Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of funding reductions to the BBC World Service on the UK's ability to counter foreign threats.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Through high quality and investigative journalism, the BBC exposes and debunks the misinformation, disinformation and harmful narratives that malign actors, hostile states and others produce internationally. The World Service remains the world's most trusted international news service. That is why this Government has given the World Service a funding uplift in 2025/26.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of allocating BBC World Service funding on a three year basis.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Grant-in-Aid funding for the BBC World Service will be decided through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office allocations process in the autumn.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the BBC World Service on the UK's soft power.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government highly values the BBC World Service, which makes a significant contribution to UK soft power. According to a 2025 survey conducted for the BBC by the independent polling company, Tapestry, the BBC is a leader in driving favourable impressions of the UK and is the country's most recognised cultural export internationally.
The World Service is currently funded by the BBC Licence Fee and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Grant-in-Aid. Any changes to funding models will be explored through the Charter Review process, led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Charter Review is the right moment to look at potential future World Service funding mechanisms for the longer-term.
Despite a tough fiscal situation, we have continued to back the World Service, providing a large uplift of £32.6 million this year alone, taking our total funding to £137 million.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to develop a sustainable funding solution for the BBC World Service.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government highly values the BBC World Service, which makes a significant contribution to UK soft power. According to a 2025 survey conducted for the BBC by the independent polling company, Tapestry, the BBC is a leader in driving favourable impressions of the UK and is the country's most recognised cultural export internationally.
The World Service is currently funded by the BBC Licence Fee and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Grant-in-Aid. Any changes to funding models will be explored through the Charter Review process, led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Charter Review is the right moment to look at potential future World Service funding mechanisms for the longer-term.
Despite a tough fiscal situation, we have continued to back the World Service, providing a large uplift of £32.6 million this year alone, taking our total funding to £137 million.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for his policies of representations received by his Department on its proposed reforms to inheritance tax on farms.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses, and fixing the public finances. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets, but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992. Where inheritance tax is due, those liable for a charge can pay any liability on the relevant assets over 10 annual instalments, interest-free.
Ministers and officials from multiple Government departments have had several meetings with organisations on this matter since Autumn Budget 2024. After listening, the Government believes the approach set out is an appropriate one.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
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 potential merits of using mandatory mediation in the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
Answered by Justin Madders
This government is committed to access to justice, and I share the interest of the Rt. Hon. member’s in reducing the burdens of litigation through Alternative Dispute Resolution. The CAT Rules afford the Tribunal significant powers to encourage and facilitate Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
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 increase screening programmes to improve early diagnosis of cancers, in the context of the forthcoming National Cancer Plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan, which will build on the three shifts in care set out in the 10-Year Health Plan to diagnose cancers earlier. Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it easier for people to access cancer screening, diagnostic, and treatment services in patients’ local areas. We will increase participation in screening programmes through digital booking and by taking innovative approaches like self-sampling for cervical screening.
The National Cancer Plan, to be published later this year, will include further details on how we will speed up diagnosis, including how we will prioritise screening programmes and improve participation.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
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 merits of integrating smoking cessation services into (a) A&E, (b) mental health services and (c) lung screening.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are fully committed to our ambition for a smoke-free United Kingdom. Quitting smoking is one of the best things a person can do for their health, and our assessment of the evidence is that targeting people with smoking cessation support in in-patient, accident and emergency, and lung screening services can be successful.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we remain committed to ensuring all hospitals integrate smoking cessation interventions into routine care. We will also fully roll out lung cancer screening for those with a history of smoking, which we expect will detect 9,000 cancers earlier each year.
As of the end of 2024/25, 93% of National Health Service in-patient services and 97% of maternity services had a tobacco dependence treatment offer. Specifically in mental health services, there was a 41% quit rate amongst those setting a quit date in these settings.
Further to this, awards under our National Swap to Stop programme have been made to many NHS services, including mental health and accident and emergency. The programme offers smokers across England a free vape starter kit alongside behavioural support to help them quit smoking.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
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 adequacy of research funding models, in the context of the forthcoming national cancer plan; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of research funding models on supporting (a) equitable, (b) clinical and (c) economic opportunities.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.
The Department is committed to turbocharging clinical research and delivering better patient care, to make the United Kingdom a world-leading destination for clinical research. We are working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of the medicines and therapies of the future, including treatments for cancer.
The Department funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including research on cancer. The NIHR also provides an online service called Be Part of Research, which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them, including cancer studies.
Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in health research through the NIHR. The NIHR spent £133 million on cancer research in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority. The National Cancer Plan, due to be published in the second half of this year, will have a focus on research and innovation. It will include details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce veterinary workforce shortages.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Defra is exploring various avenues to improve the short- and long-term capacity issues.
Defra has increased engagement across the veterinary profession and other stakeholders, to find a sustainable solution, ensuring the ongoing provision of high-quality veterinary surgeons both in the private and public sectors.