Written questions by Munt.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 23297 on Radiotherapy Finance, how many members of each working group have (a) clinical and (b) radiotherapy experience treating cancer.

The working groups include members with a wide range of experience and expertise across and beyond the health and care system. We have ensured that groups have a range of lived experience, organisational views, and technical expertise, as well as diversity of characteristics and geography. We are keen that these groups should be able to provide constructive challenges to articulate how we make the National Health Service fit for the future.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 23294 on Radiotherapy Medical Equipment, what (a) guidelines, (b) regulations and (c) restrictions have been issued to trusts on the use of NHS England funding to purchase new radiotherapy machines; and whether NHS England has a database of radiotherapy machines including (i) installation and (ii) renewal dates.

Trusts were given a range of potential machines to purchase, and the use of these machines is the responsibility of the trust which houses the machine. Providers of National Health Service-funded radiotherapy services are required to submit a monthly return on their delivery of radiotherapy treatments, and this data is held in the Radiotherapy Data Set.The National Equipment Tracking and Inventory System highlights radiotherapy cancer treatment machines within the NHS, as well as their associated ages.

Pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 23295 on Radiotherapy Equipment, for what reason NHS England did not consult (a) cancer patient groups and (b) the radiotherapy community.

NHS England invited the trusts which deliver radiotherapy services to submit an expression of interest for funding for a replacement machine. NHS England then reviewed the responses, and used allocation criteria to determine which trusts would be allocated funding for a replacement machine. These criteria focused on the age of the machine being replaced, the proportion of older machines in use within the trust, and the trust’s performance on radiotherapy. Funding decisions for the purchasing of equipment do not usually include wider consultation.

Which trusts have been granted linear particle accelerator renewal funds from the additional funding in the Autumn Budget 2024; what criteria was used by NHS England to make those awards; and whether trusts awarded those funds have to fund bunker modifications from their own budgets.

NHS England will be writing to those trusts which have been allocated funding for a replacement machine soon. The allocation criteria focused on the age of the machine being replaced, the proportion of older machines in use within the trust, and the trust’s performance on radiotherapy. A small amount of the £70 million of funding has been made available to support refurbishment costs.

Pursuant to the Answers of 22 January 2025 to Questions 24638, 24639 and 24640 on Radiotherapy: Medical Equipment, whether the criteria developed by NHS England for funding exclude (a) replacing radiotherapy machines purchased by charities for use by the NHS and (b) the costs of artificial intelligence products; and what the three technical specification options are for linear accelerators from which providers need to choose.

The criteria developed by NHS England excludes the replacement of radiotherapy machines purchased by charities. These machines fall outside the scope of National Health Service capital replacement funding, as they are not originally procured through NHS-funded budgets.The costs of artificial intelligence products are not typically covered under NHS capital radiotherapy equipment replacement programmes.

Media and Sport, which of the 106 Listed Places of Worship in Wells and Mendip Hills constituency have received Grants under the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme since its inception.

Since 2022, the Department has awarded 50 grants, totaling £173,587.94, to Listed Places of Worship in the constituency of Wells and Mendip Hills. This includes grant funding to Wells Cathedral, Holy Trinity Church and St Mary's Church East Brent.

With reference to the letter from NHS England to NHS Trusts of 24 December 2024, for what reasons the radiotherapy machines fund guidelines exclude the cost of updating critical bunker protections.

The £70 million of funding is for new radiotherapy machines. The responsibility for costs relating to other aspects of radiotherapy treatment remains with local systems.

What involvement (a) he and (b) his Ministers had in setting the (i) guidance and (ii) spending limits for the Government's radiotherapy machine fund.

The £70 million of funding for new radiotherapy machines will be allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England has developed. Officials from the Department have been engaged with NHS England officials in discussions about how the funding will be allocated.

Whether additional funding to update radiotherapy machines includes a commitment to renew every machine aged 10 years and older commissioned by the NHS to deliver radiotherapy.

The funding for new radiotherapy machines will be used to replace outdated machines, and allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England has developed. The new machines will support the recovery of cancer waiting times and help ensure that patients have access to the most up-to-date treatments. The £70 million central funding is not intended to replace every machine aged 10 years and older, and the spending on machines remains the responsibility of local systems.There are no plans to extend the 22 January 2025 deadline, nor has the relevant NHS England team received any requests from providers to do so. NHS England is working with providers to ensure they can get applications completed in time.There are no plans for an assessment of the potential merits of requiring NHS England to include the cost of artificial intelligence products with this funding.NHS England does not hold any data on the effectiveness of radiotherapy machines relative to the number of doses that they deliver. NHS England has set out a technical specification for linear accelerators with three options that providers need to choose between, however, the technical specification does not make any requirement about the number of fractions to be delivered.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of recovered used tyres exported from the UK to India in the last 12 months.

This data is publicly available on the HMRC’s trade database which is available at https://www.uktradeinfo.com/trade-data.

If he will extend the 22 January deadline for NHS Trusts to apply for funding towards new radiotherapy machines.

The funding for new radiotherapy machines will be used to replace outdated machines, and allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England has developed. The new machines will support the recovery of cancer waiting times and help ensure that patients have access to the most up-to-date treatments. The £70 million central funding is not intended to replace every machine aged 10 years and older, and the spending on machines remains the responsibility of local systems.There are no plans to extend the 22 January 2025 deadline, nor has the relevant NHS England team received any requests from providers to do so. NHS England is working with providers to ensure they can get applications completed in time.There are no plans for an assessment of the potential merits of requiring NHS England to include the cost of artificial intelligence products with this funding.NHS England does not hold any data on the effectiveness of radiotherapy machines relative to the number of doses that they deliver. NHS England has set out a technical specification for linear accelerators with three options that providers need to choose between, however, the technical specification does not make any requirement about the number of fractions to be delivered.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring NHS England to include the cost of AI products in the funding for updating radiotherapy machines.

The funding for new radiotherapy machines will be used to replace outdated machines, and allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England has developed. The new machines will support the recovery of cancer waiting times and help ensure that patients have access to the most up-to-date treatments. The £70 million central funding is not intended to replace every machine aged 10 years and older, and the spending on machines remains the responsibility of local systems.There are no plans to extend the 22 January 2025 deadline, nor has the relevant NHS England team received any requests from providers to do so. NHS England is working with providers to ensure they can get applications completed in time.There are no plans for an assessment of the potential merits of requiring NHS England to include the cost of artificial intelligence products with this funding.NHS England does not hold any data on the effectiveness of radiotherapy machines relative to the number of doses that they deliver. NHS England has set out a technical specification for linear accelerators with three options that providers need to choose between, however, the technical specification does not make any requirement about the number of fractions to be delivered.

If NHS England will publish the data it holds on the effectiveness of radiotherapy machines which deliver more doses of radiation; and for what reason guidance on future purchases of radiotherapy machines requires a minimum of 9,000 fractions per annum.

The funding for new radiotherapy machines will be used to replace outdated machines, and allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England has developed. The new machines will support the recovery of cancer waiting times and help ensure that patients have access to the most up-to-date treatments. The £70 million central funding is not intended to replace every machine aged 10 years and older, and the spending on machines remains the responsibility of local systems.There are no plans to extend the 22 January 2025 deadline, nor has the relevant NHS England team received any requests from providers to do so. NHS England is working with providers to ensure they can get applications completed in time.There are no plans for an assessment of the potential merits of requiring NHS England to include the cost of artificial intelligence products with this funding.NHS England does not hold any data on the effectiveness of radiotherapy machines relative to the number of doses that they deliver. NHS England has set out a technical specification for linear accelerators with three options that providers need to choose between, however, the technical specification does not make any requirement about the number of fractions to be delivered.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Indian counterpart on steps to ensure that recovered tyres exported to India are not used to breach Indian domestic law.

The UK has strict controls on the export of waste to ensure that the waste is treated in an environmentally sound manner. These controls are established in UK legislation and enforced by the UK’s waste shipment competent authorities. Defra and the Environment Agency are engaging with the Indian authorities including the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change who have confirmed that the import of waste tyres for pyrolysis is prohibited under Indian law.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that recovered tyres exported from the UK to India are not exported in a form that allows them to be refitted to vehicles in India.

The UK has strict controls on the export of waste to ensure that the waste is treated in an environmentally sound manner. These controls are established in UK legislation and enforced by the UK’s waste shipment competent authorities. Defra and the Environment Agency are engaging with the Indian authorities including the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change who have confirmed that the import of waste tyres for pyrolysis is prohibited under Indian law.

Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will take steps to ensure that recovered tyres exported to India are not shipped in a form which enables them to be used in batch pyrolysis plants.

The UK has strict controls on the export of waste to ensure that the waste is treated in an environmentally sound manner. These controls are established in UK legislation and enforced by the UK’s waste shipment competent authorities. Defra and the Environment Agency are engaging with the Indian authorities including the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change who have confirmed that the import of waste tyres for pyrolysis is prohibited under Indian law.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is to introduce regulations to remove the T8 waste exemption on used tyres.

Removal of the T8 waste exemption is one measure among a package of possible reforms to the waste exemptions regime. This Government is currently considering priorities for waste and resources and reform of the waste exemptions regime including related to used tyres.

What his planned timetable is to respond to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's Report entitled End of life care: improving Do Not Attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation conversations for everyone, published on 14th March 2024.

I have responded to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's March 2024 report entitled End of life care: improving Do Not Attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation conversations (DNACPR), in a letter dated 5 November 2024. In this response, the Department set out the ongoing work on each of the recommendations in the report.The Department is committed to ensuring that DNACPR discussions do not happen in silo or only in emergency settings, which is often too late and carried out under extreme stress, but as a part of wider advance care planning (ACP) conversations. To facilitate this, the Department and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman will jointly convene a roundtable to further discuss ACP and the findings of this report.

Whether his Department plans to publish the findings of the consultation entitled Improving the experiences of people with ME/CFS: interim delivery plan, published on 9 August 2023.

We are committed to improving the care and support for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. We recognise how devastating the symptoms can be, and the significant impact they can have on patients and their families.We published a summary report of the responses to the 2023 consultation on the interim delivery plan on 19 December 2024. The responses to that consultation, along with continued close engagement with stakeholders, will inform the development of the final ME/CFS delivery plan, which we aim to publish by the end of March 2025. The plan will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.The report is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-the-experiences-of-people-with-mecfs-interim-delivery-plan/outcome/improving-the-experiences-of-people-with-mecfs-consultation-outcome

From which Departments he received confirmation that all the data held in relation to those Departments' transparency returns for the period from 1 July 2024 to 30 September 2024 was submitted by the end of October 2024.

Guidance on ministers’, special advisers’, and senior officials’ transparency returns is published on GOV.UK outlining the Cabinet Office's internal feedback process.