Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has considered the potential merits of the mitigation of potential future risks from non-human, autonomous AI systems which may evade human oversight and control.

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

AI systems have the potential to pose novel risks that emerge from models behaving in unintended ways. The possibility that this unintended behaviour could lead to loss of control over advanced AI systems is taken seriously by many experts and warrants close attention.

The role of the AI Security Institute (AISI) is to build an evidence base on these risks, so the government is equipped to understand them. One of the Institute’s research priorities is tracking the development of AI capabilities that could contribute towards AI’s ability to evade human control.

That is why the Institute launched the Alignment project - a funding consortium distributing up to £15m for research projects to carry out foundational research on methods for building AI systems, ensuring they reliably align with human values across multiple technical disciplines.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her statement, entitled A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, of 20 November, if she will explain the impact of the changes on pathways to settlement on the children of British National (Overseas) visa holders.

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

The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.

BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements. Children of BN(O) visa holders will also remain on the 5-year path to settlement in line with their parents.

We are seeking views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, including on how dependants should be accommodated within an earned settlement system, and will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation.

In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of higher rateable values and reduced business rates relief on the number of hospitality closures and empty units on high streets over the next three years.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base.

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Without our support, the pub sector as a whole would have faced a 45% increase in the total bills they pay next year. Because of the support we’ve put in place, this has fallen to just 4%.

More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto. We are doing this by introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties, including those on the high street.

The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since Covid. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.

The National Insurance Contributions (NICs) Employment Allowance has been more than doubled to £10,500, ensuring that over half of businesses with National Insurance liabilities, including those in the hospitality sector, will either gain or see no change this year. A Tax Information and Impact Note was published alongside changes to employer NICs.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department held discussions with Hammersmith and Fulham Council regarding Hammersmith Bridge in the lead-up to the Budget 2025.

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

My Department’s officials have held discussions regarding Hammersmith Bridge with their counterparts at both the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and Transport for London throughout 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to launch a public awareness campaign to help tackle suicide.

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

The Department currently has no specific plans to launch a public awareness campaign to help tackle suicide.

The Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, published in 2023, identifies eight priority groups for targeted and tailored support at a national level. The strategy also identifies key risk factors for suicide, providing an opportunity for effective early intervention.

The purpose of the Suicide Prevention Strategy is to set out our aims to prevent suicide through action by working across government and other organisations. One of the key visions of the strategy is to reduce stigma surrounding suicide and mental health, so people feel able to seek help – including through the routes that work best for them. This includes raising awareness that no suicide is inevitable.

NHS England published Staying safe from suicide: Best practice guidance for safety assessment, formulation and management to support the Government’s work to reduce suicide and improve mental health services. The guidance requires all mental health practitioners to align their practice to the latest evidence in suicide prevention, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/staying-safe-from-suicide/

The NHS England Medium Term Planning Framework states that in 2026/27, all integrated care boards must ensure mental health practitioners across all providers undertake training and deliver care in line with the ‘Staying safe from suicide’ guidance.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country. This includes transforming mental health services into neighbourhood mental health centres, improving assertive outreach, expanding talking therapies and giving patients better access to support directly through the NHS App, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when announcements regarding the allocation of the Structure Fund will be made.

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

The Department is currently developing its approach for the Structures Fund. Further detail on how it will be delivered and expected timings will be provided shortly.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of redundancy plans for civil servants working at grades (a) AA/AO, (b) EO, (c) HEO/SEO, (d) G6/G7 and (e) SCS in each Government department.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Each department will take a decision on its individual size and shape as per the financial settlements that have now been agreed with HMT in the Spending Review.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many referrals have the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman received in each year since 2015 regarding Children’s Continuing Care.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to ensuring that all children, including those with complex health needs, receive appropriate care and support whenever and wherever they need it.

The National Framework for Children and Young People’s Continuing Care provides guidance to support integrated care boards and local authorities to assess and agree support for children whose needs cannot be met through existing universal or specialist services.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is an independent organisation. The PHSO publishes statistics on the referrals and complaints they receive categorised by organisation and not by type of service provided or age group. Therefore, the Department does not have access to the information requested.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the potential impact of a third runway at Heathrow on the Government's net zero targets.

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

The Secretary of State regularly speaks to his Cabinet colleagues about these issues. On Heathrow, this Government is clear that expansion must be compatible with our legally binding carbon budgets and net zero. We are committed to ensuring that the economic benefits of airport expansions are delivered in line with our environmental and climate objectives.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to provide additional support to councils that receive less funding after the fair funding formula is implemented.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

By the end of the multi-year Settlement, we will have made available a 15.1% increase in Core Spending Power for councils in England, worth over £11 billion, compared to 2025-26. The vast majority of social care authorities will see a real terms increase across over the multi-year Settlement.

The government agrees with respondents to the December consultation and Fair Funding Review 2.0 that implementing funding reform in full in 2026-27 without transitional arrangements would be the wrong approach. We will support local authorities to manage their updated funding positions by introducing changes over the multi-year Settlement and protecting councils’ income, including locally retained business rates growth.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department meet with representatives from Heathrow Airport prior to the Chancellor's announcement of the Government's support for a third runway at Heathrow in January 2025.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Heathrow Airport is a key stakeholder for a range of aviation and transport policy areas, and it is routine for officials to engage with airport operators and other industry stakeholders as part of the Department’s ongoing work. My officials continue to meet with representatives of Heathrow Airport regularly to discuss a range of issues.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce will reconvene in 2026.

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

The Government intends to convene a further meeting of the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce in the near future to discuss next steps for the project. My Department’s officials will be in touch with key local stakeholders to arrange this in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions her Department has had with Hammersmith and Fulham Council on engineering options relating to the repair of Hammersmith Bridge.

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

My Department’s officials held regular discussions regarding the viable engineering options for the next stage of works on Hammersmith Bridge with their counterparts at both the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and Transport for London throughout 2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the results of the Aviation Nights Noise Effects study will be published.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We expect to publish the results of the Aviation Night Noise Effects study later this year.

Gambling harms

Deregistration of international non-governmental organisations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Safe sleep standards in early years settings

Buying community energy locally

Iran protests

UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons

Sinking of SS Tilawa

National inquiry into child sexual exploitation

Cumulative disruption proposals and the right to protest

Nuclear Regulatory Review and habitats regulations

Tribute to Lance Corporal George Thomas Hooley

Winter NHS corridor care

Postal workers and Royal Mail staff

Found: Rupert Lowe (Independent; Great Yarmouth) Catherine McKinnell (Labour; Newcastle upon Tyne North) Sarah Olney

Found: (Q8) - Sarah Olney MP asked about the funding to tackle fraud and error.

Found: Rupert Lowe (Independent; Great Yarmouth) Catherine McKinnell (Labour; Newcastle upon Tyne North) Sarah Olney

Found: Q26 Sarah Olney: That was going to be my next question to James.

Found: Q2 Sarah Olney: Good afternoon, Ms Little.