Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of student visa holders attending universities are in the (a) top and (b) bottom quartile of education standards.

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

The department does not hold data on the proportion of student visa holders attending English universities who are in the top and bottom quartile of education standards. This data is not reported to the department by universities.

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 and care team do not agree on the contents of a care plan.

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

Our 10-Year Health Plan will ensure that people with complex needs are supported to be active participants in their own care. As part of this, 95% of people with complex needs or long-term conditions will have an agreed personalised care plan by 2027.

We recognise that care plans should be developed collaboratively between patients and care teams. Reaching agreement is essential, as a lack of consensus can lead to delays in care and reduced patient engagement.

Patients have the right to autonomy over decisions about their own care, and both clinical and personal aspects should be approached as shared decisions. Where disagreements arise, particularly those relating to funding, can be escalated to the integrated care board for resolution.

Work is currently underway to determine how care plans will be delivered, including escalation routes if agreement can’t be made.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the maximum distance a patient should be from a (a) neighbourhood health centre and (b) GP surgery is under the 10 Year Health Plan.

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

There is no centrally stipulated limit on the distance a patient should be from a general practice surgery or a neighbourhood health centre (NHC). Integrated care boards are required to commission services that meet the reasonable needs of the population they serve.

The Government has committed to deliver a NHC in every community across the country over the course of the 10-Year Health Plan. The Department is currently determining how best to trial NHCs, including identifying potential site locations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of medical students who graduated in each of the past five years were working in the NHS on 1 September 2025.

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

The Department does not hold the information requested.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, published 3 July 2025, we will work across the Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training. We will also prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training. We will set out next steps in due course.

Over the next three years, we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need.

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 and proportion of medical students who graduated at the end of the 2024-25 academic year who will begin work in the NHS in the 2025-26 academic year.

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

The Department does not hold the information requested.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, published 3 July 2025, we will work across the Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training. We will also prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training. We will set out next steps in due course.

Over the next three years, we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need.

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 require New Towns Development Corporations to produce a design code for new towns.

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

The government has been clear that the next generation of new towns must be well-connected, well-designed, sustainable, and attractive places where people want to live and have all the infrastructure, amenities, and services necessary to sustain thriving communities.

Building on lessons learned from past initiatives, the New Towns Taskforce developed draft placemaking principles. These were set out in the Taskforce’s interim update on the new towns programme which can be found on gov.uk here. They highlighted the importance of long-term vision and stewardship, as well as the central role of local communities in shaping the place they live in. Importantly, the principles also include a 40% affordable housing target, with an emphasis on homes for social rent.

The Taskforce has now submitted its final report to the government. This includes its final recommendations on design and placemaking. The government will now take a short period to consider carefully the Taskforce's recommendations and we will then publish both the report and a formal response.

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, whether local authorities will be required to publish a map of grey belt areas within their areas during the local plan process.

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

It is for individual local planning authorities to undertake the necessary assessments to identify if land is grey belt, either through plan making or through considering specific applications that come forward.

Similarly, it is for authorities to determine whether and how to evidence, justify, amend, and set out Green Belt boundaries through the preparation or updating of statutory plans.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the ratification of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction on levels of fishing at the Blue Hole in the South Atlantic.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in conjunction with the Falkland Islands Government, continue to collaborate closely to assess the implications of the Agreement on fishing in the South Atlantic. During the Informal Consultations of State Parties to the UN Fish Stocks Agreement (ICSP-18), held at the UN in May 2025, Defra colleagues recommended initiating further multilateral discussions to explore the implications of the Agreement. In parallel, both departments are continuing to work with the Falkland Islands Government to address concerns around unregulated fishing in the Blue Hole and to ensure their interests are represented in international fisheries meetings.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the sectoral economic impact of US tariffs.

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

My department has been assessing the impact of US tariffs on the economy. This includes sector-by-sector impact assessments and scenario modelling. We are constantly engaging directly with businesses from across all sectors to gather real time intelligence on the impact of tariffs to directly inform our discussions with the US and the ways that we support UK businesses in this rapidly changing environment.

This analysis underpinned our agreement of the Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD), which protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has conducted an impact assessment for the UK-India trade deal.

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

I refer the member for Mid Bedfordshire to the answer my predecessor gave to UIN 73978 on 5 September 2025.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of US tariffs on economic growth.

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

My department has been assessing the impact of US tariffs on the UK economy, in a rapidly changing global trading environment. We are constantly engaging directly with businesses from across all sectors to gather real time intelligence on the impact of tariffs to directly inform our discussions with the US. This analysis underpinned our agreement of the Economic Prosperity Deal, which protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK.

By securing and implementing this deal, we are supporting the conditions necessary for economic growth.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 82 of the NHS Ten Year Plan, whether ICBs undergoing re-organisation will be further re-organised if their boundaries are not coterminous with new strategic authorities.

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

To deliver a reduction in running costs, a number of integrated care boards (ICBs) will cluster together to share leadership and functions. Clustering ICBs remain legally separate organisations with their own financial allocations. It will mean that during this financial year, the number of ICB senior leadership teams will go from 42 to 26. These have been published on the NHS England website, available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/integratedcare/integrated-care-in-your-area/more-about-each-integrated-care-system/

In the long term, there will be fewer, larger ICBs enabling them to harness a shared budget of sufficient size to improve efficiency and reduce running costs.

In areas where the boundaries of strategic authorities are not known, ICBs, including those that have clustered, may undergo future boundary changes to allow for alignment with newly created strategic authorities, and newly established unitary authorities resulting from local government reorganisation. Our aim throughout will be to deliver the best solutions for patients and citizens.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the value for money to students of each UK university.

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

The department recognises the vital role universities play in driving economic growth, producing world-leading research, and delivering value for money to students. Frameworks like the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) help ensure accountability for public research funding and demonstrate the quality and value of the research and knowledge exchange delivered by UK universities.

For each £1 of publicly funded research income, the UK higher education (HE) sector’s research and knowledge exchange activities generate approximately £9.9 in economic impact across the UK (2021/22). For every £1 of public funding for its teaching activities, the UK HE sector generates approximately £13 in economic impact from these activities across the UK (2021/22).

For students, the Office for Students (OfS) monitors outcomes including continuation, completion, progression and graduate earnings, helping ensure that public investment in HE delivers high quality outcomes for both individuals and society.

The department continues to work closely with the OfS and other bodies to support universities in delivering positive impacts for students and the wider economy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the value for money of the (a) economic growth contribution and (b) research output provided by each university.

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

The department recognises the vital role universities play in driving economic growth, producing world-leading research, and delivering value for money to students. Frameworks like the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) help ensure accountability for public research funding and demonstrate the quality and value of the research and knowledge exchange delivered by UK universities.

For each £1 of publicly funded research income, the UK higher education (HE) sector’s research and knowledge exchange activities generate approximately £9.9 in economic impact across the UK (2021/22). For every £1 of public funding for its teaching activities, the UK HE sector generates approximately £13 in economic impact from these activities across the UK (2021/22).

For students, the Office for Students (OfS) monitors outcomes including continuation, completion, progression and graduate earnings, helping ensure that public investment in HE delivers high quality outcomes for both individuals and society.

The department continues to work closely with the OfS and other bodies to support universities in delivering positive impacts for students and the wider economy.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the press release entitled Prime Minister unveils new opportunities for young people to re-connect with their communities, published on 5 August 2025, how much additional funding will be available in Bedfordshire.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS and the National Lottery Community Fund launched Phase 3 of the Million Hours Fund, a £19 million joint investment, to provide youth organisations with funding to deliver additional hours of positive activities for young people in areas with higher levels of anti-social behaviour. Wards who were eligible for the Million Hours Fund in Bedfordshire can be found here.

Additionally, organisations in Bedfordshire are eligible to apply to the Adventures Away from Home Fund which will support organisations to deliver outdoor learning experiences for disadvantaged or vulnerable young people. Funding by area will be known once all awards have been made. Applications are open until Friday 26th Sept 2025 through the UK Youth website.

Bedfordshire is not eligible to apply for the Better Youth Spaces Fund nor a participant in the pilot phase of the Local Youth Transformation programme. However, local areas who were not selected this year may not be excluded from participating in any future rounds depending on geographical eligibility.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 12 of the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, whether parents will be able to opt-out of universal newborn genomic testing.

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

The 10-Year Health Plan set out an ambition to offer newborn genomic testing as part of routine care within the next decade. Delivering against this ambition will be subject to evidence gathered through the Generation Study. This research programme is evaluating the effectiveness of using whole genome sequencing to test 100,000 newborns for more than 200 rare genetic conditions.

Participation in the Generation Study is voluntary, with parental consent required to store genomic and health data securely. Consent is an ongoing process, and parents can withdraw their child at any time before age 16, when the child will be asked to re-consent. If genomic testing becomes part of routine screening, parental consent will still be required, as with the current NHS screening programmes for newborn babies.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether patients will be able to access private healthcare services provided through the NHS on the NHS app.

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

We estimate there are around 450 independent sector providers that are providing National Health Service services via the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). There is no classification of private healthcare or independent sector in the e-RS Directory of Services. Patients can already access referrals to these private healthcare providers via the NHS App where they have been shortlisted by their GP.

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 to help improve access to life-extending (a) treatments and (b) medicines for patients with incurable secondary breast cancer in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

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

The Department remains committed to reducing waiting times for cancer treatment and to improving access to treatment across England, including for patients with incurable secondary breast cancer in the Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

We have now exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered over four million more appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to treatment.

In May 2025, NHS England announced the world’s first roll out of liquid biopsy testing, which is now available for all eligible breast cancer patients, and which aims to speed up diagnosis and inform better treatment options for those with breast cancer.

The National Cancer Plan for England will be published later this year and will set out further details on how we will improve outcomes for all cancer patients, including those with secondary breast cancer. The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of changes to the VAT status of independent schools on the number of children enrolled in state schools in September 2025.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

HM Treasury published a Tax Information and Impact Note on applying VAT to independent school fees, which includes the government’s estimates of the number of pupils expected to enter the state sector as a result of this policy. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/applying-vat-to-private-school-fees#who-is-likely-to-be-affected.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release entitled Patients and pupils to benefit from school and hospital repairs, published on 30 May 2025, whether any schools in Bedfordshire will be included.

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

This government has increased investment for improving school buildings to £2.1 billion for the 2025/26 financial year, almost £300 million more than last year. As part of that, close to £470 million has been made available to eligible schools and sixth-form colleges through the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF).

The department has published details of successful projects and applicants to the CIF for the 2025/26 financial year, including the local authority, and constituency. We can confirm that 11 schools in the county of Bedfordshire were successful.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the reasons for changes to the number of private school pupils between the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic year.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The latest school census data, as at January 2025, reveals pupil numbers remain firmly within historical patterns seen for over 20 years. This information can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how often her Department checks that UK visa holders are living at the address provided.

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

Home Office decision makers can make enquiries as part of the visa consideration process to confirm that a person is intending to stay at the address provided in their application. Customers are encouraged to update their personal details, including their home and postal address, in their UKVI account. There is no routine check to confirm whether UK visa holders are living at the address previously provided.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain subsequent to having been convicted of an offence in the UK since 4 July 2024.

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

The information requested 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.

Found: Perkins, in the Chair2 Julia Buckley Ellie Chowns Sarah Gibson Chris Hinchliff Martin Rhodes Blake Stephenson

Found: Chair: Blake Stephenson is going to ask some more questions about commercial investment.

Submit Evidence (by 4 Nov 2025)

This Environmental Audit Committee inquiry will examine the Climate Change Committee's advice on the Seventh Carbon Budget. It will consider the assumptions and costs underpinning the CCC’s recommendations, explore the balance between emerging and established technologies, the policy choices facing Government, and the potential impacts on households, businesses and the wider economy. The inquiry will also look at how the Government should communicate choices and trade-offs, and how Parliament and the public can best scrutinise delivery plans and progress.