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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the cancellation of some local election on (a) communities and (b) local authorities.

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

In reaching his decisions on 2026 elections, as set out to the House on 22 January 2026, the Secretary of State adopted a locally led approach and carefully considered all the representations made. He heard from councils across the country about the capacity challenges they face as they seek to deliver local government reorganisation and how postponement would release essential capacity.

Postponement will enable those councils to focus work on reorganisation, and setting up new councils ready to deliver public services from day one.

Where councils have asked for their elections to go ahead, those elections are going ahead. The vast majority of local elections will go ahead across England in May.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list the assessments his Department has made on the potential impact of the removal of the Resident Labour Market Test in 2020 on trends in the level of doctors.

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

The Department has not made a specific assessment of the impact of the removal of the Resident Labour Market Test in 2020 on trends in the level of doctors.

The number of applications to foundation and speciality training has increased over recent years, both from people graduating from United Kingdom medical schools, or UK medical graduates, and from graduates of international medical schools, or international medical graduates.

For specialty training, the number of international medical graduates applying for places has significantly increased since 2020. Data from the General Medical Council (GMC) shows that the number of non-UK trained doctors applying for Core Training Year One and Specialty Training Year One places has increased from 5,326 in 2019 to 18,857 in 2024, a 254% increase. Over the same period the number of UK trained applicants increased from 8,836 to 11,319, a 28% increase.

Internationally trained doctors may also be seeking employment outside of medical specialty training posts and GMC data shows that the proportion of doctors taking up or returning to a GMC licence to practice who were trained outside of the UK was 57% in 2019 which has increased to 66% in 2024.

To tackle bottlenecks in medical training pathways, the government introduced The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill to Parliament on 13 January 2026. The bill delivers the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, published in July 2025, to prioritise UK medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period for specialty training.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will include a national social tariff for water bills in the Government’s Water White Paper.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is working with industry to keep support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers are supported. We are working with water companies to ensure vulnerable customers across the country receive support. This includes improving the guidance for companies to design the best social tariffs for their customers.

We expect all water companies to put appropriate support in place for customers struggling to pay their bills and to proactively engage with their customers to ensure they know what support schemes are available and how to use them. Over the next five years, water companies will have more than doubled the number of customers that will receive help with their bills through social tariffs from 4% in 2025 to 9% in 2030. We expect companies to hold themselves accountable for their commitment to end water poverty by 2030 and will work with the sector to ensure appropriate measures are taken to this end.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has considered introducing a ban on the use of indoor pyrotechnics in nightclubs.

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

To inform any future decisions in relation to all fireworks, I will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues with and the impact of fireworks. Particularly given the recent tragic events in Switzerland, this will include any evidence on the risks and use of indoor firework products.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date the Government intends to launch the public consultation on wedding law reform.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

We will be undertaking the consultation on the reform of weddings law in England and Wales early this year. The exact publication date is yet to be confirmed.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to prevent the illegal killing of hen harriers.

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

The illegal killing of hen harriers is unacceptable. Bird of prey persecution is a national wildlife crime priority and there are strong penalties in place for offences committed against birds of prey, including hen harriers. Defra supports the work of a national Tactical Delivery Group which brings stakeholders together to tackle such criminality.

Defra is a principal funder of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime and directly assists law enforcers in their investigations. Defra is providing £494,000 for NWCU this year. In 2024, the NWCU launched the Hen Harrier Task Force (HTF) – a partnership designed to help tackle the illegal persecution of hen harriers. Through the HTF, more efficient channels of communication, cooperation, and data sharing between partners such as Natural England, the RSPB, and the NWCU expedites the coordination of effective enforcement response. This also supports efforts to successfully prosecute criminals and deters other would-be offenders. The HTF represents a pivotal shift in combating wildlife crime; it is using innovative technology (such as tracking drones and specialised detection dogs) to overcome logistical challenges and enhance evidence collection in remote areas.

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 merits of bereavement payments not being payable to cohabiting partners.

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

Bereavement Support Payment is currently available to those who are married, in a cohabiting relationship with dependent children, or in a civil partnership. A marriage or civil partnership is a legal contract associated with certain rights, including entitlement to benefits derived from another person's National Insurance contributions such as Bereavement Support Payment. The Government keeps the eligibility of all benefits, including Bereavement Support Payments, under review.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Home Office on fire safety and the use of flammable materials in indoor entertainment venues.

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

No such discussions have taken place. The Home Office is the department responsible for fire safety policy and the enforcement of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which governs the safety of all non-domestic premises, including indoor entertainment venues. Building regulations regarding the use of materials are the responsibility of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Palantir and the NHS

Scientific hearing on animal experiments

Dual nationals without British passports

World Cancer Day

Convention on Cluster Munitions and preventing UK involvement in their production

Sinking of SS Tilawa

Less Survivable Cancers Week

Public health campaign on tackling stigma towards suicide

Hospices and end of life care

Public toilet provision

New US sanctions on Cuba

Public inquiry into Epstein links

Review of the student loan system

Relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

Nuclear Regulatory Review and habitats regulations

Role of the House of Lords in scrutinising legislation

UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons

Found: Chris Curtis Mr Lee Dillon Maya Ellis Mr Will Forster Naushabah Khan Joe Powell Sarah Smith Luke Taylor

Found: Hill Top , Baroness Grey -Thompson, Rachel Taylor, Chris Philp, Matt Vickers, Max Wilkinson and Luke Taylor