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 changes in funding for (a) fifth year medical students and (b) above on the NHS.

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

The Government reviews and updates the NHS Bursary rules annually and keeps the funding arrangements for all medical students under close review to ensure they meet the needs of students and the National Health Service.

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, we will explore options to improve financial support for students from the lowest socioeconomic background so that they are able to thrive at medical school.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take legislative steps to require cyclists to wear helmets.

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

The Government strongly encourages cyclists to wear helmets, and this is reflected in The Highway Code, but there are no plans to mandate this.

A previous review of this matter concluded that the safety benefits of mandating helmets would be likely to be outweighed by the fact that it would put some people off cycling, thereby reducing the wider health and environmental benefits.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to (a) abolish and (b) reform the standing charge.

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

The Government knows that, for many consumers, too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges. We are committed to lowering the cost of standing charges and have worked constructively with the regulator, Ofgem, on this issue.

Firstly, Ofgem have been working to ensure that domestic consumers can choose tariffs with low or no standing charges Ofgem took a further step towards this goal this week, announcing proposals to require suppliers to offer their customers low or no standing charge tariffs from early 2026.

Secondly, Ofgem have been reviewing how ‘fixed’ costs, which tend to be funded through standing charges, should be recovered in the future energy system. This includes whether those fixed costs could be recovered in more progressive ways, and we are working closely with the regulator on this.