Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the ability of airports to complete full customs checks on small packages imported from abroad in the last 12 months.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Border Force work closely with law enforcement partners to share intelligence and have a strong track record in targeting illicit commodities via a threat and intelligence led approach; and we continue to examine goods brought into the UK by passengers are appropriately declared and abide by customs and excise rules. Border Force has an excellent relationship with airport security personnel nationally, ensuring they are aware and able to identify potential smuggling risks. If, when carrying out their security function, airline staff identify a person who may be of interest to Border Force, they will share that information, allowing Border Force Officers (BFOs) to take appropriate action. Border Force examines thousands of parcels arriving into the UK every day as part of Border Security checks. Border Force has had a record-breaking year in terms of seizures, highlighting our ability to complete high volumes of checks, with data available via Migration transparency data - GOV.UK

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost is of processing a citizen application fee-waiver for under 18s.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office has previously estimated the cost of processing fee waivers for under 18s applying for British citizenship in the Impact Assessment published alongside the Fee Regulations introducing the waiver in June 2022 – please see at page 8 of the following link: The Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2022.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the potential impact of airport staffing on the ability of airports to complete customs checks on small packages imported from abroad.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Border Force has an intelligence-led approach to how it assesses the many threats to the UK Border and is robust in how it deploys resource. Border Force operates a flexible resourcing model, regularly assessing operational needs and deploying staff dynamically in response to passenger volumes, security requirements and developing threats.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on whether any airports are unable to complete customs checks on small packages to expected standards.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

In the interests of border security, it is longstanding Home Office policy to not disclose information of a port or region-specific nature. This is because it could allow an individual with malintent the ability to identify any potential weak points in the UK Border.

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 adequacy of the availability of reasonable adjustments for disabled doctors and medical students in the NHS.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made. Employers have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 to consider and make reasonable adjustments for employees who have a disability, taking advice from their local occupational health and human resources department.

The NHS Workforce Disability Equality Standard sets out metrics to enable organisations to understand the experiences of disabled staff and to develop and publish an action plan. Year on year comparison enables trusts to demonstrate progress against the indicators of disability equality.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the extent to which the ten recommendations from the IOPC report 'National learning recommendations and responses - EIP searches of children, published on 19 March 2024 have been implemented.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) ‘National Learning Recommendations re: Exposure of Intimate Parts Searches of Children’ report made ten recommendations. Seven recommendations have been fully implemented, and work is ongoing for the other three. Progress on these is set out below:

• Recommendation 1, Updating Authorised Professional Practice Guidance: The College of Policing has reviewed and is in the process of updating the Authorised Professional Practice guidance, which will embed trauma-informed and child-centred principles.

• Recommendation 2, Provision of Appropriate Adults: The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has worked closely with forces to ensure that officers understand the legislative requirements for providing Appropriate Adults during searches of children. They have also engaged with stakeholders to develop and disseminate clear information to help children in custody understand how Appropriate Adults can and should support them.

• Recommendation 3, Child First Approach: The College of Policing is reviewing and updating guidance and training materials to reinforce a child-centred, trauma-informed, approach to searches of children.

• Recommendation 4, Coordination of National Policing Response: The Home Office has fostered greater collaboration across policing partners by convening regular engagement with the NPCC, College of Policing, and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, to ensure that the response to the IOPC’s recommendations is coordinated, evidence-based and embedded in frontline practice.

• Recommendation 5, Annual Data Requirements (ADR): The ADR has been significantly expanded to create a more comprehensive and robust dataset, enabling clearer monitoring of police practice and better-informed safeguarding assessments. Forces are now required to provide detailed and consistent information on searches that expose intimate parts, both in custody and under stop and search powers. This includes the geographic location of the search, whether a supervisor was consulted, and whether an Appropriate Adult was present. The latest stop and search data, published on GOV.UK recently (Stop and search, arrests, and mental health detentions, March 2025 - GOV.UK), includes additional details on strip searches. Data on searches in custody is due to be published in March 2026.

• Recommendation 6, Data Collection and Monitoring: The NPCC has implemented regular data monitoring procedures, so that the circumstances and rationale for child strip searches are consistently reviewed. Any issues or learning identified through these reviews are addressed by the Custody Leadership Team within each force, helping drive improvements in practice.

• Recommendation 7, Authorisation Guidance: The NPCC has reviewed and strengthened authorisation processes for exposure of intimate parts searches. It has also recommended that a senior officer must authorise the strip search of a child, ensuring decisions are made with the necessary accountability, justification, necessity and proportionality.

• Recommendation 8, Research Around Trauma: The College of Policing has enhanced its evidence base and incorporated key findings related to the trauma experienced by children during strip searches into their products.

• Recommendation 9, Voice of the Child: Relevant guidance and training products are being reviewed and updated by the College of Policing, to ensure the ‘Voice of the Child’ is more consistently reflected.

Recommendation 10, Mandatory Safeguarding Referral following exposure of intimate parts searches: The Home Office has led system-wide consultations to consider amendments to Code A and C of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984), including mandating a safeguarding referral for any child who is subject to an exposure of intimate parts search. The Government is committed to introducing new legal safeguards around the strip search of children as soon as possible.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2026 to Question 103826 on BSL Assurance Suppliers, which Deaf-led agencies and language service providers are available to engage through Crown Commercial Service's digital purchasing frameworks.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Deaf-led BSL suppliers play an important role in supporting Deaf communities right across the country.

Customers can access BSL services through agreements RM1557.14 G-Cloud 14 and RM6302 Language Services.

CCS has approved funding to support an ‘AI for BSL’ project, led by the Royal National Institute of the Deaf (RNID) partnership with ScienceWise. The initiative ensures that Deaf communities can directly influence the development of future tools to guarantee their safe and effective application.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) non-disabled postgraduate medics entered medical training in the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Post graduate medical training is initially through the two-year foundation programme, followed by progression to specialist training programmes.

NHS England publishes monthly data on the National Health Service Hospital and Community Health Service (HCHS) workforce in England. This includes data on the recorded disability status of Foundation year 1 doctors. Further information is avaiable at the following link, in the file ‘NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Trusts and core organisations – data tables’:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics

For doctors entering medical specialty training, in the 2024 NHS medical specialty training programme, 285 doctors had a recorded disability, which represents 2.1% of all doctors accepting an offer, while 13,099, or 94.6%, recorded no disability, and for a further 462, or 3.3%, the disability status was not known/not recorded.

Each year NHS England published the disability status of applicants, including a count of those accepting posts, for each individual medical specialty to help future cohorts in their application processes. This information is avaiable at the following link:

https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/equality-and-diversity

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in regard to the upcoming closure of the the UK Rare Diseases Framework, what alternative evaluation methods will be used to assess and ensure the continued improvement of access to specialist care, treatment and drugs for patients with rare diseases.

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

The UK Rare Diseases Framework was published following the National Conversation on Rare Diseases, which received nearly 6,300 responses. This helped identify the four priorities of the framework in tackling rare diseases: helping patients get a final diagnosis faster; increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals; better coordination of care; and improving access to specialist care, treatment, and drugs.

The Government remains committed to improving the lives of those living with rare conditions, and will be publishing the next England Rare Diseases Action Plan to update on these priorities as in previous years. The evaluation of England’s action plans is expected to complete in May 2026. We recognise that despite the progress that has been made there remains considerable unmet need for people living with rare conditions. Ministers from all four nations have agreed to extend the UK Rare Diseases Framework by one year to January 2027, recognising the continued relevance of its four priorities, including improving access to specialist care, treatment, and drugs. We will engage with the rare diseases community to help shape the next steps.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what percentage of undergraduate students who are parents with caring responsibilities receive the Childcare Grant.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The number of full-time undergraduates domiciled in England who received the Childcare Grant in 2024/25 was 42,900, rounded to the nearest hundred. This is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-support-for-higher-education-in-england-2025/student-support-for-higher-education-in-england-2025#childcare-grant

It is not possible to report this as a percentage of parents with caring responsibilities as the department does not hold the total number of undergraduates who are parents with caring responsibilities. This is because declaration of caring responsibilities is optional and only required for applicants who wish to apply for Special Support Loans or Childcare Grants.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)'s current Highly Specialised Technologies Guidance, specifically where it does not recommend a treatment for a rare disease where treatment would have a substantial effect of a medicine on quality and length of life, but is not recommended due to cost-effectiveness estimates being higher than what NICE usually considers an acceptable use of NHS resources for Highly Specialised Technologies.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) operates a separate Highly Specialised Technologies (HST) programme to evaluate a very small number of medicines and treatments developed for ultra‑rare, severe and life‑limiting conditions. It uses specific methods and a much higher cost‑effectiveness threshold than standard technology appraisals, enabling NICE to recommend treatments at prices that reflect the complexities of ultra‑rare diseases. The HST programme has secured access for National Health Service patients with very rare diseases to effective treatments that NICE would not have been able to recommend through its standard technology appraisal process, with 33 out of the 35 medicines that it has evaluated through the HST programme recommended for NHS use.

There will unfortunately always be occasions when NICE is unable to recommend a treatment through the HST programme despite the use of a much higher cost-effectiveness threshold. These are very difficult decisions to make, and it is right that they are taken independently and on the basis of a thorough assessment of the available evidence.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on the annual meeting held to discuss progress and the role of the Early Access to Medicines Scheme, the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway and the Innovative Medicines Fund in supporting access to treatments for people living with rare diseases.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to improving the lives of people living with rare diseases through the UK Rare Diseases Framework. One of the priorities of the framework is improving access to specialist care, treatment, and drugs.

We have continued to review the effectiveness of the Early Access to Medicines Scheme, the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway, and the Innovative Medicines Fund. These access pathways across the regulatory and access system are designed to support innovative treatments being made available earlier to patients who need them, including people living with rare diseases. The last meeting was held in July 2025, and included representatives from the Department, NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, as well as patient advocacy groups, industry, and clinical researchers. Further detail will be reported in the England 2026 Rare Diseases Action Plan, to be published in spring 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made of the potential merits of increasing NICE's cost-effectiveness thresholds used to evaluate Highly Specialised Technologies for rare diseases.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are currently no plans to increase the cost‑effectiveness threshold for the highly specialised technologies (HST) programme. The HST programme already operates at a much higher threshold than standard National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisals, reflecting the challenges of bringing treatments for very rare conditions to market, and NICE has been able to recommend nearly all the treatments that have been evaluated through the HST programme for National Health Service use.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of air pollution on different groups by ethnicity.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

While air pollution impacts many people’s health, the department recognises that these impacts are not felt equally. This is an issue that Defra takes seriously, which is why the Government commissioned the independent Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) to examine the evidence on air pollution disparities across different communities and regions in the UK.

Their report demonstrates spatial differences in pollution emissions and concentrations. There is evidence of higher air pollution concentrations being experienced by certain minority ethnicity groups.

The report provides a number of recommendations to address this complex challenge, which the department is now considering and have fed through to commitments in the NHS 10 Year Plan and the Environmental Improvement Plan.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the incidence of costs on a) land-owners in reduced land value uplift as against b) new build sales prices, resultant from environmental standards for new build homes.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Future Homes Standard, which will ensure all new homes are net zero ready, will be published early this year and a full impact assessment will accompany that publication. The impact assessment presents the costs and benefits of the Standard.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing vaccinations against Covid-19 for children and adults who have Long Covid.

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

The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious disease, resulting in hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19. Population immunity to COVID-19 has increased due to a combination of naturally acquired immunity, following recovery from infection, and vaccine-derived immunity. COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for most people, though it can still be unpleasant, with rates of hospitalisation and death having reduced significantly since COVID-19 first emerged.

The focus of the programme is on vaccination of the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed. These are the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality. In line with JCVI’s advice, in autumn 2025 a COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to:

- adults aged 75 years old and over;

- residents in care homes for older adults; and

- individuals aged six months old and over who are immunosuppressed.

On 15 December 2025, the Government accepted the JCVI’s advice for spring 2026 and in line with the advice, a COVID-19 vaccination will be offered to the same groups as in autumn 2025 and previous spring campaigns.

Long term health consequences following COVID-19, including post-COVID syndromes, such as long COVID, have been discussed at meetings of the JCVI COVID-19 sub-committee. The JCVI’s view is that it remains uncertain whether additional COVID-19 vaccine doses, for example the fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, have a significant effect on the chances of developing long COVID, how it progresses, or how it affects people. The JCVI keeps all vaccination programmes under review.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her international counterparts on the protection of Kurdish civilians in Northern areas of Syria, in the context of reported ceasefire violations in Syria.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made to the House on 28 January 2026.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing humanitarian assistance in Syria in the context of reports of ceasefire violations in the region.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made to the House on 28 January 2026.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her international counterparts on the protection of (a) Kurdish, (b) Yezidi and (c) Christian communities.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made to the House on 28 January 2026.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Syrian counterpart on the protection of Kurdish civilians in northern areas of that country.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made to the House on 28 January 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to assess the need for the provision of the vaccination against Covid for (a) children and (b) adults who are suffers of Long-Covid.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 February 2026 to Question 108759.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations her Department has made to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their proxies about the registration of international non-governmental organisation activity in Darfur, Sudan, and ensuring humanitarian access.

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

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided by the Foreign Secretary to her question during Topical Questions on 20 January. The UK continues to use all diplomatic channels to maintain pressure on the warring parties to allow unrestricted humanitarian access. The UK Special Representative to Sudan regularly engages with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and regional partners, making clear the UK's demands for urgent humanitarian relief, a civilian-led transition, and adherence to international law.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support research institutions in the period before UK Research and Innovation budget allocations are determined.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

In December, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) set out how it will deliver its record £38.6 billion funding allocation over the next four years. This is part of the largest ever investment in R&D made by any UK government (£86 billion up to 2029/30) and will help drive new scientific breakthroughs, help create new industries and grow businesses faster, and deliver the growth we need for good jobs and better lives.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has been in active dialogue with UKRI to ensure that any implications from funding decisions are fully understood and that they reflect both the UK’s strategic research priorities and its global commitments. DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its final allocations are informed by meaningful consultation with the research community and a robust assessment of potential consequences for the UK’s scientific capability.

Found: Alex Sobel: On that point, yesterday I signed a letter to Liz Kendall, led by Dame Anneliese Dodds.

Found: and Graeme Downie II: Clive Jones III: Dr Roz Savage IV: Emily Darlington, Helen Maguire and Anneliese Dodds