Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government accepts the recommendations of the Covid-19 Inquiry (Module 4) published on 16 April 2026 in relation to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out by the Prime Minister in his Written Ministerial Statement of 16 April responding to the publication of Module 4 of the COVID-19 Inquiry, the Government is carefully considering the findings of the inquiry, including the recommendations on reform of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), and will respond within six months of publication.

The Government is actively considering the recommendations of the inquiry on reform of the VDPS.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason applications for Access to Work from self-employed customers are not being allocated for processing until over 18 months from the date of receipt; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of delays on disabled applicants.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Delays in allocating Access to Work applications for self‑employed customers are due to high demand and the additional complexity of these cases, which often require further evidence such as tax and income details.

The Department recognises the impact of these delays, particularly for disabled applicants without employer support. To address this, steps have been taken to recruit additional staff to clear the backlog and improve processing times: Huge recruitment boost to tackle backlog in vital disability work scheme - GOV.UK.

Priority is given to customers starting work within four weeks and to those renewing awards, to minimise disruption to employment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 29 April 2026 to Question 119822 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, for what reasons his Department was unable to answer the Question before 29 April 2026; and whether the information requested is now available.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

I would like to apologise for not being able to provide a substantive response to Question 119822 in the previous parliamentary session, which asked what the cost had been of assessing claims under the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme (VDPS) in each of the last four years for which information is available.

The VDPS is administered by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). In the last four years, data from NHSBSA shows that it has incurred the following costs to administer the scheme:

• in the financial year 2022/23, the total cost of administering the scheme was £8,861,965.84;

• in the financial year 2023/24, the total cost of administering the scheme was £16,170,563.53;

• in the financial year 2024/25, the total cost of administering the scheme was £28,803,961.56; and

• in the financial year 2025/26, the total cost of administering the scheme was £29,191,321.71.

These costs include assessment costs, and wider staff and non-staff costs. The primary reason for the increase in costs in the administration of the scheme is as a result of the increase in volume of VDPS applications received and the associated assessments required.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what has been the cost to his Department of assessing claims under the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme in each of the last four years for which information is available.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

I would like to apologise for not being able to provide a substantive response to Question 119822 in the previous parliamentary session, which asked what the cost had been of assessing claims under the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme (VDPS) in each of the last four years for which information is available.

The VDPS is administered by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). In the last four years, data from NHSBSA shows that it has incurred the following costs to administer the scheme:

• in the financial year 2022/23, the total cost of administering the scheme was £8,861,965.84;

• in the financial year 2023/24, the total cost of administering the scheme was £16,170,563.53;

• in the financial year 2024/25, the total cost of administering the scheme was £28,803,961.56; and

• in the financial year 2025/26, the total cost of administering the scheme was £29,191,321.71.

These costs include assessment costs, and wider staff and non-staff costs. The primary reason for the increase in costs in the administration of the scheme is as a result of the increase in volume of VDPS applications received and the associated assessments required.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy that the National Police Chiefs' Council should not issue further guidance until it has been approved by her and by Parliament.

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

The National Police Chiefs’ Council is an operationally independent body with its own governance structure and chair. They work closely with policing partners, including the College of Policing and with the Home Office on a range of matters. This includes guidance and standards, and any required handling with Parliament, as is appropriate.

Independent Rape Gang Inquiry Report

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Cat Smith (Chair); Bambos Charalambous; Sir Christopher Chope; Mary

Found: Bill Esterson (Labour; Sefton Central) (Chair) Ms Polly Billington (Labour; East Thanet) Sir Christopher Chope

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Bill Esterson (Chair); Ms Polly Billington; Sir Christopher Chope

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Bill Esterson (Chair); Ms Polly Billington; Sir Christopher Chope