Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people in Epsom and Ewell constituency have been impacted by incorrect CIL charges.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department does not hold the data in question.

I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 105228 on 21 January 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to engage with local authorities on incorrect CIL charges.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department does not hold the data in question.

I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 105228 on 21 January 2026.

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 effectiveness of Shared Care Agreements for patients prescribed ADHD medication by an independent sector provider under a) NHS Right to Choose and b) privately funded arrangements.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Shared care within the National Health Service refers to a voluntary arrangement whereby a specialist may transfer responsibility for aspects of a patient’s care, such as prescription of medication, to the patient’s general practitioner (GP). Decisions regarding shared care agreements are made locally, and the General Medical Council has made it clear that GPs are not contractually obliged to enter shared care agreements and may decline requests on clinical or capacity grounds.

No specific assessment has been made of the effectiveness of shared care agreements with independent sector providers for patients prescribed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication.

NHS England established an ADHD taskforce bringing together people with lived experience with experts from across sectors to better understand the challenges in accessing timely and equitable support.

In addition, on 4 December 2025 my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism, which will inform our approach to ensuring appropriate support is in place.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the pausing of Shared Care Agreements for ADHD on patients.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Shared care within the National Health Service refers to a voluntary arrangement whereby a specialist may transfer responsibility for aspects of a patient’s care, such as prescription of medication, to the patient’s general practitioner (GP). Decisions regarding shared care agreements are made locally, and the General Medical Council has made it clear that GPs are not contractually obliged to enter shared care agreements and may decline requests on clinical or capacity grounds.

No specific assessment has been made of the effectiveness of shared care agreements with independent sector providers for patients prescribed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication.

NHS England established an ADHD taskforce bringing together people with lived experience with experts from across sectors to better understand the challenges in accessing timely and equitable support.

In addition, on 4 December 2025 my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, announced an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD, and autism, which will inform our approach to ensuring appropriate support is in place.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities with effective local plans for housing.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 27 November 2025 (HCWS1104).

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the GP Contract 2026/27, what cost benefit analysis his Department conducted in relation to the bonus GP practices in England will be paid to prescribe patients weight loss drugs.

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

The 2026/27 GP Contract introduces new incentives through the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for general practitioners to prescribe weight loss drugs.

At this stage, the Department has not made quantified estimates of net costs to the National Health Service over one-, five- or ten-year periods specifically attributable to these QOF indicators. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s technology appraisal considered the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of tirzepatide at a population level, and the QOF changes are intended to support appropriate implementation of that guidance.

QOF is an established lever for supporting the roll out of evidence-based care in general practice. Data gathered through QOF this year will be used to understand the impact of the new QOF obesity indicators on patient pathways and service use, and this evidence may inform future assessment of costs and benefits over time.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of paying GPs a bonus to prescribe patients weight loss drugs on savings to the NHS over a (a) one, (b) five year and (c) 10 year period.

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

The 2026/27 GP Contract introduces new incentives through the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for general practitioners to prescribe weight loss drugs.

At this stage, the Department has not made quantified estimates of net costs to the National Health Service over one-, five- or ten-year periods specifically attributable to these QOF indicators. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s technology appraisal considered the clinical effectiveness and cost‑effectiveness of tirzepatide at a population level, and the QOF changes are intended to support appropriate implementation of that guidance.

QOF is an established lever for supporting the roll out of evidence-based care in general practice. Data gathered through QOF this year will be used to understand the impact of the new QOF obesity indicators on patient pathways and service use, and this evidence may inform future assessment of costs and benefits over time.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the bonus GP practices in England will be paid to prescribe patients weight loss drugs, what estimate his Department has made of the expected level of potential savings for the NHS over a one year, five year and 10 year period.

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

The 2026/27 GP Contract introduces new incentives through the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for general practitioners to prescribe weight loss drugs.

At this stage, the Department has not made quantified estimates of net costs to the National Health Service over one-, five- or ten-year periods specifically attributable to these QOF indicators. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s technology appraisal considered the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of tirzepatide at a population level, and the QOF changes are intended to support appropriate implementation of that guidance.

QOF is an established lever for supporting the roll out of evidence-based care in general practice. Data gathered through QOF this year will be used to understand the impact of the new QOF obesity indicators on patient pathways and service use, and this evidence may inform future assessment of costs and benefits over time.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the GP Contract 2026/27, what estimate his Department has made of the level of cost savings for the NHS in relation to the bonus GP practices in England will be paid to prescribe patients weight loss drugs.

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

The 2026/27 GP Contract introduces new incentives through the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for general practitioners to prescribe weight loss drugs.

At this stage, the Department has not made quantified estimates of net costs to the National Health Service over one-, five- or ten-year periods specifically attributable to these QOF indicators. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s technology appraisal considered the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of tirzepatide at a population level, and the QOF changes are intended to support appropriate implementation of that guidance.

QOF is an established lever for supporting the roll out of evidence-based care in general practice. Data gathered through QOF this year will be used to understand the impact of the new QOF obesity indicators on patient pathways and service use, and this evidence may inform future assessment of costs and benefits over time.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of animals that have been used for animal testing in each year since 2022.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the use of animals in science which contain information on the number of procedures conducted each year. The number of procedures is not equal the number of animals that have been used in procedures that year because some animals may be used more than once in certain circumstances.The published annual statistics are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-statistics

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy/replacing-animals-in-science-a-strategy-to-support-the-development-validation-and-uptake-of-alternative-methods

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to inform start-ups about alternative finance, including the use of liquidity, to help promote growth.

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

The growth of non-bank lenders over the past decade means that over two thirds (68%) of overall SME lending in 2025 came from either challenger and specialist banks or non-bank lenders. Alternative finance options include asset-backed lending, invoice finance and merchant finance. The British Business Bank’s finance hub at https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/business-guidance has comprehensive information on these options.

The government’s Business Growth Service provides start-ups with information on all aspects of growing a business, including access to finance, and can be accessed at https://www.business.gov.uk or by telephone.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Capita in managing the recruitment process for army reservists.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Applications to join the Army Reserve have reached their highest level in five years, with more than 5,000 active candidates currently in the pipeline.

However, further work is required to strengthen the progression of applicants into trained Reservists. Improving this progression rate is a priority and continues to be the subject of detailed engagement between the Army Reserve and Capita.

Regular engagement is undertaken between the Department and Capita and all parties remain committed to identifying, agreeing, and implementing measures that will deliver sustained and measurable improvements across the Reserve recruiting pipeline. Additional enhancements are anticipated during Recruiting Year 2026-27, ahead of the establishment of the Armed Forces Recruiting Service (AFRS) in 2027-28.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with Capita on their management of the recruitment process for army reservists.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Applications to join the Army Reserve have reached their highest level in five years, with more than 5,000 active candidates currently in the pipeline.

However, further work is required to strengthen the progression of applicants into trained Reservists. Improving this progression rate is a priority and continues to be the subject of detailed engagement between the Army Reserve and Capita.

Regular engagement is undertaken between the Department and Capita and all parties remain committed to identifying, agreeing, and implementing measures that will deliver sustained and measurable improvements across the Reserve recruiting pipeline. Additional enhancements are anticipated during Recruiting Year 2026-27, ahead of the establishment of the Armed Forces Recruiting Service (AFRS) in 2027-28.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support start-up businesses.

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

The government is committed to supporting start-up businesses through the Small Business Plan - the most comprehensive package of support for small and medium sized businesses in a generation.

This includes the most significant legislative reforms in 25 years to tackle late payments; unlocking billions of pounds in finance to support start-ups; removing unnecessary red tape; revitalising High Streets and boosting Digital and AI Adoption among small businesses.

The Business Growth Service helps start-ups access tailored support at every stage of their growth journey. Business Surrey offers free accessible business advice and support at all stages of a business journey.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to take steps to prevent local authorities from charging disproportionately high businesses parking permits in car parks.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities are best placed to determine the nature and scope of parking policies across their area. Through the Traffic Management Act 2004, local authorities must ensure that their parking policies are proportionate, support town centre prosperity, and reconcile competing demands for space whilst ensuring traffic moves freely and quickly on their roads and the roads of nearby authorities.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the cost of business parking permits introduced by local authorities in car parks.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities are best placed to determine the nature and scope of parking policies across their area. Through the Traffic Management Act 2004, local authorities must ensure that their parking policies are proportionate, support town centre prosperity, and reconcile competing demands for space whilst ensuring traffic moves freely and quickly on their roads and the roads of nearby authorities.

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 merits of integrating reforms to the Carr-Hill Formula with the GMS contract.

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

The first phase of the Carr-Hill review is expected to conclude in March 2026. Subject to ministerial decision, further work would be undertaken to technically develop and model any proposed changes to the formula.   Findings from the review will be published in due course by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. Members of Parliament will be updated once the review findings are available.

Implementation of any new funding approach would be subject to ministerial decision and consultation with the General Practice Committee for England of the British Medical Association, in the context of the available funding and our commitment to substantively reform the General Medical Services Contract within this Parliament.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support Ofsted in processing the backlog of applications for the a) registration and b) inspections of residential family centres.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Twenty Residential Family Centres have been registered by Ofsted since 1 April 2025, with three registrations rejected following a registration visit. Ofsted undertake a range of checks as part of the registration process, including ensuring Residential Family Centres have the correct planning permission and staff teams in place. While efficiencies in handling applications are necessary, they must not come at the expense of the scrutiny needed to ensure safe, high-quality provision. Residential Family Centres are inspected once in every three-year period.

Between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, Ofsted forecast to complete 54 full inspections, and have completed 56. In addition, two Residential Family Centres had their inspections brought forward into the previous inspection year due to identified concerns.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her proposed timetable is for publishing her Department's white paper related to Schools and SEND.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

On 23 February, we published two major documents: the ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ Schools White Paper and the SEND Consultation Document. Together, these set out our plans to build an education system that will ensure that children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) get the right support at every stage of their education.

We are consulting on the reforms in the publication, and you can access the consultation here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-strategy-division/send-reform-putting-children-and-young-people-firs/.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of NHS funding was spent on private contacts in each year between 2022 and 2025.

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

The table attached shows the overview and breakdown of National Health Service spending on non-NHS providers from 2022/23 to 2024/25. The table is taken from the House of Commons Research Briefing on NHS funding and expenditure, using data from the Department’s Care Annual Reports and Accounts, with further information available at the following link:

https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN00724/SN00724.pdf#

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS services were outsourced to private contracts in Surrey in each year between 2022 and 2025.

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

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning local National Health Services and contracting with providers, including in Surrey. Information is not routinely collected by the Department on the number of services outsourced to private providers in Surrey.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many health visitors were employed by the NHS in England in each year since 2020.

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

The number of health visitors working in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in England is published monthly by NHS England as part of their NHS Workforce Statistics Collection. The data can be found in the link below within the file: NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Trusts and core organisations - data tables, December 2025, at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics/december-2025

Within this Excel file, the relevant information can be found in Tab 6, titled Nurses and Health Visitors, Midwives and Support to Doctors, Nurses and Midwives by Staff Group, Care Setting and Level – Full Time Equivalent (FTE) and Headcount.

The data includes staff employed by NHS trusts and other core NHS organisations and will therefore exclude staff directly employed by primary care, general practitioner surgeries, local authorities, and other providers such as community interest companies and private providers.

Local authorities have been responsible for commissioning health visiting services since 2015. These services may be commissioned from NHS trusts as well as other providers. The Department does not hold staffing information for non-NHS providers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Design for Life roadmap, what progress has been made in reducing NHS equipment wastage.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has been working on reducing waste and its associated carbon since publication of the NHS Clinical Waste Strategy in 2023.

NHS England’s Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC) is a mandatory annual data collection for all National Health Service trusts in England that captures waste metrics in waste type tonnages and not specific items of waste. ERIC figures to 2025 show a reduction of 41,000 tonnes of carbon.

The latest reporting year, 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, which covers the period during which the Design for Life Roadmap was launched, in October 2024, saw a reduction of 10,000 tonnes of carbon from waste.

To supplement this work, since publication of the roadmap, the Department has conducted a series of pilots across a range of different medical products and equipment, with most demonstrating waste savings, in carbon terms, from switching to reusable alternatives. The full report can be found on the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare’s website, who were our partner on these pilots, at the following link:

https://sustainablehealthcare.org.uk/activity/reusable-medtech-in-the-nhs-pioneering-sustainable-healthcare/.

The Department is building on this work with a dedicated Priority Adoption Working Group, which includes clinical and procurement professionals, to identify the products with the strongest case for safe, immediate transitions to reusables across the NHS, to drive further waste, and cost, savings at scale. NHS England is supporting this work, alongside its own initiatives to reduce the overuse of products and waste. For example, through the Five years of a greener NHS: progress and forward look, the NHS has committed to reduce single-use glove and gown use by 25% by 2030, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/five-years-greener-nhs-progress-forward-look/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Design for Life roadmap, how much equipment has been diverted from waste since the roadmap was launched.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has been working on reducing waste and its associated carbon since publication of the NHS Clinical Waste Strategy in 2023.

NHS England’s Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC) is a mandatory annual data collection for all National Health Service trusts in England that captures waste metrics in waste type tonnages and not specific items of waste. ERIC figures to 2025 show a reduction of 41,000 tonnes of carbon.

The latest reporting year, 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, which covers the period during which the Design for Life Roadmap was launched, in October 2024, saw a reduction of 10,000 tonnes of carbon from waste.

To supplement this work, since publication of the roadmap, the Department has conducted a series of pilots across a range of different medical products and equipment, with most demonstrating waste savings, in carbon terms, from switching to reusable alternatives. The full report can be found on the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare’s website, who were our partner on these pilots, at the following link:

https://sustainablehealthcare.org.uk/activity/reusable-medtech-in-the-nhs-pioneering-sustainable-healthcare/.

The Department is building on this work with a dedicated Priority Adoption Working Group, which includes clinical and procurement professionals, to identify the products with the strongest case for safe, immediate transitions to reusables across the NHS, to drive further waste, and cost, savings at scale. NHS England is supporting this work, alongside its own initiatives to reduce the overuse of products and waste. For example, through the Five years of a greener NHS: progress and forward look, the NHS has committed to reduce single-use glove and gown use by 25% by 2030, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/five-years-greener-nhs-progress-forward-look/

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the overseas scale rates for employees travelling outside the UK and cost of living pressures.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Where employers reimburse allowable travel expenses, tax relief is available provided the expenses are wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred for work purposes.

Ordinarily, employers must hold evidence of the employee’s actual expenditure. However, to reduce administrative burdens on employers, HMRC allows expenses for travel outside the UK to be reimbursed without evidence up to the levels contained within the Overseas Scale Rates.

Where the Overseas Scale rates do not cover the expense incurred by employees, employers can still reimburse and provide tax relief provided they have appropriate evidence.

The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy‑making process.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will conduct a review of overseas scale rates for employees travelling outside the UK.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Where employers reimburse allowable travel expenses, tax relief is available provided the expenses are wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred for work purposes.

Ordinarily, employers must hold evidence of the employee’s actual expenditure. However, to reduce administrative burdens on employers, HMRC allows expenses for travel outside the UK to be reimbursed without evidence up to the levels contained within the Overseas Scale Rates.

Where the Overseas Scale rates do not cover the expense incurred by employees, employers can still reimburse and provide tax relief provided they have appropriate evidence.

The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy‑making process.

Coniston Hydro

LGBTQ+ veterans

Conflict in Lebanon

Historical building safeguarding in Scotland

Windermere

Protection of historic green spaces

Student finance system reform

UNESCO World Heritage Status and the River Marden

State visits to the US

Wilf Peddle’s 1964 Morris Minor Van at The Somerset Rural Life Museum

Royal Surrey County Hospital research funding

Theatre badge hats in high-risk clinical settings