Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's consultation entitled A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, published on 28 November 2025, whether accrued lawful residence under Appendix Long Residence will be recognised for those already close to settlement; and what transitional arrangements will apply to long-term residents already on the Long Residence Route who are close to qualifying for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, announced changes to the mandatory requirements and qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain. A public consultation ran for 12 weeks and closed on 12 February 2026. We are now reviewing and analysing all responses received. This analysis will help inform the development of the final earned settlement model.

The consultation sought views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement. Transitional arrangements refer to temporary measures or rules put in place to manage the shift from one system, or policy framework, to another. Details of the earned settlement model, including any transitional arrangements for those already in the UK, will now be finalised, following the consultation.

The final model will also be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, a) what data NHS England holds regarding children who have experienced iatrogenic harm caused by anti-seizure medications (ASMs), and b) what guidance is in place to prevent this harm within NHS England.

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

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England collects and quality assures data about people with congenital conditions and rare conditions across the whole of England. Further information on the NDRS is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs

In the most recent official statistics on congenital conditions in England, which contains information on congenital conditions detected in babies delivered in England between 1 January and 31 December 2022, and in previous publications of this series back to inception in 2018, there were no foetuses or babies reported to have a diagnosis of foetal sodium valproate syndrome. No statistics are available for congenital conditions related to other anti-seizure medications. The most recent official statistics on congenital conditions in England, the National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration Service Congenital Condition Official Statistics Report 2022, is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/ncardrs-congenital-anomaly-statistics-annual-data/ncardrs-congenital-condition-statistics-report-2022

It is likely that while some of the individual conditions, for instance neural tube defects, cardiac, oro-facial clefts, and limb difference, that can be associated with this condition are recorded on the register, the overarching diagnosis of foetal sodium valproate syndrome may not yet be registered because foetal sodium valproate syndrome may take more than a year after birth to be confirmed as a diagnosis. The NDRS is assessing the feasibility and reliability of better ascertainment of foetal sodium valproate syndrome by linking the congenital condition register to primary care prescription data.

NHS England’s Medium Term Planning Guidance requires providers to address problematic polypharmacy. Structured Medication Review (SMR) is both general concept and also a defined clinical activity in general practice. SMRs are an evidence-based and comprehensive review of a patient’s medication, taking into consideration all aspects of their health. In SMRs, clinicians and patients work as equal partners to understand the balance between the benefits and risks of, and alternatives to, taking medicines. Further information on SMRs is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng5

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), continuously monitors the safety of medicines, including their use during pregnancy. MHRA updated the Summary of Product Characteristics, Patient Information Leaflets and educational materials to reflect the latest data for these medicines. The magnitude and type of risks associated with the use of antiseizure medication in pregnancy have been communicated in the MHRA Safety Roundup, Drug Safety Update, and letters through the NHS Central Alerting System. The MHRA, taking advice from the Commission on Human Medicines, has worked with professional bodies to raise awareness among healthcare professionals and patients of the risks of antiseizure medication, particularly valproate and topiramate when taken during pregnancy.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to regulate Let Only letting agency agreements where an agent markets a property after which the landlord takes over management.

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

The government has no current plans to introduce specific new regulations in relation to let only agency arrangements.

Letting agents who operate on a ‘let only’ basis are already subject to existing regulation. Any agent carrying out letting agency work in England, including marketing a property and setting up a tenancy before the landlord takes over management, must belong to a government approved redress scheme.

Compliance with these requirements is enforced by local authorities and by the National Trading Standards’ Lettings Agency Team, which has powers to take enforcement action against noncompliant agents.

More broadly, the government’s recent home buying and selling reform consultation sought views on proposals to professionalise property agents, including introducing a code of practice setting out minimum standards for letting, estate and managing agents.

The government also proposed a future consultation on mandatory qualifications for letting and estate agents and, depending on the outcome, potential legislation in respect of this issue. The home buying and selling reform consultation closed on 29 December and, subject to the outcomes of our analysis, we will publish a roadmap setting out further details later this year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what consideration his Department has made of the potential impact of the Restoration and Renewal of Parliament on the proposed Holocaust Memorial Learning Centre.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Memorial site is at the southern end of the Gardens and is compatible with the use of the gardens by the Restoration and Renewal Programme.

The Holocaust Memorial project team and the Restoration and Renewal programme team meet regularly to share information, and co-ordinate plans to reduce potential impacts.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to respond to the Law Commission’s consultation on New Funerary Methods.

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

It is anticipated that the Law Commission will publish a final report and draft Bill in relation to the New Funerary Methods project in Spring 2026.

We await the Commission’s findings and recommendations with interest and will respond in due course.

Found: MP (Speaker; Chorley) (Chair) Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP (Conservative; North East Cambridgeshire) Rachel Blake

Found: Rachel Blake MP has even done a private Member’s Bill on this, which is rather good.

Found: Wednesday 23 October 2024 Attendance Dame Meg Hillier, in the Chair Rachel Blake John Glen Lola McEvoy