Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the toxicology non-clinical studies for zapomeran, also called Kostaive, mRNA covid-19 vaccine following its approval for adults by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Whilst the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) does not publish non-clinical studies, in line with Section 64 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, the MHRA has published a public assessment report (PAR) for Kostaive. This PAR includes the MHRA’s assessment of the non-clinical data submitted. This PAR is accessible to the public on the MHRA’s products website at the following link:
https://mhraproducts4853.blob.core.windows.net/docs/0e710f66d3e04b6346f668178c02524de9248f57
This product was authorised via the International Recognition Procedure ‘Route B’ process, with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) acting as the reference regulator. Further information on the EMA’s assessment of Kostaive, including its own PAR, is accessible to the public on the EMA’s website at the following link:
https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/kostaive
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assistance her Department will offer to parents at independent schools that are closing to help them take over the running of the school.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
It is for private schools, as private businesses, to manage their operations and take decisions on closure. All children of compulsory school age are entitled to a state-funded school place, should they need one. The department continues to support local authorities to ensure sufficient places for pupils.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 111118 on Coronavirus: Research, what is the definition of the word “routine” in this context.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the context of the answer to Question 111118 of 13 February 2026, “routine” refers to the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority standard practice on publications of audit outcomes.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2025 to question 98754, what his planned timetable is for publication of the packaging change report.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published an overview of the completion of the work by the expert working group (EWG) and subsequent advice from the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) in December 2025 on the MHRA website.
The MHRA has been working with healthcare partner organisations to take forward the recommendations of the EWG and the advice of the CHM. This includes seeking the views of patients with a range of mental health conditions on the proposed updates to the regulatory position for the 28 antidepressants involved in the review in relation to the warnings on suicidal behaviour. The MHRA is ensuring that those who take part receive appropriate safeguarding and signposting, which is required to support their involvement in this work. It is estimated that this user testing will be completed within three months.
It is not possible to confirm the timetable for the publication of the public assessment report until the regulatory position is finalised.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he expects to bring forward legislation to strip Lord Mandelson of his peerage.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government will provide further details about legislation to create a system to remove peerages from peers in due course.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of mental health patients per caseworker across the country.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information is not held in the format requested.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the annual budget for each individual NHS care trust was in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The trust accounts consolidation data publications for National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts include total operating income and expenditure, and are available for the last five financial years. Data for 2024/25 is currently being finalised for publication. This information is publicly available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/financial-accounting-and-reporting/nhs-providers-tac-data-publications/
NHS England does not set annual budgets for individual trusts. Trusts earn income from their NHS commissioners for the clinical services they provide, as well as local authorities, private patient work, research, and other sources such as car parking. Trusts submit financial plans to NHS England for agreement that will reflect their planned income and expenditure, and performance against the plan is then monitored through the course of the financial year.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the bed capacity was in each NHS care trust in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England publishes data on general and acute bed occupancy and capacity. The data can be found at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/bed-availability-and-occupancy/
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the increased cost to businesses as a result of the expansion of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL), including directly through paying the increased SDIL and indirectly through the demand of product reformulation.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The changes to SDIL announced at Budget 2025 were confirmed following extensive industry engagement through the ‘Strengthening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy’ consultation, which was open from 28 April to 21 July 2025. Representations from businesses, and the trade bodies representing them, were received and considered as part of this process.
On 25 November 2025, the government published its summary of responses to the consultation. An assessment of impacts – including economic impacts for businesses – of the announced policy changes can be found within the Summary of Responses document here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/strengthening-the-soft-drinks-industry-levy/outcome/strengthening-the-soft-drinks-industry-levy-summary-of-responses#assessment-of-impacts
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much the Arts Council has provided in grants for a) opera and b) brass bands in each of the last three years.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The tables in the attached PDF set out Arts Council England grants which support a) opera and b) brass bands for the years 2022/2023, 2023/2024, and 2024/2025. Please note that the distinction between Primary and Non-Primary Subclassifiers is important. It clarifies the difference between organisations primarily focused on opera or brass bands, and those for whom the disciplines form only part of their wider work.