A Bill to prohibit giving or receiving a reward for the supply of, or for offering to supply, human remains or any object partially consisting of human remains; to prohibit advertising the sale, exchange, or offer of sale or exchange, of human remains or any object partially consisting of human remains; to make provision for specified exemptions from those prohibitions; and for connected purposes.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that GP practices are able to provide NHS-funded ear wax removal services, particularly for patients at risk of hearing loss.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission cost-effective healthcare to meet the needs of their local population. This includes commissioning ear wax removal services in line with the recommendations for ear wax removal as set out in guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng98/chapter/Recommendations
This may involve commissioning general practices (GPs) or other providers, to whom GPs may refer patients, to provide ear wax removal services.
Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by NICE due to the risks associated with it, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection, so GPs will often recommend home treatment remedies to alleviate ear wax build-up.
However, in line with the NICE’s guidance, a person may require ear wax removal treatment if the build-up of earwax is linked with hearing loss. A GP may then refer the patient into audiology services, which ICBs are responsible for commissioning.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
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 (a) reinstate and (b) standardise NHS provision of ear wax removal in primary care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission cost-effective healthcare to meet the needs of their local population. This includes commissioning ear wax removal services in line with the recommendations for ear wax removal as set out in guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng98/chapter/Recommendations
This may involve commissioning general practices (GPs) or other providers, to whom GPs may refer patients, to provide ear wax removal services.
Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by NICE due to the risks associated with it, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection, so GPs will often recommend home treatment remedies to alleviate ear wax build-up.
However, in line with the NICE’s guidance, a person may require ear wax removal treatment if the build-up of earwax is linked with hearing loss. A GP may then refer the patient into audiology services, which ICBs are responsible for commissioning.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that children in care have their citizenship status resolved before turning 18.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Children seeking to register as a British citizen will have the fee waived if they are able to credibly demonstrate that they cannot afford the fee. In addition, where an application has been made by or on behalf of a child who is looked after by a Local Authority, no fee is payable and it is not necessary for the child’s financial circumstances to be evidenced.
Since 16 June 2022, when the fee exemption for registering looked after children as British citizens was introduced, the Home Office has proactively engaged with every local authority. This work has focused on informing and supporting them to understand the exemption and the full range of citizenship registration options available to children under local authority care and supporting them with bespoke communication channels for local authorities to assist on a case-by-case basis.
In addition, a person over the age of 18 who missed out on becoming a British citizen as a child may qualify for registration under section 4L of the British Nationality Act 1981 in certain circumstances. That provision can be used where an applicant can demonstrate that they would have been able to become British while a child in care.
In the Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper, which was published on 12 May 2025, we stated that consideration will be made to removing financial barriers to acquiring British citizenship for young adults who have lived their entire lives in the UK.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure that children eligible for British citizenship are able to afford the application fee for citizenship.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Children seeking to register as a British citizen will have the fee waived if they are able to credibly demonstrate that they cannot afford the fee. In addition, where an application has been made by or on behalf of a child who is looked after by a Local Authority, no fee is payable and it is not necessary for the child’s financial circumstances to be evidenced.
Since 16 June 2022, when the fee exemption for registering looked after children as British citizens was introduced, the Home Office has proactively engaged with every local authority. This work has focused on informing and supporting them to understand the exemption and the full range of citizenship registration options available to children under local authority care and supporting them with bespoke communication channels for local authorities to assist on a case-by-case basis.
In addition, a person over the age of 18 who missed out on becoming a British citizen as a child may qualify for registration under section 4L of the British Nationality Act 1981 in certain circumstances. That provision can be used where an applicant can demonstrate that they would have been able to become British while a child in care.
In the Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper, which was published on 12 May 2025, we stated that consideration will be made to removing financial barriers to acquiring British citizenship for young adults who have lived their entire lives in the UK.