Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to implement regulation that increases risk appetite amongst investors.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government wants to see more people benefit from the higher returns and long-term financial resilience that investing can provide. That is why the Chancellor’s Leeds Reforms included bold actions to boost retail investment.
In particular, the Treasury is working closely with the FCA to roll out a system of targeted support in time for ISA season next year. This represents the biggest reform of the financial advice and guidance landscape in more than a decade, and will be a step change in the support available to consumers.
The Government will also move Long-Term Asset Funds (LTAFs) from the Innovative Finance ISA to the Stocks & Shares ISA from April 2026. This will give more access to the higher returns available from less liquid assets, while directing investment into productive assets that will drive economic growth.
In addition, the Government welcomes the industry-led initiatives to promote the benefits of investing to the public, and to reform how firms talk about the risks and benefits of investing.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of tax incentives on levels of investment in small and mid-sized quoted companies.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to making the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business, and understands how important it is for businesses to be able to access the finance they need to grow and develop.
That is why the Government provides three tax-advantaged venture capital schemes: the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs). The schemes provide a range of tax reliefs for investors, to encourage investment in small- and medium-sized companies at the pre-listing stage, which face the biggest challenges in accessing growth capital.
The Stamp Taxes on Shares framework also contains multiples reliefs and exemptions which are designed to boost liquidity and growth, particularly for small and medium-sized companies, such as the Growth Market Exemption.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the UK remains an (a) attractive investment environment and (b) listing venue for small and mid-sized quoted companies.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government has delivered an ambitious programme of reforms to boost the competitiveness of UK markets, including for small and mid-sized quoted companies. This includes overhauling the Prospectus regime and Listing Rules, providing more flexibility to firms and founders raising capital on UK markets and reducing reporting requirements for the smallest companies.
At Mansion House 2025, the government published its Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, setting out our ten-year plan for the UK to be the world’s centre of choice for financial services investment now and in 2035, with capital markets a core pillar of the strategy.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help improve (a) public and (b) investor confidence in small and mid-sized quoted companies listed in the UK.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government has delivered an ambitious programme of reforms to boost the competitiveness of UK markets, including for small and mid-sized quoted companies. This includes overhauling the Prospectus regime and Listing Rules, providing more flexibility to firms and founders raising capital on UK markets and reducing reporting requirements for the smallest companies.
At Mansion House 2025, the government published its Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, setting out our ten-year plan for the UK to be the world’s centre of choice for financial services investment now and in 2035, with capital markets a core pillar of the strategy.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans her Department has to improve access to finance for small and mid-sized quoted companies.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government has delivered an ambitious programme of reforms to boost the competitiveness of UK markets, including for small and mid-sized quoted companies. This includes overhauling the Prospectus regime and Listing Rules, providing more flexibility to firms and founders raising capital on UK markets and reducing reporting requirements for the smallest companies.
At Mansion House 2025, the government published its Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, setting out our ten-year plan for the UK to be the world’s centre of choice for financial services investment now and in 2035, with capital markets a core pillar of the strategy.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of (a) targeted attacks and (b) instances of (i) forced conversion and (ii) imprisonment of (A) Christians and (B) other religious minorities in Afghanistan; and what recent representations she has made to the authorities in Afghanistan on these matters.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Afghanistan is a focus country in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) freedom of religion or belief approach, announced on 8 July. FCDO officials regularly urge the Taliban to uphold human rights. We also engage directly with a range of Afghans to inform our policy and programmes. The UK Government supports the UN Special Rapporteur's mandate to document abuses, including those targeting religious minorities. Without inclusive governance that reflects Afghanistan's religious, ethnic, gender and cultural diversity, we will never see an Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbours.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the level of annual reporting for small companies.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department is reviewing non-financial reporting requirements to simplify, streamline and reduce reporting obligations for all companies. These reforms aim to reduce administrative burdens on business, particularly for small companies. The review has already delivered legislation which increased the monetary size thresholds for micro, small, medium and large companies, as well as removing low value and duplicative reporting from the Directors’ and Director’s Remuneration Reports. A consultation on future reforms to modernise corporate reporting will be published in due course.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts to ensure the protection of (a) Yazidis, (b) Christians and (c) other religious and ethnic minority groups in Iraq; and what steps she is taking to ensure aid reaches displaced communities in northern Iraq.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting displaced communities in northern Iraq. We fund quick impact projects and livelihood support activities through the International Organisation for Migration and, through our Building Peace and Stability in Iraq programme, fund the office of the UN Durable Solutions Adviser which leads the UN's strategic coordination efforts.
The UK champions freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. On 8 July, the Government publicly set out its approach to FoRB, providing a framework for UK engagement including for countries navigating the impact of conflict, both past and present, such as Iraq, including the Kurdistan region.
In July 2025, the former Minister for Human Rights and the UK Special Envoy for FoRB met with Mir Hazem Tahsin Beg, the Prince of the Yazidis. We also raise threats to minority faith communities in regular engagements with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and in multilateral fora. For example, at Iraq's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in June, we recommended that Iraq upholds the right for minorities to freely practice their religion or belief, without fear of persecution.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the authorities in Myanmar on the reported increase in attacks on the Rohingya community; and what steps he is taking with international partners to help ensure humanitarian aid reaches displaced minority communities.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continues to condemn the Myanmar military regime's use of violence against civilians, including the systematic persecution and discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities, such as the Rohingya. In April, we co-sponsored a UN Human Rights Council resolution on Myanmar calling for the Myanmar military to fully respect and protect the human rights of all persons in Myanmar, including Rohingya and other persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities.
Since 2017, the UK has provided over £108 million in support to communities in Rakhine, with an estimated £52 million in aid for the Rohingya and other Muslim minority groups. We are deeply concerned by the food security situation in Rakhine State and are working with international partners to improve humanitarian access to communities across the state.
Through our humanitarian programme, we have reached 1.3 million people since 2022 in conflict affected areas across Myanmar with essential humanitarian support.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
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 23 July 2025 to Question 68387 on Epilepsy and Pregnancy: Sodium Valproate, what his Departments planned timeline is for establishing a centralised register caputring Pregnancy Prevention Programme interventions and acknowledgements, linked to prescribing data.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has worked collaboratively with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on the safer use of valproate containing medicines. The best way to a centralised register is through the single patient record and the use of this to populate the federated data platfor, which would allow for the functionality of a centralised register. This is enabled by the Transformation Directorate to ensure that clinical care can be effectively and accurately coded.
The Medicines and Pregnancy Register monitors prescribing of valproate and highlights the number of pregnancies potentially exposed to valproate. This data demonstrates a reduction in prescribing valproate to women and girls as well as a reduction in the number of possible exposed pregnancies since the Pregnancy Prevention Programme (PPP) was introduced in 2018. Analysis shows the implementation of the PPP by ICBs is consistent across the country. The register is available at the following link: