Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her planned timetable is for responding to the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendations on the minimum income requirement for the UK’s spouse and partner visa routes.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The report is under review and we will consider the recommendations made by the MAC. The Home Secretary will respond to the review in due course.
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has considered mandating the incorporation of the National Conditions of Service for Teachers in England and Wales 2023 into employment contracts for teachers in academies.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale to the answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 80414.
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to review regulations on time limits for executors of wills to apply for probate.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
There are no plans to review the law on time limits for executors to apply for probate. The existing legal framework offers flexibility, accepting the probate process is a complex one undertaken at an emotional time for many personal representatives.
There is currently no maximum time limit within which a personal representative must obtain a grant of probate, but there are penalties laid down for administering an estate without a grant of representation, and there are time limits for paying tax for which an estate is liable prior to applying for a grant.
There are also mechanisms for beneficiaries and other interested parties to hold personal representatives to account for failure to act in applying for probate, and if necessary to seek their removal.
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
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 increase the number of funded anaesthetic specialty training places over the next three years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July, set out that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is the greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she is considering changing the child benefit taper system to reflect household rather than individual income.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government understands the concerns that have been raised about basing the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) on individual rather than household incomes. However, basing the charge on household rather than individual incomes would come at a significant fiscal cost if we were to ensure that no families lose out.
By withdrawing Child Benefit from high-income parents where the higher earner earns £60,000 or more, the HICBC helps to ensure the sustainability of the public finances and protect our vital public services.
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that the national commitment to fracture liaison services is supported by a clear rollout plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Stockton West on 13 October 2025 to Question 77186.
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to improve 4G and 5G mobile connectivity on major motorway routes in areas where there are known signal black spots.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations Spring update, published on 8 May 2025, 4G in-vehicle coverage on UK major roads is 96% from at least one mobile network operator (MNO) and 81% from all four MNOs.
The Shared Rural Network has improved 4G mobile coverage along 16,000km of roads. The 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy (June 2025) committed to work with Ofcom and other regulators to assess the telecommunications needs of the transport sector, including the future requirements of roads, by December 2026. My officials are undertaking this assessment alongside the Department for Transport and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority.
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered adjusting prescription charges for partial emergency supplies of medication.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are currently no plans to adjust the prescription charge for emergency supplies of medicines. Under the Urgent Medicine Supply (UMS) element of the National Health Service Pharmacy First Service, NHS 111 can refer patients to a pharmacy to obtain an emergency supply of a medicine they regularly receive. Patients who receive an urgent supply under the UMS will be charged their usual prescription fee if they are not exempt. Where an emergency supply is made outside of the UMS, it is for the pharmacy to charge as they think is appropriate given that they will not be reimbursed by the NHS, as the medicine was not dispensed against an NHS prescription.
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has considered introducing a statutory time limit for executors to apply for probate following a person’s death.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
There is currently no maximum time limit within which a personal representative must obtain a grant of probate, but there are penalties laid down for administering an estate without a grant of representation, and there are time limits for paying tax for which an estate is liable prior to applying for a grant.
There are also mechanisms for beneficiaries and other interested parties to hold personal representatives to account for failure to act in applying for probate, and if necessary to seek their removal.
The existing legal framework offers flexibility, accepting the probate process is a complex one at an emotional time for many personal representatives and there are no plans at present to reform the law.
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to publish guidance on the (a) timeline and (b) requirements for private rented homes to achieve an EPC rating of C; and what support will be made available for landlords with older properties.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government recently consulted on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector. We received a significant number of responses and we will use this feedback to inform the government response, which will be published in due course.
Support is currently available to landlords improve their properties. An eligibility tool is available at the Government webpage ‘Find Ways to Save Energy in your Home’ (www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency), which provides tailored recommendations for home improvements to increase energy efficiency and clean heat.