Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in levels of anaesthetic workforce availability on elective surgery waiting times.

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

No specific recent assessment has been made by the Department on the impact of the levels of the anaesthetic workforce’s availability on elective surgery waiting times. Local providers are best placed to make decisions on workforce capacity to reflect local service demand and circumstances.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on the number of UK citizens who have been (a) arrested, (b) detained and (c) deported by the Israeli authorities for picking olives in the West Bank; and whether her Department has made representations on behalf of those people.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We provided consular assistance to fewer than five British nationals detained by Israel in October 2025, all of whom have subsequently left the region. It is our long-standing policy not to publish statistical information on the reasons for consular assistance where fewer than five people have been affected, as this risks identifying the individuals involved.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 80475 on Israel: Palestine, what response she has received from the Israeli Government in relation to her calls to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Ministers and officials continue to raise this as a priority with our Israeli counterparts, and we will keep the House updated on the progress of these efforts.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of enhanced Post Offices providing (a) affordable and (b) community-based access to (i) cash and (ii) face-to-face banking services in rural areas where banking hubs are not considered viable.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

I welcome the introduction of enhanced Post Offices in suitable areas, demonstrating Post Office continuing its vital role as an important alternative to bank branches in providing convenient in-person cash and banking services.

The Government would welcome further collaboration between Post Office and the banking sector on a commercial and voluntary basis. Together with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, I plan to co-chair a roundtable with the Post Office and key banks shortly which will provide an opportunity to discuss where future potential collaboration may be in the interests of both parties.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to expand the range of in-person Government services available via the Post Office network.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government’s consultation on the Post Office closed on 6 October and we thank all individuals and organisations for their detailed responses to our Green Paper, including the responses related to Post Office’s role in providing in-person Government services. Government is carefully considering all responses to the Green Paper and aims to respond in early 2026.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to establish a national framework to enable local authorities to provide residents with (a) face-to-face access and (b) payment facilities for local government services through the Post Office network.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

While this idea is not something currently under consideration, this Government welcomes all ideas on the future of the Post Office and will keep this idea under review.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 16 October 2025 to Question 79904 on Carbon Emissions, if she will require the Bank of England to undertake a climate stress test that incorporates lessons learned from the Climate Biennial Exploratory Scenario test conducted in 2021.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor’s 2024 remit and recommendations letter to the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) sets out that the Committee should “consider how climate-related risks could impact financial stability over the near and long term, including, where appropriate, through its stress testing frameworks, ensuring that risks stemming from possible and severe global climate scenarios are reflected in its analysis on climate risks, and that sufficient time horizons are considered”.

The remit letter also sets out that the Committee should “continue to consider the materiality of nature-related financial risks for its primary objective”.

The Chancellor and the Governor of the Bank of England meet regularly to discuss the financial stability outlook. However, the FPC and the UK’s financial regulators are operationally independent from government in terms of how they carry out their specific responsibilities. This model is important for maintaining public trust and ensuring that our expert regulators are able to act flexibly to address evolving risks.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 16 October 2025 to Question 79904 on Carbon Emissions, if she will make it her policy to require the Bank of England to undertake a nature stress test.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor’s 2024 remit and recommendations letter to the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) sets out that the Committee should “consider how climate-related risks could impact financial stability over the near and long term, including, where appropriate, through its stress testing frameworks, ensuring that risks stemming from possible and severe global climate scenarios are reflected in its analysis on climate risks, and that sufficient time horizons are considered”.

The remit letter also sets out that the Committee should “continue to consider the materiality of nature-related financial risks for its primary objective”.

The Chancellor and the Governor of the Bank of England meet regularly to discuss the financial stability outlook. However, the FPC and the UK’s financial regulators are operationally independent from government in terms of how they carry out their specific responsibilities. This model is important for maintaining public trust and ensuring that our expert regulators are able to act flexibly to address evolving risks.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Bank of England on other members of the Network for Greening Financial Services (NGFS) incorporating climate tipping points into NGFS scenarios.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor’s 2024 remit and recommendations letter to the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) sets out that the Committee should “consider how climate-related risks could impact financial stability over the near and long term, including, where appropriate, through its stress testing frameworks, ensuring that risks stemming from possible and severe global climate scenarios are reflected in its analysis on climate risks, and that sufficient time horizons are considered”.

The remit letter also sets out that the Committee should “continue to consider the materiality of nature-related financial risks for its primary objective”.

The Chancellor and the Governor of the Bank of England meet regularly to discuss the financial stability outlook. However, the FPC and the UK’s financial regulators are operationally independent from government in terms of how they carry out their specific responsibilities. This model is important for maintaining public trust and ensuring that our expert regulators are able to act flexibly to address evolving risks.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the guidance entitled Suitability: non-conducive grounds for refusal or cancellation of entry clearance or permission, published on 19 January 2024, whether Elon Musk would meet the criteria of a person not conducive to the public good.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

It is longstanding Home Office policy not to comment on individual cases.

Where a foreign national is seeking to enter or stay in the UK, in order to qualify they will be assessed by the Home Office against a range of provisions in the current Immigration Rules relating to criminality and other adverse conduct and character prior to their entry to, and any previous time spent in, the UK. Failure to satisfy these criteria may mean their application for a visa, entry clearance, permission to enter or permission to stay will be refused, depending on the severity of past offences or other factors in their history.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to HMRC's publication entitled Benefits of Making Tax Digital, last updated on 23 April 2025, what the evidential basis is that Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and Self Assessment will (a) help small businesses manage their tax affairs and (b) support business growth.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Making Tax Digital (MTD) modernises the tax system and will help businesses and landlords keep on top of their tax affairs. It places small businesses on a more digital footing helping to reduce errors and making annual tax returns easier.

HMRC has published evaluation of the wider benefits of MTD for VAT, which is already in place for over 2m users. This found users experienced a range of benefits including increased confidence in managing their VAT. Many experienced time savings, estimated at 26–40 hours per business per year freeing up resources for core business activities, and supporting their productivity and growth.

This research can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimating-the-wider-economic-benefit-of-making-tax-digital/making-tax-digital-estimating-the-wider-economic-benefit

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of quarterly reporting requirements under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and Self Assessment on seasonal businesses.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC has undertaken detailed assessments of the potential impact of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax on compliance costs and administrative requirements across different taxpayer groups, including seasonal workers, self-employed individuals, small businesses, and landlords. The latest published assessment is available at:

Extension of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment to sole traders and landlords - GOV.UK

HMRC has worked to ensure that MTD for Income Tax works well for all kinds of businesses. In-year, quarterly updates are not like full tax returns.

They are simple, unadjusted summaries of income and expenditure, acting as a snapshot of quarterly trading activity. They will be populated automatically through software and can be submitted easily. This process has been designed to be simple for users and quick to complete.

Quarterly updates reduce the risk of error by moving record-keeping closer to real time. They also make preparing the tax return easier, as much information is already captured and categorised. Updates can help inform estimates of tax liability and prompts to help taxpayers get their tax right.

The Government has taken steps to minimise costs to businesses resulting from MTD, including work with the software industry to ensure free software is available for those with simple affairs.

Following MTD’s introduction in April 2026, HMRC will support MTD users with fully-trained advisers in sufficient numbers to manage anticipated demand.

In advance of MTD’s rollout, nearly 5,000 volunteers have signed up to test the service. HMRC’s dedicated teams are working to ensure the new systems and processes operate as planned and the right guidance and training is in place for both advisors and users.

As a major government programme, HMRC routinely evaluates MTD’s value for money in line with mandatory Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP) requirements, which include demonstrating affordability, cost-effectiveness, and delivery of benefits throughout its lifecycle to ensure efficient use of public funds. The latest assessment is at:
Making Tax Digital Programme Accounting Officer Assessment (updated) - GOV.UK

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of quarterly reporting requirements under Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and Self Assessment on (a) landlords’ administrative costs and (b) rent levels for tenants.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC has undertaken detailed assessments of the potential impact of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax on compliance costs and administrative requirements across different taxpayer groups, including seasonal workers, self-employed individuals, small businesses, and landlords. The latest published assessment is available at:

Extension of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment to sole traders and landlords - GOV.UK

HMRC has worked to ensure that MTD for Income Tax works well for all kinds of businesses. In-year, quarterly updates are not like full tax returns.

They are simple, unadjusted summaries of income and expenditure, acting as a snapshot of quarterly trading activity. They will be populated automatically through software and can be submitted easily. This process has been designed to be simple for users and quick to complete.

Quarterly updates reduce the risk of error by moving record-keeping closer to real time. They also make preparing the tax return easier, as much information is already captured and categorised. Updates can help inform estimates of tax liability and prompts to help taxpayers get their tax right.

The Government has taken steps to minimise costs to businesses resulting from MTD, including work with the software industry to ensure free software is available for those with simple affairs.

Following MTD’s introduction in April 2026, HMRC will support MTD users with fully-trained advisers in sufficient numbers to manage anticipated demand.

In advance of MTD’s rollout, nearly 5,000 volunteers have signed up to test the service. HMRC’s dedicated teams are working to ensure the new systems and processes operate as planned and the right guidance and training is in place for both advisors and users.

As a major government programme, HMRC routinely evaluates MTD’s value for money in line with mandatory Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP) requirements, which include demonstrating affordability, cost-effectiveness, and delivery of benefits throughout its lifecycle to ensure efficient use of public funds. The latest assessment is at:
Making Tax Digital Programme Accounting Officer Assessment (updated) - GOV.UK

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that HM Revenue and Customs has sufficient capacity to support taxpayers during the implementation of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and Self Assessment.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC has undertaken detailed assessments of the potential impact of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax on compliance costs and administrative requirements across different taxpayer groups, including seasonal workers, self-employed individuals, small businesses, and landlords. The latest published assessment is available at:

Extension of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment to sole traders and landlords - GOV.UK

HMRC has worked to ensure that MTD for Income Tax works well for all kinds of businesses. In-year, quarterly updates are not like full tax returns.

They are simple, unadjusted summaries of income and expenditure, acting as a snapshot of quarterly trading activity. They will be populated automatically through software and can be submitted easily. This process has been designed to be simple for users and quick to complete.

Quarterly updates reduce the risk of error by moving record-keeping closer to real time. They also make preparing the tax return easier, as much information is already captured and categorised. Updates can help inform estimates of tax liability and prompts to help taxpayers get their tax right.

The Government has taken steps to minimise costs to businesses resulting from MTD, including work with the software industry to ensure free software is available for those with simple affairs.

Following MTD’s introduction in April 2026, HMRC will support MTD users with fully-trained advisers in sufficient numbers to manage anticipated demand.

In advance of MTD’s rollout, nearly 5,000 volunteers have signed up to test the service. HMRC’s dedicated teams are working to ensure the new systems and processes operate as planned and the right guidance and training is in place for both advisors and users.

As a major government programme, HMRC routinely evaluates MTD’s value for money in line with mandatory Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP) requirements, which include demonstrating affordability, cost-effectiveness, and delivery of benefits throughout its lifecycle to ensure efficient use of public funds. The latest assessment is at:
Making Tax Digital Programme Accounting Officer Assessment (updated) - GOV.UK

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that HMRC's Making Tax Digital for Income Tax and Self Assessment represents good value for money.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC has undertaken detailed assessments of the potential impact of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax on compliance costs and administrative requirements across different taxpayer groups, including seasonal workers, self-employed individuals, small businesses, and landlords. The latest published assessment is available at:

Extension of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment to sole traders and landlords - GOV.UK

HMRC has worked to ensure that MTD for Income Tax works well for all kinds of businesses. In-year, quarterly updates are not like full tax returns.

They are simple, unadjusted summaries of income and expenditure, acting as a snapshot of quarterly trading activity. They will be populated automatically through software and can be submitted easily. This process has been designed to be simple for users and quick to complete.

Quarterly updates reduce the risk of error by moving record-keeping closer to real time. They also make preparing the tax return easier, as much information is already captured and categorised. Updates can help inform estimates of tax liability and prompts to help taxpayers get their tax right.

The Government has taken steps to minimise costs to businesses resulting from MTD, including work with the software industry to ensure free software is available for those with simple affairs.

Following MTD’s introduction in April 2026, HMRC will support MTD users with fully-trained advisers in sufficient numbers to manage anticipated demand.

In advance of MTD’s rollout, nearly 5,000 volunteers have signed up to test the service. HMRC’s dedicated teams are working to ensure the new systems and processes operate as planned and the right guidance and training is in place for both advisors and users.

As a major government programme, HMRC routinely evaluates MTD’s value for money in line with mandatory Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP) requirements, which include demonstrating affordability, cost-effectiveness, and delivery of benefits throughout its lifecycle to ensure efficient use of public funds. The latest assessment is at:
Making Tax Digital Programme Accounting Officer Assessment (updated) - GOV.UK

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of establishing a community sponsorship scheme for refugees from Gaza.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We are not considering establishing a bespoke immigration route for Palestinians. In any humanitarian situation, the UK must carefully consider its approach in response. Any decision to implement a bespoke visa scheme would need to consider a range of factors, including assessing the unique crisis and relevant impacts on security, compliance and returns.

Palestinians who wish to come to the UK can do so via the existing routes available, which allow a person to apply to work, study, settle or join family in the UK. Further information can be found on the GOV.UK website: UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.UK

Palestine Action hunger strike

Repression following the Iran-Israel war

International Day of People with Disabilities

Occupational Therapist Week

Football Supporters’ Association’s Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign

Bank closures, digital exclusion and cyber risks

25th Anniversary of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000

Small Business Saturday and support for SME apprenticeships

Neurodivergent service personnel in the armed forces

Higher education funding

Gambling executives' profits

Access to banks

Fly-tipping and illegal waste dumping by criminal gangs

Local authority funding (No. 2)

National Tree Week 2025

Reduction to UK Official Development Assistance

Funding for medical students in their final years of study

Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week 2025

Israel’s use of cluster munitions

National ban on street-racing

Support for the Shakespeare Curriculum Project

Mission Marigold

Accommodation standards for people seeking asylum

Local Housing Allowance

Hurricane Melissa

Cancer waiting times

Tomorrow’s Engineers Week 2025

RAF Photographic Reconnaissance Units

Human rights violations and suppression of democratic opposition in Tanzania

Britain’s canals and rivers

Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah and the plight of British nationals arbitrarily detained abroad

Family Business Week 2025

Conflict in Sudan

International Men’s Day and prostate cancer

UK–EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Agreement

Funding for clean heat schemes

Road Safety Week 2025

Recognising pets in domestic abuse protection orders

UK Youth Parliament 2025

Dying in Poverty 2025

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Day on 20 November 2025

50th Anniversary of women’s right to independent mortgages

Water monitoring at Windermere

Safe and legal routes for Sudanese people to the UK

Budget 2025 and living standards

Matters for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to consider prior to the Autumn Budget 2025 (No. 3)

110 years of the Women's Institute

World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 2025

Accessible healthcare for deaf people and those with hearing loss

Mouth Cancer Action Month

Economic growth and the asylum system

Literacy and the criminal justice system

Movember

Scotland Men's national football team qualifies for 2026 World Cup

New private capital in the NHS in the Autumn Budget

Future of the BBC

Cumulative disruption proposals and the right to protest

Two-child limit

Train safety, staffing levels and plans for driverless trains

UK aid for global forests and indigenous peoples

Fossil fuel company profits

Local government and social care

Decarbonising refrigerated transport

Ukrainian Permission Extension Scheme

Suicide prevention on railways

Taxi accessibility for disabled people

Sodium valproate and surgical mesh redress

Found: Unionist Party; East Antrim)The following Members were members of the Committee during the inquiry: Ellie Chowns

Found: chain resilience and the livelihoods of global producers into account.197 Green Party MP, Dr Ellie Chowns