theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to (a) improve data collection and (b) integrate indicators related to (i) parental consanguinity and (ii) genetic risk into future (A) public health strategy and (B) NHS resource allocation frameworks. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the availability of treatment for those with Friedreich’s Ataxia. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any NHS trusts (a) collect and (b) are required to collect data on (i) child and infant mortality, (ii) congenital anomalies and (iii) other health outcomes attributable to parental consanguinity. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with Integrated Care Boards on the source of funding for redundancy packages resulting from the abolition of NHS England. \p Karin Smyth: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 August 2025 to Question 67474 on NHS England: Redundancy, when his Department will provide an update on the cost impact of integrating NHS England with the DHSC. \p Karin Smyth: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations his Department has received from Integrated Care Boards on (a) the abolition of NHS England and (b) subsequent planned redundancies. \p Karin Smyth: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has (a) commissioned and (b) plans to commission studies using (i) genomic datasets, (ii) UK Biobank and (iii) Genomics England to estimate levels of (A) inbreeding and (B) runs of homozygosity and F coefficients across UK populations. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will align the terms and conditions for general practice nurses with those in the Agenda for Change. \p Stephen Kinnock: As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is up to general practices (GPs) how they distribute pay and benefits to their staff. GP contractual arrangements do not place any specific obligations on GPs with regard to GP nurse terms and conditions. Employers have the flexibility to set terms and conditions, for example to aid recruitment and retention, and we anticipate good employers would set wage rates that reflect the skills and experience of their staff.

A letter was distributed to practices earlier this year recommending that practices pass on additional funding to uplift pay for salaried staff.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Dame Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the Ambitions framework aligns with the NHS 10 Year Health Plan in the context of (a) the shift to neighbourhood health services, (b) integrated care and (c) preventative models of care. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Ambitions Framework aligns with the 10-Year Health Plan in several ways, including both the foundations on which the framework is built, and the associated six ambitions. For example, the shift to neighbourhood health services aligns to education and training, community partnerships, population-based needs assessment, continuity partnership, and compassionate and resilient communities referenced in the Ambitions Framework.

Ambition 1, that each person is seen as an individual, specifically references integrated care as a key building block, with alignment also clear with regards to shared records, personalised care and support planning, access to social care, inclusion of specialist level care, and ensuring an overall system approach. Finally, preventative models of care for palliative care and end of life care are not curative, but improve quality of life, preventing avoidable escalations of need, including emergency care.

Therefore, alignment between the 10-Year Health Plan and the Ambitions Framework can be seen in the specific reference to rehabilitative palliative care and further complemented through 24/7 access, using new technology and improved use of existing and new data. Importantly, the Ambitions Framework was first published in 2015 and is due to be refreshed in 2026, providing further opportunity to align where appropriate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) home-based and (b) residential care on the finances of people receiving that care. \p Stephen Kinnock: Under the Care Act 2014 charging is based on a number of principles, including that people should not be charged more than it is reasonably practicable for them to pay and that charging approaches should be clear, transparent, and comprehensive.

Charging rules can differ between home-based and residential care. For home-based care, the person’s main home is disregarded, and income must not fall below the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG). For residential care, the home’s value may be considered unless a spouse or other eligible adult remains living there, and income must not fall below the Personal Expenses Allowance (PEA). Both the MIG and PEA rates are reviewed annually and published in the Local Authority Circular. For 2025/26, these allowances were increased in line with consumer price index inflation, and local authorities may set higher rates at their discretion.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the rate at which (a) men and (b) women access primary healthcare services. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department does not hold this data. The appointment data collected by general practices, dentist practices, and pharmacies published by NHS England does not include a breakdown of appointments by the sex of the patient.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much her Department has spent on social media advertising by (a) influencer and (b) organisation in each of the last five financial years. \p Ian Murray: Sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the terms of reference are for the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund; and over which years that funding will be allocated. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Know Your Neighbourhood (KYN) Fund was launched in January 2023 as an up to £30 million package of funding designed to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness in 27 disadvantaged areas across England. This funding supported people living in disadvantaged areas to connect with others in their community and engage in volunteering, with the aim of improving wellbeing and pride in local areas.

In April 2025, the KYN Fund was extended until March 2026, with an additional up to £4.5 million of government funding. This funding will uplift existing grant awards to organisations in the 27 eligible delivery areas that had previously received KYN funding between 2022 and 2025, to enable them to continue delivery up until March 2026. It will build upon the original KYN objectives with funded projects also aimed at reducing loneliness stigma and building community cohesion.

The objectives of the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund are, by March 2026:

To increase the proportion of people in targeted high-deprivation local authorities who volunteer at least once a month.

To reduce the proportion of chronically lonely people in targeted high-deprivation local authorities who lack desired level of social connections.

To build the evidence to identify scalable and sustainable place-based interventions that work in increasing regular volunteering and reducing chronic loneliness.

To enable targeted high-deprivation local authorities, and the local voluntary and community sector in these places, to implement sustainable systems and processes that encourage volunteering and tackling loneliness.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with stakeholders to improve tennis facilities in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years from 2022 to 2027 to invest in community tennis initiatives in England that will benefit as many people as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support grassroots sports. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone should have access to, and benefit from, quality sport and physical activity opportunities.

In England, the Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sports through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.

Sports facilities provide important community hubs for people of all ages to be active and connect people to the places in which they live. On 19 June 2025, we announced that following the Spending Review at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the visitor economy in South Shropshire constituency. \p Stephanie Peacock: Tourism contributes to growth and jobs across all parts of the country particularly in rural constituencies like South Shropshire, home to historical sites such as Ludlow castle and the diverse landscapes of the Shropshire Hills.

DCMS works with VisitBritain and VisitEngland to champion visits to the British countryside to a worldwide audience with the aim of ensuring that the economic benefits of tourism are felt by all regions and nations.

The Telford and Shropshire Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) has an important role to play in supporting the development of local tourism products and packages that meet the needs of visitors and benefit local communities to the area.

The Government is committed to supporting the sector through the forthcoming Visitor Economy Growth Plan, which will set out a long term plan to increase visitor flows across the UK, boost value, and deliver sustainable growth.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help support the tourism industry in the South West. \p Stephanie Peacock: DCMS works with the national tourism agency, VisitBritain, to champion visits to Britain to a worldwide audience. To drive more inbound visits across Britain, VisitBritain launched a global screen tourism campaign ‘’Starring Great Britain’’ in January 2025. The campaign uses the country's rich film and television history as a hook to inspire visitors to explore diverse and often rural destinations. The launch was supported by a wider advertising campaign across the UK’s largest and most valuable inbound visitor markets including Australia, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, France, Germany and the USA.

The Government also has part funded, through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the South West Visitor Economy Hub, which is an online tool providing tourism and hospitality businesses in Devon and Somerset with real-time data and insights to help them make informed decisions. It tracks trends like visitor demographics, volume, and expenditure, as well as business performance and marketing impact. By offering this information, the Hub aims to support local businesses in growing their productivity and financial stability.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Calum Miller:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) financial structure and (b) governance arrangements of (i) Blenheim Estates and (ii) the Blenheim Charitable Foundation. \p Stephanie Peacock: I have not made an assessment of the financial structure of government arrangements of Blenheim Estates or the Blenheim Foundation. Charities are independent organisations and it is the responsibility of the trustees to make decisions in the best interests of the charity. Concerns about the governance of a charity should be raised with the charity itself, or where there are concerns about misconduct or mismanagement the Charity Commission for England and Wales as the independent regulator.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 83176 on Universal Credit, how many and what proportion of claims were made by people with the support of a paid interpreter; and what was the the total cost of (a) translation and (b) interpretation for supporting claimants in each of the last ten years. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department does not retain data on how many and what proportion of Universal Credit claims were made by people requiring the support of paid interpretation services. The breakdown of costs for translation and interpretation across all benefits including Universal Credit, from 2019/2020 to present is shown below. This data is not available prior to 2019.

Translation Costs (including Pension Credit Customers)

Interpretation Costs

2019/20

£ 472,539

£ 2,219,613

2020/21

£ 398,270

£ 3,537,872

2021/22

£ 518,927

£ 6,823,140

2022/23

£ 641,747

£ 5,668,822

2023/24

£ 677,614

£ 6,195,053

2024/25

£ 919,390

£ 8,676,773
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John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to increase the availability of the test digital service for applicants for (a) the Personal Independence Payment and (b) other benefits in (i) Horsham constituency and (ii) other areas. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We are enabling customers to complete parts of their application online, as announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper. We are also planning to increase the number of face-to-face assessments.

We are transforming the way in which DWP delivers services, including the provision of online and self-serve options, while protecting and improving other channels.
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Anna Gelderd:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of women born in the 1950s who have died since 21 March 2024. \p Torsten Bell: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) and National Records Scotland (NRS) publish annual data on deaths by sex and age group on their websites.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to encourage self-employed workers to pay into private pension funds. \p Torsten Bell: The proportion of the self-employed who are saving into a pension has fallen significantly from almost 50% in the late 1990s to less than 20% at present. While self-employed workers are not eligible for Automatic Enrolment, the National Employment Savings Trust (Nest) must accept individuals who are self-employed, meeting certain conditions, who wish to join a pension scheme.

The Department is currently working with Nest Insight and partners to test potential solutions. The Pensions Commission will also explore steps to improve pension outcomes, especially for those at the greatest risk of undersaving, such as self-employed workers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were employed by the (a) Pensions Regulator and (b) Health and Safety Executive in each year since 2005. \p Torsten Bell: The Pensions Regulator and Health and Safety Executive are directly accountable to Parliament. The information requested is published in their respective annual report and accounts, which are laid before the House of Commons and publicly available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders on ensuring that vulnerable pensioners in the North East are protected from online benefit scams. \p Torsten Bell: DWP is taking a number of steps to protect our vulnerable customers from online benefit scams. This includes raising public awareness of benefit scam messages on the Gov.uk website. Our most recent press release relating to Winter Fuel Payment warned our customers to be alert to text message scams in advance of next month’s payments and urging them to forward any suspicious texts to 7726. This is free of charge and helps phone providers block the numbers involved. Customers are also encouraged to forward suspicious emails to xxx@xxx.xx.

We are also working together with Action Fraud raising awareness on social media sites including Facebook and X formerly known as Twitter. This is alongside DWP’s continued work with trusted partners and charities such as Independent Age to ensure accurate and timely information is available. DWP has also developed a recorded message for our telephone lines to raise awareness of Winter Fuel Payment scams.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Mrs Sureena Brackenridge:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of taper rates on young people living in supported accommodation who take on paid work; and if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that those young people are better off when they increase their hours of work. \p Sir Stephen Timms: It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.

We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for working age customers (including young people) residing in supported and temporary accommodation.

Currently, a broad spectrum of customers receive rent support through Housing Benefit. This includes pensioners, residents in Supported or Temporary Accommodation and customers who have not yet migrated to Universal Credit. Any amendment to the Housing Benefit taper rules would apply to all these groups.

We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders. Any future decisions will be taken in the round and in the context of the current fiscal environment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many recipients of Personal Independence Payment are aged (a) 16, (b) 17 and (c) 18; how many of those are in full time education; and how many of those are in each constituency in England. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The information requested on the number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) recipients aged 16, 17 and 18 in full-time education is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Information on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) recipients by age and parliamentary constituency in England is available via Stats-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/login.xhtml). Guidance on how to use PIP data on Stat-Xplore is also available here: Personal Independence Payment data on Stat-Xplore: user guide - GOV.UK. An account is not required to use Stat-Xplore, the ‘Guest Login’ feature gives instant access to the main functions.

The relevant information can be found in the ‘PIP Cases with Entitlement from 2019’ dataset.

To filter for parliamentary constituencies in England, under the ‘Westminster Parliamentary Constituency 2024’ category, select ‘DWP policy ownership’. Click on the arrow beside ‘England’ and select ‘Westminster Parliamentary Constituency 2024’ to include all English constituencies.

Next, to filter by specific ages, under ‘Age (bands and single year)’, expand the ‘16-19’ category and select the ages 16, 17 and 18 as required.
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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology what discussions he has had with Ofcom on ensuring that (a) (i) broadband and (ii) telephone customers who do not move suppliers at the end of their contract are not charged more; and (b) providers automatically apply the best available tariff without requiring customers to renegotiate. \p Kanishka Narayan: Ordinary people need to feel empowered when interacting with the telecoms market so they can be confident that they are getting a fair deal, and shop around and change provider if they need to. DSIT’s Secretary of State, the Rt Honourable Liz Kendall, wrote to Ofcom’s CEO on 31st October to ask for its assessment of telecoms consumer protections and what further action should be taken.
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Brian Mathew:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to protect intellectual property rights in the training of AI models. \p Kanishka Narayan: As a government, we are determined to back both our world-class creative sectors and our technology sector. Both are essential to our plan for growth.

We recognise the potential impact of AI technology on intellectual property rights, including patents, trade marks, designs, and copyright. A balanced IP system can also support AI development.

We know we need to strike the right balance on this and we are engaging with creatives, tech companies and parliamentarians to ensure we get that right.
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Gerald Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Online Safety Act 2023 on protecting children and young people from online harms. \p Kanishka Narayan: I met and made clear to Ofcom’s chief executive that keeping children safe online is my top priority.

Since taking post I’ve already strengthened the Online Safety Act: to make encouraging self-harm and cyber-flashing priority offences, so services must proactively remove this abhorrent content.

And today I can announce we will amend the Crime and Policing Bill to ensure AI models cannot produce child sexual abuse material, and address vulnerabilities where they can.

I will not hesitate to go further where evidence shows it’s needed.

Parents should be able to have confidence that children and young people are safe as they benefit from the opportunities that being online offers.
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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to regulate artificial intelligence. \p Kanishka Narayan: AI is already regulated in the UK, including by competition, data, online safety and sectoral rules. Most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use by our existing regulators.

The government’s approach is also supported by the work of the AI Security Institute which has deepened our understanding of the critical risks posed by frontier AI. The government is committed to ensuring that the UK is prepared for the changes AI will bring.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many employment tribunal claims (a) for unfair dismissal and (b) under the Equality Act 2010 have been brought against her Department in each of the last five years. \p Ian Murray: Data specific to DSIT is only available from July 2024 onwards, prior to this data was categorised under BEIS and so we are unable to determine if cases relate to DSIT or DESNZ.
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Caroline Voaden:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress her Department has made on rolling out Project Gigabit in the South West. \p Ian Murray: Through Project Gigabit we are delivering gigabit-capable connections to premises across the South West that are not expected to be reached by the commercial market alone.

Up to 31 March 2025, approximately 165,900 premises across the region have received access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection through publicly-funded broadband projects.

We remain committed to ensuring that at least 99% of UK premises are able to access a gigabit-capable connection by 2032.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2025 to Question 69517 on Typhoon Aircraft: Decommissioning, what planned block upgrades there are to the Typhoon programme after 2035. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 20 October 2025 to Question 79721.

Typhoon Aircraft: Repairs and Maintenance (docx, 16.2KB)
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether all 48 F-35 aircraft ordered from Lockheed Martin under Tranche 1 been delivered. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: To date, 41 aircraft have been delivered.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 45056 on Artillery: Procurement, what he expects the in service date for RCH155 to be. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: The project aims to achieve Minimum Deployable Capability (MDC) within this decade and will deliver the Remote-Controlled Howitzer 155mm (RCH 155) Calibre Wheeled Artillery System. The project remains in its assessment phase and therefore it remains too early to provide an exact in-service date.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Mayor of the West Midlands on the resilience of supply chains in the West Midlands. \p Chris McDonald: In recent interactions the Secretary of State discussed with the West Midlands Mayor the importance of improving the resilience of supply chains in the region and our goal to do so through the Industrial Strategy. A Supply Chain Centre, based in DBT, will lead the government's work to build the resilience of critical supply chains and our £2.5bn DRIVE35 programme will support Zero Emission Vehicle manufacturing and its supply chain.

DBT's Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan also sets out to strengthen UK capabilities and secure more diverse import resources, ensuring better connected and agile supply chains.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of investor-state dispute settlement provisions on the UK's climate targets. \p Chris Bryant: The UK is party to 78 Bilateral Investment Treaties and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership that contain Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). ISDS provides an independent means to resolve disputes with states where investors believe they have experienced arbitrary, discriminatory or unfair treatment or expropriation without compensation. ISDS does not remove governments' right to regulate in the public interest, including with respect to the UK's climate targets.

The UK has a longstanding record of supporting foreign investment, including through fulfilling its obligations in international investment agreements it is party to.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of interim compensation payments made to sub-postmasters affected by Horizon IT in Surrey. \p Blair McDougall: The Government has taken several steps to simplify the claims process across the Horizon redress schemes, ensuring that all postmasters have the support they need to set out their claims. We continue to work closely with the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board to explore ways to further improve claimants’ experiences.  Eligible claimants across the schemes can access interim payments once their claim has been accepted.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of reduced electricity costs for employers on employment growth in energy- intensive sectors in Hexham constituency. \p Chris McDonald: Government delivers electricity cost relief schemes that provide support to businesses in energy intensive sectors across the country, helping UK businesses to remain competitive and protect thousands of well paid, British jobs. The British Industry Supercharger cuts electricity costs for around 550 energy intensive businesses, and Government recently confirmed an uplift in relief through its Network Charging Compensation Scheme from 60% to 90%. This will further reduce the gap in electricity prices between the UK and other countries. Alongside this, from 2027, the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will cut electricity costs for even more businesses.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Joe Morris:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Office for Investment is taking to help increase private sector investment in Hexham constituency. \p Chris McDonald: The Office for Investment is piloting an Investment Opportunities Accelerator in partnership with the North East Combined Authority. This programme aims to facilitate and expedite investment prospects by working collaboratively with regional partners, relevant government departments, and industry stakeholders. The North East’s designation as the UK’s first AI Growth Zone which includes sites in Northumberland, positions it as a national leader in AI innovation. NECA is also receiving support through DSIT’s £30m Innovation Accelerator Fund to strengthen its R&D ecosystem and drive commercialisation in advanced manufacturing, clean energy and digital sectors.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 27 Oct 2025 to Question 83835, if he will publish a list of (a) businesses and (b) sectors in Walsall Borough with whom they consulted. \p Blair McDougall: The government consulted a wide range of businesses from across the UK during the development of the Industrial Strategy, through roundtables, workshops, and direct conversations with businesses, business representation organisations, and networks.

This included the Invest 2035 public consultation which sought feedback on 36 questions to inform the Industrial Strategy. The consultation received over 27,000 online answers to individual questions from a wide range of businesses and organisations, including more than 250 business associations representing hundreds of thousands of businesses across the UK.

We cannot publish a list of businesses and sectors in Walsall Borough with whom we consulted, as no data was systematically collected on respondents’ geographic location. Additionally, to maintain respondents’ confidentiality we cannot share the names of individual respondents or the details of individual responses to the consultation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce the potential impact of the Not for EU labelling requirement on GB goods sold in Northern Ireland on costs for businesses and (b) ensure that the (i) Duty Reimbursement Scheme and (ii) Trader Support Service provide effective support to those businesses. \p Hilary Benn: The Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme simplifies the requirements for movement of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. To be eligible, certain retail goods must be labelled as ‘Not for EU’. To ensure sufficient time for businesses to plan and prepare, the requirements were first communicated in 2023 and were introduced in phases. We have published detailed guidance to support businesses as well as providing 1:1 support as necessary. We continue to work closely with industry to support compliance.

We are committed to ensuring the Duty Reimbursement Scheme works smoothly, including by supporting businesses to access it. The procurement process to extend the Trader Support Service by a further five years, from 2026, is also underway. This procurement provides an opportunity for HMRC and the successful bidder to take into account user needs, to ensure value and to meet our wider technical and strategic priorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department has a timetable for implementing the recommendations of the Independent Review of the Windsor Framework by the Rt Hon Lord Murphy, published on 4 September 2025. \p Hilary Benn: The Government is considering Lord Murphy’s recommendations and will provide a response, including relevant timeframes, by January 2026, in line with our legal obligations.
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Mr Paul Kohler:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to ensure that projects funded by the Government through the City and Growth Deals initiative in Northern Ireland are delivered effectively; how progress will be monitored; and what assessment he has been made of the potential impact of that initiative on (a) the number jobs in and (b) long-term economic development of Northern Ireland. \p Hilary Benn: The UK Government is investing £617 million through the four City and Growth Deals which cover the whole of Northern Ireland. The four City and Growth Deals are: Belfast Region (£350m); Derry-Londonderry City and Strabane (£50m); Mid South West (£126m); and Causeway Coast and Glens (£36m). The UK Government has also provided £55 million for the Inclusive Future Fund to address social deprivation in the North West region, which is part of the Derry-Londonderry City and Strabane District City Deal.

Each one of the Deals goes through a rigorous six stage development process to ensure the projects within the Deal are aligned to the strategic priorities of the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, as well as long-term economic growth within the corresponding region.

My officials meet regularly with the Northern Ireland Executive, Deal team and delivery partners, through the formal governance process. Each Deal is at a different stage of development, but the two Full Deal Documents of the Belfast Region City Deal and Derry-Londonderry City and Strabane District City Deal set out the impact they will have on their communities and regional economies.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Perran Moon:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to establish (a) accountability and (b) oversight mechanisms for the (i) storage and (ii) use of personal data under future digital identity card policies. \p Josh Simons: Inclusion, usefulness, and security are the principles guiding the new digital ID. The digital ID will draw on the best practice of cyber security from around the world and we have begun engagement with the UK’s leading security experts—including the National Cyber Security Centre.

The digital ID programme will respect all existing UK laws, including GDPR, so that any data sharing is necessary for the purposes of the activity and only the minimum amount of data is shared. We will launch a full public consultation on all these proposals in the new year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to ensure that (a) cloud hosting, (b) data processing and (c) other core components of the proposed digital ID system are under sovereign UK control. \p Josh Simons: Data associated with the Digital ID system will be held and kept safe in secure cloud environments hosted in the United Kingdom.

The Government will work closely with expert stakeholders to make the programme effective, secure and inclusive, including taking insights from previous IT projects where appropriate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has the Cabinet Office spent in John Lewis since 4 July 2024. \p Chris Ward: The Cabinet Office procures furniture, furnishings, and work-related items from a range of suppliers. It is sometimes the case that required items can be procured cheaper at great British brands such as John Lewis. This has been the practice under previous administrations. Value for money is always central to purchase decisions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-12)

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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will review the selection process for Oral Questions to identify ways to minimise the grouping of identical Questions. \p Nick Smith: It is for Members themselves to determine what Questions they submit for any given Oral Question time. The Table Office runs an electronic “shuffle” to randomly select the relevant number of Questions that are then listed on the Order Paper for the relevant Oral Question time. Requests from Ministers for the grouping of similar Questions, with the permission of the Speaker, enable a single response to be given on a substantive Question and related supplementary Questions to be taken all together.

The Table Office keeps under review its internal processes relating to Oral Questions and any procedural change would be a matter for the House. The Procedure Committee keeps Parliamentary Questions under review and representations could be made to them on any procedural proposals.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing funding for dispensing GPs to offer electronic prescribing. \p Stephen Kinnock: Following its launch in 2005, the Electronic Prescribing Service (EPS) is now used in more than 96% of general practices (GPs). While GP IT services and funding do not cover dispensing services provided by dispensing doctors, EPS is used in prescribing and dispensing, so currently a dispensing doctor practice will receive funding for the prescribing element of its EPS systems but not the dispensing element.

Dispensing practices receive a dispensing fee, approximately £2.00 to £2.30 per item, which is intended to cover dispensing costs. This fee is calculated based on the forecasted volumes of prescriptions to be dispensed and the size of the funding envelope, according to a methodology agreed by the Department, the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association, NHS Employers, and the Welsh administration.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-16)

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James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to place dedicated mental health practitioners in schools; and whether he plans to fund a nationwide rollout of such provision. \p Stephen Kinnock: The 2025 Spending Review confirmed that we will fulfil our commitment to provide access to mental health support within schools in England by expanding mental health support teams to cover 100% of pupils by 2029/30. This expansion will ensure that up to 900,000 more children and young people will have access to support from trained education mental health practitioners in 2025/26.