Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans her Department has to (a) make alternative forms of identification available as proof of age for venues and (b) work with industry partners to ensure acceptance of other forms of identification as age verification for people unable to obtain a driving license due to epilepsy or other health conditions.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government has developed a set of requirements (under UK Digital Identity and Attributes Trust Framework (UK DIATF)) for the creation and use of trusted digital verification services, underpinned by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. While use of these services is not mandated, it provides an alternative way of proving age for different use cases, including venues.
The Home Office intends to bring forward legislation to enable the use of digital identities as proof of age for purchasing alcohol in England and Wales. This will provide individuals, should they choose, with the option to use a secure digital identity that meets Government standards as an alternative to physical identification. These standards, in the UK DIATF, facilitate private sector providers to use a range of credentials as evidence to create digital identities.
Inclusion is one of the key principles in the UK DIATF, and we work closely with partners in the digital verification services industry on this issue. Digital identities, created through high-quality digital verification services, can be created from a range of documents and datasets, which means proving your age should not be reliant on individuals having a particular credential, like a driving licence.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
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 merits of (a) reviewing and (b) increasing the level of payment provided under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I would like to reiterate my deepest sympathies to all those individuals who have experienced harm following vaccination, and to their families.
I recognise many of the concerns that campaigners have raised regarding the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS). Their input will shape our ongoing consideration of reforms to the scheme.
In parallel, the Department continues to work with the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the VDPS, to take further steps to improve the scheme, including through processing claims at a faster rate.
I will keep Parliament updated, as appropriate.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I would like to reiterate my deepest sympathies to all those individuals who have experienced harm following vaccination, and to their families.
I recognise many of the concerns that campaigners have raised regarding the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS). Their input will shape our ongoing consideration of reforms to the scheme.
In parallel, the Department continues to work with the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the VDPS, to take further steps to improve the scheme, including through processing claims at a faster rate.
I will keep Parliament updated, as appropriate.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve access to Padcev for (a) patients who have undergone chemotherapy and (b) all patients.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service in England on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded for eligible patients based on an assessment of the evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness.
NICE issued guidance that recommends enfortumab vedotin (Padcev) with pembrolizumab (Keytruda), within its marketing authorisation, as an option for untreated unresectable or metastatic urothelial cancer in adults when platinum-based chemotherapy is suitable. It is now available for NHS patients in line with NICE’s recommendations. The guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta1097/chapter/1-Recommendation
NICE was unable to make recommendations on the use of Padcev in the treatment of people who have previously undergone chemotherapy as the manufacturing company, Astellas, did not provide an evidence submission. Astellas has confirmed that there is unlikely to be enough evidence that the technology is a cost-effective use of NHS resources in this population. NICE will review the position if the company decides that it wants to make an evidence submission.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 65111 on Tickets: Sales Methods, when her Department plans to publish its response to the consultation entitled Putting Fans First: consultation on the resale of live events tickets, published on 10 January 2025; and for what reason the response has been delayed.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government is committed to introducing new protections for consumers on ticket resales, which is why we launched the Putting Fans First consultation on the resale of live events tickets.
We are considering the evidence provided in response to our consultation earlier this year and will set out our plans soon.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the consultation entitled Amendments to secondary legislation on the police removal, storage and disposal of vehicles, closed on 8 July 2025, if her Department will make and assessment of the potential merits of (a) donating seized vehicles, motorbikes and e-bikes to charity and (b) using them for the delivery of public services.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has no plans to regulate the method of disposal following vehicle seizure. Decisions on the best method of vehicle disposal is an operational matter for Chief Officers of local forces to decide based on the specific circumstances and how they can recoup the vehicle recovery costs as set out in the statutory fees.
We will support the police and recovery operators to ensure they have the necessary tools to deal with vehicle recovery.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that veterans with recognised service-related conditions are able to access specialist-prescribed private treatments under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) may cover medical expenses for seriously injured veterans living abroad after discharge, provided the treatment aligns with UK best clinical practice at the time of decision. This is a specific exception and the AFCS does not generally fund private medical care.
For UK-based Serving personnel and veterans whose injuries or illnesses are service-related, the NHS is the official and recommended healthcare provider, delivering specialised, high-quality care tailored to their needs.
In its 7th Report, the Independent Medical Expert Group reaffirmed support for this model, advocating continued reliance on the NHS rather than establishing a separate, parallel system and we continue to work closely with our partners in the NHS.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme provides reimbursement for clinically prescribed private (a) healthcare and (b) medication in cases where NHS treatment pathways are (i) unavailable and (ii) ineffective.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) may cover medical expenses for seriously injured veterans living abroad after discharge, provided the treatment aligns with UK best clinical practice at the time of decision. This is a specific exception and the AFCS does not generally fund private medical care.
For UK-based Serving personnel and veterans whose injuries or illnesses are service-related, the NHS is the official and recommended healthcare provider, delivering specialised, high-quality care tailored to their needs.
In its 7th Report, the Independent Medical Expert Group reaffirmed support for this model, advocating continued reliance on the NHS rather than establishing a separate, parallel system and we continue to work closely with our partners in the NHS.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to introduce a new valuation method for the business rates of grassroots music venues.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Please see the response to UIN 22711 here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-01-08/22711
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to introduce a new valuation method for the business rates of grassroots music venues above the £500,000 rateable venue that (a) have restricted opening hours and (b) cannot make commercial use of their whole space.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Please see the response to UIN 22711 here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-01-08/22711