Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to continue funding for Nursing Associate Apprenticeships.

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

There are currently no plans to change NHS England's existing funding arrangements for nursing associate apprenticeships.

The Apprenticeship Levy, which is managed by the Department for Work and Pensions, is also used to fund nursing associate apprenticeships in the National Health Service. Employers with an annual pay bill of over £3 million contribute 0.5% of their payroll to the Apprenticeship Levy to fund and expand apprenticeship opportunities across the country, including for nursing associates.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6874 on Brain: Diseases, whether his Department plans to update the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on the recognition and referral of suspected neurological conditions.

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

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and is responsible for making decisions on whether its published guidelines should be updated in light of new evidence or emerging issues not in the scope of the original guideline.

NICE has no plans to review or update its guideline on Suspected neurological conditions: recognition and referral, code NG127, at this time.

NICE maintains surveillance of new evidence that may affect its published guidance and would consult on any proposed changes with a wide range of stakeholders if significant new evidence was to emerge.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of net zero policies on Scotland's oil and gas sector.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland

I’m due to be in Aberdeen next week to meet a range of North Sea oil and gas operators.

The Government is clear that Scotland’s oil and gas industry will remain part of our energy system for decades to come.

We are also strengthening our energy security and making Scotland home to the green jobs of the future by investing in homegrown clean power through GB Energy.

GB Energy is already investing in Scottish renewables. This includes an investment of £200 million in solar and renewable energy projects on public buildings across the country, and in June, GB Energy also pledged £300 million of investment in offshore wind supply chains, as part of a £1 billion package in collaboration with industry and the Crown Estate.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support cross-border businesses with the potential impacts of the inclusion of glass in the deposit return scheme in Wales.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government demonstrated in our recent review of the UK Internal Market Act our commitment to work with devolved governments to manage effectively the UK internal market for the benefit of business and citizens across the country. The UK government’s regulations for a Deposit Return Scheme enable the Deposit Management Organisation to work in an interoperable way with other deposit return schemes in the UK.

We continue to engage with industry and the Welsh Government to consider how the proposed Welsh deposit return scheme may impact on businesses across the UK.

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

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