Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency uses to determine the allocation of practical driving test appointments across test centres; and whether he has plans to review that allocation to improve access for candidates in areas with limited local availability.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The number of tests available to book at any given driving test centre (DTC) is based on the number of driving examiners (DE) available to conduct tests at that DTC.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is committed to providing its customers, in all parts of the country, with the best service possible. DVSA continually reviews its estate, to ensure it represents good value for money and is efficient, and its workforce requirements in response to customer demand and operational need.

As part of this approach, DVSA has continued to run national recruitment campaigns for DEs across the country. These campaigns are intended to address recruitment pressures and improve driving test capacity, particularly in areas with the greatest demand.

The Government set out a comprehensive package of measures in April 2025 to tackle long waiting times, aiming to deliver around 10,000 additional tests per month. A key step was reintroducing overtime incentives. DVSA has also made changes to make the booking system fairer. These are practical steps to increase supply, protect access to tests, and bring waiting times down, across the country.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to eliminate backlogs in processing medical licence renewals for drivers.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has seen sustained growth in the volume and complexity of medical driving licence applications. Processing times can vary depending on the medical condition involved and whether further information is needed from doctors or other healthcare professionals.

To improve services, the DVLA has introduced a new casework system and digital medical services portal. The online service covers around 1,600 medical conditions and allows most customers to apply online through their DVLA driver and vehicles account.

Further enhancements will be introduced for provisional licence applicants, customers aged 70 and over renewing their licence, and those whose licence was previously surrendered or revoked. The DVLA has also recruited additional staff to process applications and answer calls. These measures are expected to improve turnaround times for customers.

Customers are encouraged to use the online service wherever possible to help speed up processing.

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 implement the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026; and what timeline he has set for that implementation.

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

The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 implements the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training places, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with significant National Health Service experience for specialty training places. The Act came into force on 6 March 2026 and applies to offers made for foundation and specialty training from 2026 onwards.

The Department has not issued any guidance to NHS trusts or training bodies on their obligations under the Act. Responsibility for delivering postgraduate medical recruitment, including applying prioritisation in accordance with the act, sits with NHS England and the statutory education bodies in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued to NHS trusts and training bodies on their obligations under the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026.

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

The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 implements the Government’s commitment in the 10-Year Health Plan to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training places, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors with significant National Health Service experience for specialty training places. The Act came into force on 6 March 2026 and applies to offers made for foundation and specialty training from 2026 onwards.

The Department has not issued any guidance to NHS trusts or training bodies on their obligations under the Act. Responsibility for delivering postgraduate medical recruitment, including applying prioritisation in accordance with the act, sits with NHS England and the statutory education bodies in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that people convicted of (a) rape, (b) child sexual abuse and (c) offences relating to the grooming of children are exempt from an early release scheme.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

This Government inherited a prisons system days from collapse. We had no choice but to take decisive action to stop our prisons overflowing and keep the public safe. Our landmark Sentencing Act 2026 will now deliver a more sustainable solution to the prison capacity crisis we inherited, including through the progression model, which will help ensure there are always enough places for the courts to be able to send people to custody in order to keep the public safe.

The Government carefully considered concerns raised by victims, survivors, parliamentarians and the wider public and acted on those concerns. As a result, offenders convicted of unlawful killing offence such as manslaughter, causing death by dangerous driving, as well as further historic child sex offences, will now be excluded, on top of rape and serious child sex offences. This also includes offenders convicted of offences involving the killing of an emergency worker. A full list of exclusions can be found here: Sentencing Act 2026 offence exclusions - GOV.UK.

These exclusions are in addition to the existing exclusion of more than 18,000 offenders serving more serious sentences.

The progression model amends release points for offenders serving Standard Determinate Sentences.

The date from which the progression model will apply, and the date of the first tranche of releases is 1 October 2026. Offenders released under the progression model will be controlled under strict licence conditions and can be recalled to custody where they breach those conditions or their risk can no longer be safely managed in the community.

The Government has made a commencement regulation to revoke the previous order’s commencement date for the Progression Model. Full details are set out in ‘The Sentencing Act 2026 (Commencement No. 6 and Revocation) Regulations 2026’ which is available at Legislation.gov.uk.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the compulsory retirement age on the retention of experienced magistrates, and whether Ministers have considered alternatives such as regular competency assessments for those who wish to continue sitting beyond 75.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The mandatory retirement age for judicial office holders, including magistrates was increased from 70 to 75 in March 2022. 797 magistrates aged 70 or over were reinstated as a result of the policy change, and as of 1 April 2026 1,933 magistrates in post were aged 70 or over.

There are no plans to replace the mandatory retirement age with regular competency assessments for magistrates aged over 75. A fixed retirement age supports judicial independence and public confidence in the judiciary by avoiding the need for individual assessments of the health or competency of judicial office holders.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will review the impact of the National Child Measurement Programme on children’s mental health, including those with eating disorders.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department has commissioned an ongoing National Institute for Health and Care Research study assessing the National Child Measurement Programme's impact on the mental health and wellbeing of children participating, and includes psychological measures to assess body image, eating behaviours, weight-related concerns, teasing, and self-esteem. Further information on the study is available at the following link:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/population-health-sciences/child-health/research/population-policy-and-practice/evaluating-national-child-measurement-programme

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans she has to review NICE guidance on screening women with dense breasts.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to the Hon Member for Southgate and Wood Green on 17 July 2026 to Question 18677.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of smart meter rollout on higher usage customers, including retired and elderly consumers; and what steps his Department has taken to help support customers with higher domestic energy costs.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Smart meters automatically send accurate readings to energy suppliers, removing the need for consumers, including those with poor mobility or older consumers, to take manual readings and helping ensure bills are based on actual rather than estimated usage.

In-home displays also provide near-real-time information on energy use and costs, helping consumers understand how to use less energy and save on their bills.

As recently announced, VAT will be removed from domestic electricity bills from October 1^st, taking an expected £45 off October’s yearly Ofgem price cap and adding to the £150 removed from bills last Budget, now factored into bills.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the extent to which energy providers are requiring smart meter customers to vary their usage patterns as a condition of accessing advertised tariff benefits; and what consumer protections are in place in those circumstances.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Smart meters unlock flexible time-of-use tariffs that incentivise consumers to shift consumption to off-peak periods when overall demand is low and can pay them to use energy when there is surplus on the grid, such as on sunny or windy days. Consumers with these tariffs are not required to use energy at set times.

Ofgem’s supply licence conditions require suppliers to make tariff and contract information available to customers before they enter contracts, and more broadly to treat domestic customers fairly, honestly and transparently.

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 help ensure that the terms and conditions attached to smart meter tariff benefits, including off-peak and free supply offers, are communicated transparently to consumers at the point of sign-up.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Ofgem’s supply licence conditions require energy suppliers to take all reasonable steps to communicate the principal terms of an energy contract in plain and intelligible language.

Licence conditions also require suppliers to treat customers fairly, provide tariff information in a way that is complete, accurate and not misleading, and comply with rules on marketing, sales and contract information. Ofgem is responsible for monitoring and enforcing supplier compliance with these obligations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with representatives of farming organisations on the potential impact of bringing Section 2 shotgun licensing more closely into line with Section 1 firearms licensing on rural communities.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government will undertake a consultation in due course on strengthening the controls on shotguns to bring them more into line with the controls on other firearms.

We will carefully consider the views put forward during the consultation before taking any decision on whether and what changes may be necessary in the interests of public safety. The Government will provide an assessment of the impact of any changes that we intend to bring forward, including on rural communities and businesses, at the relevant time.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will review NHS rules on treatment before surgery for patients with stage 3 melanoma.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are no specific plans for reviewing National Health Service rules on treatment before surgery for patients with stage 3 melanoma. NHS England keeps specialised cancer commissioning policies under review.

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 implications for her policies of the cumulative impact on women and girls in Afghanistan of the Taliban's recent legislative measures, including the January 2026 Criminal Procedure Regulation and Decree No. 18; and what steps the Government is taking to support international efforts to hold the Taliban accountable for what United Nations experts have described as an institutionalised system of gender discrimination amounting to crimes against humanity.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

This Government condemns the continuing restrictions imposed on women and girls in Afghanistan. The Taliban's new criminal procedure code, which legitimises domestic violence and targets women and minorities must be rescinded and the rights of all Afghans must be protected.

The UK continues to work closely with international partners to hold the Taliban to account, including through our chairmanship of the G7+ group of countries, and engagement through the United Nations and the Human Rights Council.

National strategy for fertility

National Emergency Briefing

Jonathan Frisher

Found: South East) Anna Dixon (Labour; Shipley) Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat; Tiverton and Minehead) Sarah Green

Found: South East) Anna Dixon (Labour; Shipley) Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat; Tiverton and Minehead) Sarah Green