Written questions by Lowe.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of GP service availability in Great Yarmouth constituency.

General practitioners (GPs) have delivered an estimated 32.3 million appointments in March 2025, an increase of 6% since March 2024. In March 2025, in the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board there were 643,000 GP appointments delivered.In addition, through an £82 million funding boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), we have recruited 1,503 more GPs since 1 October 2024.As of 31 March 2025, the median number of full-time equivalent doctors in general practice per 10,000 registered patients was 7.0 in Great Yarmouth constituency. GPs employed through the ARRS are not included as they are employed by primary care networks, rather than directly by practices.There is no NHS England recommendation for how many patients a GP should have assigned, or the ratio of GPs or other practice staff to patients.The demands each patient places on their general practice are different and can be affected by many different factors, including rurality and patient demographics. It is necessary to consider the workforce for each practice as a whole; not only GPs but also the range of health professionals available who are able to respond to the needs of their patients.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of GP-to-patient ratios in the Great Yarmouth constituency as of April 2025.

General practitioners (GPs) have delivered an estimated 32.3 million appointments in March 2025, an increase of 6% since March 2024. In March 2025, in the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board there were 643,000 GP appointments delivered.In addition, through an £82 million funding boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), we have recruited 1,503 more GPs since 1 October 2024.As of 31 March 2025, the median number of full-time equivalent doctors in general practice per 10,000 registered patients was 7.0 in Great Yarmouth constituency. GPs employed through the ARRS are not included as they are employed by primary care networks, rather than directly by practices.There is no NHS England recommendation for how many patients a GP should have assigned, or the ratio of GPs or other practice staff to patients.The demands each patient places on their general practice are different and can be affected by many different factors, including rurality and patient demographics. It is necessary to consider the workforce for each practice as a whole; not only GPs but also the range of health professionals available who are able to respond to the needs of their patients.

What proportion of ambulance response times in Great Yarmouth constituency exceeded national targets for category 1 and category 2 calls in the last 12 months.

The Department does not hold the information in the format requested.NHS England publishes official statistics for average ambulance response times by category of incident at a national level and at ambulance trust level. In addition, information on Category 2 ambulance response times has also been published since April 2024 by integrated care board area. This information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of dentistry in Great Yarmouth constituency.

Dental Statistics - England 2023/24, published by the NHS Business Services Authority on 22 August 2024, is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202324As Lord Darzi made clear in his independent investigation of the National Health Service in England, there are wide variations in the number of NHS dentists per population in different areas of the country. Rural and coastal communities particularly lack access to NHS dentistry. This is certainly the case in Norfolk and Waveney, where the integrated care board has 31.5 dentists per 100,000 population, compared to an average of 49.5 per 100,000 across England.We have announced a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

If he will make an estimate of the proportion of halal food served in hospitals.

Data on the amount of halal food served in the National Health Service is not collected centrally. No estimate has been made of the proportion of halal food served in hospitals.

What information his Department holds on the (a) nationality and (b) immigration status of people using NHS (i) primary and (ii) secondary care services.

The Department does not hold or collect the information requested.

Whether their Department plans to amend its policies on access to (a) toilets, (b) changing facilities and (c) other single-sex spaces in (i) Departmental buildings and (ii) other buildings within their Department’s remit following the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.

The Department welcomes the Supreme Court's ruling and the clarity that it brings. We will review our internal policies wherever necessary, ensuring that they follow the clarity provided by the ruling and comply with the latest legal position. We will also ensure that the protections which remain in place for trans people to live free from discrimination and harassment, including in relation to their employment, are also taken into account.

What information his Department holds on the number and proportion of NHS GP registrations that were for non-UK nationals in the past five years.

The Department does not hold data regarding the number and proportion of National Health Service general practice registrations that were for non-United Kingdom nationals.

How many and what proportion of maternity services were accessed by foreign nationals in each of the last five years.

The Department does not hold data on how many or what proportion of maternity services were accessed by foreign nationals in each of the last five years.

What estimate his Department has made of the cost to the NHS of treating patients who are in the UK unlawfully in the last 12 months.

The Department has made no such estimate. The Department publishes income identified and cash recovered from overseas visitors, which includes expatriates, visitors and undocumented migrants, on an annual basis in its annual report and accounts. The latest report and accounts are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2023-to-2024

What (a) religious and (b) cultural holidays are observed by their Department.

The Department is in line with the Civil Service approach in offering employees eight public bank holidays plus one privilege day each year, pro-rated for part-time workers. Of these, Good Friday, Easter Monday and Christmas Day are deemed religious holidays.

Of the aggregate income identified for chargeable overseas visitors in financial year 2018-19 what (a) the total amount recovered for the subsequent six financial years is and (b) the total amount of aggregate income identified for that financial year that was written off is.

The Department publishes data on the income identified from chargeable overseas visitors in England in its Annual Report and Accounts. The consolidated NHS provider accounts published cash payments received in-year by the National Health Service from overseas visitors.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. The Department does not hold information in the format requested regarding real terms data for written off debt.The following table shows aggregate income identified and cash payments received between 2019-2024:YearAggregate income identifiedCash payments received in-year2018/19£91,000,000£35,000,0002019/20£93,000,000£39,000,0002020/21£61,000,000£21,000,0002021/22£67,000,000£25,000,0002022/23£100,000,000£32,000,0002023/24£123,000,000£42,000,000Source: The Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts and Consolidated NHS provider accounts.

How much has been written off for the treatment of chargeable overseas visitors in real terms since the National Health Services (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015 were introduced.

The Department publishes data on the income identified from chargeable overseas visitors in England in its Annual Report and Accounts. The consolidated NHS provider accounts published cash payments received in-year by the National Health Service from overseas visitors.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. The Department does not hold information in the format requested regarding real terms data for written off debt.The following table shows aggregate income identified and cash payments received between 2019-2024:YearAggregate income identifiedCash payments received in-year2018/19£91,000,000£35,000,0002019/20£93,000,000£39,000,0002020/21£61,000,000£21,000,0002021/22£67,000,000£25,000,0002022/23£100,000,000£32,000,0002023/24£123,000,000£42,000,000Source: The Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts and Consolidated NHS provider accounts.

What the total cost to the public purse is of the Supervised Toothbrushing Programme.

The Department is investing a total of £11.4 million in 2025/26. This includes £11 million to local authorities in England to implement supervised toothbrushing schemes.£400,000 is being retained nationally to support development of implementation resources and evaluation. Funding for subsequent years will be determined through the Spending Review.The programme has been launched in collaboration with Colgate-Palmolive who are providing 23 million free toothbrushes and toothpastes which will reach up to 600,000 children each year.Every £1 spent on supervised toothbrushing is expected to save £3 in avoided treatment costs, amounting to over £34 million over the next five years that can instead be spent on treating other patients.Tooth decay remains the most common reason for hospital admissions in children aged between five and nine years old. The costs to the National Health Service of hospital admissions for tooth extractions in children aged between zero and 19 years old have been estimated based on the latest NHS national cost collection data, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/costing-in-the-nhs/national-cost-collection/The costs were £74.8 million for all tooth extractions and £45.8 million for decay-related tooth extractions in 2023/24.

How many applications were made to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme in 2024; and how many and what proportion of those applications were unsuccessful.

9,554 applications were submitted to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme in 2024. 4,593 of these applications have now concluded, with 4,589, or 99.9% of, claims rejected.

What costs from the treatment of chargeable overseas visitors (a) are outstanding and (b) have been written off in 2024.

The Department publishes data on the income identified from chargeable overseas visitors in England in its Annual Report and Accounts. The consolidated NHS provider accounts published cash payments received, and amounts written-off in-year by the National Health Service from overseas visitors.The following table shows these amounts in 2023/24:Year2023/24Aggregate income identified£123,000,000Cash payments received in-year£42,000,000Amounts written off in-year£44,000,000Source: Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts and Consolidated NHS provider accounts.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.

How much the NHS paid in compensation in 2024.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 14 November 2024 to Question 12205.The figures for the 2024/25 financial year are not complete at this stage. NHS Resolution will publish the figures for the 2024/25 financial year in its annual report and accounts in the summer.

How many yellow card reports on covid-19 vaccines there were in 2024.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for ensuring that medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion meet the applicable standards of safety, quality, and efficacy. The MHRA rigorously assesses the available data, including from the Yellow Card scheme, and seeks advice from the Commission on Human Medicines, the MHRA’s independent advisory committee, where appropriate, to inform regulatory decisions, which includes amending the product information.All COVID-19 vaccines used in the United Kingdom have been authorised by the MHRA after meeting the MHRA’s standards of safety, quality, and effectiveness. As with all vaccines and medicines, the safety of COVID-19 vaccines is continuously monitored, and benefits and possible risks remain under review. The MHRA has received a total of 6,912 spontaneous suspected side effects to COVID-19 vaccines in 2024 from over 15 million doses estimated to have been administered across the UK.When considering the above spontaneous data, it is important to be aware that a reported reaction does not necessarily mean it has been caused by the vaccine, medicine, or device, only that the reporter had a suspicion it may have been. The fact that the symptoms reported to the Yellow Card scheme occur after the use of a vaccine, medicine, or device 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 suffered adverse reactions, and therefore they cannot be used to determine the incidence of a reaction or compare the safety profile of different vaccines, medicines, or devices. Adverse drug reactions and device incident reporting rates are influenced by the seriousness of the adverse reactions, their ease of recognition, and the extent of use of a particular medicine or device, and may also be stimulated by promotion and publicity. Reporting tends to be highest for newly introduced medicines during the first one to two years on the market, and then falls over time.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2025 to Question 31569 on Coronavirus: Protective Clothing, if he will make an estimate of the (a) weekly and (b) total cost to the public purse of storing PPE related to Covid-19 in 2025.

The programme to dispose of excess COVID-19 related personal protective equipment (PPE) stock through sales, donations, recycling and energy from waste concluded in January 2025.The storage costs for COVID-19 related PPE incurred in January 2025 were £300,000. In January 2024 and January 2023, the storage costs were £7,700,000 and £18,600,000 respectively.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2025 to Question 31569 on Coronavirus: Protective Clothing, if he will breakdown the programme of work to reduce excess PPE stock.

The programme to dispose of excess COVID-19 related personal protective equipment (PPE) stock through sales, donations, recycling and energy from waste concluded in January 2025.The storage costs for COVID-19 related PPE incurred in January 2025 were £300,000. In January 2024 and January 2023, the storage costs were £7,700,000 and £18,600,000 respectively.