The Department published England’s first ever Men’s Health Strategy on 19 November 2025, to coincide with International Men’s Day.

The strategy includes tangible actions to improve access to healthcare, provide the right support to enable men to make healthier choices, develop healthy living and working conditions, foster strong social, community, and family networks, and address societal norms. It also considers how to prevent and tackle the biggest health problems affecting men of all ages, which include mental health and suicide prevention, respiratory illness, prostate cancer, and heart disease.

The strategy recognises the importance of meeting men where they are. This includes investment in community-based health and suicide prevention programmes and a new partnership with the Premier League to ensure men know where to go for mental health support.

We are now turning our focus to implementing the commitments set out in the strategy, including how partnerships and stakeholders can support and champion the strategy and its implementation.

Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. The Government is committed to supporting the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including leukaemia, as early and quickly as possible and to improve outcomes for patients.

To support earlier diagnosis of blood cancers, including leukaemia, NHS England has implemented non-specific symptom pathways for patients presenting with symptoms such as unexplained weight loss and fatigue that do not clearly align to a particular tumour type. Blood cancers, including leukaemia, are among the most common cancers diagnosed through these pathways.

Recognising that leukaemia is not captured by the current stage-based measure of early diagnosis, the National Cancer Plan commits to publishing regular data on the number of these cancers diagnosed in emergency settings, as a proxy for late or ineffective diagnosis. Adding this to the basket of early diagnosis metrics will help incentivise systems and providers to focus on earlier diagnosis of blood cancers.

The National Cancer Plan also includes measures to strengthen diagnostic services by investing in diagnostic capacity and expanding access to tests and scans. Community diagnostic centres are playing an important role in supporting earlier diagnosis, with 109 centres now open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, offering at least one diagnostic test during extended hours. The Government also plans to open four additional community diagnostic centres, helping more patients access diagnostic services closer to home and at times that fit around work and family commitments.

The plan will also support earlier diagnosis through the wider use of innovative technologies, including artificial intelligence, where supported by evidence, and by ensuring every patient who would benefit from a genomic test can receive one within a clinically relevant timeframe.

Recognising that blood cancers such as leukaemia do not behave like many other cancers and are not captured by stage-based early diagnosis metrics, the National Cancer Plan also commits to publishing regular data on the number of these cancers diagnosed in emergency settings. This will improve understanding of diagnostic performance, help identify where further intervention is needed, and support earlier diagnosis of leukaemia and other blood cancers.

UK product safety law is clear: all products must be safe, including those sold online. My Department’s Office for Product Safety and Standards takes action to address non-compliant products online, including monitoring marketplaces, test purchasing and taking appropriate enforcement action.

In addition, Government recently consulted on reforming the product safety framework to ensure it works for modern supply chains and addresses new risks. This included proposals for clear duties on online marketplaces to take proactive steps to identify, prevent and remove unsafe products from their sites. We are now considering feedback and will set out our response in due course.

This Government condemns the growing recklessness of Russian aggression — both in Ukraine and through its hybrid activity across Europe. We are working closely with allies, including through NATO, to hold Russia to account; counter the threat from Putin’s regime; and strengthen our resilience to state threats (sometimes referred to as hybrid or non-kinetic threats).

The UK is taking robust action to defend the UK against state threats, including sanctioning the GRU (Russian military intelligence), exposing malicious cyber activity, and targeting illicit finance. This Government also placed Russia on the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), meaning anyone working for the Russian state in the UK must declare what they are doing or risk jail.

The Government has recently introduced the National Security (State Threats) Bill, which will enable the Government to designate and disrupt organisations involved in state threats activity. New criminal sanctions will apply to designated bodies, including proxies, being used by states to carry out their hostile activities in the UK.

We are also working closely with international partners, including those at the EU’s external border, to understand and respond to the use of irregular migration as a tool of destabilisation. We continue to assess the risks posed by so‑called “weaponised migration” and coordinate responses accordingly – which has included sanctions on individuals and entities connected to human trafficking and the use of migration to undermine European security.

Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging is designed to incentivise producers to use packaging that is easier to recycle, including through fee modulation from year two of the scheme.

All medical packaging, including blister packs, must be assessed under the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM), and may incur higher fees if it is less recyclable. However, some medical packaging is subject to regulatory requirements which may limit the use of more recyclable alternatives. Where medical packaging is assessed as ‘red-rated’ according to the RAM, solely because of such regulatory requirements, it may be reported as ‘amber-medical’ for fee modulation purposes.

Decisions on recruitment and employment are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts, which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are working closely with NHS England, employers, and educators to improve transition into the workforce.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

I refer the Hon Member to my written statement to the House on 29 April (HWCS1552). We are working closely with the Syrian and Iraqi Governments, as well as our US and European partners, to protect our shared national security interests and ensure Daesh's territorial defeat endures.

From 25 June to 1 September the Government is introducing a temporary reduced rate of VAT on children's menu meals and eligible family attractions.

This is a targeted and temporary scheme to reduce the costs of children’s meals in restaurants, children’s tickets for theatres, concerts and cinemas and tickets for everyone for attractions like soft play, adventure centres, and theme parks, helping families enjoy a day out for less.

The decision was taken to focus the VAT relief on activities especially targeted at children and families, keeping the package targeted and affordable. Including events and festivals beyond those categories already included in the statutory instrument would risk extending the relief to unintended activities, with a knock-on impact on cost. Individual organisations and charities should consult HMRC’s guidance to determine how the rules apply in their circumstances.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103629 on 14 January 2026.

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with brain cancers, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

The Department is supporting the delivery of brain cancer clinical trials through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) that funds research and research infrastructure to support patients and the public to participate in high-quality research.

In January 2026, the NIHR announced a total investment of over £25 million in the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium to accelerate research into new brain tumour treatments across the United Kingdom. The consortium will develop and enhance innovative clinical trials.

As set out in our National Cancer Plan, the Government will implement the Rare Cancers Act 2026 to make it easier for clinical trials on brain cancer to take place in England, by ensuring the patient population can be more easily contacted by researchers.

Additionally, NIHR provides an online service called Be Part of Research which promotes participation in health and care research, by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest.

The UK keeps the global nuclear proliferation landscape under close and continuous review. Any further nuclear proliferation would not make the world a safer place and would undermine the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which remains the cornerstone of the international non-proliferation architecture. I hope the hon. Gentleman will understand that assessments on proliferation are not publicly released.

Higher education (HE) providers in England have the autonomy to design and deliver their courses. Providers should be transparent about the amount of contact hours, and balance of face-to-face and online teaching, that students can expect so they can make informed choices about what and where to study.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of HE in England. It does not mandate specific levels of face‑to‑face teaching, but its conditions of registration set minimum quality standards for student experience. These require effective student engagement, up‑to‑date resources, and adequate support. The OfS can investigate providers that do not meet these standards.

The department expects the HE sector to demonstrate that it delivers the very best outcomes for both students and the country, in return for the investment students are asked to make. To support this, we intend to link future inflationary fee uplifts to judgements on HE providers’ quality.

Both Parsons and Venning Barracks have been identified for future disposal when they become surplus to military requirements as part of the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Estate Optimisation work and Future Soldier: Transformation of the British Army reforms. As this is not forecast to be before 2030, our assessments are still underway.

Both Parsons and Venning Barracks have been identified for future disposal when they become surplus to military requirements as part of the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Estate Optimisation work and Future Soldier: Transformation of the British Army reforms. As this is not forecast to be before 2030, our assessments are still underway.

Both Parsons and Venning Barracks have been identified for future disposal when they become surplus to military requirements as part of the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Estate Optimisation work and Future Soldier: Transformation of the British Army reforms. As this is not forecast to be before 2030, our assessments are still underway.

The HM Armed Forces Veteran Card was introduced to improve recognition of our veterans and provide an easier way to prove veteran status when accessing the services, discounts and concessions available to veterans.

The Veteran Card is now accepted within the identity checking policies of many organisations including as identification for voting in elections, where it is included on the list of photographic identifications accepted in polling stations as voter ID, in addition to the already accepted MOD Form 90 Defence Identity Card. The Veteran Card can also be used as evidence in Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) checks and for some domestic flights with some airlines.

It is important to note that it is not a formal identity document, and different organisations will have their own policies in this regard. Banks are required to follow specific regulations and standards for identity verification, which specify a small number of official identity documents, such as a passport or driving licence.

The Office for Veterans’ Affairs continually advocates for wider acceptance of the Veteran Card where possible within legislative and sector-specific constrains.

While asylum applications are being processed, asylum seekers do not receive formal training on British law or culture. However, at the point a claim is made, asylum seekers are provided with written information, including a point of claim information leaflet, which sets out key information about the asylum process and the standards of behaviour expected while their claim is under consideration.

In addition, upon arrival into Home Office‑provided accommodation, asylum seekers receive an induction briefing explaining what constitutes appropriate behaviour. This sets out acceptable and unacceptable behaviours, as well as their responsibilities as individuals to act as good neighbours.

Asylum seekers are clearly advised of the expectations the Home Office and accommodation providers have for them to behave responsibly while they are accommodated in Home Office properties, and not to engage in any form of criminal or anti‑social activity.

No one in the UK, including foreign nationals, asylum seekers or refugees, is above the law. The Home Office does not tolerate criminal behaviour, and asylum seekers who commit criminal offences are subject to the law in the same way as anyone else. Any criminality will be taken into account when considering an individual’s asylum claim, and serious offending can have consequences for a person’s immigration status, including refusal of asylum and removal from the UK where appropriate. Criminal and anti-social behaviour can also lead to removal of asylum support.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided in the House of Lords on 23 July 2025 in response to Question HL9318.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.