Written questions by Holden.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 52906 on Department of Health and Social Care: Permanent Secretaries, whether she has been employed under the terms of the model permanent secretary contract; for how long the fixed term period is; and whether she is classified as a (a) temporary or (b) permanent civil servant.

The Department launched a fair and open competition to appoint a Permanent Secretary in January 2025. As a result of this process, Samantha Jones was found to be an appointable candidate for this role. However, during the recruitment process, it was announced that NHS England would be brought back into the Department. This significantly changed the scale and objectives required of this role. In light of these changes the Civil Service Commission agreed a three-year fixed term appointment by exception, on the Senior Civil Service Model contract.

Whether changes have been made to the NHS terms and conditions of service for Agenda for Change in relation to trade unions since 4 July 2024.

Changes to the National Health Service’s Terms and Conditions of Service, also known as the Agenda for Change contract, are agreed via the NHS Staff Council, which is a partnership body made up of employer and trade union representatives.The NHS’s Terms and Conditions of Service were updated in April 2025 to reflect that the Prison Officers Association is now a nationally recognised organisation, for the purposes of the NHS Staff Council and for the collective bargaining of the Agenda for Change contract. No further changes have been made that relate to trade unions.

What declarations of political (a) activity and (b) interests were made by each Health Crown Representative.

The appointments of the Health Crown Representatives, as with all Crown Representatives, were made by the Cabinet Office.The Cabinet Office requires all Crown Representatives to declare any Conflict of Interest both on appointment and at regular intervals thereafter. None of the current Crown Representatives have declared any party-political activity or interests.

What recent steps his Department has taken to improve (a) safety and (b) other standards in maternity services at (i) Southend and (ii) Basildon Hospital.

Following the Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating of maternity services at Southend Hospital as Requires Improvement in January 2025, the trust made several changes to improve the quality of the service. These changes include ensuring qualified midwifery staff are always available to support the maternity telephone triage service, foetal monitoring equipment is regularly checked and available, and triage information is displayed in waiting areas to provide further guidance on waiting times.Basildon Hospital’s maternity services were rated as Requires Improvement by the CQC in March 2024. The trust has made several changes to improve the service, including improvements to staffing, with midwifery vacancies now at their lowest ever, ensuring staff complete training and expanding midwifery support for the birth reflections clinic, and around quality assurance, with regular audits conducted and acted upon.Basildon Hospital maternity services are part of the national Maternity Safety Support Programme, which puts in place oversight from the integrated care board (ICB), NHS England, and the Local Maternity and Neonatal System. This includes support from two Maternity Improvement Advisors, covering all three trust maternity sites. The trust is in the Improvement phase.While improvements have been made, further work is required. The ICB will continue to support the Trust to enhance safety, care quality, and patient experience.

Whether the national investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services announced on 23 June 2025 will be empowered to recommend (a) regulatory and (b) structural reform of the Care Quality Commission in the context of continued failings in maternity units at (i) Southend Hospital, (ii) Basildon Hospital and (iii) other hospitals rated as Requires Improvement.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced an independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care. It will look at up to 10 maternity and neonatal units, international evidence, adoption of best practice, and a system-wide investigation of maternity and neonatal care. This will include bringing together lessons from past reviews. The investigation will produce, by December 2025, one clear set of national actions, that will take primacy over previous recommendations. These actions will drive the improvements needed to ensure high quality, safe care across maternity and neonatal services, and that women and families are listened to.The terms of reference for the investigation are still under development with stakeholders and families, and will be released in due course.

What progress NHS England has made on sharing data about patients who (a) received a blood transfusion before 1996 and (b) have tested positive for (i) HIV and (ii) Hepatitis C with the Independent Contaminated Blood Authority.

NHS England is supporting the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) with their engagement with National Health Service organisations for the purposes of sharing data on patients who received a blood transfusion before 1996 and who have tested positive for HIV or hepatitis C, to support compensation claims.This support includes highlighting the requirement to provide information promptly to the IBCA to support claims, conducting workshops to understand how the IBCA can most effectively gather information from NHS organisations, and drafting guidance for patients, clinicians, and information governance professionals so that NHS organisations feel confident about sharing information to support claims.

Whether his Department provides unconscious bias training; and whether his Department plans to provide unconscious bias training to staff from NHS England when that organisation is abolished.

The Department aligns itself to the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion approach to learning and to the use of evidence led interventions. The Department does not provide unconscious bias training to its staff, and there are no current plans to provide unconscious bias training for NHS England staff.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 May to Question 51955 on Electronic Cigarettes: Young People, what estimate he has made of the number of very high puff-count vaping devices which (a) are refillable and rechargeable and (b) contain a replaceable coil are available on the UK market.

The ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes came into force on Sunday 1 June. It is therefore too early to make a reliable estimate of the number of high-puff count vaping devices which are refillable, reusable, and which contain a replaceable coil.However, we are aware of a number of high-puff count vapes that are not captured by the single-use vape ban. The Department is taking powers through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill that will enable regulation of any high puff vape that is not captured by the ban. The bill provides powers on product features that allows the Government to regulate the size of a tank or refill container, and the amount of liquid that can be included, as well as powers to standardise the size and shape of vapes, and to further restrict liquid availability. In addition, the bill contains powers that allow us to regulate the amount of nicotine in a puff, so the Government is able to restrict the nicotine not only in the tank, but also the nicotine that can be emitted in the vapour.The Government will consider this issue further as part of its secondary legislation programme after Royal Assent of the bill.

What steps he is taking to support dementia-friendly adaptations in pubs and hospitality venues.

We want people with dementia to live well and remain independent for as long as possible in their communities.Through the Dementia Friendly Communities programme, we are making society more inclusive, with communities and organisations committing to support people to continue to do the things they want to do, including going to the pub or attending hospitality venues, for as long as possible.For example, we continue to support initiatives, such as the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Support initiative, which link people, their families, and carers with local support services.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 40621 on DHSC: Translation Services, if he will list the foreign languages that were translated into in that year; and what publications were translated into foreign languages.

During 2024, translation services work by the Department, for languages other than English, comprised a translation of the Health and Care Act 2022 from English into Welsh and a translation of the consultation document for the Healthy Start initiative from English into Welsh.

With reference to the publication entitled DHSC register of board members' interests, 2024 to 2025, published on 16 January 2025, who the health and social care related clients of A.M. Strategy Ltd are.

Declarations of interest, and any updates to them, are published in the Register of Interests in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, and on the GOV.UK website, in alignment with Government policy.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled New DHSC Permanent Secretary Appointed, published on 22 April 2025, whether the new Permanent Secretary was appointed by (a) open and fair competition, (b) temporary appointment and (c) exception.

The Department launched a fair and open competition to appoint a Permanent Secretary in January 2025. As a result of this process, Samantha Jones was found to be an appointable candidate for this role. However, during the recruitment process it was announced that NHS England would be brought back into the Department. This significantly changed the scale and objectives required of this role. In light of these changes the Civil Service Commission agreed a three-year fixed term appointment by exception, on the Senior Civil Service Model contract.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the lower price point of very high puff-count vapes on youth vaping.

The Department has not made a direct assessment of the potential impact of the lower price point of high puff-count vapes on youth vaping. However, it is incredibly worrying that 25% of 11 to 15 year old had tried vaping, as of 2023. To address this, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will ban the advertising of vaping and nicotine products, as well as sponsorship agreements which promote them. It also provides powers to limit flavours, packaging, and displays, and provides powers that allow the Government to regulate the tank sizes and refill containers, and the amount of liquid that can be included. The Government intends to consult on these issues soon after Royal Assent.The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs is introducing a ban on single-use vapes, which is defined as a vape that is neither refillable nor rechargeable, and if it has a coil, the coil must be replaceable. This will capture most “big puff” vapes currently on the market.Alongside this, and to discourage non-smokers and young people from taking up vaping, the Government will be introducing the Vaping Products Duty, which will come into force from 1 October 2026. The duty will be set at a single flat rate of £2.20 per 10 millilitre on all vaping liquid.

What estimate he has made of the number of redundancies arising from the abolition of NHS England.

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead the formation of a new joint centre.The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job. We will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for patients, driving productivity up, and getting waiting times down. As part of these changes, we intend to reduce the headcount across the Department and NHS England, with further details to become available as we take the programme forward.These changes are no reflection of the tireless work carried out by talented professionals across the health sector. These changes are about forming a more agile and efficient system, in the interests of patients and the public.

How much funding for local stop smoking services was allocated to swap to stop schemes in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024; and how much funding for local stop smoking services his Department plans to allocate to swap to stop schemes in (i) 2025 and (ii) 2026.

The Swap to Stop scheme provides local services with vape starter kits to support smokers to quit, alongside behavioural support. The Swap to Stop scheme was launched in November 2023, and has provided local services with vape starter kits to the value of £3.2 million in 2023/24 and £17 million in 2024/25. This funding is ringfenced and is supplementary to the additional £70 million of ringfenced funding for Local Stop Smoking Services, along with existing funding through the Public Health Grant.The extension of the Swap to Stop scheme for the coming year, 2025/26, was recently announced, with up to £19 million of funding available. Future settlements for this programme are being considered as part of the Spending Review.

Whether his Department plans to extend the swap to stop scheme for smoking cessation; and whether he plans to allocate ring-fenced funding for a future extension of that scheme.

The Swap to Stop scheme provides local services with vape starter kits to support smokers to quit, alongside behavioural support. The Swap to Stop scheme was launched in November 2023, and has provided local services with vape starter kits to the value of £3.2 million in 2023/24 and £17 million in 2024/25. This funding is ringfenced and is supplementary to the additional £70 million of ringfenced funding for Local Stop Smoking Services, along with existing funding through the Public Health Grant.The extension of the Swap to Stop scheme for the coming year, 2025/26, was recently announced, with up to £19 million of funding available. Future settlements for this programme are being considered as part of the Spending Review.

How often the NHS has made use of Private and Voluntary ambulances in the last five years; whether the NHS is planning to reduce or increase their use; and what is the estimated impact of their use on costs to his Department.

The requested information is not held. National Health Service ambulance trusts may procure support from private ambulance services during periods of peak demand to supplement the NHS’ ambulance fleet. Ambulance availability is therefore monitored on a daily basis by each NHS ambulance trust.With regard to expenditure on private ambulance services, NHS England does not collect this data, as decisions to engage private emergency ambulance support are made at the frontline operational level.

What steps he is taking to expand intensive (a) community and (b) day treatments for eating disorders across NHS Integrated Care Systems.

NHS England is working with the integrated care boards with the aim of increasing the capacity of eating disorder services, to provide community and day treatment services. By improving care in the community, the National Health Service aims to improve outcomes and recovery, reduce rates of relapse, prevent children’s eating disorders continuing into adulthood and, if admission is required as a very last resort, reduce the length of time that people have to stay in hospital.NHS England has commissioned the Royal College of Psychiatrists to deliver a national, all-age eating disorders audit. This aims to drive improvement in the identification and appropriate management of eating disorders, and the quality and consistency of services for all ages in England. This will help ensure that services across the country, including in rural areas, are safe, effective, patient centred, timely, efficient, and equitable.In addition, NHS England is currently refreshing the guidance on children and young people's eating disorders to highlight the importance of awareness and the early recognition of eating disorders within schools, colleges, primary care, and broader children and young peoples’ mental health services.

What steps he is taking to tackle regional disparities in access to community-based eating disorder treatments in (a) rural areas and (b) general.

NHS England is working with the integrated care boards with the aim of increasing the capacity of eating disorder services, to provide community and day treatment services. By improving care in the community, the National Health Service aims to improve outcomes and recovery, reduce rates of relapse, prevent children’s eating disorders continuing into adulthood and, if admission is required as a very last resort, reduce the length of time that people have to stay in hospital.NHS England has commissioned the Royal College of Psychiatrists to deliver a national, all-age eating disorders audit. This aims to drive improvement in the identification and appropriate management of eating disorders, and the quality and consistency of services for all ages in England. This will help ensure that services across the country, including in rural areas, are safe, effective, patient centred, timely, efficient, and equitable.In addition, NHS England is currently refreshing the guidance on children and young people's eating disorders to highlight the importance of awareness and the early recognition of eating disorders within schools, colleges, primary care, and broader children and young peoples’ mental health services.

Whether he plans to ensure that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency uses (a) placenta-on-a-chip and (b) other modern test methods in drug testing.

In the development of new medicines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) does not, itself, carry out experimental studies. Its role is to review reports of studies supplied by drug developers characterising safety and potential efficacy of the drug; these can include placenta-on-a chip, or other methods using human cells.To be able to make such judgements, MHRA staff need to maintain and develop their knowledge about modern testing methods and to this end, MHRA staff have contributed to organising and have attended meetings where these methods are discussed. For instance, Agency staff contributed to a multi-stakeholder meeting in London in November 2024 organised in conjunction with the National Council for the 3Rs and with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry for which a publication is now under preparation. MHRA staff will attend the Microphysiological Systems World Summit in Brussels in June 2025, where drug testing methods will be a major topic of discussion.The MHRA’s own laboratory activities include the independent testing of certain biological products, for example, vaccines and anti-toxins, to ensure they meet acceptable standards prior to each batch being released for use. In the small number of products where this work currently relies on use of animals, development of acceptable, validated, alternatives is a major priority; the numbers of animals used in our regulatory science has more than halved in the last 10 years.