Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of whether individual ICBs are deviating from NICE guidance.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards are legally required to make funding available for medicines recommended in a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal or highly specialised technology evaluation, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance. The effect of this legal obligation is that all NICE-approved treatments must be included in local formularies for use in line with NICE’s recommendations and with no additional funding or formulary restrictions.

As part of commitments made in the 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access, NHS England is developing a local formulary national minimum dataset to increase visibility of local variation in the implementation of NICE guidance, identify where variation in local formularies may be creating barriers to access, and to provide assurance to NHS England when a NICE recommended treatment has been listed on a local formulary.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy that the Road Safety Investigation Branch (a) record and (b) publish data on collisions involving illegally modified e-bikes separately from those involving standard pedal cycles.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Road Safety Investigation Branch will be data-led and provide thematic investigations based on robust evidence and linked data. The work of the branch is currently being scoped out and further details will be shared in due course.

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 publish the flood and safety risk assessments for the proposed SESRO reservoir.

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

The Government is committed to delivering best value for customers through the water infrastructure programme, while supporting growth and ensuring a resilient water supply. The Government’s Water Delivery Taskforce is working across Government, regulators and water industry stakeholders to ensure this.

White Horse Reservoir is subject to ongoing assessment through the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) gated process, which includes further investigations and assessments to inform a development consent application.

Through the development consent process consideration is given to flood and safety management and other regulatory requirements. This sits within the safety framework set out by the Reservoirs Act. All required assessments will be submitted by Thames Water to the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State for consideration.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department holds information related to an independent comparative assessment of the potential cost to the public pursue of Thames Water's White Horse reservoir proposal with (a) the creation of a smaller reservoir, (b) Severn-Trent Transfer, and (c) a combination of both options.

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

Thames Water has selected the reservoir as part of its statutory Water Resources Management Plan. Water Resources South East has also conducted an options appraisal process, identifying the reservoir's necessity in its Regional Plan. The plans continue to be scrutinised by the water regulators.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the SESRO project on the water bills of customers of (a) Thames Water, (b) Southern Water and (c) Affinity Water; and whether this estimate has been updated for the most recent increases in the expected cost of the project.

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

The Government is committed to delivering best value for customers through the water infrastructure programme, while supporting growth and ensuring a resilient water supply. The Government’s Water Delivery Taskforce is working across Government, regulators and water industry stakeholders to ensure this.

White Horse Reservoir is subject to ongoing assessment through the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) gated process, which includes further investigations and assessments to inform a development consent application.

Through the development consent process consideration is given to flood and safety management and other regulatory requirements. This sits within the safety framework set out by the Reservoirs Act. All required assessments will be submitted by Thames Water to the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State for consideration.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department had a cap for the level of cost increase for Thames Water’s SESRO project above which the project would not have been approved.

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

The Government is committed to delivering best value for customers through the water infrastructure programme, while supporting growth and ensuring a resilient water supply. The Government’s Water Delivery Taskforce is working across Government, regulators and water industry stakeholders to ensure this.

White Horse Reservoir is subject to ongoing assessment through the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) gated process, which includes further investigations and assessments to inform a development consent application.

Through the development consent process consideration is given to flood and safety management and other regulatory requirements. This sits within the safety framework set out by the Reservoirs Act. All required assessments will be submitted by Thames Water to the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State for consideration.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an inflation adjustment mechanism for capital gains tax calculations.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

An indexation allowance previously existed when Capital Gains Tax (CGT) was charged at income tax rates, with a top rate of 40 per cent. The current rates of 18 and 24 per cent are significantly below the higher rates of income tax, simplifying the calculation of gains for taxpayers.

When considering changes to the tax system, the government has to take into account a wide range of factors, including the fiscal cost, administrative burdens, and complexity it would add to the tax system.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the ability of autonomous systems to correctly interpret traffic signals at complex or partially obscured junctions in dense urban environments.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Self-driving vehicles will be expected to operate safely and legally on GB's road infrastructure as it currently exists, just as human drivers do now. Although not essential for safe self-driving, adaptations to roads and other infrastructure have the potential to bring benefits to both conventional and self-driving vehicles. Some functions for Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) technology, for example routing services, will require connectivity. Road authorities may choose to develop their networks to maximise the benefits of new technologies.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the National Work-Related Road Safety Charter, what guidance he plans to issue to riders of e-bikes on (a) training, (b) vehicle standards and (c) safe working practices.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

In our new Road Safety Strategy, published on 7 January 2026 we announced that we will pilot a National Work-Related Road Safety Charter for businesses that require people to drive or ride for them. This includes the use of HGVs, Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs), cars, motorcycles, e-cycles and cycles.

The aim of the Charter is to help employers to reduce work-related road risk and improve safety for all road users by promoting good practice, and to improve compliance with current legislation and guidance. The government will develop this Charter in collaboration with business and industry. The pilot will run for two years and will be monitored and fully evaluated.

If the pilot and voluntary engagement is insufficient in reducing work related road risk, regulatory measures will be considered.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure illegally modified e-bikes and (a) identified and (b) addressed within the scope of the National Work-Related Road Safety Charter.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

In our new Road Safety Strategy, published on 7 January 2026 we announced that we will pilot a National Work-Related Road Safety Charter for businesses that require people to drive or ride for them. This includes the use of HGVs, Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs), cars, motorcycles, e-cycles and cycles.

The aim of the Charter is to help employers to reduce work-related road risk and improve safety for all road users by promoting good practice, and to improve compliance with current legislation and guidance. The government will develop this Charter in collaboration with business and industry. The pilot will run for two years and will be monitored and fully evaluated.

If the pilot and voluntary engagement is insufficient in reducing work related road risk, regulatory measures will be considered.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of safety measures on the A34 including (a) signage, (b) road markings, (c) LED road studs and (d) speed management protocols; and if she will publish analysis of collisions and casualties that has informed her Department's policies on the use of (i) speed cameras, (ii) spacing chevrons and (iii) any other safety interventions.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

National Highways undertook a road safety review of the A34 in 2017 and subsequently delivered works including upgrading laybys, enhancing road signs and markings, installing LED studs and clearing vegetation. National Highways continues to monitor traffic and incident data along the route. Road casualty statistics and the underlying data are published annually by the Department for Transport.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has held discussions with Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board on its policy on access to fertility services.

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

No discussions have been held with the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (ICB) about its provision of National Health Service-funded in vitro fertilisation treatment.

Decisions about the provision of health services in England are made by ICBs and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. They are expected to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.

Updated NICE fertility guidelines are expected in spring. The Department will continue to support NHS England as they work closely with ICBs to ensure the guidance is fully considered in local commissioning decisions.

New US sanctions on Cuba

Review of the student loan system

Relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

Public inquiry into Epstein links

Dolphin hunting in the Faroe Islands

International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2026

World Cancer Day and breast cancer

Found: Elsie Blundell (Labour; Heywood and Middleton North) Jacob Collier (Labour; Burton and Uttoxeter) Olly Glover

Found: Elsie Blundell (Labour; Heywood and Middleton North) Jacob Collier (Labour; Burton and Uttoxeter) Olly Glover

Found: Elsie Blundell (Labour; Heywood and Middleton North) Jacob Collier (Labour; Burton and Uttoxeter) Olly Glover