I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 15 July in response to Question 16811.

The available estimates of the cost to the National Health Service of treating conditions caused and exacerbated by tobacco and alcohol are shown in the following table:

Smoking is estimated to cost society £21.9 billion per year in England.

Estimates for drug use are more limited but based on data from the Office for National Statistics and the independent review of drugs by Professor Dame Carol Black, the harms associated with wholly drug-related hospital admissions are estimated at £37 million. This cost includes admissions for mental and behavioural disorders, overdoses and poisonings, and drug-related neonatal disorders.

Comparisons of costs should not be made between estimates above because of the different methodologies used in their construction.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 78379 on 16 October 2025.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 78379 on 16 October 2025.

The Department has not made an assessment of the impact of alcohol delivery services on consumption of alcohol or public health.

The delivery of alcohol is regulated under the Licensing Act 2003, responsibility for which rests with the Home Office. The Government recognises that consumer purchasing habits have evolved in recent years, particularly with a notable growth in alcohol sales made via online platforms and rapid delivery services. I recently convened a roundtable with Minister Jones, the Minister for Policing and Crime, to explore this issue further and discuss potential solutions.

The Office for Students (OfS), as the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England, is responsible for monitoring the sector’s financial sustainability. Its most recent report on the sector’s financial health, published in May 2026, is available at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/financial-sustainability-of-higher-education-providers-in-england-2026/.

The OfS report found that 42.7% of HE providers are forecast to be in deficit in 2025/26. However, these deficits alone do not provide a complete picture of an institution’s financial health.

The department does not hold information on universities categorised by county, but key information on the financial position of individual providers is publicly available through their published financial statements.

Universities are autonomous and are responsible for their own business and staffing decisions. While the government does not intervene in these matters, we expect universities to engage constructively with their workforce when making decisions that may affect them.

The government remains committed to creating a secure future for our universities so they can deliver for students, taxpayers, workers and the economy. That is why, after being frozen for eight years, we increased tuition fee caps in line with inflation in 2025/26. We are also increasing tuition fee caps in line with forecast inflation in 2026/27 and 2027/28. We will then legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years.

The Office for Students (OfS), as the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England, is responsible for monitoring the sector’s financial sustainability. Its most recent report on the sector’s financial health, published in May 2026, is available at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/financial-sustainability-of-higher-education-providers-in-england-2026/.

The OfS report found that 42.7% of HE providers are forecast to be in deficit in 2025/26. However, these deficits alone do not provide a complete picture of an institution’s financial health.

The department does not hold information on universities categorised by county, but key information on the financial position of individual providers is publicly available through their published financial statements.

Universities are autonomous and are responsible for their own business and staffing decisions. While the government does not intervene in these matters, we expect universities to engage constructively with their workforce when making decisions that may affect them.

The government remains committed to creating a secure future for our universities so they can deliver for students, taxpayers, workers and the economy. That is why, after being frozen for eight years, we increased tuition fee caps in line with inflation in 2025/26. We are also increasing tuition fee caps in line with forecast inflation in 2026/27 and 2027/28. We will then legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years.

The government recognises the vital role that universities play in supporting the UK’s world‑leading research base and delivering the Industrial Strategy, and is therefore investing a record £86 billion in research and development between 2026/27 and 2029/30, the largest ever investment made by any UK Government, to help fund the vital research our universities lead the world in.

Additionally, the government provides funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) annually to support teaching and students in higher education (HE). The total recurrent (programme) SPG funding allocation for the current 2025/26 academic year is £1.3 billion. Research-intensive universities that are on the approved Office of Students (fee cap) register will benefit from all SPG funding streams for which they are eligible.

The government also provides over £11.1 billion in subsidised fee loans to support all universities, including research-intensives.

The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone with a drug or alcohol problem can access the help and support they need. Funding for drug and alcohol treatment can reduce societal inequalities and contribute to the Government’s mission to increase opportunity for all.

Local authorities are responsible for commissioning community alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services as part of their public health responsibilities. Over the next three years, through the Public Health Grant, we are providing local authorities with £3.4 billion of ringfenced funding for drug and alcohol prevention, treatment, and recovery. Conditions of the Public Health Grant include that local authorities use the funding solely for the purposes of commissioning and providing drug and alcohol services, and they have a comprehensive plan based on the assessment of local need and which has been developed with local health, housing, employment, children and families, and criminal justice partners.

The Department delivers a robust monitoring and assurance programme, and quality improvement interventions, for local authorities commissioning drug and alcohol treatment services. The number of adults in treatment is now the highest since reporting began, with latest annual statistics showing that between April 2024 and March 2025 there were 329,646 adults aged 18 years old and over in contact with community drug and alcohol treatment services.

The Government is committed to ensuring that all areas offer high-quality drug, alcohol and smoking cessation services, with action to support consistent provision nationwide.

For smoking, we have invested an additional £70 million in both 2024/25 and 2025/26 to support local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England to help people quit. From April 2026, we have provided an additional £260 million over three years, from 2026/27 to 2028/29, and ring-fenced all funding for smoking cessation services within the Public Health Grant, meaning at least £153 million per annum is protected for these services. This will ensure there is a comprehensive offer across local authorities in England and that there is more equitable funding across all regions. The additional funding is weighted toward local authorities with the highest smoking rates to ensure we target areas with the greatest need. We have also has launched a Self-Assessment and Service Improvement Tool to support local authorities to strengthen Stop Smoking Services delivery and improvement, and ensure a minimum standard of service.

For drugs and alcohol, the Department continues to work with all local areas to address unmet need to drive improvements in continuity of care. This includes the Unmet Need Toolkit which can be used by local areas to assess local need and plan to meet it. From 2026, all drug and alcohol treatment and recovery funding is through the Public Health Grant, with £3.4 billion ringfenced for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery over three years. One of the conditions of the Public Health Grant is that all local authorities that receive the grant work with partners to develop a plan to address drug and alcohol need in their community, and that this plan is agreed with the Department.

Under our Health Mission, this government is committed to prioritising public health measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. We do not currently have any plans to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol in England. We are continuing to work closely across government to better understand what can be done to address the drivers of alcohol-related harms.

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue. She makes a powerful point, as someone who has worked in public health for many years. I have met Ella’s family, including her mother Rosamund. Her death was a tragedy, and this is an issue close to my heart. Through our environmental improvement plan, we are taking action to cut pollutants, including through new targets to cut exposure to harmful particles by a third, and by reforming industrial permitting to reduce emissions. A Minister will be happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss this further.

The UK has allocated £26.9 million of UK aid funding to support the response to the current Ebola outbreak within the DRC. That funding will strengthen disease surveillance and rapid response, and improve infection prevention and control. We are also working with the World Health Organisation and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to help scale up the response and adapt existing programmes. This is a deeply concerning situation. Over the coming weeks, we will continue to work intensively alongside international partners to monitor developments and take the necessary action to protect both regional and global health security.

I am glad to say that the UK is not stepping back; our response to the outbreak confirms that. We currently sit on the board of the WHO, the Global Fund, Gavi and the Pandemic Fund. Our investment helps to maintain critical global health security infrastructure, as well as tackling other health security threats such as antimicrobial resistance. Our leadership is amplified by world-class research and development, and is a trailblazer in the life sciences sector.

I am in full agreement with my hon. Friend on the importance of local green spaces. Such spaces are vital community assets that provide significant benefits, not only for physical and mental health but to mitigate growing challenges, such as the urban heat island effect. Although I cannot speak for other Government Departments, the new NPPF recognises the importance of safeguarding local green spaces and ensures that such spaces are excluded from the definition of grey-belt land.

As you are aware, Mr Speaker, the Government recently consulted on a new national planning policy framework. That consultation included proposals designed to promote healthy communities. We are currently analysing the extensive feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

The Government recognises that the Health Foundation’s findings on the recent decline in healthy life expectancy are concerning. The findings reinforce the importance of a shift from treatment to prevention as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, alongside action to address the inequalities experienced by different communities.

Work is already underway to raise the healthiest generation of children ever. This includes the Tobacco and Vapes Act which will create our first smoke-free generation, and our action to tackle childhood obesity, including restricting junk food advertising targeted at children on television and online.

We will support people to make healthier choices on alcohol by mandating health information on alcohol labelling. We will also tackle air pollution, which can disproportionately affect more disadvantaged communities. To accelerate progress on the ambition to reduce premature mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish the cardiovascular disease modern service framework in Spring. This will support consistent, high quality and equitable care whist fostering innovation across the cardiovascular disease pathway.

Improving healthy life expectancy requires action across society. The Government will work in partnership with business, civil society, and citizens to support healthier lives for longer.

The affordability crisis is the biggest issue facing families across the country. At the Autumn Budget we committed to taking money off energy bills to tackle the cost of living.

The Government is working closely with Ofgem, energy suppliers and consumer groups to develop a range of interventions to reduce energy debt and ensure consumers have access to effective debt advice.

The Government recognises that financial circumstances are an important factor influencing mental health. Evidence, including findings from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2023/24, shows a clear association between problem debt and poor mental health outcomes, with people experiencing problem debt being around twice as likely to have a common mental health condition, including anxiety and depression. Financial pressures can contribute to psychological distress, particularly where they exacerbate existing vulnerabilities or create feelings of insecurity, but they are one of a number of interrelated factors affecting mental health. The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2023/24 is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/adult-psychiatric-morbidity-survey/survey-of-mental-health-and-wellbeing-england-2023-24

The Government has announced plans for a new cross-Government mental health strategy for England, which will set a new direction for the mental health system so that it responds earlier, intervenes before distress escalates, and supports people to stay active and participate in education, work, family, and community life. Through the strategy, we will work across the Government and with partners to ensure people experiencing both mental health challenges and financial difficulty can access timely support. This includes improving access to NHS Talking Therapies, integrating employment and financial guidance into services, and promoting schemes such as Breathing Space, which provides protections for people in problem debt.

We know that financial difficulty and economic adversity are also risk factors for suicide. Through delivery of the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, we are improving the support available for people most at risk of suicide.