Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that visa applications for foreign nationals visiting the UK through aid-funded project deliverables are processed in a (a) timely and (b) efficient manner.

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

All short term visit visas are governed by our published service standards. These can be found here: Visitors and transit: customer service standards - GOV.UK

Customers are advised to allow enough time to receive their visa before applying. Customers in certain locations have the option to apply for a premium paid service to allow them to receive a decision quicker than the advertised times. Information on premium paid services can be found here: Get a faster decision on your visa or settlement application: Applying for a faster decision - GOV.UK

Visa processing times are constantly monitored to ensure that visas are being delivered within our published service standards. Where an application will not be processed within service standards due to the complex nature of the application, the applicant is informed their application will take longer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will initiate a review of the (a) structure and (b) terms of reference of the NHS Business Services Authority following the NHS 10 Year Plan.

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

As a Special Health Authority and Arm’s-Length Body of the Department of Health and Social Care, the National Health Service Business Services Authority’s (NHSBSA) strategic and structural alignment with government objectives and its Framework Document are reviewed regularly by Departmental sponsors.

Discussions between officials within NHSBSA, NHS England and the Department are ongoing concerning NHSBSA’s role and services to the health and social care system and the public. This includes the support it can provide to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Ukrainians with valid leave under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme are able to obtain confirmation of their right to (a) live, (b) work and (c) study in the UK.

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

The Home Office is developing a more digital and streamlined border and immigration system that will enhance the applicant’s experience and increase the immigration system’s security and efficiency.

Successful applicants under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme, like people granted status on other routes, now receive an eVisa as evidence of their immigration status. An eVisa is a digital record of a person's identity and their immigration permission in the UK, and any conditions which apply, which they can access by logging into their UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account. They can also link their travel document (such as passport) to their UKVI account to facilitate straightforward international travel.

All applicants issued with an eVisa as evidence of their immigration status receive a written notification, either via email or post, once their immigration application has been successful, and their immigration permission granted. This notification confirms that the person has been issued an eVisa as evidence of their immigration status. It also includes information on what an eVisa is, and how to access and use it.

eVisas increasingly update in real time to accurately reflect a person’s immigration status and their entitlements to access work, benefits, housing, and services—unlike physical documents which may appear valid but no longer reflect actual status. This information can be shared automatically with public authorities and government departments, through system-to-system checks, for example to show a person’s entitlement to receive public funds or healthcare.

People with eVisas can share their status easily and securely online, including to employers and education providers, by signing in to the 'view and prove' service and getting a share code, which remains valid for 90 days. More information is available here: eVisas: access and use your online immigration status: View your eVisa and get a share code to prove your immigration status - GOV.UK

We encourage Ukrainians in the UK on the Ukraine schemes who do not yet have a UKVI account to create one to access their eVisa. They can do so here:eVisas: access and use your online immigration status: Set up a UKVI account to access your eVisa - GOV.UK

Should anyone find themselves needing support with creating their UKVI account or getting access to their eVisa, the latest updates and guidance can be found on GOV.UK at: eVisas: access and use your online immigration status: What an eVisa is - GOV.UK

If a person is not be able to prove their rights digitally, employers and landlords can use the Employer Checking Service and Landlord Checking Service to verify a person’s right to work or rent. We do however encourage these people to make the switch to an eVisa given the benefits it brings.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure (a) transparency and (b) accountability in the management of fire safety equipment in leasehold properties.

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

Under Article 17 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, those responsible for fire safety in their premises (Responsible Persons) must make sure that any preventive and protective measures installed to address fire safety risks are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. It is also a requirement on Responsible Persons for multi-occupied residential buildings to communicate the preventive and protective measures they have installed as a result of a fire risk assessment to residents in a comprehensible way.

There is a regulatory making power to mandate the frequency of this information, and we will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the legislation to identify if such a mandate is necessary.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to strengthen consumer protection in the short term lets market.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, traders must carry out a service with reasonable care and skill, and within reasonable time. Where a trader fails to meet the standards required, this could be a breach of contract and the consumer is entitled to ask for a repeat performance of the service or a price reduction.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act strengthens consumer law enforcement by giving the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) new administrative powers, and the CMA and courts the ability to impose significant monetary penalties of up to 10% of turnover.

DBT also funds Citizens Advice to provide the consumer service which supports consumers to resolve disputes and assert their rights.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support water and sanitation projects through Official Development Assistance.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 17 September to question 75697. Further to the answer given, the latest consolidated Statistics for International Development, published in September 2025, shows that UK bilateral Official Development Assistance spent on water, sanitation and hygiene totalled £80 million in the 2024 calendar year.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Layla Moran (Chair); Danny Beales; Ben Coleman; Dr Beccy Cooper;

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Layla Moran (Chair); Danny Beales; Ben Coleman; Dr Beccy Cooper;