Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of enabling GPs and hospital consultants to issue temporary blue badges to patients with severe mobility limitations who are experiencing long NHS waiting times for major surgery, with such badges to be reviewed at six-month intervals.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The aim of the Blue Badge scheme is to help people with substantial and enduring mobility problems caused by visible and non-visible (‘hidden’) disabilities to access goods and services, by allowing them to park close to their destination. Blue Badges may therefore be awarded to an individual with a disability that is expected to endure in some way for the three-year badge issue period.

As set out in legislation, the scheme is administered locally by the respective local authority, who are responsible for determining and implementing the administrative, assessment, and enforcement procedures which they believe are in accordance with the governing legislation. The Government has no plans to change how the scheme is administered at a local level.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many referrals were made to her Department's (a) Pro Bono Medical Panel and (b) Pro Bono Legal Panel in relation to (i) prisoner welfare and (ii) human rights in each year since May 2020.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

All referrals to the Pro Bono Legal Panel were in relation to the human rights of detainees:

• 2020 - fewer than 5 referrals
• 2021 - no referrals
• 2022 - fewer than 5 referrals
• 2023 - fewer than 5 referrals
• 2024 - fewer than 5 referrals
• 2025 - no referrals

All referrals to the Pro Bono Medical Panel were in relation to prisoner welfare:

• 2020 - 8 referrals
• 2021 - 9 referrals
• 2022 - No records
• 2023 - 6 referrals
• 2024 - fewer than 5 referrals
• 2025 - fewer than 5 referrals

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his planned timetable is for publication of the solar roadmap.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Solar Roadmap was published on 30th June. It is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/solar-roadmap.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the date for publication of the Critical Minerals Strategy.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office has engaged extensively with other Departments, particularly the Department for Business and Trade, on the development of this strategy, and it will be published in the normal way in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether statutory consultation on devolution is required for (a) the establishment of mayoralties and (b) all other local government reorganisation.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Statutory consultation requirements apply to the establishment of a Mayoral Combined Authority or Mayoral Combined County Authority, as set out in the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 and the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, respectively.

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, introduced to the House of Commons on 10 July 2025, includes provisions to make it quicker and simpler for local areas to agree and implement mayoral devolution arrangements in the future.

Local government reorganisation is a separate process and we have invited proposals for unitary councils from councils in the 21 two-tier areas in England. There is a requirement for the Secretary of State to consult with affected councils and such other persons as he considers appropriate before implementing a proposal.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many new allegations of (a) torture and (b) mistreatment were received by her Department in relation to British nationals in 2024.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

In 2024, there were 186 new allegations of mistreatment or torture made to consular officers by or on behalf of British nationals detained overseas.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the public health impact of removing people with Type 1 diabetes from eligibility for the NHS autumn COVID-19 booster vaccination programme; and what clinical advice informed the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s recommendation on that eligibility.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government’s policy on groups eligible for vaccination programmes is based on the advice of the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Over time, the risk from COVID-19 has reduced across the United Kingdom population, through exposure to the virus, changes in the virus and vaccination.

The JCVI carefully considered the latest evidence on the risk of illness, serious disease in specific groups, as well as cost-effectiveness analysis, to provide the Government with advice on the autumn 2025 programme. The evidence indicates that whilst the risk from COVID-19 is now much lower for most people, adults aged 75 years old and over, residents in care homes for older adults, and those who are immunosuppressed are those at highest risk of serious COVID-19 disease. A more targeted vaccination programme, aimed at individuals, with a higher risk of developing serious disease, and where vaccination was considered potentially cost-effective, was advised for autumn 2025.

Whilst current COVID-19 vaccines provide good protection against hospitalisation and/or death for those at highest risk, they provide very limited protection against acquiring COVID-19 infection or mild illness, meaning any potential public health benefit of reducing transmission is much less evident.

Long term health consequences following COVID-19 infection, including post-COVID syndromes, such as long COVID, have been discussed at meetings of the JCVI. It remains uncertain whether getting extra COVID-19 vaccine doses has any effect on the chances of developing long COVID, how it progresses, or how it affects people.

The JCVI has proactively published an updated list of Research Recommendations, encouraging future investigations on the exploration of data and evidence on the benefit of vaccination amongst post-COVID syndromes, and those with underlying medical conditions who are not currently eligible.

The JCVI keeps all vaccination programmes under review. Accordingly, the Government will consider any additional advice from the JCVI in due course. Further information on the details of the modelling and analysis considered are within the 2025 and spring 2026 advice, on the GOV.UK website.

Information is collected on hospital bed occupancy and on the reason for hospital admissions. It is, however, not possible to determine which admissions associated with COVID-19 were for individuals who were eligible for vaccination in autumn 2024 but no longer eligible in autumn 2025.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much money has been granted to Inter Mediate (a) in what years and (b) for what purposes.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer of 25 September to question 70453.

Attendance of the Attorney General at the Bar of the House on the Chinese espionage case