Written questions by Maskell.

What his planned timescale is for reforming the NHS dental contract.

We are working at pace with the British Dental Association and the dental sector to improve and reform the dental contract.

What steps she is taking to help tackle food insecurity; and if she will make an assessment with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of the potential impact of these steps on (a) physical

This government is committed to tackling poverty and reducing mass dependence on emergency food parcels. We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty so this will be the foundation of our approach. The Get Bri...

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to fund the scale up of research in the life sciences sector.

We are actively supporting the life sciences sector to ensure that businesses investing in research can access the capital they need to scale up in the UK.Through initiatives like the £400 million VPAG investment programme, we will expand the UK's capacit...

What progress his department has made on reducing deaths from stroke and heart disease by a quarter within ten years.

Reducing avoidable disability and death from heart disease and stroke is a priority for the Government. This is why the Government has set a goal for fewer lives being lost to the biggest killers, including from cardiovascular disease (CVD), and why the N...

What assessment her Department has made of potential merits of the recommendation in the report entitled the Adoption Barometer, published by Adoption UK in May 2024, that the Adoption and Special Guardianship

Funding for Children’s Social Care, which includes the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF), is being considered as part of the current spending review.The department has been making a range of changes to improve the timeliness of the AS...

What steps her Department is taking to reduce delays in families accessing therapeutic support through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.

Funding for Children’s Social Care, which includes the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF), is being considered as part of the current spending review.The department has been making a range of changes to improve the timeliness of the AS...

What assessment her Department has made of adequacy of the time it takes families to receive therapeutic support through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.

Funding for Children’s Social Care, which includes the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF), is being considered as part of the current spending review.The department has been making a range of changes to improve the timeliness of the AS...

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of ringfenced crisis funding within the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund to enable families facing an urgent crisis to access therap

Funding for Children’s Social Care, which includes the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF), is being considered as part of the current spending review.The department has been making a range of changes to improve the timeliness of the AS...

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the therapeutic modalities available within the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.

Funding for Children’s Social Care, which includes the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF), is being considered as part of the current spending review.The department has been making a range of changes to improve the timeliness of the AS...

What her planned timetable is for bringing forward legislative proposals to tackle retail crime.

Shoplifting has increased at an unacceptable level in recent years, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers to do this. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe on the job.To that end, this Governmen...

How many cases of retail crime have been reported in (a) York and (b) England in each of the last five years.

Shoplifting has increased at an unacceptable level in recent years, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers to do this. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe on the job.To that end, this Governmen...

What assessment has she made of the potential links of retail crime to County Lines.

Shoplifting has increased at an unacceptable level in recent years, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers to do this. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe on the job.To that end, this Governmen...

If she will take steps to ensure that there are simplified reporting systems for retail crime from business owners.

Shoplifting has increased at an unacceptable level in recent years, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers to do this. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe on the job.To that end, this Governmen...

What non-custodial steps she is taking to help divert people away from retail crime.

Shoplifting has increased at an unacceptable level in recent years, with more and more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers to do this. We will not stand for this. Everybody has a right to feel safe on the job.To that end, this Governmen...

What steps she is taking to monitor the adequacy of policing in city centres.

The Home Secretary has made a clear commitment to strengthen neighbourhood policing through the introduction of a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which will include restoring patrols to town centres.This will also involve the addition of thousands more ...

For what reason people who turned 80 before 1 September 2024 are not eligible for the RSV vaccine; and whether exceptions can be made.

The policy for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) programme is based on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which is an independent expert advisory committee on vaccination and immunisation. That advice is provided...

What the schedule is for the advertising campaign for pension credit sign up.

Alongside our continuing work with key stakeholders, for which the Pension Credit week of action (2 -6 September) was a focal point, DWP has also launched paid marketing activity to promote Pension Credit. The activity, which is aimed at potential pension...

If he will make an estimate of the number of covid-19 related deaths in the last year.

From the week commencing 6 October 2023 to week commencing 20 September 2024, there have been an estimated 9,972 deaths from COVID-19, as measured by death registrations with COVID-19 on death certificates. Further information is available at the followin...

What recent assessment the UK Health Security Agency has made of the level of risk of an Mpox outbreak.

The latest risk assessment is set out in the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) technical briefing, which was published on 16 September 2024, and is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66e83b367f20ecc7ec3aa1db/m...

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of covid-19 on (a) the NHS and (b) mortality rates.

From the week commencing 6 October 2023 to week commencing 20 September 2024, there have been an estimated 9,972 deaths from COVID-19, as measured by death registrations with COVID-19 on death certificates. Further information is available at the followin...