Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme's timeline is to contact people eligible for payments.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds

The delivery of compensation is a matter for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) The IBCA Framework Document, published in March 2025, sets out the timelines agreed between IBCA and Cabinet Office; namely for the bulk of infected people to be paid no later than the end of next year and the bulk of affected people to be paid no later than the end of 2029. Infected claims include the estates of infected people who have sadly passed away.

The Government has been clear these dates should not be viewed as targets for delivery, but rather ‘backstops’. These timescales have been agreed with IBCA, to ensure that the door is kept open for those who have not yet identified themselves as being infected or affected.

IBCA has now opened the service for the first claims from infected people who were never compensated, for deceased infected people, and for living affected people. As with the first cohort of people making a claim, IBCA must now build a service for each of these cohorts which allows them to confirm an infection before a claim begins, check the identity of each person claiming, and ensure all the necessary legal and financial support is in place for anyone who wishes to use it. This approach means that the numbers will initially be lower, but the Government expects that, as with the first group, those numbers will rise exponentially as progress is made.

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 secure access to supplies of the rabies vaccination for those travelling to countries where rabies is present; and when he expects supplies of the rabies vaccination to become widely available to British people travelling to countries where rabies is present.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

Pre-exposure rabies vaccines for travellers are made available to the public through private travel health services, including general practices, pharmacies, and specialist travel clinics. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) does not centrally procure rabies vaccines for routine travel purposes.

However, UKHSA currently holds a contract awarded in January 2026, for the provision of rabies vaccine to support post-exposure and urgent treatment. This ensures that vaccines are available to protect individuals who may have been exposed to rabies, where timely access is critical. Details of the contract can be found via the notices at the following two links:

https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085071-2025

https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004936-2026

There has been no availability issue raised by the UKHSA supplier of rabies vaccines.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

⁠To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of broadband provision in historic town centres.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

We want everyone in the UK to have access to secure, resilient and high-quality digital infrastructure and are committed to 99% gigabit coverage by 2032.

88% of UK premises already have gigabit broadband access, improving to 92% in urban areas.

Rollout is led commercially, with Government funding through Project Gigabit focussed on areas where commercial deployment is unlikely. This includes urban areas and historic town centres if there are additional costs to delivery in these areas.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reviewing the financial limit for the disabled facilities grant.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

In England, we continue to fund the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) which is delivered by local authorities. This grant helps eligible older and disabled people on low incomes to adapt their homes to make them safe and suitable for their needs.

The upper limit for DFG awards is currently set at £30,000, however, local authorities have a high degree of flexibility to fund adaptations above this amount where they judge it is appropriate. Following an internal review of the upper limit, we have been working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local government to consider possible next steps.

We have confirmed £723 million for the DFG in 2026/27. The DFG budget across 2025/26 and 2026/27 is £150 million more than the total budget across the previous two years, 2023/24 and 2024/25. This represents an 11% increase that exceeds inflation.

Five-year indefinite leave to remain pathway for Skilled Worker visa holders (No. 2)

VAT on energy saving materials

Draft Code of Practice on Services, public functions and associations

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Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Toby Perkins (Chair); Olivia Blake; Julia Buckley; Jonathan Davies

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Toby Perkins (Chair); Olivia Blake; Julia Buckley; Jonathan Davies

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Toby Perkins (Chair); Olivia Blake; Julia Buckley; Jonathan Davies

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Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Toby Perkins (Chair); Julia Buckley; Jonathan Davies; Sarah Gibson

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Found: Grame Downie MP Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership Public First Bloomberg Julia Buckley