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 help tackle increases in legal costs for clinical negligence.

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

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.

As announced in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC will be providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims, ahead of a review by the Department in the autumn.

The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the strategy Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025 and the target to replace animals used for eye irritation testing, how many procedures were carried out for this purpose in 2024.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Home Office is committed to supporting the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods to animal testing, as outlined in the published strategy: Replacing animals in science’, published on 11 November 2025.

The last licence authorising the use of the rabbit pyrogen test was granted in 2017. The most recent reported use of the test was in 2018. No pyrogen testing has been reported since this date.

The latest published statistics show that no procedures were reported under the category of ‘skin irritation/corrosion’ tests.

In 2024, three procedures were reported under the category of ‘eye irritation/corrosion’ tests.

The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the use of animals in scientific procedures. The statistics can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-statistics

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the strategy Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025 and the target to replace in vivo skin irritation testing, how many procedures were carried out for this purpose in 2024.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Home Office is committed to supporting the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods to animal testing, as outlined in the published strategy: Replacing animals in science’, published on 11 November 2025.

The last licence authorising the use of the rabbit pyrogen test was granted in 2017. The most recent reported use of the test was in 2018. No pyrogen testing has been reported since this date.

The latest published statistics show that no procedures were reported under the category of ‘skin irritation/corrosion’ tests.

In 2024, three procedures were reported under the category of ‘eye irritation/corrosion’ tests.

The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the use of animals in scientific procedures. The statistics can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-statistics

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the strategy Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025 and the target to replace the rabbit pyrogen test, when was the last time this test was authorised for use in the UK.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Home Office is committed to supporting the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods to animal testing, as outlined in the published strategy: Replacing animals in science’, published on 11 November 2025.

The last licence authorising the use of the rabbit pyrogen test was granted in 2017. The most recent reported use of the test was in 2018. No pyrogen testing has been reported since this date.

The latest published statistics show that no procedures were reported under the category of ‘skin irritation/corrosion’ tests.

In 2024, three procedures were reported under the category of ‘eye irritation/corrosion’ tests.

The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the use of animals in scientific procedures. The statistics can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-statistics

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what timetable has been set for the transfer of assets, staff and responsibilities from Network Rail to Great British Railways.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Network Rail and its functions will become a foundational part of Great British Railways (GBR) as it is stood up. The detailed GBR design process is underway, considering how all functions in Network Rail, DfT Operator, publicly-owned train operating companies (TOC) and parts of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) should transfer to GBR.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of changes to staffing levels resulting from the establishment of Great British Railways.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Details on exact roles are subject to further design work. GBR will need colleagues from across the railway to continue the hard work that they do delivering for passengers. We will continue to engage with the industry on our plans for GBR.

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 11 September 2024 to Question 73326 on NHS: Strikes, if he will take steps to amend NHS contracts to ban the practice of NHS employees who are on strike from being paid by other parts of the NHS on strike days.

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

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, further to the press release, Red tape slashed to revamp high streets with new cafes and bars, of 26 July 2025, whether the Department for Transport has conducted or is planning to conduct a review of changes to the alcohol drink drive limit and potential mitigations.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Government is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads.

We are considering a range of policies under the new Road Safety Strategy; the first for ten years. This includes the case for changing the motoring offences, such as drink driving.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether changes are being made to the eligibility for central government funding for Kent County Council, in the context of plans not to switch its fleet of vehicles to electric vehicles.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Local authorities have access to a range of central Government funding to support residents to transition to zero emission vehicles. Kent County Council remains eligible for their allocated £13.2 million capital and resource funding through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to increase the number of local public chargepoints across Kent. Their LEVI funding application has been approved to go to delivery.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding her Department plans to provide to (a) tennis and (b) padel in each year until 2028.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport in England through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years from 2022 to 2027 to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit as many people as possible.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 27 October 2025, to Question 82997, on Restoring Your Railway Fund, how much central government money was written off as a consequence of the decision to cancel the fund.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Chancellor’s 29 July 2024 announcement confirmed that the Restoring Your Railway programme would be brought to a close, as one of the steps she was taking to address the pressures on the public finances created by unfunded policy announcements made by the previous government. No funding was "written off" as part of this process.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to (a) protect SME hauliers from pricing by major lorry manufacturers and (b) ensure access to third-party litigation funding for those hauliers.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Ensuring that consumers and SMEs are only required to pay fair prices is of the utmost importance and is a key feature of truly competitive markets. The UK has a robust competition enforcement landscape to ensure that this is achieved, both through public enforcement by the Competition and Markets Authority and private enforcement routes through litigation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the cost to SME hauliers of prices set by major lorry manufacturers.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Ensuring that consumers and SMEs are only required to pay fair prices is of the utmost importance and is a key feature of truly competitive markets. The UK has a robust competition enforcement landscape to ensure that this is achieved, both through public enforcement by the Competition and Markets Authority and private enforcement routes through litigation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2025, to Question 77642, on Driving under Influence: Scotland, whether research has been commissioned or produced on the effect of drink driving limits on the economic viability of pubs and other hospitality venues which serve alcohol.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Government is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads.

We are considering a range of policies under the new Road Safety Strategy; the first for 10 years. This includes the case for changing the motoring offences, such as drink driving.  We intend to publish this by the end of the year.

Research was conducted by the University of Bath in 2021, Dr Jonathan James and Professor Marco Francesconi, looking at the effect of the introduction of the lower drink drive limit in Scotland. The authors found that the “alcohol industry remained unscathed, with no changes in production, prices, or employment”:

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/s0167629621000722#sec0014

On 5 December 2014 Scotland lowered the drink drive limit to that of the majority of European countries. In 2023 Transport Scotland published casualty estimates show that the “numbers of drink-drive collisions and casualties fell by 55% and 47% respectively between 2012 and 2022 (the latest year for which estimates are available)”:

www.transport.gov.scot/publication/reported-road-casualties-scotland-2023/.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his department is making available for trusts to help reduce bed occupancy to the RCEM recommended level of 85% occupancy.

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

As part of our winter preparations, we are asking trusts to place a special focus on reducing bed occupancy ahead of Christmas, creating additional capacity and improving patient flow.

The Urgent and Emergency Care plan, published in July, focuses on those improvements that will see the biggest impact on urgent and emergency care (UEC) performance this winter and on making UEC better every day. The plan is backed by almost £450 million of capital investment for Same Day Emergency Care, Mental Health Crisis Assessment Centres, and new ambulances, avoiding unnecessary admissions to hospital and supporting the diagnosis, treatment, and discharge on the same day for patients. The plan supports a permanent shift in how we manage demand and patient flow.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2025 to Question 85905 on Roads: Repairs and Maintenance, whether she plans to introduce a Live Labs 3 programme.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Live Labs 2 is a three-year, £30 million programme designed to support the local highways sector to adopt innovation and reduce its carbon impacts. The government will continue to support innovation in the highways sector following the conclusion of the Live Labs 2 programme and will confirm future plans in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the policy rationale is for clause 31(7) of the Railways Bill, which provides that the obligation to provide or secure the provision of designated railway passenger services does not give rise to civil liability; and whether she has assessed how this limitation of liability aligns with (a) accountability within the new rail system and (b) the protection of passenger rights.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Clause 31(7) of the Bill makes it clear that the Secretary of State, Scottish Ministers or Welsh Ministers cannot be found liable for breach of statutory duty (which allows a person to claim damages in tort) when they provide or secure designated railway passenger services. This mirrors section 50 of the Railways Act 1993 so that the same approach to civil liability is carried over to the new passenger services provisions. There are other examples of this in legislation, such as section 44 of the Railways Act 2005. If Ministers act unlawfully then judicial review is available.

Responsibility for providing designated passenger services will rest largely with Great British Railways (GBR), or, in Scotland or Wales, with another public sector company. GBR will be governed by a cohesive accountability framework. Passenger rights will be protected in that framework with the GBR licence setting minimum consumer standards. The Passenger Watchdog, established to champion passenger interests, will set and monitor these standards, with the Office for Rail and Road able to take enforcement action should these standards not be met.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's document entitled Transport for City Regions funding allocations, published on 4 June 2025, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the (a) decarbonising transport, (b) enabling healthy living and (c) promoting the modal shift from cars to public transport, walking and cycling objectives during 2027-28 to 2031-32.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The devolved (TCR) programme will enable Mayors in recipient areas to deliver schemes that align with the aforementioned objectives at a local level. The cost is reflected in the capital and resource funding allocated through these settlements and will contribute towards achievement of the overarching programme objectives. Funding allocations can be found here at Transport for City Regions funding allocations - GOV.UK

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 22 October 2025 to Question 77546 on NHS: Strikes, whether (a) paid and (b) unpaid trade union facility time can be used for NHS staff who are trade union representatives to take part in campaigning on (i) ballots and (ii) industrial action.

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

It is for each National Health Service employer and representatives of locally recognised trades unions to agree in partnership to local arrangements and procedures on time off and facilities that are appropriate in local circumstances and whether that time off is paid or unpaid. Local arrangements should also specify the circumstances when time off may be refused for either representatives or members and are expected to be consistent with the principles set out in Section 25 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service Code of Practice on time off for trade union duties and activities. Section 25 specifies that trade union representatives should make a request to their employer in advance when seeking time off for unpaid trade union activities. The request should include details such as the purpose of the absence, the timing, and the expected duration so the employer can give fair and due consideration of the request. The employer should not unreasonably refuse such requests, but the granting of time off should always be balanced against the needs of the service and what would be considered reasonable in the circumstances.

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 22 October 2025 to Question 77546 on NHS: Strikes, whether NHS staff who are on strike may be paid by another NHS trust for undertaking (a) agency and (b) locum during the strike.

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

Regulation 7 of the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 stipulates that striking National Health Service staff can work for another NHS trust on days of industrial action as long as they do not do so via an employment business to cover the work of striking workers. Some employment contracts may require employees to either declare to or seek permission from their primary employer before working with another employer, and further guidance for employers can be found on the NHS Employers website. In addition, doctors should refer to the Good Medical Practice Guide issued by the General Medical Council (GMC) when making decisions about working during periods of strike action. The GMC advises that doctors who are due to work but are not attending because of strike action should remain prepared and available during their scheduled hours in case circumstances change.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure the effectiveness of private enforcement in competition cases in the courts.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The competition opt-out collective actions regime enables competition claims to be brought where many individuals have claims substantially similar in nature. This provides a route to litigation where it would otherwise be impractical or unaffordable.

The Government launched a review of the operation of the competition opt-out collective actions regime in August 2025, commencing with a call for evidence that closed on 14 October 2025. Responses to the call for evidence are now being considered and a consultation on options for reform will be brought forward in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of spirits duty on the ability of pubs to compete with off-trade retailers.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Autumn Budget 2025 the Chancellor confirmed that alcohol duty will be uprated on 1 February 2026 to main its current real-terms value. The government does not expect this to have any significant impact to GDP, nor competition between the on and off trades.

Following a detailed review between 2020 and 2023, a new duty system was introduced in August 2023. Information about this review and its outcomes are available here:

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-new-alcohol-duty-system-consultation

The Government plans to evaluate the 2023 alcohol duty reforms in late-2026, in line with our commitment to do so three years after they took effect.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will conduct a review of the potential impact of spirits duty policy on the on-trade sector.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Autumn Budget 2025 the Chancellor confirmed that alcohol duty will be uprated on 1 February 2026 to main its current real-terms value. The government does not expect this to have any significant impact to GDP, nor competition between the on and off trades.

Following a detailed review between 2020 and 2023, a new duty system was introduced in August 2023. Information about this review and its outcomes are available here:

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-new-alcohol-duty-system-consultation

The Government plans to evaluate the 2023 alcohol duty reforms in late-2026, in line with our commitment to do so three years after they took effect.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the contribution of on-trade sale of UK spirits to GDP.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Autumn Budget 2025 the Chancellor confirmed that alcohol duty will be uprated on 1 February 2026 to main its current real-terms value. The government does not expect this to have any significant impact to GDP, nor competition between the on and off trades.

Following a detailed review between 2020 and 2023, a new duty system was introduced in August 2023. Information about this review and its outcomes are available here:

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-new-alcohol-duty-system-consultation

The Government plans to evaluate the 2023 alcohol duty reforms in late-2026, in line with our commitment to do so three years after they took effect.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made on the potential impact of a complete spirits duty freeze for the on-trade on revenue.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Alcohol duty is paid at the point of production or import, before it is diverted to either the on-trade or the off-trade. It is therefore not possible to freeze duty rates exclusively for the on-trade.

HMRC’s latest published estimate on the effect of a 1% change in spirits duties on tax receipts can be found here: Direct effects of illustrative tax changes bulletin (June 2025) - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department will put in place constitutional standards for hospital discharges.

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

There are no immediate plans to introduce additional constitutional standards at this time, including for the timeliness of discharge from hospital.

However, the Urgent and Emergency Care plan for 2025/26 set as a priority that hospitals should tackle the delays in patients waiting to be discharged. They should profile discharges by pathway to support local planning, eliminate discharge delays of more than 48 hours caused by in-hospital issues, and work with local authorities to tackle the longest delays, starting with those over 21 days.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the latest report on Corridor Care from the APPG on Emergency Care, what plans his department has to tackle delayed discharges.

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

The Government recognises that delayed discharges contribute to shortages of hospital beds and is committed to reducing delayed discharges to free up beds for those who need them.

The 2025/26 Urgent and Emergency Care plan prioritises reducing hospital discharge delays. Hospitals must eliminate in-hospital delays of over 48 hours and work with local authorities to address the longest delays, starting with those exceeding 21 days.

For 2025/26, approximately £9 billion is being provided through the Better Care Fund (BCF), which requires the National Health Service and local authorities to set joint goals for improving discharge performance and preventing unnecessary admissions. From 2026/27, the BCF will be reformed to provide consistent joint funding for key services such as discharge, rehabilitation, and reablement.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of spirits duty on the viability of pub in coastal communities.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Alcohol duty is paid by producers, and is therefore not typically paid directly by pubs. Further, according to estimates derived from sales data collected on behalf of the Office for National Statistics, only around 15% of spirits are consumed on-trade.

At Autumn Budget 2025 the Chancellor confirmed that alcohol duty will be uprated on 1 February 2026 to main its current real-terms value. The government does not expect this to have any significant impact on competition between the on and off trades.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of RPI-linked duty increases on consumer prices for spirits in pubs versus supermarkets.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Alcohol duty is paid by producers, and is therefore not typically paid directly by pubs. Further, according to estimates derived from sales data collected on behalf of the Office for National Statistics, only around 15% of spirits are consumed on-trade.

At Autumn Budget 2025 the Chancellor confirmed that alcohol duty will be uprated on 1 February 2026 to main its current real-terms value. The government does not expect this to have any significant impact on competition between the on and off trades.

Found: ; St Ives) Paulette Hamilton (Labour; Birmingham Erdington) Alex McIntyre (Labour; Gloucester) Joe Robertson

Found: ; St Ives) Paulette Hamilton (Labour; Birmingham Erdington) Alex McIntyre (Labour; Gloucester) Joe Robertson

Found: Chair); Danny Beales; Ben Coleman; Dr Beccy Cooper; Jen Craft; Josh Fenton-Glynn; Andrew George; Joe Robertson

Found: Chair); Danny Beales; Ben Coleman; Dr Beccy Cooper; Jen Craft; Josh Fenton-Glynn; Andrew George; Joe Robertson

Submit Evidence (by 13 Feb 2026)

The Committee is holding an inquiry into what is needed from the NHS estate to deliver the Government’s vision of a ‘Neighbourhood Health Service’ — shifting care from hospitals to integrated, preventative services in local communities.