHS Estates Return Information Collection. Data on the income from patients and visitors is combined. The latest figures, from 2023/24, show that the income received from patients and visitors for parking on NHS hospital sites was £172,322,199. The income received from staff for parking on NHS hospital sites in 2023/24 was £70,510,110. Data for the income from NHS trusts for carparking is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2023-24No data is collected on the income generated by the number of parking fines issued or the amount of annual income received by parking companies from the NHS. No data is collected to determine the number of NHS hospitals that use a private parking company.My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had no recent discussions with NHS England on private parking companies. NHS trusts are expected to comply with the NHS car parking guidance 2022 for NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts. This applies to all NHS trusts, including those that use private parking companies to operate their hospital car parks.

If he will take steps to protect older people from (a) violence, (b) abuse and (c) neglect.

Any form of violence, abuse, or neglect is unacceptable. The Government makes it clear, in the statutory guidance of the Care Act 2014, that local authorities must ensure the adult social care services they commission are safe, effective, and of high quality.Since April 2023, the Care Quality Commission has had a duty to assess local authorities’ delivery of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. The Home Office has provided funding to Hourglass to provide enhanced helpline support for older victims of abuse and a focus on reaching older victims across England and Wales by providing more training to staff in their organisation and external agencies.The Government is also launching an independent commission into adult social care as partof our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission willstart a national conversation about what working age adults, older people, and their families expect from adult social care.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of national purchasing of NHS England equipment.

NHS Supply Chain is responsible for procuring products, warehousing and delivering consumables and medical equipment on behalf of the National Health Service. It became fully operational in April 2019, under the ownership of my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care; since 2021, NHS Supply Chain has been owned by NHS England.The merits of NHS Supply Chain are that it leverages the collective buying power of the NHS to drive savings and provide a standardised range of clinically assured quality products at the best value. NHS Supply Chain manages more than eight million orders per year across more than 129,000 order points and over 16,000 locations, delivering over 35 million lines of ordered goods to the NHS annually.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to meet the health needs of elderly prisoners.

NHS England has the responsibility to provide a full range of healthcare services to meet the needs of the prison population. Every prison will have a health needs assessment undertaken on a regular basis which is then used to locally determine the health needs and requirements of that prison’s population. This includes supporting elderly prisoners on their health needs, such as dementia care. Local authorities also have a duty to support elderly prisoners with their social care needs.As a signatory to the National Partnership Agreement for Health and Social Care for people in contact with the criminal justice system, the Department is committed to working with the Ministry of Justice, HM Prison and Probation Service, NHS England, and the UK Health Security Agency to ensure safe, legal, decent, and effective care that improves health outcomes and reduces health inequalities is provided for all prisoners, including those who are elderly.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of medicine shortages on people with (a) epilepsy and (b) Parkinson’s disease.

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of medicines shortages on people with epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.The Department is working hard with industry to help resolve intermittent supply issues with some epilepsy medications. As a result of ongoing activity and intensive work, including directing suppliers to expedite deliveries, most issues, including with carbamazepine, lamotrigine, and oxcarbazepine presentations, have been resolved.We are currently aware of an ongoing supply issue with all strengths of topiramate tablets from one manufacturer. This supply issue is expected to resolve by the end of May 2025. We are also aware of a shortage of phenobarbital 15 milligram tablets from one manufacturer with the resupply date to be confirmed. In both cases, alternative suppliers are in stock with sufficient supply to support patients and these issues have been communicated to the National Health Service.The Department is aware of supply constraints with one supplier of amantadine 100 milligram capsules used in the management of Parkinson’s disease, however stocks remain available from alternative suppliers to cover demand. The Department have also been notified of a discontinuation of Apomorphine (APO-go PFS) 50 milligram/10 millilitre pre-filled syringes from April 2025. Alternative formulations of apomorphine remain available for patients and management guidance has been issued to the NHS.

What steps he is taking to support cardiology units in south Devon.

At the end of November 2024, the cardiology waiting list in Devon Integrated Care Board stood at 11,228 with only 56% of those waiting 18 weeks or less for treatment. The Government has committed to returning to the Referral to Treatment (RTT) standard that patients can expect to be treated within 18 weeks by March 2029, with the expectation that RTT performance will increase to 65% by March 2026.There is a concerted focus in Devon on improving cardiology services, with support from NHS England’s regional and national teams, after being identified as an area for action. As a result, the number of cardiology patients waiting over a year in Devon has fallen from 930 to 577, representing a 38% drop, in the past 18 months.Cardiology is one of five priority specialties identified in the recently published Elective Reform Plan for significant elective reform. Reforms will include increasing specialist cardiology input earlier in patient care pathways and developing standard and efficient care pathways for common cardiology symptoms, such as palpitation. It also includes improving access to cardiac diagnostic tests, including through implementing more ‘straight to test’ pathways where the general practitioner can refer a patient directly to secondary care for a test which can reduce unnecessary outpatient appointments and improve waiting times even further for patients in south Devon and across England.We are supporting National Health Service performance across elective and emergency care including for patients requiring urgent and elective cardiac care, with approximately £1.5 billion capital funding in total in 2025/26. Funding will provide new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners to build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures and over 1.25 million diagnostic tests as they come online, as well as new beds across the estate.

How much has been spent on consultancy for the new hospitals programme.

As per the definitions set out in government guidance, the New Hospital Programme does not have any costs recorded as consultancy costs. This guidance is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/consultancy-spend-controls#definitions-of-types-of-services However, we do have costs recorded as professional services. The New Hospital Programme has a total recorded expenditure of £266 million for professional services from April 2021 up until 30 October 2024.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a mutual recognition agreement with the European Medicines Agency; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of such an agreement on access to (a) medicines and (b) medical devices.

We are focused on strengthening our relationship with the European Union, forging a stable, positive relationship that benefits the United Kingdom. We have always been clear that we will not return to the single market, customs union or freedom of movement.The Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK and the EU currently provides for mutual recognition of inspections and acceptance of official Good Manufacturing Practice documents. In addition, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency works closely with a range of international regulatory authorities, including the European Medicines Agency, through several international regulatory groups such as the International Council for Harmonisation, the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities and the International Medical Device Regulators Forum.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of early diagnosis rates on the quality of life of dementia patients.

Lord Darzi’s independent review showed that a timely diagnosis is vital to ensure that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support that can help them to live well and remain independent for as long as possible. The Government and NHS England are committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%.Improving dementia care is one of four workstreams delivering NHS England’s Ageing Well Strategy. The dementia workstream is looking at improving early diagnosis and early access to care and support for patients, families, and carers, as well as taking preventative action through public health messaging, promoting healthy lifestyle choices, and expanding NHS Health Checks. The workstream is also looking at improving local services and delivering an integrated approach to care across statutory, voluntary, community, and social enterprises, as well as other services, and providing dementia training for the workforce.The Department delivers dementia research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research into dementia, for example an £11 million programme to develop new digital approaches for the early detection and diagnosis of dementia.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of early diagnosis rates on the quality of life choices for dementia patients.

Lord Darzi’s independent review showed that a timely diagnosis is vital to ensure that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support that can help them to live well and remain independent for as long as possible. The Government and NHS England are committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%.Improving dementia care is one of four workstreams delivering NHS England’s Ageing Well Strategy. The dementia workstream is looking at improving early diagnosis and early access to care and support for patients, families, and carers, as well as taking preventative action through public health messaging, promoting healthy lifestyle choices, and expanding NHS Health Checks. The workstream is also looking at improving local services and delivering an integrated approach to care across statutory, voluntary, community, and social enterprises, as well as other services, and providing dementia training for the workforce.The Department delivers dementia research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research into dementia, for example an £11 million programme to develop new digital approaches for the early detection and diagnosis of dementia.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of early diagnosis rates on the quality of care for dementia patients.

Lord Darzi’s independent review showed that a timely diagnosis is vital to ensure that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support that can help them to live well and remain independent for as long as possible. The Government and NHS England are committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%.Improving dementia care is one of four workstreams delivering NHS England’s Ageing Well Strategy. The dementia workstream is looking at improving early diagnosis and early access to care and support for patients, families, and carers, as well as taking preventative action through public health messaging, promoting healthy lifestyle choices, and expanding NHS Health Checks. The workstream is also looking at improving local services and delivering an integrated approach to care across statutory, voluntary, community, and social enterprises, as well as other services, and providing dementia training for the workforce.The Department delivers dementia research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds a range of research into dementia, for example an £11 million programme to develop new digital approaches for the early detection and diagnosis of dementia.

If he will take steps to ensure that dementia care receives long term investment.

With our Plan for Change, the Government is committed to getting the National Health Service back on its feet and creating a society where every person with dementia receives high-quality, compassionate care, from diagnosis through to the end of life. The 10-Year Health Plan will address the challenges diagnosed by Lord Darzi and set the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with complex health and care needs, including those with dementia. It will set out how we support and enable health and social care services to work together better to provide that joined-up care The Department delivers dementia research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR has established significant investments into research for dementia care. This includes a £13.5 million investment in the NIHR’s Three Schools Dementia Programme, which links public health, primary care, and social care. The programme addresses key evidence gaps around how we can effectively support and care people living with dementia

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the removal of the dementia diagnosis rate target on the adequacy of dementia care.

We remain committed to increasing dementia diagnosis rates and agree that early diagnosis is vital to ensure people with dementia can access the treatment and support they need.We have taken a new approach to NHS Planning Guidance this year, reducing the number of national directives from 32 to 18. We will only turn the National Health Service around by doing things differently. These are the first steps on our journey for long-term reform of the NHS.NHS Planning Guidance is not an exhaustive list of everything the NHS does, and the absence of a target does not mean it is not an area of focus. The Darzi Investigation found that there are too many targets set for the NHS, which made it hard for local systems to prioritise their actions or to be held properly accountable.Our aim is to give more power to local systems and let them decide how they use local funding to best meet the needs of their local population. This approach signals our ambition for reform, recognises the role of the NHS in driving economic growth, and enshrines our commitment to financial rigour in the system.Through our extensive public engagement as part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will continue to listen to patients’ priorities and keep focused on what matters most to the public.Lord Darzi’s independent review showed that a timely diagnosis is vital to ensuring that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support that can help them to live well and remain independent for as long as possible.The 10-Year Health Plan will address the challenges diagnosed by Lord Darzi and set the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with a combination of complex health and care needs. It will set out how we support and enable health and social care services to work together better to provide that joined-up care.

With reference to NHS England's guidance entitled 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance, published on 30 January 2025, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the removal of the dementia diagnosis target rate on access to care for non-diagnosis dementia patients.

We remain committed to increasing dementia diagnosis rates and agree that early diagnosis is vital to ensure people with dementia can access the treatment and support they need.We have taken a new approach to NHS Planning Guidance this year, reducing the number of national directives from 32 to 18. We will only turn the National Health Service around by doing things differently. These are the first steps on our journey for long-term reform of the NHS.NHS Planning Guidance is not an exhaustive list of everything the NHS does, and the absence of a target does not mean it is not an area of focus. The Darzi Investigation found that there are too many targets set for the NHS, which made it hard for local systems to prioritise their actions or to be held properly accountable.Our aim is to give more power to local systems and let them decide how they use local funding to best meet the needs of their local population. This approach signals our ambition for reform, recognises the role of the NHS in driving economic growth, and enshrines our commitment to financial rigour in the system.Through our extensive public engagement as part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will continue to listen to patients’ priorities and keep focused on what matters most to the public.Lord Darzi’s independent review showed that a timely diagnosis is vital to ensuring that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support that can help them to live well and remain independent for as long as possible.The 10-Year Health Plan will address the challenges diagnosed by Lord Darzi and set the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with a combination of complex health and care needs. It will set out how we support and enable health and social care services to work together better to provide that joined-up care.

With reference to NHS England's guidance entitled 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance, published on 30 January 2025, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the removal of the dementia diagnosis target rate on people with dementia.

We remain committed to increasing dementia diagnosis rates and agree that early diagnosis is vital to ensure people with dementia can access the treatment and support they need.We have taken a new approach to NHS Planning Guidance this year, reducing the number of national directives from 32 to 18. We will only turn the National Health Service around by doing things differently. These are the first steps on our journey for long-term reform of the NHS.NHS Planning Guidance is not an exhaustive list of everything the NHS does, and the absence of a target does not mean it is not an area of focus. The Darzi Investigation found that there are too many targets set for the NHS, which made it hard for local systems to prioritise their actions or to be held properly accountable.Our aim is to give more power to local systems and let them decide how they use local funding to best meet the needs of their local population. This approach signals our ambition for reform, recognises the role of the NHS in driving economic growth, and enshrines our commitment to financial rigour in the system.Through our extensive public engagement as part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will continue to listen to patients’ priorities and keep focused on what matters most to the public.Lord Darzi’s independent review showed that a timely diagnosis is vital to ensuring that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care, and support that can help them to live well and remain independent for as long as possible.The 10-Year Health Plan will address the challenges diagnosed by Lord Darzi and set the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with a combination of complex health and care needs. It will set out how we support and enable health and social care services to work together better to provide that joined-up care.