Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to make changes to the medical entry standards for joining the Armed Forces.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

Defence is committed to a diverse workforce and is seeking to ‘select in’ rather than ‘select out.’ I can confirm an update to the Joint Service Manual of Medical Fitness 950 (JSP 950) Leaflet 6-7-7, which sets the Medical Employment Standards (MES) for joining the Armed Forces was published in August 2024. This followed an intensive period of review undertaken by clinical experts, Defence personnel staff and the recruiting agencies. Each standard was considered in light of existing and/or emerging medical evidence and assessed against the likelihood of the associated medical risk of a five-year engagement. A further update was published in February 2026.

All medical entry standards have been set and are regularly reviewed by military medical specialists, who understand the rigours of military life, the availability of medical support whilst deployed on operations and exercise, and the exceptional impact this may have on existing medical conditions. Ultimately, there is an expectation that all new entrants are able to deploy anywhere in the world to the most hostile of environments, remote from support and medical care, and these challenges are unlike those faced in other occupations.

Defence must find the best balance possible between allowing people with certain health conditions to join the Armed Forces, while maintaining a force that is fully deployable at short notice.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with the Information Commissioner's Office to increase business registration compliance.

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

The ICO regularly promotes the requirement for eligible businesses to register and pay the data protection fee. This includes using publicly available company information to send 800,000 letters annually to prompt organisations who may be required to pay. They also regularly look for new and innovative ways or alternative datasets to reach businesses who may be required to pay.

It is important to note that not all businesses are required to register and pay the fee with the ICO, and registration is not a reflection of wider data protection compliance. Irrespective of registration requirements, all businesses that process personal data are required to comply with data protection legislation in full and are within scope of the ICO's regulatory remit.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the MHRA intends to take to consider patient and bereaved family lived experience as part of its current scientific review of Clozapine; and whether he is taking steps to ensure that lived experience actively shapes the committee's clinical determinations before key regulatory decisions have been made.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) confirms that in June 2026, the Neurology, Pain and Psychiatry Expert Advisory Group (NPPEAG) considered an assessment of clozapine drug level monitoring. The NPPEAG provided advice about the requirements for this type of monitoring. At present, clozapine drug-level monitoring is required only in specific clinical situations, partly because of the high level of variability between patients. The MHRA is taking forward the NPPEAG’s recommendations and will communicate to healthcare professionals once the regulatory position is finalised.

The review of clozapine drug-level monitoring focused on clinical and scientific data to establish the value of this type of monitoring in clinical practice. It took into account a range of information, including overall reporting patterns and themes in reports received through the Yellow Card scheme, but did not include clinical review of individual Yellow Card reports. MHRA safety assessments may also consider the views of patients and other stakeholders.

The MHRA will be launching a survey in the summer to gather information on awareness of key risks associated with clozapine, and to assess whether additional measures would be helpful for patients, their families, and carers, as well as healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients receiving clozapine.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Yellow Card adverse drug reaction reference GB-MHRA-MED-202605220730230940-NSQYR (linked to case file CEC 256289) is being actively reviewed by the clinical assessors of the Neurology, Pain and Psychiatry Expert Advisory Group as part of their current, ongoing safety review into clozapine drug-level monitoring for toxicity.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) confirms that in June 2026, the Neurology, Pain and Psychiatry Expert Advisory Group (NPPEAG) considered an assessment of clozapine drug level monitoring. The NPPEAG provided advice about the requirements for this type of monitoring. At present, clozapine drug-level monitoring is required only in specific clinical situations, partly because of the high level of variability between patients. The MHRA is taking forward the NPPEAG’s recommendations and will communicate to healthcare professionals once the regulatory position is finalised.

The review of clozapine drug-level monitoring focused on clinical and scientific data to establish the value of this type of monitoring in clinical practice. It took into account a range of information, including overall reporting patterns and themes in reports received through the Yellow Card scheme, but did not include clinical review of individual Yellow Card reports. MHRA safety assessments may also consider the views of patients and other stakeholders.

The MHRA will be launching a survey in the summer to gather information on awareness of key risks associated with clozapine, and to assess whether additional measures would be helpful for patients, their families, and carers, as well as healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients receiving clozapine.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase availability of legal aid to people who are victims of violence against women and girls, particularly in relation to people who wish to pursue judicial review.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

This Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade. As part of delivering this mission, we are committed to ensuring that victims of VAWG can access justice, including through the legal aid system.

Civil legal aid remains available for eligible judicial review proceedings, subject to the statutory eligibility criteria being met. Legal aid is also available for private family matters such as child arrangements, financial remedy proceedings and divorce if an individual is a victim of domestic abuse or at risk of being abused. Funding is also subject to providing the required evidence of domestic abuse and passing the means and merits tests.

We have amended legislation to ensure that legal aid continues to be available for victims of domestic abuse. This includes making legal aid available for eligible domestic abuse victims whose immigration status depended on an abusive partner enabling them to apply to regularise their immigration status, as well as providing availability for Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders. The changes also permit the use of overseas medical evidence for legal aid applications, and we have updated legislation and guidance to reflect the changes in terminology and definitions. The Government is also reviewing domestic abuse evidence requirements to ensure they do not create barriers to accessing legal aid.

The civil legal aid equity disregard is available to all individuals, including victims of domestic abuse, applying for legal aid. This means that £100,000 of the value of a person’s interest in their main residence will not be considered [when assessing capital] within the legal aid means test.

This Government has extended the equity disregard so it can also apply to victims of domestic abuse who have temporarily left their home, though it is still in essence their main residence in which they have an interest. This change recognises that while victims may own property, they may be unable to benefit from the home due to the presence of an abuser. The equity disregard also applies to means testing for legal aid in relation to judicial review.

Found: Wednesday 23 October 2024 Attendance Dame Meg Hillier, in the Chair Rachel Blake John Glen Lola McEvoy

Found: Central Midlands Logistics Security Corby NN18 8JX Security and safety Committed Central Midlands Lola McEvoy