Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of enabling British National (Overseas) visa holders to access apprenticeship programmes in (a) the health and social care sector and (b) other sectors before completing three years’ residence in the UK.

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

The department regularly reviews the apprenticeship funding rules, often in consultation with others, including the Home Office and the Department for Education.

This includes the requirements for ordinary residency. This three-year residency requirement is longstanding within the apprenticeship programme. It applies to both UK and non-UK nationals. It is applied consistently to ensure that the individuals have a connection to the UK and are committed to living in the country before they are eligible for training funded by the taxpayer.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to prevent pollution in local rivers in the Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency, including Patchway Brook.

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

The Environment Agency regularly inspects combined sewer overflows in the Filton and Bradley Stoke area, and is carrying out enforcement work following a serious pollution incident of the Hortham and Patchway Brook. It is also investigating silt pollution in the Hazel Brook, where various potential source sites have been inspected including close examination of site drainage, discharge points and pollution prevention methods.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that self employed locum pharmacists are paid in a timely manner for services delivered within NHS contracted pharmacies; and whether he plans to introduce additional protections to prevent non payment.

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

Responsibility for agreeing contractual terms and for ensuring payment to self-employed locum pharmacists rests with the retail pharmacy businesses that deliver National Health Service pharmaceutical services.

Where locum pharmacists have trouble recovering unpaid fees, support is available through the Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service and Citizens Advice, including guidance on pursuing payment through the courts and on seeking unpaid wages or other sums owed by an insolvent business.

Found: Brickell (Labour, Bolton West) (added 16 Dec 2024; removed 13 Apr 2026) 47 of 61 (77.0%) Claire Hazelgrove