Speeches by Streeting.

“That is a good challenge. The problem with alcohol is excess generally in terms of tackling things like obesity, and in terms of good health, whether liver health or otherwise. We have a particular challenge with problem drinking and people who drink to the point of dependency or addiction. We should draw a distinction…”

“I think that that is a fair challenge. We should come back to you on that in more detail. We will go away and take up the challenge.”

“I assure the hon. Member that as part of this study, and as part of the roll-out of services across the country, we are focusing on the therapeutic support that she describes. We are implementing the Cass review, which recommended this particular trial for this particular purpose, and we will follow the evidence. Of co…”

“Is local government the right place for this sort of public health work? So far, the answer has been yes. It is a finely balanced argument, and there are some decent arguments for taking some of those services back into the NHS. I know that is where you are pushing us—”

“No, that is not the expectation I am setting. I definitely do not want the review team to think, “Oh great, we can kick back,” but to be fair, the team behind this—not just our formal reviewers but the team of officials sitting behind this—are really keen to get stuck in, because we recognise just how widespread public…”

“May I thank the hon. Member for the way in which he put his question? It is so important to emphasise that right across this House, there are many people who oppose this trial, but who do want to see trans people well supported and protected and to respect their identities. That is important for everyone to bear in min…”

“I think that at the heart of your question, Becky, you are asking—”

“I am grateful to the hon. Member for the way that she asks her question, as a critic of some of the decisions that I have taken in this space. The reassurance that I can offer is that the study will look at the holistic care that this group of children and young people receives, and ensure that wider evidence-led thera…”

“I think so. The approach I have taken with a number of these sorts of review is, “Let’s go as fast as we can so that we can make progress as quickly as possible, recognising that so much of what needs to be done in terms of the public policy response relies on good evidence.” But as I have also shown in other contexts,…”

“There have been a few things so far: first, to appreciate and respect through actions, not just words, the role that the voluntary sector plays in the provision of sexual health services. In my early weeks and months in office, that meant, for example, making sure that when we contract, we recognise the actual cost pro…”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his question. The reassurance that we can provide trans people in our country is that we are committed to making sure that they have access to the highest quality, evidence-based healthcare. That does not just apply in the case of children and young people; I also hope to report to t…”

“In terms of the public health grant, we have been protecting the public health grant and increasing it to recognise the invaluable work that local authorities do. On the prevention side, we have been pulling a whole range of levers at the centre of government, from changes to the law and regulation, whether that is get…”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Given that I work for a former Crown prosecutor, I could not possibly disagree with her on evidence.”

“Yes, in a few ways. First, we have worked hard, particularly as a ministerial team, but also with the new leadership on the official side in the civil service in the Department and in the NHS executive, to improve and build on the relationships we have with local authorities and local government—particularly directors …”

“I think it is a bit of both; it is to understand what is going on, and the trends and the drivers. From a broader health perspective and how we think about our 10-year plan, first and foremost, prevention is better than cure. If we can understand the drivers of different physical or mental conditions and there are step…”

“Yes. If you are a mother who has suffered birth trauma and injury, it is quite likely that as well as treatment for the physical scars you bear, you need therapeutic support. It shouldn’t feel like you are accessing different NHSs, or different parts of the NHS. We have to join up services.”

“That is a very good point. Part of the conversation we have been having with the Agenda for Change unions has been around pay structure reform. Nicola Ranger at the Royal College of Nursing, in particular, has been banging the drum really hard on the issue of the professional status of nursing, recognising the enormous…”

“We are working closely with the Home Secretary. On the principle of what the Home Secretary is driving towards, there are a couple of things. First, she wants to make sure that we are controlling who goes in and who goes out and that we are recruiting the people that we need—no more and no less. Secondly, she wants to …”

“You are absolutely right to draw a distinction—and we do—between mental illness, autism and ADHD. They are different sets of conditions, although we are increasingly seeing a relationship between them, not least because of unmet need or late diagnosis. It is not uncommon, for example, for people who have struggled to a…”

“Yes. We are not interested in cutting frontline services to fund the US pharma deal, which I have to say, by the way, is a deal that also delivered a 0% tariff for pharma exports for three years, and I think has achieved a really good outcome, given the pressures and constraints that the negotiating team were operating…”