Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the reported 95% coverage achieved by the Shared Rural Network will be reviewed using Ofcom’s forthcoming reporting methodology based on a 5 Mbps threshold.

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

I refer the hon. Member for Harpenden and Berkhamsted, to the answer of 25 July 2025 to Question 68570: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure mobile network operators cannot invoke the all reasonable efforts clause to avoid penalties under the Shared Rural Network agreement in remote or total not-spot areas.

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

I refer the hon. Member for Harpenden and Berkhamsted, to the answer of 25 July 2025 to Question 68571: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the decision to reduce the number of planned masts under the Shared Rural Network programme on (a) rural mobile coverage and (b) (i) remote and (ii) total not-spot areas.

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

The first part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN), which targeted areas of the UK that have 4G coverage from at least one, but not all, mobile network operators was completed last year and covered a greater area of UK landmass than originally expected, putting it ahead of schedule. 4G coverage across the UK continues to increase and is currently at 95.6%.

This has allowed the Government and the mobile network operators to reassess the delivery strategy for the Government funded elements of the SRN and specifically agree on a more targeted approach to delivery of the total not-spot project focussing publicly funded infrastructure on where it is most needed, in areas primarily where people live, work, or travel, including walking and hiking routes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people who entered the UK on a social care work visa in each of the past ten years remain (a) in the UK and (b) working in social care.

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

The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to allow local authorities to reject planning applications from developers on the basis of previous failures to (a) build and (b) maintain sustainable drainage infrastructure.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to securing the delivery of high-quality sustainable drainage systems to help manage flood risk and adapt to the effects of climate change.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that developments of all sizes should use sustainable drainage techniques where the development could have drainage impacts, and that appropriate maintenance arrangements should be in place to ensure an acceptable standard of operation for the lifetime of the development.

By law, planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan for the area unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Each application is judged on its own individual merits and the weight given to these considerations is a matter for the local planning authority as the decision taker in the first instance.

Local planning authorities should consider the use of conditions or planning obligations to make development acceptable, which may include flood mitigation works, and have a broad range of powers to take enforcement action against breaches of planning control.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if stations on East West Rail will have step-free access.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

All new and refurbished stations as part of the East-West Rail (EWR) project will have step-free access for users once the full route between Oxford and Cambridge opens in the mid-2030s and will meet robust accessibility requirements set out by EWR Co’s inclusive design team. EWR Co also has an accessibility advisory panel, which is made up of people with a range of disabilities, who are consulted on EWR Co’s designs to ensure these promote accessible travel for all.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department checks that National Insurance numbers associated with visa-holders cease being associated with tax payments at the expiry of work visas.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The National Insurance (NI) number is a reference number for the administration of National Insurance and social security, and is used more widely in tax administration. The NI number does not expire or cease being associated with an individual if their visa expires.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of people who (a) have indefinite leave to remain and (b) arrived in the UK on a skilled worker visa who work in an eligible profession.

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

The Home Office does not produce estimates of the total number of people who currently hold indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the UK, and of those, who arrived on a Skilled Worker visa and are working in an eligible profession.

Migration Statistics do not provide estimates but instead publish official data on casework applications and decisions made under the UK immigration system. These data are available within the quarterly Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK publication.

While Migration Statistics do not hold the total number of people with ILR, we do publish quarterly figures on the number of grants and refusals of settlement, and those made through the EU Settlement Scheme, both of which provide the overview of indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

In addition, the Migrant journey - GOV.UK detailed dataset (table MJ_D02) provides information on the number of people granted settlement each year by their year of initial grant and category of leave. However, this dataset’s level of detail only extends to the broad category of “Worker”, which may include those initially granted a Skilled Worker visa, but not exclusively; it can also include other routes such as Health and Care Worker or related visa types.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of staffing levels in local government on the financial sustainability of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Local Government Pension Scheme is well funded, with a funding level of 107% at the 2022 fund valuation. The 2025 valuation is currently underway, which will value the assets and liabilities of each fund, and set employer contributions locally to ensure the long term sustainability of each fund.

The potential impacts of change in the number of active members and any redundancies will be taken into account as part of the valuation.

Member pensions and benefits are protected as they are guaranteed in statute and are not affected by the performance of investments or by the structural changes.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding she plans to allocate to direct rail links between the UK and Germany; and what proportion of that will be allocated in the UK.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government fully supports the growth of international rail passenger services, including potential new direct connections, and recognises the socio-economic benefits that these provide for UK citizens and businesses.

The Government signed a joint declaration with Germany in August which formalises our joint commitment to exploring the potential for direct rail services in future and establishes a Taskforce to take this forward. This work is in the very early stages, and any services established will be operated on a commercial basis without Government funding, as is the case for all international rail passenger services from the UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to direct local authorities to always reject planning applications which the lead local flood authority deem would increase the risk of flooding for existing properties.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk (whether existing or future). Where development is necessary in such areas, the development should be made safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere.

In addition, the National Planning Policy Framework is clear that sustainable drainage systems provided as part of proposals for major development should take account of advice from the Lead Local Flood Authority.

Planning practice guidance sets out that when considering proposals for major development the local planning authority will need to consult the lead local flood authority on surface water drainage.

The guidance is clear that local planning authorities may find it helpful to agree with lead local flood authorities the circumstances and locations where site specific flood risk assessments will be required due to surface water or other local flood risks and lead local flood authority advice can be sought on other planning applications which raise surface water or other local flood risk issues. This can be achieved by having regard to the available information on local flood risks, including the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and the updated map of flood risk from surface water which can be found on gov.uk here.

To ensure a proportionate, pragmatic and constituents approach to surface flood risk, we published updated planning practice guidance to clarify how the sequential test should be applied in September 2025. We will consider whether any further changes are required to national planning policy for flooding as part of the new suite of national policies for decision making that we intend to consult on later this year.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people with indefinite leave to remain status are in full time employment.

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

The information requested is not centrally held.

The Home Office publishes quarterly statistics relating to decisions on applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain, and those made through the EU Settlement Scheme, in the Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK publication, both of which provide an overview of those persons with indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the guidance entitled Register of licensed sponsors: workers, published on 26 September 2025, what estimate her Department has made of the number of organisations on the register who can sponsor charity workers whose main function is to perform religious work.

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

The information requested is not available from published statistics and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what step her Department is taking to ensure that Skilled Worker visa holders are earning an income above the qualifying threshold for that visa.

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

Our compliance officers regularly check workers salary particulars, including bank statements detailing payments made to them by their employer, as well as the payment documentation provided by sponsors. In addition, routine checks are carried out with OGDs if there is any indication of a failure to pay the designated rate.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of employees in the average workforce of organisations listed on the register of licences sponsors (workers) are visa holders.

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

The Home Office does not hold any data on this matter. Obtaining the specific information requested would involve a breakdown of the workforce for each individual sponsor, which would require GDPR compliant agreements in place and only be obtained by disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to to publish annual workforce totals for each organisation on the register of licensed sponsors (workers).

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

At present, there are no plans to publish this data, although we do keep such matters under review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many immigrants found to have been working illegally have been deported since 4 July 2024.

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

As set out in legislation, an individual is liable to removal from the UK if "the person requires leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom but does not have it". The Home Office does not routinely categorise immigration offenders by the manner in which they became irregular, including those who may have been found to be working in breach of visa conditions, and to do so could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what financial requirements there are to be granted a work visa related to charity work.

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

The financial requirements for the Charity Worker route are published in Appendix Temporary Work – Charity Worker of the Immigration Rules: Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules Appendix Temporary Work - Charity Worker - Guidance - GOV.UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 44048 on Environmental Delivery Plans, whether measures that require permanent maintenance will be funded from the initial levy.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 44048 on 24 April 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have dependent visas associated with a holder of a (a) Religious Worker and (b) Minister of Religion visa.

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

The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas by visa route, including Religious Worker, and applicant type in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the outcomes of visa applications are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset.

Please note that Religious Worker dependants are grouped into the 'Dependant - Temporary Worker' category.

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from January 2005 up to the end of June 2025.

To calculate a refusal rate, we recommend that you take the number of refusals and divide by the total number of outcomes in a given period.

Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of visa applications were rejected by visa type since 4 July 2024.

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

The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas by visa route, including Religious Worker, and applicant type in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the outcomes of visa applications are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset.

Please note that Religious Worker dependants are grouped into the 'Dependant - Temporary Worker' category.

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from January 2005 up to the end of June 2025.

To calculate a refusal rate, we recommend that you take the number of refusals and divide by the total number of outcomes in a given period.

Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have a (a) Religious Worker and (b) Minister of Religion visa.

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

The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas by visa route, including Religious Worker, and applicant type in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the outcomes of visa applications are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset.

Please note that Religious Worker dependants are grouped into the 'Dependant - Temporary Worker' category.

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from January 2005 up to the end of June 2025.

To calculate a refusal rate, we recommend that you take the number of refusals and divide by the total number of outcomes in a given period.

Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of new neighbourhood GP providers on patient choice.

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

The ambition for our Neighbourhood Health Service is to rebalance our health and care system so that it fits around people’s lives, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach and giving people more power and choice over the care that they receive.

Neighbourhood Health Services will bring together teams of professionals, including nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, and health visitors, closer to people’s home, to work together to provide comprehensive care in the community.

This Government will bring back the family doctor for those who would benefit from seeing the same clinician regularly, for example, those living with chronic illness. In doing so, we will improve continuity of care, which is associated with better health outcomes and fewer accident and emergency department attendances. We will make sure the future of general practice is sustainable by training thousands more general practitioners and delivering a modern booking system.

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 implications for her policies of the Public First report entitled From risk to resilience - the case for flood-resilient communities, economy and growth, published in March 2025.

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

This Government is investing at least a record £10.5 billion until 2036 – the largest flood programme in history which is projected to benefit nearly 900,000 properties. This demonstrates the Government’s commitment to long-term funding as recommended by the Public First report.

Also, in line with the report’s recommendations, the Government is exploring setting a long-term multi-decade target for flood risk management and has announced a new flood funding policy that will make it quicker and easier to deliver the right flood defences in the right places by simplifying our funding rules.

The new funding policy will optimise funding between building new flood projects and maintaining existing defences and will ensure that deprived communities continue to receive vital investment. We will use Government funding to unlock investment from public, private and charitable sources, making every £1 of Government investment go further. We will also invest at least £300 million in natural flood management over ten years – the highest figure to date for the floods programme.

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 4 August 2025 to Question 62005 on Care Workers: Migrant Workers, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on visa status and ongoing employment in adult social care or UK residence.

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

Home Office immigration statistics show the numbers of Health and Care Worker visas granted under this category for the ‘Caring Personal Services’ occupation group (613), which broadly covers occupations across social care, over time, and for the specific “care workers and home carers” occupation code (6135) from the fourth quarter of 2024. Not all visa grants will result in a worker travelling to the United Kingdom.

Skills for Care collects data on the adult social care workforce from employers on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care, with the voluntary Adult Social Care Workforce Dataset data collection. From July 2024, it added a question about the Health and Care Worker visa status of employees, supplementing existing data on nationality and, for non-UK nationals, the year of entry to the UK. However, the uncertainty of any estimate of the total number of current workers with this status would depend on how many employers have chosen to respond to that question and whether their responses could be considered representative of the workforce in its entirety. Any estimate could not be directly compared to data on visa grants from the Home Office.

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 4 August 2025 to Question 62005 on Care Workers: Migrant Workers, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting that information.

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

Home Office immigration statistics show the numbers of Health and Care Worker visas granted under this category for the ‘Caring Personal Services’ occupation group (613), which broadly covers occupations across social care, over time, and for the specific “care workers and home carers” occupation code (6135) from the fourth quarter of 2024. Not all visa grants will result in a worker travelling to the United Kingdom.

Skills for Care collects data on the adult social care workforce from employers on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care, with the voluntary Adult Social Care Workforce Dataset data collection. From July 2024, it added a question about the Health and Care Worker visa status of employees, supplementing existing data on nationality and, for non-UK nationals, the year of entry to the UK. However, the uncertainty of any estimate of the total number of current workers with this status would depend on how many employers have chosen to respond to that question and whether their responses could be considered representative of the workforce in its entirety. Any estimate could not be directly compared to data on visa grants from the Home Office.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of workers working in the social care sector who are in the UK on a social care worker visa.

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

Home Office immigration statistics show the numbers of Health and Care Worker visas granted under this category for the ‘Caring Personal Services’ occupation group (613), which broadly covers occupations across social care, over time, and for the specific “care workers and home carers” occupation code (6135) from the fourth quarter of 2024. Not all visa grants will result in a worker travelling to the United Kingdom.

Skills for Care collects data on the adult social care workforce from employers on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care, with the voluntary Adult Social Care Workforce Dataset data collection. From July 2024, it added a question about the Health and Care Worker visa status of employees, supplementing existing data on nationality and, for non-UK nationals, the year of entry to the UK. However, the uncertainty of any estimate of the total number of current workers with this status would depend on how many employers have chosen to respond to that question and whether their responses could be considered representative of the workforce in its entirety. Any estimate could not be directly compared to data on visa grants from the Home Office.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Millions more appointments as more than 2,000 extra GPs recruited, published on 24 July 2025, what proportion of additional GP appointments have been held in person.

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

Eight million more general practitioner (GP) appointments have been delivered this year compared to last.

The General Practice Appointments Data (GPAD) does not enable us to attribute delivered appointments to individual GPs. As a result, it is not possible to determine how many of these additional appointments were delivered specifically by the 2,300 newly recruited GPs.

The GPAD provides information on the total number of appointments delivered face to face, and similarly, but not specifically, how many face-to-face appointments are delivered by individual GPs, including the 2,300 newly recruited GPs. Appointment mode, whether face to face, telephone, or online, is determined by clinical need and patient preference, and is not inherently directly linked to the number of GPs recruited.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 139 of his Department's 10 Year Health Plan, published on 3 July 2025, whether bridging loan capabilities will be permitted in order to allow the provision of new GP surgeries prior to the receipt of Section 106 funding.

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

The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to determine how developer contributions from new housing developments can be better used towards local health services and infrastructure.

The primary care estate is a complex mix of general practice (GP) private ownership, third-party ownership and lease arrangements with approximately half of GP premises owned by general practitioners. The bridging loan capabilities referenced in the 10-Year Health Plan are based on powers that my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has to provide financing to NHS trusts and foundation trusts and thus are not permitted to GP surgeries directly.

We advise those schemes looking to utilise section 106 to work with their integrated care board (ICB), which can provide information on eligibility for bridging loan capabilities or alternatives to support delivery of health infrastructure in the area.

ICBs are responsible for commissioning, including planning, securing, and monitoring, GP services within their health systems through delegated responsibility from NHS England. The National Health Service has a statutory duty to ensure that there are sufficient medical services, including GP services, in each local area. It should take account of population growth and demographic changes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10-Year Health Plan, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government about the role of placemaking in improving public health.

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

Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government meet periodically to discuss shared priorities and links to health.

The Government’s initial response to the report of the independent New Towns Taskforce makes clear the importance of health in placemaking, stating that this work “is about creating new places and new communities, each place with a distinct sense of identity and the necessary infrastructure and amenities to support the health and wellbeing of its residents and neighbouring communities”. The taskforce report specifically recommends learning from the former NHS England Healthy New Towns programme.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the likely mix of housing occupancy types for people attaining state pension age in each of the next five decades.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has relaunched the Pensions Commission to consider the outcomes and risks for future cohorts of pensioners, taking into consideration the role housing plays amongst other factors. The Commission will report in 2027.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 15 of the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, whether support to purchase wearables will be provided to patients outside areas where health need and deprivation are highest.

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

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will ensure fair and equitable access by making wearables available for patients that need them.

We are exploring how wearable technology can best support prevention, early intervention, and the management of long-term conditions, while reducing health inequalities and improving outcomes across the country.

The type of wearable technology provided will depend on the specific health need being addressed. The focus will be on deploying the most relevant and effective technology to support individual care pathways and improve patient outcomes.

Any future decisions about wider support for the purchase or provision of wearables will be subject to evaluation findings, value-for-money assessments, and future spending review decisions.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the press release entitled UK launches global talent drive to attract world-leading researchers and innovators, published on 22 June 2025, if he will publish his Department’s impact assessment for this decision.

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

The Global Talent Taskforce (GTT) is a delivery-focused unit actively developing a pipeline of highly talented individuals who are considering laying down roots and investing in the UK. It provides tailored account management to support these individuals in support of the UK’s Industrial Strategy priority sectors. The Department for Science and Technology-led (DSIT) Global Talent Fund is a £54 million fund, administrated by UKRI and delivered by research organisations, which covers 100% of eligible costs, including relocation and research expenses, with no requirement for match funding from research organisations. DSIT and UKRI are working with GTF ROs to maximise delivery impact in line with government ambitions to attract global talent to the UK.

No, the Department for Business and Trade does not plan to publish an impact assessment in relation to the launch of the Global Talent Taskforce as it wouldn’t be required or appropriate for a Taskforce.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many planning permissions were granted in each of the past five years.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department publishes the number of planning applications granted permission per quarter in our quarterly planning applications statistical release which can be found on gov.uk here.

England level data can be found in live table 120 for all planning decisions, and for residential planning decisions in live table 120A.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of migrants who have arrived illegally in the UK since 4 August 2025.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

By its very nature, it is not possible to know the exact number of people who arrive to the UK illegally, and so we do not seek to make any official estimates of this. In June 2019, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published a note on ‘measuring illegal migration’.

However, the Home Office does publish statistics on detected irregular arrivals to the UK in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on detected irregular arrivals by method of entry is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’, with the latest data up to the end of June 2025. Data for July to September 2025 will be published on 27 November 2025. Data on daily small boat arrivals is published at: Small boat activity in the English Channel - GOV.UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 61248 on Green Belt: Maps, if he will list the local authorities that have received funding.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government has provided 133 local planning authorities with £70,000 of pump priming funding each to contribute towards the costs of carrying out Green Belt reviews in their areas.

Eligible local authorities submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI) form requesting a share of this funding. The EOIs were reviewed, and funding has been awarded.

Further details, along with a list of successful local authorities, can be found on gov.uk here.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the amount of Section 106 funding returned to developers in each of the last five years; and what the most common infrastructure needs that funding had been allocated for are.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 54059 on 6 June 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the amount of Section 106 funding that was not drawn down and subsequently lost in each of the past ten years.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 54059 on 6 June 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the average salary earned by (a) all and (b) skilled worker visa holders.

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

An estimate of the average salary earned by all visa holders is not available, as the information is not held.

HMRC and Home Office have introduced a data sharing process to match visa data to administrative tax data. The Home Office published a research report on 12 May on earnings, employment, and Income Tax liabilities of visa holders on Sponsored Work (Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, and Senior or Specialist Worker (Global Business Mobility)) and Family routes.

The publication reports a median figure of £56,600 for the annual adjusted earnings of skilled worker entry clearance visa holders in financial year 2023 to 2024. Skilled worker extension of stay visa holders were found to have a median annual adjusted earnings figure of £56,300 over the same period.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many immigrants have been found to be working illegally since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The relevant statistical figures can be accessed via the official government website at the following link:

Illegal working activity between 5 July 2024 and 28 June 2025 - GOV.UK

The government takes illegal working very seriously, and we are determined to clamp down on the employment of individuals with no right to work in the UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the guidance entitled Register of licensed sponsors: workers, published on 26 September 2025, how many and what proportion of organisations on the register have received an in-person inspection by her Department since 4 July 2025.

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

Routine reviews of the register of licensed sponsors are undertaken to check that sponsors are still classified as active.

It is normal practice to contact a sponsor if we have any concerns over any individuals they have sponsored or are seeking to sponsor however, we do not hold any published data on this.

Essential updates and reminders are sent periodically to those licensed sponsors currently on the register.

We do not hold any data on licensed sponsors in receipt of public funding.

We do not routinely publish data on in-person inspections.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the guidance entitled Register of licensed sponsors: workers, published on 26 September 2025, how many organisations on the register are in receipt of public funding; and how many visas those organisations sponsor in total.

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

Routine reviews of the register of licensed sponsors are undertaken to check that sponsors are still classified as active.

It is normal practice to contact a sponsor if we have any concerns over any individuals they have sponsored or are seeking to sponsor however, we do not hold any published data on this.

Essential updates and reminders are sent periodically to those licensed sponsors currently on the register.

We do not hold any data on licensed sponsors in receipt of public funding.

We do not routinely publish data on in-person inspections.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the guidance entitled Register of licensed sponsors: workers, published on 26 September 2025, how often her Department communicates with organisations on the register in relation to their legal requirements as sponsor organisations.

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

Routine reviews of the register of licensed sponsors are undertaken to check that sponsors are still classified as active.

It is normal practice to contact a sponsor if we have any concerns over any individuals they have sponsored or are seeking to sponsor however, we do not hold any published data on this.

Essential updates and reminders are sent periodically to those licensed sponsors currently on the register.

We do not hold any data on licensed sponsors in receipt of public funding.

We do not routinely publish data on in-person inspections.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the guidance entitled Register of licensed sponsors: workers, published on 26 September 2025, how often her Department communicates with organisations on the register in relation to visas they have sponsored.

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

Routine reviews of the register of licensed sponsors are undertaken to check that sponsors are still classified as active.

It is normal practice to contact a sponsor if we have any concerns over any individuals they have sponsored or are seeking to sponsor however, we do not hold any published data on this.

Essential updates and reminders are sent periodically to those licensed sponsors currently on the register.

We do not hold any data on licensed sponsors in receipt of public funding.

We do not routinely publish data on in-person inspections.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the guidance entitled Register of licensed sponsors: workers, published on 26 September 2025, how often her Department checks whether organisations on the register are still in operation.

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

Routine reviews of the register of licensed sponsors are undertaken to check that sponsors are still classified as active.

It is normal practice to contact a sponsor if we have any concerns over any individuals they have sponsored or are seeking to sponsor however, we do not hold any published data on this.

Essential updates and reminders are sent periodically to those licensed sponsors currently on the register.

We do not hold any data on licensed sponsors in receipt of public funding.

We do not routinely publish data on in-person inspections.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what checks her Department undertakes to ensure that holders of (a) Religious Worker and (b) Minister of Religion visas are performing religious work.

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

The information regarding eligibility to sponsor religious workers or Ministers of Religion is not currently available from published statistics and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Checks are carried out on visa applications to verify they meet the published requirements of the individual routes, genuineness of a role and compliance checks may be conducted as well to satisfy that the roles involve religious work.

The Immigration Rules contain details on financial requirements for all visas and these are updated regularly.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what financial requirements there are to be granted a work visa related to religious work.

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

The information regarding eligibility to sponsor religious workers or Ministers of Religion is not currently available from published statistics and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Checks are carried out on visa applications to verify they meet the published requirements of the individual routes, genuineness of a role and compliance checks may be conducted as well to satisfy that the roles involve religious work.

The Immigration Rules contain details on financial requirements for all visas and these are updated regularly.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the guidance entitled Register of licensed sponsors: workers, published on 26 September 2025, how many organisations on the register are eligible to sponsor (a) Religious Worker and (b) Minister of Religion visas by religion.

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

The information regarding eligibility to sponsor religious workers or Ministers of Religion is not currently available from published statistics and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Checks are carried out on visa applications to verify they meet the published requirements of the individual routes, genuineness of a role and compliance checks may be conducted as well to satisfy that the roles involve religious work.

The Immigration Rules contain details on financial requirements for all visas and these are updated regularly.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to publish the number of visas sponsored by each organisation on the register of licensed sponsors (workers) since 2021.

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

Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the code of practice for statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to disapply the cap on council tax rises for 2026-27 as part of the fair funding review.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Spending Review confirmed the government intends to maintain the referendum threshold at 3%, with 2% for the adult social care precept. This is in line with the threshold set up by the previous government.

Final referendum principles will be confirmed at the local government finance settlement, subject to approval by the House of Commons, in the usual way.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the value of allotments to local communities.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We recognise the significance of allotments and the valuable contribution they make to the health, wellbeing, and spirit of communities.

Local Authorities have a duty to provide allotments if there is sufficient demand, and we believe they are best placed to assess the needs of their areas. Therefore, there is currently no national assessment of the value of allotments to local communities.

However, we are seeking to improve allotment provision through the Government’s Green Flag Award scheme. Under this scheme, allotments (if entered as a community garden) can be awarded Green Flag accreditation if they meet the highest quality standards. Recent updates to the Green Flag Award contract, managed by the MHCLG, have included a criterion for ‘community involvement’, which evaluates the value of green spaces to their local communities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is his planned timetable for implementing local government re-organisation in Bedfordshire.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The English Devolution White Paper announced that we will facilitate a programme of local government reorganisation for two-tier areas, and for unitary councils where there is evidence of failure or where their size or boundaries may be hindering their ability to deliver sustainable and high-quality public services.

On 5 February councils in all 21 two-tier areas together with small neighbouring unitary authorities were invited to submit proposals for unitary local government. The three councils in Bedfordshire were not included as part of this process. The Government is open to discussions with all areas where structural change will help them get onto a more sustainable footing.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a list of the named, contactable police officer in every neighbourhood in England and Wales.

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

The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is ensuring a more consistent standard of neighbourhood policing across England and Wales. This includes every neighbourhood in England and Wales now having named and contactable officers.

Details of all named, contactable officers can be found on force websites, where the public are able to type in their postcode to find out about their neighbourhood policing area, local policing priorities and how to contact their neighbourhood teams.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of UK visa holders on a work visa related to religious work who were granted indefinite leave to remain since 4 July 2024.

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

Migration Statistics publish annual figures on the number of grants of indefinite leave to remain (settlement) by category of leave sub-group in table SE_D01 of the Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK publication.

The available data relating to UK visa holders on a “Ministers of Religion (previously Tier 2)” visa who were granted indefinite leave to remain can be found in table SE_D01 from the above link.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 61255 on Planning: Apprentices, if he will make it his policy to collect data on the number of planners with a Level 7 Chartered Town Planner Apprenticeship qualification that are employed by (a) local authorities and (b) developers.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department currently has no plans to collect data on the number of planners with a Level 7 Chartered Town Planner Apprenticeship qualification employed by local authorities or developers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the financial sustainability of housing associations.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given Question UIN 76512 on 16 September 2025.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department undertakes checks on whether holders of work visas are paying (a) Income Tax and (b) National Insurance.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC have interpreted ‘checks’ in this instance as ‘compliance checks’ on taxpayers with tax and National Insurance owed in the UK.

HMRC takes a risk-based approach to compliance and focuses its resources where tax is most at risk of not being paid. This approach may result in compliance checks on holders of work visas.

Decisions on which taxpayers should be subject to a compliance check are based on HMRC’s understanding of compliance risk in the tax system, which is supported by data and intelligence sources including banking data and credit card sales, business databases, international exchanges of information and reported wrongdoing, as well as assessments of the tax gap, economic and social trends, operational insight and risk monitoring.

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 an assessment of the potential impact of the Planning (Flooding) Bill on the risk of flooding in (a) England and (b) Wales.

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

Protecting communities around the country from flooding is a priority for Government. That is why the Government is making a record £10.5 billion investment, delivering the largest flood and coastal investment programme in history. Flood risk management is a devolved matter.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants are employed on Level 7 apprenticeships.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

As of 31 December 2024, there were 1,635 Level 7 apprentices across the Civil Service. This government remains committed to apprenticeships as one pathway to break down barriers to opportunity.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 61251 on Affordable Housing: Greater London, what level of affordable housing delivery in London he is targeting; and what progress his Department has made on this.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The GLA’s target range for the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme in London is 17,800-19,000.

The GLA last published their affordable housing statistics in August 2025. From the beginning of the programme to June 2025, there have been 5,500 starts, and 997 completions.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to page 27 of the Agenda Report entitled The formation of the Vauxhall Luton Taskforce of the Agenda for the Luton Borough Council Executive meeting on 23 June 2025, whether the Government has made its own assessment of the cost of the closure of the Stellantis plant on the Bedfordshire economy.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Despite extensive engagement from Ministers, Stellantis regrettably decided to close its Luton plant, with production ending in May 2025. While we do not have a formal assessment of the cost of the plant closure for the Bedfordshire economy, the Government along with Luton Borough Council and other partners worked closely to understand the likely impact of the closure. The Government also asked Luton Borough Council to form a locally led taskforce to co-ordinate the local response to the economic impact of the plant closure and provided ministerial and official support to the taskforce’s work.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many social houses have begun construction since 4 July 2024 in (a) England, (b) the East of England and (c) Bedfordshire.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Data on new social and affordable housing supply, including starts, for the period between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 has been pre-announced for publication in November/December 2025 and can be found on gov.uk here. The pre-announcement will be updated with the release date soon, according to the code of practice for Statistics.

The subset of that data relating to the delivery in the aforementioned period by Homes England and the Greater London Authority is already available at England level in Live Table 1012, available on gov.uk here.

Data on affordable housing supply, including starts for the period between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026 has been pre-announced for publication in November/December 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here. This pre-announcement will be updated with the release date in due course and according to the code of practice for Statistics.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 73 of his Department's 10 Year Health Plan, published on 3 July 2025, whether patients will be able to opt out of viewing their risk of major conditions.

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

The National Health Service’s 10-Year Health Plan included a commitment that the NHS will develop a Unified Genomic Record, integrating genomic data with relevant clinical and diagnostic data. This will be linked to the NHS Single Patient Record. Patients will be able to view a complete account of their risk of major conditions and manage their personal health risks through the NHS App.

The information that a patient chooses to receive from the Unified Genomic Record via the NHS App will be tailored to individual preferences.

Clinicians will be able to view the patient’s risk of major conditions and can work with individual patients to manage that risk and mitigate the risk of the condition developing.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing ongoing access to therapy for people with complex mental health needs.

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

We recognise the importance of providing ongoing access to therapy for people with complex mental health needs. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service and the three big shifts needed in the system – analogue to digital, sickness to prevention and hospital to community.

As part of this, we are piloting neighbourhood mental health centres. These pilots aim to provide open access holistic care for anyone with a severe mental illness or complex mental health needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, bringing together a range of community mental health services and other forms of relevant support under one roof, including crisis services and short-stay beds.

NHS England is also developing a Modern Service Framework which will focus on services for people with severe and enduring mental illness and services for people with complex emotional needs.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Government’s house building programme on the value of assets in the Public Sector Net Financial Liabilities.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Net Financial Debt, otherwise known as Public Sector Net Financial Liabilities, recognises the value of financial assets that are expected to make a future return, such as loans.

Houses are non-financial assets and so their value is not captured in this fiscal metric.

Through the Spending Review, the government provided the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of public sector headcount on the financial sustainability of public sector pension schemes.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Government’s central measure of the affordability of public service pensions is long-term public service pension spending as a share of GDP.

Public sector headcount is considered in several ways within this measure, using the OBR’s long-term assumptions on the size of the public sector workforce.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of apprenticeships on increasing the environmental health workforce.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Employers operating in environmental health have developed the environmental health practitioner level 6 degree apprenticeship to help them develop their workforces. Further detail about the apprenticeship can be found on the Skills England website at: https://skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0714-v1-0.

The government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners in England and support the industrial strategy. In August the department introduced new foundation apprenticeships for young people in targeted sectors, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships. These flexibilities will help more people learn new high-quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country.

Skills England is working closely with employers to identify priority skills gaps, helping ensure that the levy-funded growth and skills offer delivers value for money, meets the needs of business and helps kick-start economic growth.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have dependent visas associated with a holder of a charity worker visa.

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

In total, 3,971 Charity Worker visas have been issued from 2023 to the end of June 2025.

Data on charity worker visas issued is published as part of the Immigration system statistics data tables regular releases on the Gov.uk website at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have a charity worker visa.

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

In total, 3,971 Charity Worker visas have been issued from 2023 to the end of June 2025.

Data on charity worker visas issued is published as part of the Immigration system statistics data tables regular releases on the Gov.uk website at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the amount of (a) Income Tax and (b) National Insurance contributions paid by holders of dependent visas in the 2024-25 financial year.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold data on the immigration status of taxpayers.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the (a) number and (b) proportion of dependent visa holders who are paying (i) Income Tax and (ii) National Insurance.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold data on the immigration status of taxpayers.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department's definition of a millionaire includes (a) assets, (b) the outstanding value of pension pots and (c) income levels in the context of (i) winter fuel payments and (ii) other policies.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Winter Fuel Payment will be paid to those with total incomes below or equal to £35,000. This means those on lower and middle incomes will still receive the help they need and ensures fairness for both pensioners and taxpayers.

The standard definition of total taxable income applies. This includes any savings interest outside an ISA, even if the savings are under the Personal Savings Allowance

Other benefits have their own means tests, which take differing personal and financial circumstances into account to ensure support is appropriately targeted.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of local authorities have a five year housing land supply based on current delivery given the Government's housing targets.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Planning Policy Frameworks sets out that local authorities should identify and update annually a five-year housing land supply (5YHLS) of deliverable housing sites (with appropriate buffer) for decision making. This should be calculated against their housing requirement set out in adopted strategic policies, or against their local housing need where the strategic policies are more than five years old.

While the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) may be aware of an authority’s 5YHLS position at the time of a specific appeal, this position is not static. It may change over time due to annual updates or as a result of subsequent planning appeal decisions. As such, my Department does not collect live data on the 5YHLS status of individual local planning authorities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of local authorities have a five year housing land supply.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Planning Policy Frameworks sets out that local authorities should identify and update annually a five-year housing land supply (5YHLS) of deliverable housing sites (with appropriate buffer) for decision making. This should be calculated against their housing requirement set out in adopted strategic policies, or against their local housing need where the strategic policies are more than five years old.

While the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) may be aware of an authority’s 5YHLS position at the time of a specific appeal, this position is not static. It may change over time due to annual updates or as a result of subsequent planning appeal decisions. As such, my Department does not collect live data on the 5YHLS status of individual local planning authorities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 36 of the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, what his definition is of community, in this context.

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

The Government is committed to delivering a Neighbourhood Health Service that brings care closer to communities, ensuring that care happens as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a person’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and only in hospital if necessary.

The 10-Year Health Plan set out our aim to establish a neighbourhood health centre in every community that will be a ‘one stop shop’ for patient care and the place from which multi-disciplinary teams operate.

In this context, ‘community’ refers to the local place where people live and receive care and support, encompassing the networks of health, care, and voluntary services that exist around individuals, families, and neighbourhoods.

Care in the community will be supported through multidisciplinary neighbourhood teams and neighbourhood health centres.

Neighbourhood health centres will provide easier, more convenient access to a full range of health and care services on people’s doorsteps, joining up the National Health Service and local authority and voluntary services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 7 of the NHS 10 Year Plan, if he will set out the circumstances in which integrated care board boundaries will differ from those of mayoralty authorities.

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

It remains the Government’s ambition for integrated care boards (ICBs) to be coterminous with one or more strategic authorities wherever feasible, a commitment made in the English devolution white paper and reaffirmed in our 10-Year Health Plan.

Next summer, as local government reform progresses, the Department of Health and Social Care will work closely with NHS England and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to decide any further ICB mergers and boundary changes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled £75 million boost for hospices to transform end-of-life care, published on 20 July 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the revenue implications for hospices of this investment.

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

Hospices do incredible work by supporting people and families when they need it most, and we recognise the incredibly tough pressures they are facing.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations.

Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding from their respective ICBs for providing National Health Services.

The £75 million capital funding boost for hospices was intended to help them to provide the best end of life care to patients and their families in a supportive and dignified physical environment by, for example, funding refurbishments, overhauling IT systems, and improving facilities for patients and visitors. The impact this may have had on revenue has not been assessed.

Additionally, we are providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which, until recently, as known as the Children’s Hospice Grant.

I can also now confirm the continuation of this vital funding for the three years of the next spending review period, 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see circa £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children and young people’s hospices in England each year, via their local ICBs on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the causes of the resident doctor strikes in 2025.

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

On 9 April, The British Medical Association resident doctors committee (BMA RDC) entered into dispute in relation to the timing of the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration report and subsequently ran a statutory ballot, which closed on 8 July, in response to the report and the 2025/26 pay award. They have since run another statutory ballot exclusively for their foundation year 1 members in relation to lack of training places.

Following these ballots the BMA RDC currently holds two live mandates for strike action. One is in relation to pay, which applies to all the resident doctor membership, and one is in relation to pay and training places, which applies to their foundation year 1 membership only.

They took five days of strike action from 25 to 30 July under their mandate over pay.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular engagement with resident doctors and is aware of the issues that they are experiencing as they work and train in the National Health Service. My Rt. Hon. Friend intends to continue to work with the BMA RDC to resolve their disputes and improve working conditions. This Government has already made significant improvements on the issues which impact doctors most through NHS England’s 10 Point Plan to improve resident doctors’ working lives.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will ask the Office for National Statistics to produce deprivation statistics at output area level.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced recently that the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 will be published on Thursday 30th October 2025. This has been confirmed on GOV.UK

As part of this, the Department is working to enhance and update its measures of deprivation in line with recommendations from its 2022 user consultation - Indices Futures: Updating the English Indices of Deprivation (IoD) - consultation - GOV.UK. This includes assessing the feasibility and provision of data at Output Area (OA) level.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost of non-healthcare professionals in his plans for the NHS; and how this compares to the current figure.

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

No specific assessment has been made of the future cost of non-healthcare professionals. The NHS England 2025/26 Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance though states that integrated care boards and providers should review their workforce and spending to identify savings, including on non-frontline staff, in order to prioritise frontline care. The guidance requires systems to conduct a robust review of establishment growth and return spend on support functions to April 2022 levels. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PRN01625-25-26-priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance-january-2025.pdf

The Department estimates that expenditure on total paybill for substantive staff employed in National Health Service infrastructure support roles was around £14.4 billion in the 2024-25 financial year. For context, the total paybill for NHS staff in 2024-25 was around £86.6 billion, meaning infrastructure support staff account for around 17% of the total paybill which has been essentially unchanged since 2010-11.

NHS infrastructure support roles includes staff working in central functions such as human resources and finance, staff working in property and estates roles and also NHS managers. This paybill figure includes the cost of basic pay, additional earnings, employer national insurance contributions and employer pensions contributions. It covers staff employed by NHS trusts, integrated care boards and also central NHS bodies and support organisations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10 Year Health Plan, how many GPs per neighbourhood will there be under the Neighbourhood Health Service.

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

General practices (GPs) will be the cornerstone of the Neighbourhood Health Service. We anticipate that GPs will play a key role in providing clinical leadership for integrated neighbourhood teams.

We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in rural communities, coastal towns, and deprived inner cities.

We will train thousands more GPs in the coming years, and through the course of the 10-Year Health Plan we will increase the proportion of staff we train for community and primary care roles.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department withholds state pension payments to people convicted of illegal working.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Anyone convicted of a criminal offence and serving a custodial sentence in the UK is not eligible to receive State Pension payments during their imprisonment.

People not in prison but convicted of illegal working, would not be making National Insurance contributions during any period of illegal working, which would be required to build entitlement for the State Pension.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of newly arrived illegal migrants that will be deported to France in 2025/26.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

Returns to France under the UK-France returns agreement commenced on 18 September 2025.

This is a pilot that we want to expand and therefore the numbers will vary. We will not go into the operational details as this would provide criminal smuggling gangs with information that they may use to continue to their vile trade.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of visas which have expired without (a) renewal, (b) transfer to another visa type and (c) acquiring indefinite leave to remain in each of the past five years.

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

The Home Office publishes immigration statistics on a quarterly basis in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The relevant data for this request could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many student visas have been issued to people studying at each university in the 2025-26 academic year.

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

The Home Office does not publish information on how many student visas have been issued to people studying at each university.

The Home Office does publish data on sponsored study visas by course level in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on visas issued are published in table ‘Edu_D02’ of the ‘sponsored study visas by course level dataset’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from January 2018 up to the end of March 2025. Please note the data does not show the academic year the visa was granted for, or whether the visa was issued to study at a university.

Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 73359 on Visas: Migrant Workers, on how many occasions her Department received such a notification by visa type since 4 July 2024; and how many and what proportion of those notifications resulted in a migrant (a) leaving the UK, (b) transferring to a new visa type and (c) being subsequently sponsored by a new employer.

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

The information requested is not available from published statistics and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of visa holders her Department holds a UK residential address for.

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

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

People applying for UK visas may provide a UK residential address on their application but large proportions of visa holders coming to the UK on a short-term basis such as a visitor will not be resident in the UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who breached the terms of their visa were subsequently granted indefinite leave to remain since 4 July 2024.

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

Obtaining the specific information requested would involve collating and verifying information from multiple systems owned by multiple teams across the Home Office as well as the manual checking of records and, therefore, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 34 of his Department's policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, what the outcome will be if a patient needs to spend more than their Personal Health Budget on care.

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

Personal health budget holders should have regular contact with their local integrated care board (ICB) so that if their situation changes, including in relation to costs, their personalised care and support plan can be reviewed. A personal health budget review can also be requested at any time by an individual or their local ICB if circumstances have changed.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value is of Government funding to the National Wealth Fund that is unspent.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

As of 14 October 2025, the National Wealth Fund has committed £7.5 billion to projects supporting the Government’s growth and clean energy missions, mobilising £16.2 billion in private finance. This is just over 25% of NWF’s £27.8 billion capitalisation.

The National Wealth Fund expects to commit the vast majority of its £27.8 billion financial capacity over the next five years.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10-Year Health Plan, what assessment he has made of public trust in AI for use in AI diagnosis tools.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan and the Life Sciences Sector Plan commit the Government to making the National Health Service become the healthcare system in the world most ready for artificial intelligence (AI). The Department is testing AI in areas that cause the most harm to health and to our economy. Supporting clinicians to make faster and more effective decisions through the testing and deployment of diagnostic support AI has been one of the key areas of the Department’s work.

This Government takes public opinion on AI deployment seriously. The Department and UK Research and Innovation have previously held public dialogue on how the public feels decisions should be made about access to their personal health data for AI purposes. Insights from these dialogues have been used to inform policymakers and future guidance for both developers and adopters of AI tools in the NHS.

To bridge the gap between policy and practice and build confidence in AI for both the public and adopters, the NHS launched the AI Ambassadors Network in January 2025, allowing clinicians and NHS staff to hear from and pose questions directly to AI experts and regulators. The network already has almost 10,000 members.

In the UK, AI products used in health and care are regulated as medical devices to ensure patient safety and are subject to stringent requirements, including those laid out in the Medical Devices Regulations 2002, and robust monitoring by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, this year we will review regulations, and in 2026, we will publish a new regulatory framework for medical devices, including AI.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, how clinical negligence cases involving mistakes by surgical robots will be handled.

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

NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England.

The bulk of NHSR’s workload is handling negligence claims on behalf of the members of their indemnity schemes. One of the indemnity schemes is the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST). CNST handles all clinical negligence claims against member NHS bodies where the incident in question took place on or after 1 April 1995.

The scheme covers all clinical negligence claims arising from the diagnosis, care, or treatment of patients by the Member, rather than specifying particular procedures.

In every claim pursued, NHSR assesses whether their member has been negligent in treating the patient. This will include an assessment of whether any technology employed to assist the treatment has been used appropriately.

It is important to note that surgical robots are not in anyway autonomous and are used as a surgical instrument by a qualified surgeon. This Government is setting a target of 500,000 robotic surgical operations by 2035 where the evidence supports it, in terms of faster recovery and reduced complications for patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology to help ensure that rural communities with poor (a) broadband and (b) mobile signal can access digital NHS services from home.

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

Digital health should be seen as part of a multi-channel offering that meets the needs and preferences of users. Digital services must be designed to alleviate healthcare inequalities rather than exacerbate them. Our goal is to ensure that reducing healthcare inequalities and improving digital inclusion have due focus in wider inclusive user design and delivery for all digital health products and services. Digital health tools should be part of a wider offering that includes face-to-face support with appropriate help for people who struggle to access digital services.

We continue to work with partners, including the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), to reduce digital barriers and support those at risk of digital exclusion.

The National Health Service Digital Inclusion Framework supports delivery of the 10-Year Health Plan by providing a structured approach to tackling digital barriers across connectivity, skills, confidence, and accessibility. It ensures digital transformation is inclusive and aligned with the Plan’s ambition to personalise care, reduce inequalities, and create a health system that works for everyone.

Integrated care systems (ICSs) have also been asked, through NHS priorities and operational planning guidance for financial year 2025/26, to implement the NHS Digital Inclusion Framework and identify local populations most at risk of exclusion, including those affected by poor connectivity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of being able to view the risk of major conditions on people with poor mental health.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan includes a commitment to begin implementing integrated risk scores that bring together polygenic risk scores (PRS) and other non-biological risk factors. NHS England, in partnership with Our Future Health and clinical experts, will carry out a service evaluation, considering a number of factors including clinical impact and the impact on individuals of the implementation of PRS, beginning with a targeted number of major conditions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many languages the NHS app will be available in by 2035.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan recently committed to offering services in the NHS App in multiple languages to reach people who have difficulty with English where it is not their first language. Scoping has started to understand how to deliver this in a safe and cost-effective way, so that translations are reliable, consistent across patient journeys, accessible by those that they are intended for, and are making good use of public funds. The NHS App is currently available in English and Welsh.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of housing asylum seekers in military bases on his Department’s policies to build more houses on disused public land.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to close all asylum hotels, and to achieve this the Home Office is looking at a range of more appropriate sites including disused accommodation, industrial and ex-military sites to reduce the impact on communities. These efforts will not compromise general housing delivery. Decisions on the use of alternative asylum accommodation sites will be made on a site-by site basis, and the Home Office will continue to work closely with local authorities and in compliance with published policy.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the build-out guarantees that will be required to secure National Housing Bank funding.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 17 June, the government announced that it would establish a new National Housing Bank, a subsidiary of Homes England which will be publicly owned and backed with £16 billion of financial capacity to accelerate housebuilding in England.

My Department is currently working with Homes England and HM Treasury to establish the Bank, including developing its investment strategy and further details will be announced in due course.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the press release entitled Powering Britain's future: Electricity bills to be slashed for over 7,000 businesses in major industry shake-up, published on 22 June 2025, whether vehicle manufacturers will be eligible for this support.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy states that the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme “will benefit manufacturing electricity intensive frontier industries in the IS-8, such as automotive and aerospace, and foundational manufacturing industries in the supply chains, such as chemicals.”

The precise details of eligibility will be determined following a consultation, which will open in the coming weeks.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the press release entitled Powering Britain's future: Electricity bills to be slashed for over 7,000 businesses in major industry shake-up, published on 22 June 2025, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of this intervention.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

As stated in the Modern Industrial Strategy, we intend to fund the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme by bearing down on levies and other costs in the energy system.

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

Found: Liberal Democrat; Richmond Park) Michael Payne (Labour; Gedling) Oliver Ryan (Labour; Burnley) Blake Stephenson

Found: Hertfordshire) Martin Rhodes (Labour; Glasgow North) Dr Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat; South Cotswolds) Blake Stephenson

Found: Q29 Blake Stephenson: But you are doing all sorts of work on it as well.

Found: Carla Denyer; Barry Gardiner; Sarah Gibson; Alison Griffiths; Chris Hinchliff; Dr Roz Savage; Blake Stephenson

Found: Carla Denyer; Barry Gardiner; Sarah Gibson; Alison Griffiths; Chris Hinchliff; Dr Roz Savage; Blake Stephenson

Found: Carla Denyer; Barry Gardiner; Sarah Gibson; Alison Griffiths; Chris Hinchliff; Dr Roz Savage; Blake Stephenson

Found: Liberal Democrat; Richmond Park) Michael Payne (Labour; Gedling) Oliver Ryan (Labour; Burnley) Blake Stephenson