Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) what assessments have been carried out on the potential health risks of BPS-coated receipts for workers handling large volumes, including hospitality and retail staff, and (b) what measures are being implemented to ensure these workers are fully protected from these occupational hazards.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in its role as the Agency under the UK Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (UK REACH) Regulation, published an Agency technical report - Bisphenol and bisphenol derivative developers in thermal paper. The report concluded, on the basis of the available hazard data, that Bisphenol S (BPS) is absorbed through the skin to a lesser extent than Bisphenol A (BPA), resulting in a lower overall dose for those handling thermal paper.

A restriction under UK REACH, mirrored across the UK and EU, prohibits the placing on the market of thermal paper containing BPA at concentrations equal to or greater than 0.02% by weight.

Separately, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) place clear duties on employers and the self‑employed to prevent, or where that is not reasonably practicable, to adequately control exposure to substances hazardous to health in the workplace. This requires dutyholders to assess risks, identify potential routes of exposure, and implement proportionate control measures in line with the recognised hierarchy of control, prioritising elimination or substitution with safer alternatives, followed by engineering and organisational controls, and relying on personal protective equipment only as a last resort.

Manufacturers, importers and suppliers also have legal responsibilities to ensure that substances placed on the market are safe when used as intended. This includes identifying hazardous properties, ensuring correct classification, labelling and packaging in accordance with the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation, and providing appropriate information to users. This information must include up‑to‑date Safety Data Sheets and clear advice on safe storage, handling, use and emergency measures.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her department is taking to ensure all schools have the necessary resources to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures during hot weather thereby preventing any disruption to studies.

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

The department takes periods of hot weather and heatwaves seriously and has published a climate risk assessment here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impact-of-uk-climate-change-risk-on-the-delivery-of-education/summary-of-findings-in-relation-to-3-climate-risks-overheating-flooding-and-water-scarcity.

We have published guidance to support education settings during hot weather, drawing on guidance from the UK Health Security Agency, here: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2025/06/hot-weather-and-heatwaves-guidance-for-schools-and-other-education-settings/.

We are improving infrastructure and strengthening resilience across the education estate through our Education Estates Strategy here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-estates-strategy. This includes a new £710 million Renewal and Retrofit Programme to improve condition and climate resilience, investment of almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance to improve the condition of the school and college estate, and investment of almost £20 billion through to 2034/35 in the School Rebuilding Programme, delivering climate‑resilient buildings at over 750 schools.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of rare cancer patients unable to access treatment options due to standard NHS funding limitations; what steps he is taking to address treatment barriers, and what steps he is taking to increase funding into rare cancer research.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The Government is committed to improving outcomes for rare cancer patients.

Decisions on whether treatments should be routinely available on the National Health Service in England are informed by recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

The Department continues to take action to improve outcomes for rare cancers patients. This includes taking action to prioritise access to specialist treatment and multidisciplinary teams for rare cancer patients, and a commitment to explore novel procurement routes for diagnostics and treatments for rare cancer.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has a strong track record in supporting access for NHS patients, including patients with rare cancers, to effective new medicines at a price that represents value to the NHS and is fair to companies. As part of the United States and United Kingdom partnership, announced in December 2025, we will be investing approximately 25% more into new innovative, safe, and effective medicines. As part of this arrangement, NICE is now using a new, higher cost-effectiveness threshold for its evaluations of medicines. The higher threshold has already enabled NICE to recommend additional medicines, including for rare cancers, that it would previously have been unlikely to have been able to recommend.

The Department invests approximately £1.8 billion each year in health and care research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes high-quality applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including rare cancers.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to simplify the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme for bereaved families and ensure that medical records previously reviewed and compensation payments previously made are take into account.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds

The Government recognises that bereaved families and affected people have suffered profound losses. It was clear from the Government consultation, which ended on 22 January, that respondents felt some specific groups of affected people had suffered significant harms and losses, and deserved more compensation in recognition of this. The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme (Amendment) 2026 Regulations introduce a 50% uplift to the core Injury award for some affected people, including eligible bereaved partners and eligible bereaved parents. These regulations were approved by the House of Commons on 6 July.

Regarding medical records, the Government wants the claims process to be as unburdensome to the applicant as possible. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority, or IBCA, who deliver the compensation scheme, ensure that claim managers seek official documentation to support a person’s claim, including from GPs. If a person is registered with an existing support scheme, IBCA will use all this existing information to handle the person’s claim. Someone will only be asked for additional information if there is anything missing that is needed to progress their claim, for example how severe their infection is or when they were diagnosed with their condition.

No past support or ex-gratia payments received through the Infected Blood Support Schemes or Alliance House Organisation schemes will be deducted from the final payments made through the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme (“the Scheme”). Any support payments paid from 1 April 2025 will be taken into account when IBCA calculates the amount of compensation that an infected person is entitled to for the awards relating to their future financial loss and future care costs. Where people have previously received interim compensation payments, these will be deducted from compensation awards through the Scheme. Similarly, any past or future compensation awarded through the courts will be deducted from compensation awards through the Scheme.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to stop illegal gambling apps that are using registration; and what support will be put in place for victims of these apps.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The issue of illegal gambling is a concern for this government. We are committed to working closely with the Gambling Commission to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed.

As part of the 2025 Budget, the Treasury announced that the Gambling Commission will receive an additional £26 million across three years to increase investment, resources and capacity to tackle the illegal market. In addition, the Crime and Policing Act, which received Royal Assent in April 2026, enables the Commission to apply for new powers to obtain orders to suspend internet protocol addresses and internet domain names linked to illegal gambling. We also launched the Illegal Gambling Taskforce at the beginning of this year which brings together a wide range of stakeholders to take action against the illegal market.

We also recognise the impact that harmful gambling can have on individuals, families and communities and are committed to further strengthening measures to protect those at risk. The statutory gambling levy, established last year, provides independent and sustainable funding for the research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harm. Approximately 50% of this funding will go to NHS England and Scottish and Welsh Governments to work with providers, including the third sector, to increase access to treatment and support for those experiencing gambling-related harm.

Energy support and decarbonisation funding for the chemicals and ceramics sectors was an encouraging sign that Government recognises a central challenge for industry: decarbonisation and electricity prices go hand in hand. It offers a potential model for future targeted support by linking help with energy costs to incentives for cleaner production. However, it also highlights the absence of a broader strategic framework for industrial decarbonisation/electrification across manufacturing. Current support remains uneven.  

The government will establish a Warm Homes Agency (WHA) – a dedicated public body to support the delivery of the Warm Homes Plan, and guide consumers through the transition. It will consolidate Salix, relevant DESNZ functions, and parts of Ofgem and work at both a national and local level (subject to agreement with the devolved governments). 

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Nuclear fusion is the process that powers the Sun, and for decades humans have been working towards harnessing its remarkable, "clean" power.