Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the costs of expanding the rural fuel duty relief scheme to cover all of Tiverton and Minehead constituency.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Rural Fuel Duty Relief Scheme has provided a 5p reduction to motorists buying fuel in certain areas since its introduction in 2012. The areas included in the scheme demonstrate certain characteristics such as: pump prices much higher than the UK average; remoteness leading to high fuel transport costs from refinery to filling station, and; relatively low sales meaning that retailers cannot benefit from bulk discounts.
There are no plans to amend the list of eligible locations.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
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 adequacy of the administration of the Tier 2 NHS Pension Scheme, particularly in relation to retirement dates and the clarity of communications regarding retirement information.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) administers the NHS Pension Scheme in accordance with the scheme regulations and publishes clear guidance to support members applying for ill-health retirement, including Tier 2 benefits. The guidance sets out the eligibility criteria, the two‑tier structure of ill‑health benefits, and the steps members must follow. This guidance is available on the NHSBSAs website at the following link:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/member-hub/applying-ill-health-pension-benefits.
The NHSBSA publishes detailed information on normal pension ages, the definition of permanent incapacity, and the enhancements associated with Tier 2 benefits, helping members understand how retirement dates and entitlements are determined. Processing turnaround times are also published and regularly updated so that members and employers are kept informed throughout the process. The processing times are available from the following link:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/current-processing-times-nhs-pensions.
The NHSBSA keeps this material under regular review to ensure it remains clear and accessible and works closely with employers to support accurate and timely communication with scheme members.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the ability of rural communities to contact emergency services in the event of a prolonged power cut following BT’s move from copper landlines to digital voice services.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks from the industry-led migration of the copper based Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for everyone across the UK, including rural communities. In 2024/25, there were over 2,600 major incidents on the PSTN, each affecting 500 or more customers.
In November 2024, the Government secured additional safeguards from the telecoms industry. These include the provision of free battery back-ups for vulnerable and landline dependent customers to ensure access to emergency services for at least one hour in a power outage. Many communication providers have gone further, providing battery back-ups with 4-7 hours of battery life.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of the UK’s readiness for war.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As set out in the 2025 Strategic Defence Review, we are increasing national warfighting readiness to deter threats to UK and our interests. This includes transforming the Armed Forces to ensure they are more lethal, reversing the 14 years of hollowing out and underfunding this government found when it came into office.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Access to Work Scheme supports people with multiple sclerosis in employment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The support that a customer will receive from Access to Work is dependent upon their needs and circumstances at the time they make an application. Case managers will use the current guidance to ensure Access to Work principles are considered when making a decision on support. All assessments are done on an individual basis with all conditions, including Multiple Sclerosis where applicable, considered as part of an individual’s application.
We continue to engage disabled people’s organisations and individuals with lived experience, drawing on their insights alongside the National Audit Office’s recommendations as we take forward improvements to the scheme.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
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 the adequacy of the provision of NHS-funded programmes for pain management, with particular relevance to those designed for chronic pain conditions.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the significant impact that chronic pain has on individuals and the importance of ensuring that National Health Service‑funded pain management services are effective, accessible and evidence‑based. Integrated care boards (ICBs) commission a range of multidisciplinary pain management programmes across primary, community, and specialist care to help people manage persistent pain. These services include pharmacological and non‑pharmacological interventions, such as physiotherapy, psychological therapies, and supported self‑management.
When commissioning pain management services, ICBs should have regard to the chronic pain guideline published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), reference code NG193, as NICE’s evidence‑based recommendations set out nationally recognised best practice for assessing and treating chronic pain, helping to ensure that commissioned services are safe, effective, and aligned with the highest clinical standards.
The Getting It Right First Time Chronic Pain workstream, introduced in 2025, is reviewing pain services across all care settings to identify unwarranted variation and improve access, equity, and outcomes for people living with chronic pain. This work is aligned with wider NHS and Government plans to promote integrated, proactive, and person‑centred long‑term condition management.
Through the 10‑Year Health Plan, the Government is expanding community‑based services, strengthening multidisciplinary care models, and improving access to diagnostics and specialist input, all of which support better management of long‑term conditions such as chronic pain. These measures will contribute to improving the adequacy and consistency of NHS‑funded pain management services across England.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the business rates model on rural pubs that have been rescued and are operated by volunteers in local communities; and what steps she is taking to ensure that non‑viable pubs, kept open because of the efforts of volunteers to preserve them, are not taxed for volunteering.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has announced a £4.3 billion business rates support package to protect ratepayers from large overnight increases in bills.
In addition, the Government is introducing permanently lower multipliers for eligible RHL properties. These are worth almost £1 billion per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties.
On top of this, pubs and live music venues will also benefit from 15% off their new business rates bills, ahead of their bills being frozen in real terms for a further two years. Three-quarters of pubs will see bills flat or falling in April. The new relief is worth £1,650 for the average pub next year. As a sector pubs will pay 8% less in business rates in 2029 than they do right now.
Pubs in rural areas may also benefit from either Rural Rate Relief or Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR). Rural Rate Relief aims to ensure that key amenities are available and community assets are protected in rural areas. It provides 100% rate relief for properties that are based in eligible rural areas with populations below 3,000. Around a third of properties in England pay no business rates because of SBRR.
The Government will also launch a review which will explore how pubs are valued for business rates.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
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 consider the merits of the development of an environmental quality standard for water for either Fipronil or Imidacloprid.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Environmental quality standards (EQS) are fundamental to the effective assessment and regulation of chemical impacts. This commitment has already been made in the roadmap produced by the Cross Governmental Pharmaceuticals in the Environment group.
The Government has set out its new vision for water through a White Paper published on 20 January 2026. The White Paper sets out once in a generation reforms that will transform the water system for good. It sets out how we will deliver on our promise to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas – not just for today, but for generations to come. We have committed to explore setting new ambitious overarching targets for the water environment. In the meantime, we continue to work towards our obligation to secure continuous improvement for the water environment.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
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 the adequacy of the level of funding allocated for research into chronic pain disorders.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) including research into chronic pain disorders. Between 2020/21 and 2024/25, the NIHR invested £39.4 million in direct research funding in this area. Further information on that research can be seen at the following link:
https://nihr.opendatasoft.com/pages/homepage/
The NIHR provides an online service called Be Part of Research, which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. At the current time, there are 41 studies actively recruiting for participants on many aspects of chronic pain. Further information is available at the following link:
https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/results/search-results?query=chronic%20pain&location=
The NIHR’s infrastructure also provides support for the country’s leading experts to develop and deliver high-quality translational, clinical, and applied research that is funded by the NIHR’s research programmes, other public funders of research, charities, and the life sciences industry, including many aspects of chronic pain. Further information is available at the following link:
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Science and Technology about the potential for a respiratory Modern Service Framework to strengthen the UK’s life sciences ecosystem by scaling up the adoption of new medicines and innovations for lung conditions.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.
NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to explore innovation and policy prioritisation in respiratory health, including the cross‑Government alignment that may be required.