Oliver Dowden MP: written questions
4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026
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Our reporting years run from 4 July to 3 July, starting with the 2024 general election. They are not official parliamentary sessions. Office costs keep IPSA’s April–March financial years. Records may cover only part of a year; a missing record does not mean no work was done.
Read what this MP said, asked and contributed in Parliament.
23 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Accident and Emergency DepartmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2004More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce accident and emergency department waiting times at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
Answer: The Government monitors accident and emergency (A&E) waiting time performance against several standards. Performance data is published monthly by NHS England as part of the “A&E Attendances and Emergency Admissions” statistics, which are available...
Answered 2 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAccident and Emergency DepartmentsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2003More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the service standard waiting times are for accident and emergency at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust; and whether the Trust has been meeting those targets.
Answer: The Government monitors accident and emergency (A&E) waiting time performance against several standards. Performance data is published monthly by NHS England as part of the “A&E Attendances and Emergency Admissions” statistics, which are available...
Answered 2 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAccident and Emergency Departments: ElderlyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2002More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to implement provisions accommodating elderly patients undergoing long waiting times in accident and emergency departments.
Answer: We recognise the pressures facing urgent and emergency care services and are committed to restoring waiting times to the standards set out in the NHS Constitution. The proportion of patients in accident and emergency admitted, transferred, or discharged w...
Answered 2 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordAccident and Emergency Departments: Older PeopleDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2001More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce accident and emergency department waiting times for older patients.
Answer: We recognise the pressures facing urgent and emergency care services and are committed to restoring waiting times to the standards set out in the NHS Constitution. The proportion of patients in accident and emergency admitted, transferred, or discharged w...
Answered 2 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordNutrition: Fruit JuicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1997More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of classifying the fruit juice category as not healthy in proposed Nutrient Profiling Model reforms on UK businesses.
Answer: The Government has committed to updating the standards behind the advertising and promotions restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink and we are consulting on proposals for applying the new Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) to these policies.The NPM is ...
Answered 5 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordNutritionDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1996More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that public health objectives do not adversely impact the agriculture and food producer sector, in the context of proposed changes to the Nutrient Profiling Model.
Answer: The Government has committed to updating the standards behind the advertising and promotions restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink and we are consulting on proposals for applying the new Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) to these policies.The NPM is ...
Answered 5 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordNutrition: Fruit JuicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1995More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the Nutrient Profiling Model on (a) businesses and (b) employment within the fruit juice sector.
Answer: The Government has committed to updating the standards behind the advertising and promotions restrictions on ‘less healthy’ food and drink and we are consulting on proposals for applying the new Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) to these policies.The NPM is ...
Answered 5 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordCancer: StaffDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111730More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the workforce capacity in cancer and diagnostic services.
Answer: The Department has not made a formal assessment, but the development of the National Cancer Plan has highlighted areas where there are higher vacancy rates in some areas of the country. The Department and NHS England will work with the royal colleges to e...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCancer and DiagnosisDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111729More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the recruitment freezes on cancer and diagnostic departments.
Answer: The Department has not made a formal assessment, but the development of the National Cancer Plan has highlighted areas where there are higher vacancy rates in some areas of the country. The Department and NHS England will work with the royal colleges to e...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordCancer and Radiology: RecruitmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 9 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 111728More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help recruit in clinical oncology and radiology.
Answer: The Department has not made a formal assessment, but the development of the National Cancer Plan has highlighted areas where there are higher vacancy rates in some areas of the country. The Department and NHS England will work with the royal colleges to e...
Answered 2 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordHospital BedsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90761More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to change the current bed capacity in the NHS across England.
Answer: In September, there were an average of 100,615 general and acute beds open across all acute trusts in England, 93,553 of which were occupied, a 93% occupancy rate.Decisions regarding the opening of additional beds to manage pressures are made locally by i...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordHospital BedsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90760More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the current bed capacity is in the NHS across England.
Answer: In September, there were an average of 100,615 general and acute beds open across all acute trusts in England, 93,553 of which were occupied, a 93% occupancy rate.Decisions regarding the opening of additional beds to manage pressures are made locally by i...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordRobotics: InnovationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90759More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote NHS innovation in robotics.
Answer: Robotics is one of the Department’s 10-Year Health Plan’s five "big bets” and by supporting the innovation pipeline from research through to adoption we aim to stimulate greater innovation and more rapid delivery of these technologies for improved pa...
Answered 26 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordSurgery: InnovationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90758More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote NHS innovation in nano surgery.
Answer: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan, the Department encourages innovation in the health sector that helps to support the three big shifts in healthcare: moving care from hospitals to communities; transitioning from analogue...
Answered 26 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordBlood Tests: InnovationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90757More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote NHS innovation in liquid biopsies.
Answer: The Government is committed to funding innovative technologies, including multi-cancer detection (MCD) tests such as liquid biopsies, to improve early cancer diagnosis rates for cancer patients in the National Health Service. The Office for Life Sciences’...
Answered 26 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordGenomics: InnovationDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90756More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to promote NHS innovation in genomics.
Answer: The ambitions set out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan, together with the 10-Year Health Plan, will enable the United Kingdom to remain firmly at the forefront of the genomics revolution by driving large-scale preventative care and enabling world-class re...
Answered 27 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordVirtual WardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90755More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the target number of virtual wards is in the NHS across England.
Answer: In October 2025, there were 12,588 virtual ward beds across England, with 10,049 being occupied by patients.Whilst there is currently no specific national target for the number of virtual ward beds, the NHS England 2025/26 operational planning guidance in...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordVirtual WardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90754More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there is a target for the number of virtual wards in the NHS across England.
Answer: In October 2025, there were 12,588 virtual ward beds across England, with 10,049 being occupied by patients.Whilst there is currently no specific national target for the number of virtual ward beds, the NHS England 2025/26 operational planning guidance in...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordVirtual WardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90753More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many virtual wards there are in the NHS across England.
Answer: In October 2025, there were 12,588 virtual ward beds across England, with 10,049 being occupied by patients.Whilst there is currently no specific national target for the number of virtual ward beds, the NHS England 2025/26 operational planning guidance in...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDiabetes: Medical EquipmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90267More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase access to continuous glucose monitors for people with diabetes.
Answer: There are currently over 200,000 people living with diabetes in England who benefit from real-time continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) In order to help integrated care boards (ICBs) improve access to CGM to eligible people, data is now collected as part o...
Answered 21 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordDiabetes: Medical EquipmentDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 12 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 90266More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the phased implementation period for access to hybrid closed-loop technology for people with type 1 diabetes.
Answer: NHS England has developed a five-year national strategy with guidance to National Health Service providers on the phased uptake approach of hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems. Rollout started in April 2024 with pregnant women, children, young people, those ...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordAJM Healthcare: WheelchairsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69859More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) quality and (b) provision of NHS wheelchairs by AJM Healthcare.
Answer: The safety of all patients, whether they are treated in the National Health Service or the independent sector, is a top priority for the Government.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair servi...
Answered 29 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordWheelchairs: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 22 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 69858More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the (a) quality and (b) provision of NHS wheelchairs.
Answer: Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair services. It is therefore the responsibility of ICBs to review and assess the quality of the provision of their commissioned National Health Service whee...
Answered 27 Oct 2025
Original Parliament record
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4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
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