Written questions by Lowe.

How many NHS staff there are whose responsibilities include addressing genetic disorders associated with consanguinity.

The National Health Service in England supports patients with a variety of conditions related to genetics. NHS England is piloting and evaluating new models of care to improve the equity of access to genetic services for the small proportion of couples at increased genetic risk due to close relative marriage. NHS England is funding additional capacity in several professions, including midwifery, genomics associates, and neonatal nurses, in nine pilot sites through the Genetic Risk Equity Project. 3.8 whole time equivalent (WTE) midwives and one WTE neonatal nurse were in post in 2024/25 to deliver the Genetic Risk Equity Project.

How many slaughterhouses were (a) suspended and (b) permanently closed due to breaches of animal welfare regulations in each calendar year from 2015 to 2025; how many (i) improvement notices, (ii) formal warnings, (iii) prosecutions and (iv) other enforcement actions were issued to slaughterhouses for animal welfare breaches in each of those years; and how many site inspections were carried out by the Food Standards Agency in each year over the same period.

In 2015, two slaughterhouses had approval withdrawn. In 2016, one slaughterhouse had approval withdrawn. In 2017, one slaughterhouse had approval withdrawn and two had approval suspended.The reasons for the withdrawals and suspensions between 2015 and 2017 are no longer retained. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) retains approval documents of establishments for up to six years beyond their closure.In 2020, one slaughterhouse had approval suspended for welfare concerns. In 2025, two slaughterhouses had approval withdrawn for non-compliances, which included welfare concerns.The following table shows the number of formal warnings issued to business operators and plant operatives following investigation by the FSA into alleged animal welfare offences at approved slaughterhouses, from 2015 to 2024:YearFormal warning to business operatorFormal warning to plant operatives201520201611201776201832201955202010202111202210202300202400 In addition, the following table shows the number of prosecution cases and the number of business operators and plant operatives convicted following investigations undertaken by the FSA into alleged animal welfare offences at approved slaughterhouses, from 2015 to 2024:YearProsecution casesBusiness operators convictedPlant operatives convicted2015000201643220172202018317201911420201012021316202242220234382024433 Improvement notices and other enforcement action over the 10 year period is included in open data published quarterly by the FSA, and available at the following link:https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/92ee0c84-d680-400c-a560-94a3a1a100a6/animal-welfare-enforcement-non-complianceThe FSA has a presence at every site during processing hours. To complement the inspections carried out by official veterinarians and veterinary auditors, the Welfare Assurance Team carries out welfare-themed inspections across all operating plants in England and Wales. Similar to the veterinary auditors, the frequency of these inspections depends upon the previous inspection outcome. It is not possible to confirm how many site inspections were undertaken specifically on animal welfare grounds over this period.

Whether any NHS Trusts (a) employ specialist staff or (b) operate dedicated services to address genetic disorders associated with consanguinity.

The National Health Service in England supports patients with a variety of conditions related to genetics. NHS England is piloting and evaluating new models of care to improve the equity of access to genetic services for the small proportion of couples at increased genetic risk due to close relative marriage. NHS England is funding additional capacity in several professions, including midwifery, genomics associates, and neonatal nurses, in nine pilot sites through the Genetic Risk Equity Project. 3.8 whole time equivalent (WTE) midwives and one WTE neonatal nurse were in post in 2024/25 to deliver the Genetic Risk Equity Project.

How many yellow card reports there have been on covid-19 vaccines.

The number of Yellow Card reports received by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for COVID-19 vaccines can be found in the Interactive Drug Analysis Profiles on the Yellow Card website, which is available at the following link:https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/idapsThe Interactive Drug Analysis Profiles contain complete listings of suspected adverse reactions for all medicines and vaccines reported through the scheme. On this platform, individuals can search for the specified vaccine of interest in order to find data displayed in graphs and tables, which include information such as patient age, sex and ethnicity. The number of reports for each vaccine of interest is provided on the “Overview” tab of the profile. As the data does not necessarily refer to proven side effects, individuals should refer to the product information for details on the possible side effects, with further information available at the following link:https://www.medicines.org.uk/emcWhen considering spontaneous data for medicinal products, it is important to be aware that a reported reaction has not necessarily been caused by the vaccine, only that the reporter had a suspicion it may have been. Each year, millions of doses of routine vaccinations are given in the United Kingdom alone, and when any vaccine is administered to large numbers of people, some recipients will inevitably experience illness following vaccination. The fact that symptoms occur after the use of a vaccine or medicine, and are reported via the Yellow Card scheme, does not in itself mean that they are proven to have been caused by it. Underlying or concurrent illnesses may be responsible, and such events can also be coincidental. It is also important to note that the number of reports received via the Yellow Card scheme does not directly equate to the number of people who suffer adverse reactions, and therefore the reports cannot be used to determine the incidence of a reaction. Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting rates are influenced by the seriousness of the ADRs, their ease of recognition, and the extent of the use of a particular vaccine. They may also be stimulated by awareness and publicity about a vaccine. Reporting tends to be highest for newly introduced medicines during the first one to two years on the market, and then falls over time.

What the (a) cost for translation of and (b) percentage of communications in each language in e-RS communication letters was so far this year.

NHS England only incurs costs for changes to templates or when new languages are added. Therefore, the primary cost is associated with template updates, not per-letter translation. No changes have been made to templates in 2025, nor have additional languages been added, so no costs for translation have been incurred.There are no additional variable costs for providing a translated letter, as an English language version of the letter would be sent instead. The following table shows the total number of e-RS letters as well as the proportion of these letters that were translated, sorted by the language they were translated to, for 2024/25 and for 2025/26 to date: 2024/252025/26Total e-RS letters1,066,650402,685Arabic0.64%0.57%Bengali0.82%0.74%Gujarati0.29%0.30%Kurdish0.21%0.18%Persian0.22%0.20%Polish0.75%0.73%Punjabi0.50%0.45%Somali0.26%0.22%Turkish0.36%0.35%Urdu1.35%1.27%Albanian0.15%0.13%Chinese0.06%0.06%French0.17%0.15%Greek0.08%0.08%Hindi0.17%0.15%Hungarian0.09%0.09%Italian0.18%0.16%Lithuanian0.12%0.10%Portuguese0.32%0.30%Romanian0.48%0.44%Russian0.16%0.17%Slovak0.15%0.13%Spanish0.30%0.26%Tamil0.24%0.18%Wolof0.00%0.01%Total translated8.05%7.44%

How many and what proportion of NHS staff were non-patient facing in each of the last ten years.

The following table shows the number and percentage of the full time equivalent (FTE) workforce employed by National Health Service trusts and other core NHS organisations in England that are in NHS infrastructure support roles, which represents a proxy for non-patient facing roles, as of each July from 2015 to 2025: Total staffNHS infrastructure support staffPercentage of staff who are in infrastructure supportJuly 20151,005,767156,83915.6%July 20161,027,898160,97815.7%July 20171,046,828165,25215.8%July 20181,065,395169,34815.9%July 20191,099,144177,90316.2%July 20201,166,566184,14915.8%July 20211,195,405193,64316.2%July 20221,225,470202,37616.5%July 20231,292,820214,19216.6%July 20241,346,030219,30616.3%July 20251,372,429218,96216.0%Source: the data can be found in the file titled “Preliminary - NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Trusts and core organisations - data tables” from worksheet one of the NHS Hospital and Community Health Service Monthly Workforce Statistics, published by NHS England, and available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statisticsNotes:the NHS infrastructure support staffing group includes staff defined as managers, senior managers, non-patient facing clerical/administrative staff, and maintenance/works staff;FTE refers to the proportion of full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. One would indicate they work a full set of hours, while 0.5 would indicate that they worked half time; andthese data relate to the Hospital and Community Health Service workforce directly employed in NHS trusts and other core organisations, for instance integrated care boards for the latest data point, who are paid.

How many applications were made to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme in each of the last three years; and how many and what proportion of those applications were unsuccessful.

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) regularly publishes data on the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme to improve transparency. Information related to COVID-19 vaccine claim volumes and outcomes up to June 2025 is available at the following link:https://opendata.nhsbsa.net/dataset/vdps-covid-19Claims that have not been assessed may have been rejected before a medical assessment took place as they did not meet the eligibility criteria for the scheme. Other claims are still live, but the NHS BSA may be awaiting medical records. Medical assessments cannot take place until sufficient medical records have been received to allow for a robust assessment.

What amount of charges were issued by NHS trusts for treatment to non-UK residents not entitled to free secondary healthcare in each of the last three financial years; how much of that amount was successfully recovered in each of the last three financial years; and what the outstanding amount is.

We have taken ‘non-UK residents’ to mean chargeable overseas visitors. The Department publishes data on the income identified from chargeable overseas visitors in England as part of the Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts. The cash payments received by the National Health Service from overseas visitors are also published annually in the consolidated NHS provider accounts. The information for the last three years is available at the following links:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6745b836e7cf64050b8098c4/consolidated-nhs-provider-accounts_annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024_print-ready.pdf (page 79)https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/676150ef26a2d1ff18253415/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-2024-web-accessible.pdf (page 284)https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65b2a4fc5f8ce2000d3ae544/consolidated-provider-accounts-2022-to-2023-print.pdf (page 74)https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65b236c81702b10013cb1289/DHSC-Annual-report-and-accounts-2022-2023-web-accessible.pdf (page 275)https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/consolidated-provider-accounts-21-22-final.pdf (page 66)https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63e50dc0d3bf7f05c8e947a8/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2021-2022_web-accessible.pdf (page 319)NHS charges can be recovered up to six years from the date of invoice, and therefore the amount recovered in a year does not necessarily mean it was identified in the same financial year.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) agency staff, (b) overseas recruits and (c) other NHS staff can communicate effectively in English.

Where legally required, healthcare professionals must be registered with the appropriate United Kingdom healthcare regulator to be able to practise. Professionals who qualified outside of the UK must demonstrate that they have the necessary knowledge of English. This process varies according to regulator, the healthcare role, and the circumstances of applicants The healthcare regulators are independent of the Government, and it is for regulators to determine the required processes and thresholds in relation to English language competence for registrants. General practitioners, dentists, and opticians delivering NHS primary care must also be on the relevant NHS performers list. Applicants’ ability to communicate effectively and safely with patients and colleagues is assessed as part of the performers list application process. For the performers lists in England, it is NHS England policy that the required level of English language competence for admission to the list is the same as that required by the relevant healthcare regulator. If there are concerns about an applicant’s English language competence, they will be required to demonstrate competence by further assessment. This may be an oral exam with an NHS England assessor or with satisfactory completion of the International English Language Test System or the Occupational English Test.In regard to care workers, since February 2022, the main route for care workers wishing to come to the UK has been through the Health and Care visa. To qualify for this visa, individuals must demonstrate that they meet the B1 standard of English language. On 14 October 2025, the Home Office laid rules changes to increase the English Language requirement to Level B2. These changes will come into effect from 8 January 2026.

How many and what proportion of NHS staff have not met minimum English language proficiency standards in the last five years.

Where legally required, healthcare professionals must be registered with the appropriate United Kingdom healthcare regulator to be able to practise. Professionals who qualified outside of the UK must demonstrate that they have the necessary knowledge of English as part of the regulator’s assessment of their healthcare qualifications, knowledge, and skills. The process and accepted evidence for demonstrating English language proficiency varies according to regulator.The healthcare regulators are independent of the Government, and it is for regulators to determine the required processes and thresholds in relation to English language competence for registrants. There may also be tests undertaken as part of the process of visa applications where these are applicable to staff. The Department does not hold information on the rate of success or failure of any of these tests.Roles undertaken in the National Health Service by staff who are not required to be registered healthcare professionals may have language and communications skills defined and assessed locally as part of recruitment processes.

What guidance his Department provides to NHS trusts on ensuring that (a) reception and (b) administrative staff are proficient in English.

National Health Service trusts are independent bodies and as such have responsibility for their own recruitment policies and for ensuring their appointment procedures are aligned with employment law and good human resources practice.Employers have responsibility for assuring that individuals have the necessary written and verbal linguistic skills in line with the English language requirement for public sector workers: code of practice, in addition to any necessary professional skills and qualifications, when recruiting to NHS roles. The English language requirement for public sector workers: code of practice is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-language-requirement-for-public-sector-workers-code-of-practice

Whether his Department plans to introduce annual English language reassessments for NHS staff trained overseas.

Where legally required, healthcare professionals must be registered with the appropriate United Kingdom healthcare regulator to be able to practise. Professionals who qualified outside of the UK must demonstrate that they have the necessary knowledge of English. This process varies according to regulator, the healthcare role, and the circumstances of applicants The healthcare regulators are independent of the Government, and it is for regulators to determine the required processes and thresholds in relation to English language competence for registrants. General practitioners, dentists, and opticians delivering NHS primary care must also be on the relevant NHS performers list. Applicants’ ability to communicate effectively and safely with patients and colleagues is assessed as part of the performers list application process. For the performers lists in England, it is NHS England policy that the required level of English language competence for admission to the list is the same as that required by the relevant healthcare regulator. If there are concerns about an applicant’s English language competence, they will be required to demonstrate competence by further assessment. This may be an oral exam with an NHS England assessor or with satisfactory completion of the International English Language Test System or the Occupational English Test.In regard to care workers, since February 2022, the main route for care workers wishing to come to the UK has been through the Health and Care visa. To qualify for this visa, individuals must demonstrate that they meet the B1 standard of English language. On 14 October 2025, the Home Office laid rules changes to increase the English Language requirement to Level B2. These changes will come into effect from 8 January 2026.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Gaza injured children scheme on NHS capacity in the regions hosting treated patients.

The United Kingdom Government is partnered with the World Health Organisation who provide a list of potential patients compiled by Gazan medical specialists for a team of expert National Health Service clinical leaders to review and match Gazan children needing highly specialist medical care, with where capacity exists within the NHS for treatment.Each child will be assessed based on their individual medical needs. This is a considered process to ensure that treatment in the UK is in the best interests of each individual child.NHS treatment for a very small number of Gazan children should not impact the day to day running of the NHS service.

How much NHS funding has been spent on the treatment of children brought from Gaza under the medical evacuation scheme since its launch; and what proportion of this expenditure has been reimbursed by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The Government is committed to funding the costs associated with evacuating Gazan children for treatment in the United Kingdom. Departments will share the costs for the process by funding their specific areas of responsibility from their existing budgets.

What the cost to the public purse is of the scheme to evacuate and treat injured children from Gaza in the United Kingdom.

The Government is committed to funding the costs associated with evacuating Gazan children for treatment in the United Kingdom. Departments will share the costs for the process by funding their specific areas of responsibility from their existing budgets.

How many accompanying adults have entered the UK under the Gaza injured children scheme; and what the estimated total cost per individual has been for (a) transport, (b) accommodation and (c) subsistence.

The Government is committed to funding the costs associated with evacuating Gazan children for treatment in the United Kingdom. Departments will share the costs for the process by funding their specific areas of responsibility from their existing budgets.

How many sexual assaults there were in NHS hospitals by staff by the nationality of the assailant in each of the last ten years.

The Government is committed to tackling the appalling crimes of rape and sexual assault. NHS England has introduced a comprehensive package of measures to improve sexual safety across the National Health Service. NHS England has made tackling sexual misconduct in the NHS a priority, with all trusts and integrated care boards (ICBs) now signed up to the Sexual Safety Charter for the NHS.NHS England is investing in improving the collection and analysis of sexual violence data to support organisations to implement policies that reduce incidents of sexual misconduct in the NHS. NHS providers have a mandatory duty to notify the Care Quality Commission (CQC) of all incidents that affect the health, safety, and welfare of people who use services, including allegations of sexual assault. The provider must also notify the police if a crime has been committed. The CQC uses the information to monitor the safety of services and to ensure that providers have dealt with incidents appropriately. The CQC publishes reports about the services they inspect on their website.Data relating to sexual assault in NHS hospitals is currently held at NHS trust level. Local police forces hold data where there has been a report to the police of sexual assault. For assaults on NHS staff, the NHS Staff Survey now includes questions about staff experiences of sexual misconduct. Results from the 2024 staff survey show 3.66% experienced unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature from colleagues.

What the total cost to the public purse is for the evacuation of children from Gaza as of 2 September 2025.

I refer the Hon. Member to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s written statement to the House on 1 September 2025, which is available at the following link:https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2025-09-01/hcws899 No children have been evacuated as of 2 September 2025. The Government has therefore not incurred any costs outside of the costs associated with the teams in various Government departments overseeing the evacuation arrangements.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing English language requirements for non-UK staff within the NHS.

Where legally required, healthcare professionals must be registered with the appropriate United Kingdom healthcare regulator to be able to practise. Professionals who qualified outside the UK must demonstrate they have the necessary knowledge of English as part of the regulator’s assessment of their healthcare qualifications, knowledge, and skills. The process and accepted evidence for demonstrating English language proficiency varies according to regulator, the healthcare role and the circumstances of applicants.The healthcare regulators are independent of Government, and it is for regulators to determine the required processes and thresholds in relation to English language competence for registrants.General practitioners, dentists and opticians delivering National Health Service primary care must also be on the relevant NHS performers list. Applicants’ ability to communicate effectively and safely with patients and colleagues is assessed as part of the performers list application process.For the performers lists in England, it is NHS England policy that the required level of English language competence for admission to the list is the same as that required by the relevant healthcare regulator. If there are concerns about an applicant’s English language competence, they will be required to demonstrate competence by further assessment. This may be an oral exam with an assessor from NHS England or satisfactory completion of the International English Language Test System or the Occupational English Test.

How many employees in his Department earn (a) £100,000 and (b) £166,000 or more per year.

Based on pro rate salary and allowances data for the Department, 92 employees earn between £100,00 and £165,999, and 11 earn £166,000 or more.