Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of its plans for business rates reform on the (a) wholesale sector and (b) (i) number of jobs and (ii) levels of costs in the wholesale sector.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century.

As announced at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower businessrates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000 from 2026/27.

To fund these lower RHL multipliers sustainably, from 2026/27, the Government is also introducing a higher multiplier on properties with RVs of £500,000 and above. The final design, including the rates, for the new business rates multipliers will be announced at Budget 2025, so that the Government can factor the revaluation outcomes and broader economic and fiscal context into decision-making.

The Government has considered the impact of these policies on a range of sectors as part of the policy development process.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency plans to open its Early Access Service for innovative technologies in areas of unmet clinical need.

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 published a statement of policy intent for the development and implementation of an Early Access Service for innovative medical devices. This statement is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-policy-intent-early-access-to-innovative-medical-devices/statement-of-policy-intent-early-access-to-innovative-medical-devices#next-steps

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.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 80709 on Churches: Aerials, what estimate she has made of the average change in rents paid to (a) churches, (b) local authorities, (c) other public authorities and (d) private landowners for hosting telecommunications masts since the amendment of the Electronic Communications Code under the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.

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

Measures included in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 will extend the statutory valuation framework contained in the Electronic Communications Code to certain cases regulated by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 and the Business Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 1996. These measures have not yet come into force and therefore no assessment has been made of their impact on rents.

Following the 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code, government representatives engaged regularly with stakeholders about their impact. The changes made by the 2022 Act were consulted on and received Parliamentary scrutiny during passage of the Act.

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Found: Kent) Alex Mayer (Labour; Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard) Baggy Shanker (Labour; Derby South) Rebecca Smith

Found: Jones Danny Kruger Lord Lisvane Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall Dr Al Pinkerton Lord Shinkwin Rebecca Smith

Found: Jones Danny Kruger Lord Lisvane Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall Dr Al Pinkerton Lord Shinkwin Rebecca Smith

Found: Dr Scott Arthur; Mrs Elsie Blundell; Jacob Collier; Olly Glover; Alex Mayer; Baggy Shanker; Rebecca Smith

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Found: ; Dr Scott Arthur; Mrs Elsie Blundell; Jacob Collier; Olly Glover; Alex Mayer; Baggy Shanker; Rebecca Smith

Found: Q5 Rebecca Smith: It sounds very sensible to me too.

Found: system supports wider economic growth. 1.2 Opposition debate The Shadow Pensions Minister, Rebecca Smith

The Government has introduced the Railways Bill to Parliament to legislate for its commitment to unify network operations with infrastructure management under a single organisation – Great British Railways.