David Smith

Integrated care board are responsible for commissioning services to meet the needs of their local communities, including in the North East, as they are best placed to take those decisions.

However, more broadly, the Government recognises that urgent and emergency care performance is not at the high standard that patients should expect. We are committed to returning to the safe operational waiting time standards set out in the NHS Constitution.

We have set out plans on the action to be taken to improve services this year and will shortly publish a 10-Year Health Plan, which will set out the radical reforms needed to make the National Health Service fit for the future.

We are aware of a supply issue affecting aspirin 300 milligram suppositories until late June 2025, which are used outside of their license of pain and inflammation, for their antiplatelet effect after a stroke. We have issued shortage management guidance to the National Health Service advising on the alternative, aspirin 150 milligram suppositories, which remain available for affected patients.

The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within Northumberland is not held centrally.

Medicine supply chains are complex, global, and highly regulated, and there are a number of reasons why supply can be disrupted, many of which are not specific to the United Kingdom and outside of Government control, including manufacturing difficulties, access to raw materials, sudden demand spikes or distribution issues, and regulatory issues. We have drawn on up-to-date intelligence and data on the root causes of medicine supply issues, with manufacturing problems being the most dominant root cause. The Department works closely with industry, the NHS, manufacturers, and other partners across the supply chain to make sure patients across the UK can access the medicines they need.

The resilience of UK supply chains is a key priority, and we are continually learning and seeking to improve the way we work to both manage and help prevent supply issues and avoid shortages. The Department, working closely with NHS England, is taking forward a range of actions to improve our ability to mitigate and manage shortages and to strengthen our resilience. As part of that work, we continue to engage with industry, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and other colleagues across the supply chain as we progress work to co-design and deliver solutions. We have plans underway to increase the awareness of our work.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and families receive the care they need when and where they need it, including those who need palliative and end of life care.

As part of the work to develop a 10-Year Health Plan, we have been carefully considering policies, including those that impact people with palliative and end of life care needs, with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our partners, including the hospice sector.

MHCLG’s consultation on the principles and objectives of reform to the local government finance system, which was published alongside the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement on the 18 December 2024, included material on the approach to distributing adult social care funding.

My officials have met with local authority representative bodies to discuss the options in the consultation. The Department is considering their feedback alongside the responses received from the consultation. We look forward to continuing working with the sector on what our priorities should be for distributing adult social care funding.

NHS England Health and Justice commissioned healthcare providers deliver both primary and secondary care mental health services to all individuals within the custodial estate, irrespective of their detained status. Each individual will be assessed, their care formulation will be agreed, and appropriate clinical treatment, interventions, and support will be provided. If the individual requires transfer to hospital, the transfer to hospital process will be initiated.

The UK is clear that countries should not sell arms to the Myanmar military as this will exacerbate the violence. We raise our opposition regularly in international fora. In March 2025, the UK co-sponsored a UN Human Rights Council Resolution, calling for all states to cease the illicit transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Myanmar. UK sanctions include a comprehensive arms embargo on Myanmar. These sanctions prohibit the provision of military related services, including technical assistance, to or for the benefit of the Myanmar Armed Forces.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regularly reviews the effectiveness and impact of UK sanctions and remains committed to continuing to impose and enforce sanctions, alongside our partners, to constrain the Myanmar military's ability to inflict harm against civilians. It is vital for the UK that any sanctions imposed against the Myanmar military and its affiliates, have the desired effect of denying the regime credibility and constraining their access to finance, arms and equipment. Since the coup in 2021, the UK has announced sanctions on 25 individuals and 39 entities under the Myanmar (Sanctions) Regulations, most recently in October 2024, where we announced sanctions against companies involved in the procurement of aviation fuel to the Myanmar Armed Forces.

The Government provides support through the tax system to small businesses in a range of ways.

The Small Profits Rate and taper rate mean almost 70% of actively trading companies are taxed at a rate of 19%, with only 10% of businesses paying the full 25%.

Within National Insurance, the Government has protected the smallest businesses by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500, which means that 865,000 employers will pay no employer NICs at all this year.

The Government also increased the Small Employer Compensation rate, which compensates small employers for the additional costs of paying National Insurance when employees receive statutory payments (e.g. Statutory Maternity Pay).

At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD. This keeps the majority of businesses out of the VAT regime altogether

Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) is available to businesses with a single property below a set rateable value. Eligible properties under £12,000 will receive 100 per cent relief, which means over a third of businesses in England (more than 700,000) pay no business rates at all. There is also tapered support available to properties valued between £12,000 and £15,000, which an additional c.60,000 businesses benefit from.

The Government is aware of reporting relating to the recent cyber activity linked to the DPRK, involving the cryptocurrency exchange ByBit. The UK works closely with our allies to deter all malign actors from conducting malicious cyber activity. This includes through targeted sanctions, public attributions and working closely with partners to encourage capacity building and cyber deterrence.

Under the Money Laundering Regulations, it is mandatory for banks and other financial institutions to apply enhanced due diligence to all transactions linked to North Korea to ensure they do not involve the proceeds of crime. In addition, the UK’s DPRK sanctions regime imposes broad restrictions of a financial nature, including prohibitions on UK financial institutions establishing or maintaining financial relationships with DPRK financial institutions. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation works to support UK businesses, including financial institutions, to comply with sanctions on the DPRK. This includes publication of advisory notices such as the Advisory on North Korean IT Workers published in September 2024.

Cryptoassets, specifically cryptoasset exchange providers and custodian wallet providers, have been regulated under the Money Laundering Regulations since January 2020. UK cryptoasset firms must register with the Financial Conduct Authority which acts as a supervisory body to ensure firms have appropriate systems in place to prevent money laundering. The money laundering risk these cryptoasset firms are exposed to will be assessed in the updated National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, due to be published later this year.

The Government is aware of reporting relating to the recent cyber activity linked to the DPRK, involving the cryptocurrency exchange ByBit. The UK works closely with our allies to deter all malign actors from conducting malicious cyber activity. This includes through targeted sanctions, public attributions and working closely with partners to encourage capacity building and cyber deterrence.

Under the Money Laundering Regulations, it is mandatory for banks and other financial institutions to apply enhanced due diligence to all transactions linked to North Korea to ensure they do not involve the proceeds of crime. In addition, the UK’s DPRK sanctions regime imposes broad restrictions of a financial nature, including prohibitions on UK financial institutions establishing or maintaining financial relationships with DPRK financial institutions. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation works to support UK businesses, including financial institutions, to comply with sanctions on the DPRK. This includes publication of advisory notices such as the Advisory on North Korean IT Workers published in September 2024.

Cryptoassets, specifically cryptoasset exchange providers and custodian wallet providers, have been regulated under the Money Laundering Regulations since January 2020. UK cryptoasset firms must register with the Financial Conduct Authority which acts as a supervisory body to ensure firms have appropriate systems in place to prevent money laundering. The money laundering risk these cryptoasset firms are exposed to will be assessed in the updated National Risk Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, due to be published later this year.

US law subjects all US citizens to US taxation, regardless of where they reside. This can include US citizens who were born in the US but who may have left at a young age and have few remaining ties with the country. US tax policy is a matter for the US, and it is not within the power of the UK government to change this.

In 2010, the US introduced the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) to combat tax evasion by US tax residents using foreign accounts. FATCA does not create new tax liabilities nor change the basis of US taxation; it is rather a reporting mechanism.

In September 2012, the UK Government signed an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the US to implement FATCA in the UK. As such, HMRC requires UK financial institutions to report information to HMRC on account holders who are US resident or US citizens and exchanges this information with the IRS annually. In return HMRC receives information about UK tax residents’ accounts in the US.

All of the information exchanged is covered by the secrecy provisions of the UK/US Double Taxation Convention.

The UK's commodity code nomenclature forms the core structure for delivering the UK's international trade policy. Derived from the World Custom’s Organization’s Harmonized System, for which HMRC represents and promotes UK interests, the commodity codes used in the UK provide critical granularity to enable the delivery of key UK policy required to support UK growth. As such, there are no plans to fundamentally change or reduce the UK commodity code structure; the current system is designed to both facilitate cross border trade and help maintain the UK’s compliance programme to protect UK businesses. HMRC offers guidance and a significant support service to help people in determining the correct commodity code for their goods.

The weighing of goods for customs duty and declarations is required to operate an effective tariff system and is in line with recognised international trade practices. We are therefore unlikely to make any significant changes to weight requirements for the types of goods covered.

The government is committed to facilitating legitimate UK trade and HMRC has set out a package of measures to simplify customs import and export processes for traders, while upholding the UK’s high regulatory and security standards at the border. Details of this can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/customs-simplification-measures-december-2023/summary-of-customs-simplification-measures-december-2023.

Whilst working within a global customs framework, HMRC’s strategic aim of ‘making it easy to get tax right and hard to bend or break the rules’ ensures that HMRC has an ongoing interest in balancing the need for facilitations, to reduce administrative burdens, and the right compliance activities to support and protect UK businesses.

The UK is one of the most digital, connected and online countries in the world. This increases our exposure to a range of cyber threats including from states, ransomware gangs, and cyber criminals. Cyber crime causes immense damage to people and businesses across the world and is a top priority for the Government.

The UK is concerned around the threat DPRK poses through cyber activity, not only to cybersecurity, but to economic security and national security. The UK works closely with our allies to deter all malign actors from conducting malicious cyber activity. This includes through targeted sanctions, public attributions and working closely with partners to encourage capacity building and cyber deterrence.

We have been clear that we will not tolerate malicious cyber activity. The DPRK has repeatedly acted in violation of internationally agreed cyber norms. The NCSC continues to work with partners to understand and address the risk to the UK.

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission. The Government will give police the powers they need to take illegal, dangerous and antisocial vehicles off the streets for good by more quickly seizing vehicles from offenders. We will set out more information in due course.

Enforcement of road traffic law, including in relation to the illegal use of e-scooters, is an operational matter for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners to decide how to deploy available resources, taking into account any specific local problems and demands.

The legislative basis for Pension Sharing Orders (PSOs) was borne out of the Welfare Reform and Pension Act 1999, which contained provision for the making of PSOs for couples divorcing after 1 December 2000. The legislation is owned by the Department for Work and Pensions and, where a PSO is awarded in respect of a serving or former member of the Armed Forces, the relevant pension scheme is obliged to comply with the provisions of the Act. The rules on PSO’s are applied to all public sector pension schemes in the same manner as stipulated by the primary legislation.

Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected, including young people.

We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. This includes chairing a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, bringing together ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy.

We continue to measure the number of young people owed a homelessness duty through the quarterly and annual accredited homelessness statistics, which remain our official and most robust statistics on youth homelessness.

The Deputy Prime Minister has not discussed the effectiveness of its warranty schemes when faults have been identified in new build properties with the National House-Building Council (NHBC).

However the department regularly carries out engagement with industry and regulators to better understand the effectiveness of new build warranty schemes, which includes those provided by NHBC.

Funding for home-to-school transport is allocated to local authorities via un-ringfenced funding through the Local Government Finance Settlement. In total, the Local Government Finance Settlement for financial year 2025-26 makes available £69 billion to local authorities.

We invited views from the local government sector through the “local authority funding reform objectives and principles consultation”, which was open from 18 December to 12 February. It sought views on the approach to local authority funding reform to be implemented via the Local Government Finance Settlement from 2026-27.

We will be consulting on more detailed proposals following the Spending Review in June.

Places with a significant rural population will on average receive almost a 6% increase in their Core Spending Power for 25-26, which is a real terms increase alongside new funding available to rural areas in 2025-26 through guaranteed EPR payments.

I regularly meet with stakeholders to discuss current and future local government funding, including on rurality. We also invited views from the sector on long-awaited finance reforms through the local authority funding reform objectives and principles consultation. This included our proposal to continue to apply Area Cost Adjustments to account for relative cost differences between local authorities, including differences between rural and urban areas. We will be consulting on more detailed proposals following the Spending Review.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to Question UIN 20895 on 19 December 2024.