Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of firework regulations in protecting animals and vulnerable people; and whether he plans to review the existing framework.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There currently has been no assessment to the effectiveness of firework regulations in protecting animals and vulnerable people. The Government's intention is to minimise negative impacts of fireworks and to support their considerate use, reducing the risks and disturbances to individuals, animals, and property.
To inform future decisions about the regulation of fireworks, I am engaging with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues and impacts of fireworks. The safety of the public and the impact on people, animals and property will be central in how the Government proceeds in relation to the regulation of fireworks.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the number of building assessment certificate application refusals on the lending, mortgage and insurance markets.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
From 16 January 2024, the Building Safety Act introduced a requirement for Principal Accountable Persons to assess and manage the safety risks relating to the buildings for which they are responsible. Building safety risks are defined in the Act as being spread of fire and structural failure.
A Building Assessment Certificate (BAC) is issued by the Building Safety Regulator when it is assessed that these and other relevant legal duties are being met. A BAC application may be refused for a variety of reasons, for example where the safety case report or the residents’ engagement strategy are insufficient or incomplete. It is important to note therefore that a decision to refuse the application for a BAC does not necessarily mean that the building is unsafe.
Lenders and insurers have their own, well-established, mechanisms for assessing a building’s condition, on which they base their commercial decisions.
We engage regularly with the lending and insurance industries, who have not raised BAC application refusals as a concern, but we encourage industry and individuals to bring any concerns to the attention of the Department.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many large panel system buildings have been registered with the building safety regulator.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As of 30 November 2025, the Building Safety Regulator is aware of 738 registered structures containing large panel systems.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what is the average cost incurred by accountable persons for time spent by the building safety regulator to determine and issue a decision on a building assessment certificate application.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As of 1st December 2025, the average cost of a determination for a Building Assessment Certificate was £23,084. There has been a total of 1838 Building Assessment Certificate applications to the Building Safety Regulator since it was established. Of which, (b) 166 have been approved, (c) 448 have been refused, (d) and 1224 applications have yet to be determined.
The Building Safety Regulator is continuing to work to enhance the level of appropriate BAC information and guidance that is available for applicants.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many building assessment certificate applications have been (a) made to the building safety regulator, (b) approved, (c) refused, and (d) yet to be determined.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As of 1st December 2025, the average cost of a determination for a Building Assessment Certificate was £23,084. There has been a total of 1838 Building Assessment Certificate applications to the Building Safety Regulator since it was established. Of which, (b) 166 have been approved, (c) 448 have been refused, (d) and 1224 applications have yet to be determined.
The Building Safety Regulator is continuing to work to enhance the level of appropriate BAC information and guidance that is available for applicants.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
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 NHS England’s recent guidance on physician associates on patient services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In response to the Independent Review of Physician Associates and Anaesthesia Associates (the Leng Review), NHS England wrote a letter and published Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to provide guidance and support to the system on the implementation of the recommendations. The FAQs are available at the following link:
Whilst individual primary and secondary care providers are responsible for making decisions regarding their workforce, NHS England is actively engaging employers to understand the impact of the Leng Review recommendations. This will inform how we steward and guide the system to further support employers as implementation continues.
As further information to support implementation of the recommendations is available, it will be published at the following link:
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many job vacancies there were for (a) Foundation Year 1 doctors, (b) Foundation Year 2 doctors and (c) specialty training posts in (i) England and (ii) Suffolk NHS region at the most recent date for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold information on the number of vacancies for Foundation Year 1, Foundation Year 2, or specialty training posts in England or in the Suffolk National Health Service region.
NHS England collects and publishes data relating to the fill rates for training places in medical specialties. These are for the entry point of the initial recruitment processes for the specific training programme, rather than a measure of total vacancies at a given point in time. This information is available at the following link:
https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/fill-rates
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many job vacancies there were for (a) Foundation Year 1 doctors, (b) Foundation Year 2 doctors and (c) specialty training posts in (i) England and (ii) Suffolk NHS region at the most recent date for which data is available.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold information on the number of vacancies for Foundation Year 1, Foundation Year 2, and specialty training posts in England or in the Suffolk National Health Service region.
NHS England collects and publishes data relating to the fill rates for training places in medical specialties. These are for the entry point of the initial recruitment processes for the specific training programme, rather than a measure of total vacancies at a given point in time. Further information is available at the following link:
https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/fill-rates
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the government plans to publish the National Cancer Plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan is due to be published in the new year. We have received more than 11,000 responses to our Call for Evidence and have had significant ongoing engagement with patients, clinicians, and charities. This decision has been taken in consultation with patient groups and key stakeholders. It is right to take time to ensure the National Cancer Plan is ambitious, strategic, and sustainable, setting the direction for the next 10 years. This is essential in achieving the Prime Minister's Health Mission goal to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer and build a National Health Service that is fit for the future.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (a) what the total amount spent by the Government on cancer research was in the financial year 2024/25; and (b) if he will provide a breakdown of this expenditure by cancer type where available.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department invests over £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In the financial year 2024/25, the NIHR’s reported spend on cancer research was over £141.6 million through its research programmes and infrastructure, reflecting cancer’s high priority.
A breakdown of total reported spend on cancer research by cancer type is not available. This is because much of the NIHR’s investments are for cross-cutting cancer research delivery within the National Health Service and wider health and care system, including research facilities and workforce, known as NIHR infrastructure. In addition, the NIHR cancer research portfolio contains non-specific cancer research projects, such as research which explores the use of artificial intelligence to support cancer early diagnosis in general practice.