Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to Salary Sacrifice Pension arrangements from 2029 on employer National Insurance costs for charities.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to pensions salary sacrifice.

Everyone using salary sacrifice will still benefit from the tax advantages available up to the £2,000 cap, including employers who can make up to £320 employer NICs savings per employee. Most salary sacrifice contributions are well below the £2,000 cap. This applies for all employers, including employers in the charity sector.

Employer pension contributions outside of salary sacrifice will continue to be NICs-free.

The Government also provides support for charities via our wider tax regime. It is among the most generous anywhere in the world, with tax reliefs for charities and their donors worth just over £6 billion for the tax year to April 2024.

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 the adequacy of Local Housing Allowance for residents in Eastleigh constituency.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum levels of housing support for households claiming Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit and who rent in the private rented sector. LHA is not intended to cover all rents in all areas.

In April 2024 LHA rates were increased to the 30th percentile of local market rents, (including in the Eastleigh area), costing £1.2bn across Great Britain (GB) in 2024/25 and £7bn over 5 years.

LHA rates were reviewed at Autumn Budget and will remain at current levels in 2026/27. A range of factors were considered, such as rental levels across GB, the challenging fiscal context, and the impact of current levels of housing support

For those renters who require additional support to meet a shortfall in rent costs, Discretionary Housing Payments are available from local authorities.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to coordinate data collection across (a) police forces and (b) other public bodies to monitor dog attacks on postal workers, and if she will hold discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a cross-government approach to protect postal workers from such attacks.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is working with the police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to help prevent dog attacks. As part of this work, the Government reconvened the Responsible Dog Ownership taskforce to explore measures to promote responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog. The taskforce is considering improvements in data collection and reporting. We look forward to receiving its findings and recommendations in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to reduce delays in cancer diagnosis, specifically for blood cancers such as leukaemia.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.

To tackle the late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancers earlier and treating them faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next 10 years. This will benefit all cancer patients, including leukaemia and myeloma patients.

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 availability and quality of data held by Integrated Care Boards on the prevalence of clinically diagnosed allergic conditions and the specialist allergy workforce in their local areas; and what consideration has he given to the potential merits of establishing a National Allergy Register, embedded within the planned Single Patient Record in improving patient safety and reducing regional inequalities in allergy care.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In conducting health needs assessments to inform their commissioning decisions, integrated care boards (ICBs) will have access to a wide range of data sources, including public health data, hospital statistics, primary care data, and social care metrics.

NHS England is working with the UK Fatal Anaphylaxis Register (UKFAR) to develop a mechanism for sharing relevant patient safety anaphylaxis incidents, including the reporting of anaphylaxis in hospitals. The aim will be for the UKFAR to extract and share patient safety incidents reported to the national databases, the National Reporting and Learning System and Learn from Patient Safety Events, relating to severe allergic reactions. Work has been progressing on this.

The National Allergy Strategy Group, an external group of stakeholders, is developing a UK National Allergy Strategy 2025-2035. The Department will carefully consider and respond to it when we receive it next year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure young people from all backgrounds can pursue a career in STEM.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Following the Curriculum and Assessment review, our new national curriculum and GCSEs will have improved coherence, specificity, sequencing, and will be grounded in the most important knowledge and disciplinary skills.

We will take forward many subject-specific Review recommendations for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), including working with schools to support them in developing a triple science offer for all pupils, ahead of introducing a statutory entitlement. We will build on support for early years and year 7 maths teaching, including through Maths Hubs programmes.

Through the Careers and Enterprise Company, the department funds high quality resources to embed STEM insights into the curriculum and match over 3,500 business volunteers, including 1,400 from STEM backgrounds, with schools and colleges to provide strategic support to develop their careers programme.

These measures will ensure that every child leaves school having mastered the subjects they have been taught and is able to pursue a career in their chosen field.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of mobility associated with armed forces service on the educational continuity of the children of service personnel with special educational needs and disabilities.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is aware of the potential impact of Service related mobility on children with additional needs from Armed Forces families. December 2025 saw the publication of MOD commissioned research carried out by Oxford Brookes University entitled ‘Supporting ALL to Thrive’ (See link: https://sattproject.org.uk/|).

This project investigated the educational opportunities, experiences and outcomes of children with additional learning or support needs and/or disabilities from UK Armed Forces families. The Oxford Brookes research team have presented their findings to the Department for Education and continue to work with the MOD in developing an evidence base that can help shape future policy development.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how her Department will monitor and evaluate the effects of the DVSA’s move to individualised booking of driving tests.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Measures were announced on 12 November that will restrict the booking and management of practical car driving tests to learner drivers, and limit test swaps and location changes.

This decision follows a call for evidence and a public consultation that many in the driving instructor industry responded to. These measures take into account the views of those who responded to the consultation and are designed to make the test booking process fairer, providing all learners with equal access to the booking system and ensuring that everyone pays the prescribed fee.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will continually monitor the effectiveness of these measures.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of measures taken to raise public awareness of changes to the Highway Code made in 2022, and whether increasing understanding of those changes will be reflected in the implementation of the Road Safety Strategy.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran a THINK! campaign to raise awareness of the changes. This was followed by broader behaviour change campaigns in 2022 and 2023, to help embed the changes and encourage understanding and uptake of the guidance.

The percentage of road users reporting to know either a little or a lot about the Highway Code changes increased from 36% in January 2022 to over 50% in August 2022 and 70% in September 2023, with 86% of road users having heard of the changes by that time.

The Government's new road safety strategy identifies that more work is needed to continue embedding these changes.

The THINK! campaign will continue to run three radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.

The Road Safety Strategy also sets out further actions to enable safer active travel including supporting councils to provide high-quality, easily accessible active travel schemes across England, and the development of its third Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS 3).

As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety.

To support a Lifelong Learning approach in the UK, the government will publish for the first time national guidance on the development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity.

Alongside this, the government will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support families of disadvantaged pupils with the cost of school trips.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It is for schools to decide whether to offer school trips to their pupils. Schools receive pupil premium funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, which may be used to support extracurricular activities, including school trips.

Schools must comply with the law on charging for school activities, which prohibits charging for education provided during school hours. This means they may not make compulsory charges for a trip which takes place during school hours but they may ask parents for voluntary contributions towards the cost of the trip.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness in meeting the 8-week processing deadline for applications under the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

UKVI are currently assessing Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme (UPE) visas within the published processing times. Information on visa processing times can be found at Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support young carers in school in Eastleigh constituency.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Statutory guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ states that all school staff should be alert to the potential need for early help for young carers and requires designated safeguarding leads to be trained to understand and respond to their needs. These expectations apply to all schools ensuring young carers, including those in Eastleigh, are supported to thrive in education.

The department is using school census data to shine a light on the educational disadvantage faced by young carers and published data on their attainment at key stages 2 and 4 for the first time last autumn. This increased visibility will ensure they receive tailored support and do not miss out on vital educational opportunities.

Further, Ofsted’s new education inspection framework places a direct focus on their inclusion, safeguarding and personal development, with explicit reference to young carers. This will drive stronger practice, identification and support for young carers in Eastleigh and nationally.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support pubs with operating costs in Eastleigh constituency.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

My department works closely with hospitality businesses to assess impact of rising operating costs across energy, staffing, compliance and taxation.

This includes regular engagement with the sector, including through the Hospitality Sector Council which provides a formal forum to co-create solutions to pressures facing the industry.

We also maintain regular engagement with trade bodies such as UKHospitality and the British Beer and Pub Association, as well as colleagues across government, to ensure that policy decisions are informed by the latest evidence and genuinely support the sector’s long-term stability.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress his Department has made on assessing the beer market to determine potential structural barriers preventing small brewers from accessing pubs.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government recognises that independent breweries are essential to the diversity and character of our pubs. We have conducted a review of the beer market to determine whether there are any structural barriers preventing small breweries, the findings from which are currently being considered by ministers.

We’ve introduced a Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects aligned with Department for Business & Trade and Hospitality Sector Council priorities, such as supporting initiatives like investing £440,000 to help rural pubs diversify as community hubs, delivered with Pub is The Hub to unlock over 40 stalled projects.

We also maintain regular engagement with trade bodies such as Society of Independent Brewers, as well as colleagues across government, to ensure that policy decisions are informed by the latest evidence and genuinely support the sector’s long-term stability.

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 promote the growth of independent brewers in Eastleigh constituency.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government recognises that independent breweries are essential to the diversity and character of our pubs. We have conducted a review of the beer market to determine whether there are any structural barriers preventing small breweries, the findings from which are currently being considered by ministers.

We’ve introduced a Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects aligned with Department for Business & Trade and Hospitality Sector Council priorities, such as supporting initiatives like investing £440,000 to help rural pubs diversify as community hubs, delivered with Pub is The Hub to unlock over 40 stalled projects.

We also maintain regular engagement with trade bodies such as Society of Independent Brewers, as well as colleagues across government, to ensure that policy decisions are informed by the latest evidence and genuinely support the sector’s long-term stability.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has assessed the adequacy of access to CAMHS services for children in Eastleigh constituency.

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

The Department has made no assessment of the adequacy of access to children and adolescent mental health services for children in the Eastleigh constituency.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country, including children and young people’s mental health services in the Eastleigh constituency.

As prioritised in our Medium-Term Planning Framework, we are taking action to reduce the longest waits for specialist mental health support, tackling regional disparities, and expanding access, thereby making services more productive so children and young people spend less time waiting for the treatment they need.

We are also accelerating the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges to reach full national coverage by 2029. As part of this, we are investing an additional £13 million to pilot enhanced training for staff so that they can offer more effective support to young people with complex needs, such as trauma, neurodivergence and disordered eating. With an additional 900,000 children and young people having access by this spring, 60% of all pupils will have access to this early support at school, up from 44% in spring 2024.

More widely, we are, rolling out Young Futures Hubs. The Government’s first 50 Young Futures Hubs will bring together services at a local level to support children and young people, helping to ensure that young people can access early advice and wellbeing intervention. We will work to ensure there is no wrong door for young people who need support with their mental health.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the National Fire Chiefs Council on the adequacy of the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-2027 to 2028-2029 funding formula for fire and rescue services.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government recognises that the current fire funding formula was designed over a decade ago.

In line with responses to the principles of reform consultation in December 2024, the Government updated the fire and rescue relative needs formula by using the most up-to-date data available. In the medium term, we will work with the fire sector on a comprehensive review of the formula ahead of the next Spending Review.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of GP-to-patient ratios in Eastleigh constituency.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

As of 30 November 2025, the median number of full time equivalent (FTE) doctors in general practice per 10,000 registered patients was 5.9 in the Eastleigh constituency. The England median was 5.6 FTE.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve the recruitment and retention of staff in women’s health services in Hampshire.

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

Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.

To support this ambition, the Government plans to introduce a new set of standards for modern employment in April 2026. The new standards will reaffirm our commitment to improving retention by tackling the issues that matter to staff including promoting flexible working, improving staff health and wellbeing, and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace. They will provide a framework for leaders across the NHS to build a supportive culture that embeds retention.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of potential merits of establishing a single National Dementia Care Pathway supported by minimum service standards in the forthcoming Dementia and Frailty Modern Service Framework.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

To develop the content for the modern service framework for dementia and frailty, we intend to engage with a range of partners over the coming months to enable us to build a framework which is both ambitious and practical, to ensure we can improve system performance for people with dementia both now and in the future.

We have already published the D100: Assessment Tool Pathway programme, which brings together multiple resources into a single, consolidated tool to help simplify best practice for system leaders and help create communities and services where the best possible care and support is available to those with dementia. The D100: Pathway Assessment Tool is available at the following link:

https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/improving-care/nccmh/service-design-and-development/dementia-100-pathway-assessment-tool

By helping places and systems identify where improvement needs to be targeted, the tool continues the work of the Dementia Care Pathway, covering all elements of the Well Pathway from Prevention through to Dying Well. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/mentalhealth/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2016/03/dementia-well-pathway.pdf

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she will consider establishing an Independent Commissioner to assess the claims of Equitable Life policyholders, the allocation of compensation, and the methodology used to distribute it.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Equitable Life Payment Scheme has been fully wound down and closed since 2016 under the approach put in place by the Liberal Democrat and Conservative coalition government.

Further guidance on the status of the Payment Scheme after closure is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equitable-life-payment-scheme#closure-of-the-scheme.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that local authorities give due regard to the Armed Forces Covenant.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities are bound by the Armed Forces Covenant when they discharge their housing and homelessness duties, and independent Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers support service personnel and their families to register and to vote.

There is statutory guidance for local authorities which takes account of the special circumstances of those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces and their families when discharging homelessness duties which can be found here, and when allocating accommodation, which can be found here.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what action her Department is taking to help increase awareness of changes to the Highway Code introduced in 2022.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users.

That is why on 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.

Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes.

Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.

However, as set out in the strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.

As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. As announced in the strategy to support a Lifelong Learning approach in the UK, the government will publish for the first time national guidance on the development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity. Alongside this, the government will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to enhance the accessibility of reporting mechanisms for fraud and cyber crime.

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

A new and improved national police reporting service for fraud and cyber crime called Report Fraud went live on 4 December 2025, replacing the previous Action Fraud service. The new service will ensure that victims of fraud have the confidence and trust to come forward, report instances of fraud, and know that their case will be dealt with properly.

Report Fraud will speed up the time it takes to report, inform victims about what has happened or is happening with their report and significantly improve the speed and quality of information provided to law enforcement partners, boosting their chances of successful prosecutions.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure continuity of (a) assessments and (b) support across local authorities for children of service personnel with special educational needs and disabilities when families relocate.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

All those with statutory responsibilities towards children of service personnel with special education needs and disability (SEND), should ensure that the impact of their policies, administrative processes and patterns of provision do not disadvantage such children when families relocate.

Statutory guidance is clear that when a child moves home across local authority boundaries, the education, health and care plan must be transferred from the ‘old’ local authority to the ‘new’ local authority on the day of the move or within 15 working days from when the old local authority first becomes aware of the move. Upon receiving the plan, the new local authority must arrange the special educational provision set out in it, although a child may have to be placed in a school other than the one named on the plan if the distance of the move makes it impractical to send the child to the named school.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of current driver education on equestrian safety; and if she will make it her policy to make equestrian safety a (a) mandatory and (b) assessable component of the (i) Driving Theory Test and (ii) Hazard Perception Test.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

In 2022, the Highway Code was updated to improve the safety of all road users, particularly the most vulnerable. Key changes included the introduction of a Hierarchy of Road Users, which places greater responsibility on those who can cause the most harm, and strengthened guidance on safe passing distances and speeds when overtaking horse riders.

THINK! ran targeted campaigns to alert road users to these changes and broader behavioural campaigns to encourage understanding and compliance.

The Government’s THINK! road safety campaign is currently running a Sharing the Road Safely radio advert. The advert promotes safe driving speeds and passing distances, reminding drivers to leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists, and to slow down to under 10mph and leave at least two metres when passing horse riders. The advert runs via the Fillers service, which enables broadcasters to air public service messages at no cost.

We will continue to encourage safer road user behaviours, including to improve safety for horse riders, via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards (DVSA) driver theory test already contains questions relating to equestrian safety, and has done for many years.

DVSA has recognised the need to promote the recognition of hazards by drivers when sharing the road with horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles. These are well represented within the hazard perception part of the test, a CGI video test which requires candidates to identify developing hazards on the road in good time.

Both the multiple choice and hazard perception parts of the theory test are continually being updated and added to, with one of the focuses being on vulnerable road users such as horse riders.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of State Pension age changes on 1950s-born women living in Eastleigh constituency.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

All women born since 6 April 1950 have been affected by changes to State Pension age.

Estimates can be made using ONS 2021 Census Data on how many women born in the 1950s resided in each constituency in that year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to publish a timeline for improvements in the identification of young carers in the school census; and whether she plans to take further steps to support accurate reporting of young carers.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Information on young carers was first collected through the school census in spring 2023. Since then, we have seen year-on-year improvements in the identification of pupils who are young carers. The department continues to work closely with schools and their representatives to refine and strengthen the guidance provided and for the 2026 spring school census, we have introduced changes to data validation processes to support more accurate and complete reporting of this information.

The latest information about the number of pupils identified as a young carer is published in the ‘Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics’ statistical release, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2025.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she plans to implement the recommendations set out in policy paper entitled Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government’s new strategy sets out our long-term vision for a world where the use of animals in science is eliminated in all but exceptional circumstances, achieved by creating a research and innovation system that drives the development and validation of alternative methods to using animals in science. The strategy has 26 commitments which will be delivered or started during 2026 and 2027 to prioritise the development of non-animal testing methods. This includes creating a preclinical translational models' hub and publishing areas of research interest for alternative methods.

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 transport accessibility on attendance at antenatal appointments and the take-up of routine vaccinations for babies; and what steps he is taking to reduce access barriers for families in underserved areas.

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

The Government recognises that there are transport accessibility issues for families in underserved areas. That is why we are delivering on the vision for neighbourhood health set out in the 10-Year Health Plan to bring care closer to babies, children, and young people.

NHS England is already taking steps to improve access barriers for families in underserved areas. This includes:

- hyperlocal projects in areas of high deprivation and low uptake to improve access to routine childhood vaccinations for underserved communities, offering walk-in appointments and extended evening and weekend hours;

- Equity and Equality Guidance which asks local services to establish community hubs in the areas with the greatest maternal and perinatal health needs, including areas where transport infrastructure impacts uptake of services; and

- rolling out the enhanced Midwifery Continuity of Carer model to provide targeted support for women most likely to experience poor outcomes.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what correspondence he has received from the WASPI Campaign since 1 September 2025.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Department for Work and Pensions receive a very large volume of correspondence on a range of issues including the PHSO’s investigation into the communication of State Pension age rises. We attach great importance to providing prompt and accurate replies.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the number of Child Benefit claims that were suspended by HM Revenue and Customs on the basis of suspected emigration and were subsequently found to be compliant; what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the decision to suspend payments before completing PAYE cross-checks; what steps she is taking to ensure that Child Benefit compliance activity is based on complete and accurate data; and what steps she is taking to ensure prompt reinstatement and appropriate redress for families whose Child Benefit was wrongly suspended.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC’s Chief Executive wrote to the Treasury Select Committee on 14 November 2025 about this matter including the corrective action that HMRC has taken and its approach to redress. This letter was subsequently published by the Committee on 18 November 2025.

For the number of Child Benefit claims I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to Question 104272 on 14 January 2026.

Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the impact of the introduction of Making Tax Digital for Income Tax on childminders and other home-based childcare providers; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of replacing the wear and tear allowance with expense-based tax relief on the sustainability of those businesses.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Childminders play a vital role in childcare. The Government has eased rules on working from schools and community centres and increased early years funding rates above 2023 average fees. These increases reflect increased costs, and from April 2026, local authorities must pass at least 97 per cent of funding to providers.

Childminders can continue to claim tax relief for wear and tear by deducting the actual cost of buying, repairing or replacing items. They can also deduct the cost of business expenses such as utilities, cleaning and equipment. This ensures childminders receive tax relief for all of the costs that they incur in relation to their childminding business.

The government will monitor the impact of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income tax on childminder and other home-based childcare providers in the same way as it will for all sole traders moving to MTD for Income Tax.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has assessed the potential impact of the recommendations in the Nuclear Regulatory Review, including proposals to amend the Habitats Regulations on the environment.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

At Budget the Chancellor confirmed that government endorses the report’s approach and accepts the principles of all recommendations it set out.

We will present a full implementation plan by the end of February 2026, taking account of our international obligations, national security considerations, and planning, environmental and court processes.

We will undertake the appropriate impact assessments at the relevant stages of any proposed changes.

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 support Primary Care Networks to deliver improved access to community-based and preventative care.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Primary care networks (PCNs) build on existing primary care services and enable greater provision of proactive, personalised, coordinated, and more integrated health and social care for our communities. The introduction of PCNs helps to deliver economies of scale, boost capacity, and improve access. The PCN contract, the Network Contract DES, which determines the funding PCNs receive and the services they provide, is discussed with the General Practitioners Committee (GPC) of the British Medical Association as part of annual general practice contract consultation between the Department, NHS England, and the GPC.

Community health services are an essential building block in developing a neighbourhood health service, working closely with primary care, social care, and other services. To support the shift to neighbourhood health, we have set a clear target for systems to work to reduce long waits for community health services. By 2028/29 at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks. In addition, systems have been asked to increase the capacity of community health service to meet growth in demand and to work to standardise provision of core services.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help reduce risks of suicide, self-harm and depression among care-experienced young people; and what plans she has to ensure continuity of mental health and wellbeing support for care-experienced young people beyond the age of 18.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is committed to reviewing the shockingly high number of early deaths amongst care-experienced young people. As I stated in the House of Commons, at the beginning of the first ever National Care Leavers Month in November 2025, suicide and early death are, tragically, part of the care experience for too many. To start to solve a problem, we must first confront it.

As we progress this review, we will carefully consider how to improve the support that care leavers receive across a range of aspects of their lives, including mental and physical health, housing, education, employment and training, and relationships.

We are already taking action through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, including placing a new duty on local authorities to provide Staying Close support to care leavers up to the age of 25, to help care leavers find and keep suitable accommodation and to access services relating to health and wellbeing, relationships, education, training and employment.

In addition, we are reviewing guidance on ‘Promoting the health and wellbeing of looked-after children’ and extending it to cover care leavers up to age 25.

In December 2025, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and I announced that, in a boost for mental health support, the government will trial a 3-year pilot to make sure children in care have access to the support they need sooner. This will build on existing work across the country, bringing together social workers and NHS health professionals to work together to provide direct mental health support to children and families when they need it most.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure standardised training for police in reviewing Operation Snap submissions involving horses; and what assessment she has made of the consistency with which police forces handle video evidence of dangerous passes involving horses.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government takes road safety extremely seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads.

Police enforcements of motoring offences are operational matters for Chief Officers, who decide how to deploy available resources to deal with all the issues for which the force is responsible, taking into account specific local problems and demands.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) released national guidance on the minimum standards for police handling of dashcam footage submitted by members of the public in June 2021.

The guidance makes clear that trained police staff should assess camera footage submitted under Operation Snap and if the footage demonstrates an offence is committed, the local force determine the appropriate action to take.

Dolly Parton's birthday

World Cancer Day and breast cancer

Graduate driving licences

Hospices and end of life care

President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement

Signing of the Hamburg Declaration

World Cancer Day

Public toilet provision

St David’s Day (Dydd Gwyl Dewi)

Gambling harms

UK digital sovereignty strategy

Horse and rider road safety

Social media for under 16s

Situation in Iran

Halie Selassie and Bath

Iran protests

Deregistration of international non-governmental organisations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Brain cancer

Public health campaign on tackling stigma towards suicide

Import of illegal meat

Commemorating National Care Leaver’s Month November 2025