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To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of NICE's draft guidance on brexucabtagene autoleucel on (a) the Life Sciences Strategy and (b) outcomes for patients with rare cancers.

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

The Government remains committed to the ambitions set out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan, which set out an ambition that by 2030, we will be one of the top three fastest places in Europe for patient access to medicines. We will achieve this by reducing friction in the system to optimise access and uptake of new medicines so the most clinically and cost-effective can reach patients faster.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently re-evaluating brexucabtagene autoleucel to determine whether it should be recommended for routine National Health Service use following a period of managed access through the Cancer Drugs Fund. NICE’s draft guidance, published in December 2025, does not recommend it as a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resource, although NICE has not yet published final guidance. The Government recognises that the potential withdrawal of brexucabtagene autoleucel as a treatment for future patients will be concerning for patients and their families, but it is right that these decisions are taken independently and on the basis of the available evidence. In line with an arrangement between NHS England and the company, if NICE’s final guidance does not recommend use, patients who started treatment during the managed access period can continue their treatment.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 79231 on Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, what her planned timetable is for determining whether to include China in the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme; and what factors have determined that timetable.

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

As set out in the National Security Act 2023, the Secretary of State may make a specification under the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) where they consider it is reasonably necessary to do so to protect the safety or interests of the United Kingdom.

We look very carefully at which countries should be on the enhanced tier of the scheme, factoring in a broad range of considerations.

As I set out in the House of Commons on 20 January 2026, any changes to the countries listed will be brought to Parliament in the usual way.

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 25 April 2025 to Question 45800 on Press: Misconduct, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that arbitration schemes operated by press regulators are available to provide timely and effective redress before the Government directs members of the public to them in guidance.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK has a self-regulatory system for the press, which is independent from Government. This is vital to ensure the public has access to accurate and trustworthy information from a range of different sources. The Government therefore does not intervene in or evaluate the work of independent press regulators.

However, under Section 179 of the Data Protection Act every three years the Secretary of State must lay before Parliament a report on the use and effectiveness of alternative dispute resolution procedures, such as arbitration, in cases involving a failure or alleged failure by relevant media organisations to comply with data protection legislation. The most recent report was presented to Parliament in May 2024 and was carried independently of DCMS by David Rossington, as the Independent Reviewer. The report is published on the Gov.uk website:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67d2ded5fb8db2176d5e97d0/Formatted_240312_SECOND_REPORT_UNDER_SECTION_179_OF_THE_DATA_PROTECTION_ACT_v3__FINAL__accessible.pdf.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 23786 on Chinese Embassy: Planning Permission, how many clarification meetings have taken place with other developers on other planning applications since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Clarification meetings do not routinely take place with developers on planning applications. However, pre-application engagement occurs on some applications made directly to the Secretary of State. These, and all, planning applications are subject to planning propriety guidance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will investigate NHS Barts Health Trust funding for the Tower Hamlets Muslim Charity Run; and if he will make it his policy to ensure NHS funds are not used to support events which discriminate against women and offer no alternative single-sex provision.

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

The Tower Hamlets Muslim Charity Run is not funded by NHS Barts Health Trust. National Health Services are available to all, irrespective of sex. The Government does not tolerate discrimination within public services.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January, Question 107071, whether his Department or any body administering Government-backed loan guarantees or financing facilities have undertaken any quantitative modelling or formal assessment of the impact of the rent review provisions in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 on (a) cash-flow certainty, (b) valuation assumptions or (c) default risk for build-to-rent developments.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 107071 on 28 January.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission press release entitled Electoral Commission response to cyber-attack attribution, of 25 March 2024, whether the cyber-attack compromised data other than the electoral registers; and whether it included the Electoral Commission's investigatory data.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

During the cyber-attack in 2021-2022, hostile actors were active in the Electoral Commission’s systems which held our email, our control systems, and copies of the electoral registers. The Commission cannot be certain whether any data was copied or downloaded.

Information, evidence and analysis relating to investigatory matters, along with donations and loans data was held in a separate system not affected by the attack.

The Commission has now significantly strengthened its systems against cyber-attacks and has secured Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2025 to Question 45681 on Electoral Commission: Companies House, whether the Electoral Commission has used the powers conferred on it under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 in relation to Companies House data to date.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Electoral Commission has not used the powers conferred on it under the provisions in the Economic Crime and Transparency Act 2023, in relation to the Company House data.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the impact of reducing government co-investment in apprenticeships once levy-paying employers have exhausted their levy funds, and (b) the impact of removing the uplift to levy accounts.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency, and making it more efficient.

From August 2026, we are removing the 10% top-up for levy-paying employers, changing expiry of levy funds to 12 months, and changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds.

Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment.

These changes will ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.

We continue to support SMEs to take on apprentices and for the first time we will be fully funding the cost of training eligible apprentices aged 16-24 at non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs). From August 2026, training and assessment will be completely free for SMEs who hire young people, boosting starts and reducing bureaucracy for both SMEs and training providers.

We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of recent changes to (a) co-investment in apprenticeships and (b) levy accounts on apprenticeship starts.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency, and making it more efficient.

From August 2026, we are removing the 10% top-up for levy-paying employers, changing expiry of levy funds to 12 months, and changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds.

Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment.

These changes will ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.

We continue to support SMEs to take on apprentices and for the first time we will be fully funding the cost of training eligible apprentices aged 16-24 at non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs). From August 2026, training and assessment will be completely free for SMEs who hire young people, boosting starts and reducing bureaucracy for both SMEs and training providers.

We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what distributional analysis his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) reducing government co-investment once levy-paying employers have exhausted their levy funds, and (b) removing the uplift to levy accounts on businesses.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency, and making it more efficient.

From August 2026, we are removing the 10% top-up for levy-paying employers, changing expiry of levy funds to 12 months, and changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds.

Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment.

These changes will ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.

We continue to support SMEs to take on apprentices and for the first time we will be fully funding the cost of training eligible apprentices aged 16-24 at non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs). From August 2026, training and assessment will be completely free for SMEs who hire young people, boosting starts and reducing bureaucracy for both SMEs and training providers.

We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much additional funding an SME is expected to contribute per apprentice following the reduction in government co-investment once levy-paying employers have exhausted their levy funds.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency, and making it more efficient.

From August 2026, we are removing the 10% top-up for levy-paying employers, changing expiry of levy funds to 12 months, and changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds.

Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment.

These changes will ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.

We continue to support SMEs to take on apprentices and for the first time we will be fully funding the cost of training eligible apprentices aged 16-24 at non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs). From August 2026, training and assessment will be completely free for SMEs who hire young people, boosting starts and reducing bureaucracy for both SMEs and training providers.

We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.

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