Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on the (a) establishment and (b) delivery of the MHRA Early Access Service.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In July of this year the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published a statement of policy intent for the development and implementation of an Early Access Service for innovative medical devices. The statement of policy intent is available at the following link:
The service aims to speed up safe access to innovative medical devices for patients, supporting the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan. The statement set out our intention to work with stakeholders across the life science ecosystem to further develop the policy and to build the internal capability required to deliver the service throughout 2025. Further information on our plans will be provided in early 2026.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a separate (a) price and (b) allocation mechanism for renewable baseload generation within future Contracts for Difference auction rounds.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Allocation Round 7 is currently in progress with results expected early in the new year. We assess the design of each allocation round ahead of it opening. We will publish details relating to the next allocation round in due course.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to expedite the recruitment of newly qualified midwives (a) nationally and (b) within Cornwall.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 11 August 2025, the Government announced the Graduate Guarantee for nurses and midwives. The guarantee will ensure that there are enough positions for every newly qualified midwife in England. Vacant maternity support worker posts will be temporarily converted to Band 5 midwifery roles, backed by £8 million to create new opportunities specifically for newly qualified midwives and to further ease the recruitment strain.
Decisions about local recruitment are matters for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the application of Section 33 of the Limitation Act 1980 in medical negligence cases involving cerebral palsy; and whether it has had discussions with Scope on this issue.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Limitation periods set statutory time limits within which a party must bring a civil claim, or give notice of a claim, to the other party in a dispute. For negligence resulting in personal injury (which would include clinical negligence claims) the limitation period is normally three years from the date of the alleged negligence or the date of the claimant’s knowledge of damage, whichever is later.
However, under Section 33 of the Limitation Act 1980, this period can be extended at the court’s discretion, if it appears that it would be equitable (fair and reasonable) to all parties to allow an action to proceed.
The Government has no plans to reform the law, and has had no discussions with Scope but they are welcome to write to me if they want to set out any specific concerns.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of further investment in agricultural supply chains in northern Nigeria to help promote the region’s (a) climate resilient agriculture, (b) peace and (c) security.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to supporting peace and stability in Northern Nigeria. Our work is strengthening agricultural supply chains in the region, to boost sustainable agriculture, food and nutrition security, and help address drivers of conflict.
Our Propcom+ programme works with agribusiness, State and Federal government authorities, and wider development partners, to support investment and growth in climate-smart agriculture in Nigeria, including in the North. Since 2022, Propcom+ has worked with over 750,000 farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs, nearly half of which are women, to adapt to the effects of climate change. In addition, the UK's Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme (SPRiNG) is working to reduce rural violence in Northwest and North-central Nigeria. It does this by supporting productive livelihoods for farmers and pastoralists, and by strengthening conflict early warning, management and response.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will review the current eligibility criteria for legal aid in private family law proceedings to allow applicants on low incomes to qualify for support even where there is no evidence of domestic abuse or risk to a child.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This Government recognises that legal aid – a vital part of the justice system – supports the ability of individuals, who need it most, to have access to publicly funded legal assistance in order to uphold their legal rights.
Legal aid is available for some private family matters such as child arrangement orders, if an individual is a victim of domestic abuse or at risk of being abused, or if the child who is the subject of the order is a victim of child abuse or at risk of abuse. Funding is subject to providing the required evidence of domestic abuse or child abuse and passing the means and merits tests.
The Government keeps legal aid policy under continuous review.
For cases which do not qualify for legal aid, individuals may seek free, independent advice from legal support and advice organisations.
The Ministry of Justice is providing funding to support litigants in person, to help them navigate the civil justice system effectively, including preparation for court and support at court. In 2025/26, we are providing over £6 million of funding to 60 organisations to support the delivery of free legal support and information, both in-person and online. This includes some Citizens Advice and Law Centres, Rights of Women and Advice Now.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he is taking steps to ensure that site freeholders are financially responsible for fighting fires within derelict buildings.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Owners of derelict buildings have obligations in respect of fire safety measures. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, as amended by Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022, the “Responsible Person” (usually the owner or person in control of the premises) must:
- Carry out and record a fire risk assessment
- Take steps to reduce fire risks
- Maintain fire safety measures — even in non-occupied or derelict buildings
Owners of derelict buildings are also required to liaise with their council tax authority concerning payment of council tax.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to provide additional funding to support households to improve their Energy Performance Certificate ratings under the Warm Homes Plan.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The domestic Energy Performance Certificate is based on energy costs. This government is investing £13.2 billion in the Warm Homes Plan to upgrade up to 5 million homes and cut energy bills for good, in line with the Manifesto commitment.
Further details on allocations for individual programmes will be set out soon, but will include increasing funding for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, additional funding for social housing landlords through the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and funding for the Warm Homes: Local Grant, to improve the energy performance of low-income households through the installation of energy efficiency measures and low carbon technologies, as well as funding to deliver heat network schemes.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps his Department has taken to introduce regulation of (a) development and (b) residential management companies; and what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of establishing a (i) statutory regulator and (ii) code of practice for that sector.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77534 on 17 October 2025.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to consider the needs of the visitor economy when assessing place-based funding decisions.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government recognises the important role of the visitor economy sector, and has set an ambitious goal to grow inbound tourism. These will be set out in more detail when the Department for Culture, Media and Sport publishes its Visitor Economy Growth Strategy.
In September the government launched an overarching Pride in Place programme, providing up to £5bn over 10 years to support almost 250 places. In addition, the Pride in Place Impact Fund will provide around £150 million of funding to 95 places to support the development of shared spaces, revitalise local high streets and improve the public realm, all of which have benefits for the visitor economy.
Following the Green Book Review, HM Treasury is working with relevant departments, as well as local and regional government, to develop place-based business cases. This will bring together the different Departments needed to achieve the objectives of a particular place.