Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his Department monitors the different methods by which patients book appointments to see a GP in England.

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

NHS England publishes monthly data on submissions received via online consultation systems, including clinical and administrative requests, and the number of cloud-based telephony calls received by general practices (GPs). The annual General Practice Patient Survey and the monthly Office for National Statistics Health Insight Survey collect data on the methods patients use to contact their GP and the perceived ease of contact with each method.

As part of our ambition to end the 8:00am scramble, we want patients to contact their practice by phone, online, or by walking in, and for people to have an equitable experience across these access modes. To ensure that patients are not digitally excluded, the GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a GP. Practice receptions should be open so that patients without access to telephone or online services are in no way disadvantaged.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how his department ensures GPs retain telephone and reception facilities to book appointments at GP clinics.

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

As part of our ambition to end the 8:00am scramble, we want patients to contact their practice by phone, online, or by walking in, and for people to have an equitable experience across these access modes. To ensure that patients are not digitally excluded, the GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a general practice (GP). Practice receptions should be open so that patients without access to telephone or online services are in no way disadvantaged.

To support patients who depend on telephone bookings, the 2025/26 GP Contract includes a requirement for all GPs to offer online booking throughout core hours, from 8:00am to 6:30pm. This is designed to ease pressure on phone lines by allowing those who prefer online booking to do so at any time, freeing up phone lines, reducing long phone queues, and improving the experience for those reliant on telephone bookings.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has considered the potential merits of relaxing pub licensing hours in English pubs to also accommodate the World Cup football matches involving Scotland.

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

The Government recently announced plans to extend licensing hours on a national basis for the round of 32 and round of 16, quarter finals, semi-finals, bronze medal match and final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 for matches that involve any of the home nations, including Scotland, and kick off between 8pm and 10pm UK time. This will apply in both England and Wales.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring all elected representatives and candidates to declare any meetings with foreign government representatives and agents.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

There are no plans to introduce such a requirement. As always, security requirements are kept under continuous review.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will issue new guidance to police authorities to require that a) stopping suspected criminals fleeing is prioritised above the safety of the person being sought, b) bikes are stopped by officers even when it could cause injury to a fleeing suspect and c) officers do not face prosecution for the apprehension of suspects at crime scenes.

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

The safety of the public, including suspects, and police officers is paramount. Decisions on police operational tactics, including for pursuit, are a matter for the police who are required to act lawfully, proportionately.

The Government has no plans to issue guidance for police officers on tactics as police have the knowledge, expertise and training to inform proportionate tactical decisions.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) imposing fines on companies that do not register beneficial owners under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 and (b) hypothecating those revenues for local authorities.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Economic Crime Acts 2022 and 2023 established and enhanced the Register of Overseas Entities. Financial penalties are used where entities fail to comply. Alongside restrictions on property transactions, this helps protect the integrity of the UK property market by enhancing transparency about who owns and controls overseas entities.

As with other fines, revenues are paid into the Consolidated Fund. Government does not generally support the hypothecation of fine revenue, as this can reduce flexibility in public finances and risk weakening the deterrent purpose of penalties. Core funding for local authorities is set through the Local Government Finance Settlement.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Economic Crime and Transparency Act 2023 on the number of properties owned by offshore companies.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department has not made a specific assessment of the impact of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 on the number of properties owned by offshore companies. The Register of Overseas Entities was established and further strengthened through the Economic Crime Acts 2022 and 2023. It was designed to tackle the misuse of overseas corporate structures to own UK property anonymously, rather than legitimate overseas investment. Companies House's strategic intelligence assessment indicates that the register has significantly reduced anonymity and increased transparency around higher risk ownership. The Government will keep the effectiveness of the regime under review.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Economic Crime and Transparency Act 2023 on the offshore ownership of property in the UK to conceal money laundering and other illegal activities.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Economic Crime Acts 2022 and 2023 established and strengthened the UK’s Register of Overseas Entities, which requires overseas entities owning UK land to disclose their beneficial owners. Since launching in 2022, over 33,000 entities have registered. The Companies House Strategic Intelligence Assessment (2024) found it is almost certain that the register has reduced the ability to hide beneficial ownership of UK property and improve transparency for law enforcement. Non‑compliant entities are also prevented from selling, leasing or raising finance over UK land. The Government is currently reviewing the legislation’s impact and will publish findings once complete.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is considering using perceptual and cryptographic hash matching to prevent the spread of mis- and disinformation.

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

The government is not considering hash matching to address the spread of mis- and disinformation. We recognise concerns and continue to explore options, but there is no single solution. Tackling such content requires a mix of regulation, law enforcement, education and technical solutions, balanced with freedom of expression – a fundamental right.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to make it a requirement for local planning authorities to take into account the need to replace or upgrade existing rooftop telecommunications equipment when determining planning applications.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Between 18 December 2025 and 26 February 2026, the government undertook a call for evidence in respect of reforming planning rules to accelerate deployment of digital infrastructure. It can be found on gov.uk here.

We are currently analysing the feedback received with a view to determining next steps, which may include consulting on draft measures and, where appropriate, bringing forward necessary legislation.