Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) doctors completing GP training and (b) available GP posts.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England produces regular forecasts of the numbers of doctors due to complete General Practitioner (GP) training. Latest data show that for 2025/26, 1,964 doctors completed GP training between 1 April and 21 August 2025 with a further 2,733 doctors forecast to complete GP training by 31 March 2026. Estimated completion dates are produced by GP educators based on doctors’ individual progress so are subject to change.

As practices do not have fixed establishment positions against which they report vacancies, we do not collect and publish data on vacancies in general practice.

The Government committed to recruiting over 1,000 recently qualified GPs in primary care networks (PCNs) through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to secure the future pipeline of GPs, with over 1,000 doctors otherwise likely to have graduated into unemployment in 2024/25. This funding has been continued into 2025/26.

Data on the number of recently qualified GPs for which PCNs are claiming reimbursement via the ARRS show that, since 1 October 2024, over 2,000 GPs were recruited through the scheme. Several changes have been made to increase the flexibility of ARRS in 2025/26. This includes GPs and practice nurses included in the main ARRS funding pot, an uplift of the maximum reimbursable rate for GPs in the scheme, and no caps on the number of GPs that can be employed through the scheme.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of UK-based live-streaming of child sexual abuse.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government is unequivocal in its commitment to protecting children from all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse. This includes work to combat livestreamed abuse and ensuring that offenders cannot use technology to harm children with impunity.

The UK has been reported as the third highest consumer of livestreaming and as such we are investing heavily into addressing this heinous crime. The UK is leading the way in supporting the building operational capabilities with other international law enforcement agencies to work together to pursue offenders and safeguard children. The NCA is leading a number of initiatives with industry and engagement with the financial sector to specifically prevent and detect livestreaming offending. This includes work to build on the UK-supported report by the Financial Action Taskforce (FATF) ‘Detecting, Disrupting and Investigating Online Child Sexual Exploitation’.

We are also supporting our law enforcement partners as they continue to work tirelessly to prevent consumption. The Home Office invests in a network of Undercover Online Officers (UCOLs) in Regional Organised Crime Units, who deploy online to identify and pursue offenders seeking to sexually exploit children, including those who consume and facilitate livestreaming of child sexual abuse. Home Office funding also supports the National Crime Agency to use its unique capabilities to disrupt high harm offenders, including those based overseas who seek to livestream abuse.

In addition to pursuing offenders, we are taking legislative action to protect children online. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we will introduce a brand-new criminal offence criminalising AI Models which have been designed or adapted to produce child sexual abuse imagery as well as criminalising those who are administrators or moderators of child sexual abuse sites.

The Online Safety Act introduces world-leading protections for children. It places robust duties on tech companies to prevent and swiftly remove illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, and to take proactive steps to protect children from harm. Ofcom, as the regulator, will have strong enforcement powers to ensure compliance.

We also recognise the importance of device-level protections in preventing livestreaming abuse and we support the development and deployment of safety technologies that can help prevent abuse before it happens. This includes exploring the role of on-device tools that can detect and disrupt livestreamed abuse and other image-based harms, while respecting users’ privacy and maintaining end-to-end encryption.

The Government continues to work closely with law enforcement, industry, and child protection experts to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of efforts to tackle online child sexual abuse.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing (a) device-based and (b) operating system-based safeguards to prevent live-streamed child sexual abuse.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government is unequivocal in its commitment to protecting children from all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse. This includes work to combat livestreamed abuse and ensuring that offenders cannot use technology to harm children with impunity.

The UK has been reported as the third highest consumer of livestreaming and as such we are investing heavily into addressing this heinous crime. The UK is leading the way in supporting the building operational capabilities with other international law enforcement agencies to work together to pursue offenders and safeguard children. The NCA is leading a number of initiatives with industry and engagement with the financial sector to specifically prevent and detect livestreaming offending. This includes work to build on the UK-supported report by the Financial Action Taskforce (FATF) ‘Detecting, Disrupting and Investigating Online Child Sexual Exploitation’.

We are also supporting our law enforcement partners as they continue to work tirelessly to prevent consumption. The Home Office invests in a network of Undercover Online Officers (UCOLs) in Regional Organised Crime Units, who deploy online to identify and pursue offenders seeking to sexually exploit children, including those who consume and facilitate livestreaming of child sexual abuse. Home Office funding also supports the National Crime Agency to use its unique capabilities to disrupt high harm offenders, including those based overseas who seek to livestream abuse.

In addition to pursuing offenders, we are taking legislative action to protect children online. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we will introduce a brand-new criminal offence criminalising AI Models which have been designed or adapted to produce child sexual abuse imagery as well as criminalising those who are administrators or moderators of child sexual abuse sites.

The Online Safety Act introduces world-leading protections for children. It places robust duties on tech companies to prevent and swiftly remove illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, and to take proactive steps to protect children from harm. Ofcom, as the regulator, will have strong enforcement powers to ensure compliance.

We also recognise the importance of device-level protections in preventing livestreaming abuse and we support the development and deployment of safety technologies that can help prevent abuse before it happens. This includes exploring the role of on-device tools that can detect and disrupt livestreamed abuse and other image-based harms, while respecting users’ privacy and maintaining end-to-end encryption.

The Government continues to work closely with law enforcement, industry, and child protection experts to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of efforts to tackle online child sexual abuse.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to (a) prevent and (b) limit UK-based offenders from (i) creating demand for, (ii) accessing and (iii) viewing live-streamed child sexual abuse.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government is unequivocal in its commitment to protecting children from all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse. This includes work to combat livestreamed abuse and ensuring that offenders cannot use technology to harm children with impunity.

The UK has been reported as the third highest consumer of livestreaming and as such we are investing heavily into addressing this heinous crime. The UK is leading the way in supporting the building operational capabilities with other international law enforcement agencies to work together to pursue offenders and safeguard children. The NCA is leading a number of initiatives with industry and engagement with the financial sector to specifically prevent and detect livestreaming offending. This includes work to build on the UK-supported report by the Financial Action Taskforce (FATF) ‘Detecting, Disrupting and Investigating Online Child Sexual Exploitation’.

We are also supporting our law enforcement partners as they continue to work tirelessly to prevent consumption. The Home Office invests in a network of Undercover Online Officers (UCOLs) in Regional Organised Crime Units, who deploy online to identify and pursue offenders seeking to sexually exploit children, including those who consume and facilitate livestreaming of child sexual abuse. Home Office funding also supports the National Crime Agency to use its unique capabilities to disrupt high harm offenders, including those based overseas who seek to livestream abuse.

In addition to pursuing offenders, we are taking legislative action to protect children online. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we will introduce a brand-new criminal offence criminalising AI Models which have been designed or adapted to produce child sexual abuse imagery as well as criminalising those who are administrators or moderators of child sexual abuse sites.

The Online Safety Act introduces world-leading protections for children. It places robust duties on tech companies to prevent and swiftly remove illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, and to take proactive steps to protect children from harm. Ofcom, as the regulator, will have strong enforcement powers to ensure compliance.

We also recognise the importance of device-level protections in preventing livestreaming abuse and we support the development and deployment of safety technologies that can help prevent abuse before it happens. This includes exploring the role of on-device tools that can detect and disrupt livestreamed abuse and other image-based harms, while respecting users’ privacy and maintaining end-to-end encryption.

The Government continues to work closely with law enforcement, industry, and child protection experts to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of efforts to tackle online child sexual abuse.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to issue guidance for homeowners who discover bats in their property.

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

All bats, including their breeding sites and resting places, are protected under UK and international law. This strict legal protection makes it an offence to deliberately capture, injure, or kill bats; to damage or destroy a breeding or resting place; or to obstruct access to a resting or sheltering place.

Guidance on what steps to take if you find bats in your home can be found at Bats: protection and licences - GOV.UK. Natural England are currently reviewing their existing guidance around bats to ensure it is up-to-date, accessible and easy to navigate - supporting both homeowners and bats.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a list of schemes where fines levied against water companies (a) have been reinvested to clean up UK waters and (b) are programmed to be reinvested to clean up UK waters, since the spending review in October 2023.

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

In June this Government announced that fines and penalties levied against water companies for environmental breaches, will be reinvested into future local environmental projects across the country to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. These could include local environmental programmes to address pollution and improve water quality. Further details about the projects and programmes to be funded will be confirmed in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the total amount received from water companies in (a) fines and (b) penalties since the Spending Review 2023; and what steps she has taken to ensure that the funds have been allocated to projects to improve water standards.

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

£109 million in fines and penalties has been applied against water companies since October 2023. This includes the £104.5 million fine issued by Ofwat to Thames Water for breaches of rules relating to the company’s wastewater operations.

In June this Government announced that fines and penalties levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into future local environmental projects across the country to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. Further details about the projects and programmes to be funded by these water company fines onwards will be announced in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will hold discussions with (a) universities and (b) students' unions on introducing (i) safety frameworks, (ii) standardised risk assessments, (iii) training and (iv) a duty to report incidents in relation to student-led outdoor activities.

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

I refer the hon. Member for North Cornwall to the answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 54501.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure that (a) universities and (b) students' unions have a duty of care to students while undertaking student-led outdoor activities.

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

I refer the hon. Member for North Cornwall to the answer of 5 June 2025 to Question 54501.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what funding streams are available for SMEs offering (a) patented and (b) environmentally beneficial technologies in the water sector.

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

There are a number of funding schemes available to innovative companies and SMEs in the water sector. Since 2020, Ofwat’s £600m Innovation Fund has supported 109 projects and facilitated almost 300 collaborations between companies, universities, charities, and other organisations. The Government is also supporting innovation through Ofwat’s £100m Water Efficiency Fund, which seeks to stimulate a reduction in water demand across England and Wales. Furthermore, UKRI runs a range of competitions open to SMEs in the water sector. For example, Innovate UK’s Growth Catalyst supports innovative start-ups, particularly those in the clean energy and climate technology sectors. There are also opportunities for firms developing water innovations within Horizon Europe programmes.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to (a) implement and (b) administer the proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief under the inheritance tax regime, including any (i) projected staffing, (ii) system and (iii) compliance costs; and whether this estimate will be published prior to the reforms taking effect in April 2026.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

I refer to the answer given on 5 September 2025 to PQ UIN 70546.

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-08-29/70546

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of allowing incidental off-sales of beer and cider from draught duty paid containers on pubs in rural communities.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Draught beer and cider now pay 13.9% less in duty than their packaged equivalents – an increase of over 50% on the previous draught discount of 9.2%. This took a penny of duty off a typical strength pint.

The core objective of this relief is to recognise the cultural importance of pubs and other on-trade venues as community hubs and to encourage responsible drinking in supervised settings.

To ensure this relief is targeted at the on-trade, it is prohibited to repackage products that have received Draught Relief for off-site consumption. It is the intention that beverages that are sold to be consumed off site should pay the full rate of duty like their equivalents sold in off-trade venues.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Saudi counterpart on the cases of seven Egyptian nationals facing execution for non-lethal drug offences.

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

The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries and circumstances. We regularly discuss human rights with the Saudi authorities, including individual cases of concern. I raised the cases of several Egyptian nationals with the Saudi authorities this year. The Government will continue to engage on this matter.

200th anniversary of the Church of St Martin of Tours, Epsom