Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has assessed the merits of lowering the earnings requirement for a family visa.

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

The Minimum Income Requirement (MIR) was raised in April 2024 from £18,600 to £29,000. This was the first time it had been increased since its introduction.

To help ensure we reach the right balance and have a solid evidence base for any change, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) was commissioned to review the financial requirements in the Family Immigration Rules.

Conducting a full review of the financial requirements across the family routes will ensure we have a clear and consistent system. The MAC has published their independent review of the financial requirements across the family routes.

There is no set date for when we will respond to the MAC report. However, the MAC’s recommendations are being considered in detail alongside the work being carried out as a result of the Immigration White Paper (Restoring control over the immigration system: white paper - GOV.UK) which made clear that family migration would be reformed to tackle the over complex family immigration arrangements, including the financial requirements. An announcement will be made in due course.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether any decision-making process regarding switching off the UK's digital terrestrial television will take into account the impact on rural areas with poor broadband quality.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Digital inclusion and ensuring that all households across the country have access to high-quality, reliable broadband is a priority for the Government. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to ensure that all aspects of digital inclusion, including those relating to rural communities, are considered as part of any decisions we make on the future of digital terrestrial television.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to make it easier to re-apply for a postal vote, including the process of uploading a signature.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is committed to ensuring the process for applying or re-applying for a postal vote is as accessible and straightforward as possible. Our online absent voting application service continues to undergo extensive user research and testing with members of the public, including older, less digitally confident and disabled electors, to ensure the service works effectively for a wide range of users.

As part of these improvements, the service now includes functionality allowing applicants to rotate their uploaded signature image. This helps users who may have scanned or photographed their signature in the wrong orientation and makes it easier to submit an application successfully. Insights from ongoing research will continue to inform further refinements to improve usability.

It is also possible to apply for a postal vote using a paper form, and guidance on how to do so is available on the Gov.uk website. This guidance includes an option to download the relevant paper form. It also includes a tool to allow individuals to look up the contact details for their local electoral registration office, so that they may telephone, email or write to them to request that a paper form be posted to them.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, (i) if she is aware of the issues that some residents have encountered in creating a GOV.UK One Login, and (ii) what steps she is taking to improve the process of doing so.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

GOV.UK One Login is committed to making identity verification simple, inclusive and secure, enabling people to access government services while protecting them and the Government from fraud. While we expect GOV.UK One Login to become the primary method for accessing online government services, departments will continue to provide offline alternatives for those who prefer or are unable to use digital channels.

While most users successfully prove their identity, we recognise that some experience difficulties. The service is used by millions, and we continually monitor feedback, complaints and performance data to identify issues and drive improvements.

We are enhancing guidance, refining the user journey and introducing new identity verification routes to meet different user needs. Support is available through our contact centre and technical service desk for users who require assistance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help make primary care workers aware of the potential for a link between autoimmune conditions and breast implants.

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

Guidance for clinicians and patients called Symptoms sometimes referred to as Breast Implant Illness, including autoimmune conditions, was published by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in 2020 and updated in 2023. Healthcare professionals and anyone experiencing any symptoms that they believe to be associated with their breast implants are strongly encouraged to report these through the Yellow Card scheme.

Continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for primary care workers are provided by royal colleges and professional bodies for each profession.

Primary care workers should ensure their own clinical knowledge remains up to date and are responsible for identifying learning needs as part of their CPD. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high-quality care to all patients.

General practices and primary care networks also have access to a regional Primary Care Training Hub, which will bring together education and training resources from National Health Service organisations, community providers, and local authorities. Training hubs are usually run by a clinical leader and a manager supported by a network of primary care staff with education and training professionals based in the community. They work closely with primary care networks and integrated care systems to support workforce priorities and tackle health inequalities to help meet patient and population demand.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce regular testing of approved breast implants to ensure continued compliance with safety standards.

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

Under existing medical device regulations, UK Medical Devices Regulations 2002, all medical devices must meet the Essential Requirements, which includes the use of designated standards that specify mandatory safety and performance criteria for those devices. As breast implants are the highest class medical device, class III, they must undergo rigorous pre-market testing by the manufacturer, which is then assessed by a third party such as a United Kingdom approved body or European Union notified body, before being registered with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and prior to being placed on the market in the UK. Once on the market, the manufacturer must continuously review the safety of their devices. The manufacturer is subject to annual surveillance and monitoring, alongside unannounced audits to ensure claimed standards of quality and safety management are being applied in practise. The MHRA also monitors emerging signals to determine if previously unrecognised risks exist or if the nature of known risks is changing.

Following the Cumberlege recommendations in the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, the MHRA has introduced post-market surveillance regulations to require that safety issues with medical devices are identified early. Further information on the review is available at the following link:

https://immdsreview.org.uk/

The MHRA is also developing a future regulatory framework to strengthen pre-market requirements for medical devices. This intends to introduce requirements for unique device identifiers, implant cards, and new rules to ensure that claims are consistent with intended purpose to better reflect potential risks to patients, increase containment of safety issues, and reduce patient harm.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the MHRA's yellow card system.

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

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is committed to continually strengthening the Yellow Card scheme to support patient safety. The MHRA regularly promotes awareness through public health campaigns, conferences, established networks, and new educational resources available on the Yellow Card website. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/medicines-and-healthcare-products-regulatory-agency

The MHRA is expanding and improving digital reporting routes. Every National Health Service webpage relating to a medicine or vaccine now links to the Yellow Card scheme, and the MHRA is working with NHS colleagues to enhance integration with the NHS App to increase visibility and reporting by the public. Yellow Card reporting is now embedded in almost all general practice clinical IT systems, enabling healthcare professionals to submit reports directly on behalf of patients.

Over recent years, the MHRA has delivered a major upgrade programme to modernise the Yellow Card scheme’s technology and infrastructure. This includes improving the quality and timeliness of submitted information, making it easier to report, adding conditional questions to reduce follow up, and support real time signal detection of safety issues.

The Yellow Card app has also been modernised to mirror the website, broaden reporting options, including defective and counterfeit medicines, and improve access to safety data. Multi‑factor authentication has been introduced to enhance account security and enable future integration with NHS login. The app has also been upgraded to a progressive web application, providing a seamless and engaging user experience across devices.

Together, these improvements increase public awareness, make reporting easier, and enhance the MHRA’s ability to identify and assess emerging safety concerns across healthcare products.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will commission research to better understand the health impacts of breast implants.

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

The Department delivers research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including the health impacts of breast implants. Through the NIHR, the Department funded a study to explore the long-term outcomes and cost-effectiveness of different methods of breast reconstruction, including implants, for women following a mastectomy. This research showed which methods of breast reconstruction were more likely to require later revision, supporting patients to make informed decisions about their treatment.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of facilitating the installation of solar panels on listed properties and properties in conservation areas.

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

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, included policies that recognised that the installation of energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures in listed buildings and conservation areas are an important public benefit to be taken into account when determining planning applications.

We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on regulating the property agent sector.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 85213 on 4 November 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making unpaid carers eligible for vaccination against Coronavirus.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Suffolk Coastal on 3 March 2026 to Question 115220.

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 assessed the potential merits of introducing mandatory offer disclosure in Modern Method of Auction property sales.

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

The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team are investigating practices in the auction market involving the submission of misleading or inauthentic bids.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 prohibits unfair commercial practices by traders in their dealings with consumers, including misleading actions or omissions, which can extend to auction property sales. The Act also requires businesses to act with professional diligence, in line with honest market practice and general principles of good faith.

On 6 October, my Department published two consultations outlining reform proposals to transform home buying and selling. Transparency during the property sales process is one of the core objectives of these reforms. That is why we proposed requiring sellers to provide comprehensive upfront information to buyers and mandating the provision of critical information in property listings. The consultations can be found on gov.uk here and here.

Trade union de-recognition at GB Railfreight

Found: 43 (76.7%) Terry Jermy (Labour, South West Norfolk) (added 27 Oct 2025) 8 of 11 (72.7%) Jayne Kirkham

Found: Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat; Glastonbury and Somerton) Terry Jermy (Labour; South West Norfolk) Jayne Kirkham

Found: for the first time - GOV.UK Armed Forces Commissioner – Royal Fleet Auxiliary (Clause 30) MP Jayne Kirkham

Found: Q615 Jayne Kirkham: It is not that.

Found: Resilience” (10/3/26) Dear Members of Parliament and Members of the Press, I am writing to congratulate Jayne Kirkham

The UK Government has set numerous goals related to habitat restoration under the Environmental Improvement Plan, much of which of hoped to be achieved through the Government’s Environmental Land Management Schemes. The Government has also set several ambitious targets through its housebuilding programme and plans for net zero energy generation.