Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of expanding NHS IVF funding criteria to cover individuals whose infertility results directly from medically necessary procedures, such as hysterectomy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No recent assessments have been undertaken by the Department.
Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. We expect these organisations to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.
NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guideline and will consider whether its current recommendations for access to National Health Service-funded treatment are still appropriate. The draft guidance was consulted on between 10 September and 21 October 2025, and final guidance is expected to be published in March 2026. We expect ICBs to consider and reflect the updated NICE fertility guideline in their commissioning decisions when it is published, and we are working with NHS England to support greater consistency in provision.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of expanding funding for cultural organisations to include independent cinemas.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
I am very proud to have announced in January a significant package of funding for arts and cultural organisations. I do, however, understand the sector's disappointment that funding for cinemas was not included in that announcement. We are still operating within a challenging fiscal climate, and across government we have had to make very difficult decisions about where to direct available funding.
We know that, very often, a local cinema is one of the few - if not the only - cultural offer in a place, and the government does not underestimate the challenges that continue to face cinemas across the country. My department will continue to work closely with the BFI, UK Cinema Association, and the sector more widely to actively explore how we can best support our cinemas, and in doing so increase opportunities for people to access cultural experiences.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Civil Aviation Authority’s CAP1616 airspace change process in relation to Gatwick Airport.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the United Kingdom’s independent aviation and aerospace regulator. CAP1616 is the CAA’s process for all airspace changes in the UK, including potential airspace changes at Gatwick Airport. The CAA has recently consulted on potential changes to CAP1616 to ensure that it fair, transparent, consistent, and proportionate.
The Department for Transport consulted on potential changes to the statutory guidance (The Air Navigation Guidance) it provides to the CAA and interested parties for creating, changing or assessing flightpaths. This guidance is used by the CAA to inform its airspace change process. The consultation closed on 26 January 2026 and responses are now being reviewed.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the Stamp Duty Land Tax rules for shared ownership properties, particularly the requirement for first‑time buyers to pay SDLT when staircasing above 80% ownership, despite not purchasing an additional property.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government already offers flexibility when SDLT is due on transactions relating to shared ownership properties. When a shared ownership lease is first granted, the purchaser can choose to either pay SDLT on the market value of the property, in which case no further SDLT will be due when purchasing additional interest in the property (including when staircasing above 80%); or instead choose to pay SDLT in stages. Purchasers of shared ownership properties can also claim First-time Buyers’ Relief (FTBR) on purchases where the value of their property does not exceed £500,000. For those purchasers who choose to pay SDLT in stages, SDLT will be payable on any staircasing transaction which takes them over 80% ownership. In those circumstances, FTBR is not available as the person staircasing is no longer a first-time buyer. The ability to choose when SDLT is due, along with the relief available to first-time buyers, can help reduce the amount of SDLT due when initially buying a shared ownership property as your first home.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the noise from aircraft operating between 4,000 and 7,000 feet under the proposed Aviation Navigation Guidance 2026 on affected communities; and whether that is a material consideration in airspace change decisions.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport consultation on changes to the Air Navigation Guidance closed on 26 January 2026 and responses are now being reviewed. The consultation included a proposal for new airspace design priorities which would prioritise flight efficiency and reducing carbon emissions from 4,000 feet and above, with minimising noise impacts prioritised below that altitude.
An Options Appraisal was published alongside the consultation. The detailed assessment of the impacts of a specific airspace change would be carried out as part of that airspace change proposal. As well as taking account of the airspace design priorities it would also reflect other airspace modernisation measures which can have a positive impact on noise, such as steeper climbs and descents, meaning that aircraft spend less time at lower altitudes.
A key requirement for any airspace change proposal is, and will continue to be, that people who may be affected by a change have the necessary information and are consulted before any final decisions are made.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ringfencing Section 31 grants.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department does not routinely ringfence the section 31 grants it pays. We have listened to what local government needs and we are consolidating and simplifying the funding we pay to authorities. Local Transport Authorities know their areas better than government can, so this greater freedom and flexibility will help authorities to spend on the most important and impactful local projects. The Government will use Outcomes Frameworks to ensure that spending is used to improve transport for all its users.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of guarantor requirements in the private rented sector on prospective tenants who can demonstrate affordability but do not have access to a suitable guarantor.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
According to the latest English Private Landlord Survey, which can be found on gov.uk here, 21% of landlords required a guarantor for their most recent letting.
The government recognises that blanket requirements for a guarantor could act as a barrier to renting for some tenants and expects landlords and agents to consider tenants’ individual circumstances when negotiating rental conditions.
We are committed to monitoring the use of guarantors as part of our wider evaluation of the impact of our reforms on the private rented sector.
Where a landlord or agent is not satisfied by the outcome of pre-tenancy checks, they may ask a prospective tenant to provide a guarantor. If this is not possible, then a tenant may choose to use a professional guarantor service as an alternative. Local authorities may offer guarantee schemes to help people on low incomes or at risk of homelessness.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to extend NHS eligibility for the Shingrix shingles vaccine to older adults who previously received Zostavax.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an independent departmental expert committee which advises the Government on matters related to vaccination and immunisation.
In November 2024, the JCVI provided advice to the Government on eligibility for the shingles vaccination programme. This included advice that the Government should consider expanding the shingles vaccination offer to include older adult cohorts aged 80 years old and over, regardless of whether these older individuals have previously been eligible for, or have been vaccinated with, Zostavax. The Department is carefully considering this advice as it sets the policy on who should be offered shingles vaccinations.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities and employer groups on the availability of work‑experience placements for Year 10 pupils; and what steps she is taking to ensure adequate placements in all areas.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government set out its vision for reforming work experience in the 2025 careers statutory guidance. Every pupil will have access to 2 weeks’ worth of multiple and varied workplace experiences throughout key stages 3 and 4.
According to the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) Compass+ self-assessment tool, the majority of students in 74% schools and colleges had an experience of the workplace in the 2024/25 academic year. Note this data does not capture duration.
The department funds the CEC to work with local areas and engage employers to deliver this commitment. CEC’s careers hubs work in partnership with mayoral strategic authorities and local authorities resulting in stronger career provision and increased employer engagement, locally. Findings from a recent pilot found that careers hubs, working with local authorities and mayoral strategic authorities, successfully coordinated work experience provision across multiple schools and employers, reducing duplication and widening access.
Regionally, careers hubs work with cornerstone employer groups, who represent the local labour market and support the region's strategic employment engagement. Nationally, CEC holds strategic partnerships with employer groups, sector and representative bodies supporting all employers to deliver workplace experiences.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
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 on patients with relapsed or refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma of NICE’s draft decision not to recommend brexucabtagene autoleucel (Tecartus) for NHS use; and whether he plans to review the CAR‑T delivery tariff to ensure continued access to treatments.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently re-evaluating brexucabtagene autoleucel to determine whether it can be recommended for routine National Health Service funding following a period of managed access through the Cancer Drugs Fund. NICE’s draft guidance, published in December, does not recommend it as a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. The Government recognises that the potential withdrawal of brexucabtagene autoleucel as a treatment for future patients with mantle cell lymphoma 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.
The CAR-T delivery tariff reflects the costs which the NHS incurs for delivering CAR-T therapy. The tariff was updated for the start of the 2024/25 financial year following a planned costing review involving all CAR-T providers in England. This enabled the tariff to be updated with the benefit of the significant delivery experience that can be drawn on having first routinely introduced CAR-T in the NHS in 2023. Other than considering an appropriate inflationary uplift on an annual basis, in line with usual practice, there are no plans to further review the tariff at this time. Other CAR-T therapies have been recommended for routine NHS adoption in England by NICE based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness that reflects the existing CAR-T delivery tariff, most recently obecabtagene autoleucel for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.