Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the April 2026 business rates changes on (a) the post office network and (b) their ability to serve small communities.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to PQ UIN 125750 and UIN 128242.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of dedicated business rates relief for post offices, in the same way as the further relief provided for pubs.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to PQ UIN 125750 and UIN 128242.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking through the High Streets Strategy to support post offices as community hubs.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This year MHCLG will bring forward a new High Streets Strategy; we are working closely with businesses and representative bodies to inform this, including Post Office Ltd.
We recognise the vital role post offices play as community and economic hubs on high streets across the country. The Green Paper published last year outlining the Government’s vision for the Post Office, included an objective for the Post Office network to support high streets.
Post Office Ltd has an ambition to expand access to face-to-face in-person advisory services available on the high street through the Post Office network. The forthcoming Post Office pilots, due to launch this summer, represent an important first step in testing and expanding that advisory offer.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
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 potential impact of General Medical Council fitness-to-practise investigations on the wellbeing of doctors, and what steps are being taken to ensure those processes are proportionate and timely.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The General Medical Council (GMC) is independent of the Government, is directly accountable to Parliament, and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. The United Kingdom’s model of healthcare professional regulation is founded on the principle of regulators operating independently from the Government.
The GMC provides guidance and support for doctors who are under investigation, which includes an initial personalised contact at the start of an investigation and the creation of a bespoke communication plan for each doctor. The GMC has also commissioned the British Medical Association to run the Doctor Support Service which offers confidential support from another doctor who is experienced in providing peer support and is completely independent from the GMC.
The Government is committed to modernising the regulation of all healthcare professionals in the UK. As a first step, on 24 March 2026, we published our Reforming the General Medical Council legislative framework consultation, which sets out proposals to modernise the GMC’s regulatory framework. The consultation runs until 21 July 2026. The draft General Medical Council Order 2026 includes a modernised fitness to practise process for the GMC. The framework consultation is available at the following link:
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will consider an exemption for dependants of care workers who were lawfully resident in the UK with their sponsoring partner before dependant rule changes came into force.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Immigration Rules preventing those holding leave as a care worker from having dependant applications associated with their visas took effect on 11 March 2024 and transitional arrangements were put in place to protect those already in the route. Dependants who are born whilst the worker in the UK, and those who are settled in the UK were not affected by the change.
The rules are clear, and it is reasonable to expect those with families to bear them in mind when making decisions about whether to apply for a Health and Care visa as a care worker, no matter where they intend to make that application from.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what transitional arrangements are in place for dependants of care workers who were already lawfully resident in the UK with their sponsoring partner before the changes to the dependant rules took effect.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Immigration Rules preventing those holding leave as a care worker from having dependant applications associated with their visas took effect on 11 March 2024 and transitional arrangements were put in place to protect those already in the route. Dependants who are born whilst the worker in the UK, and those who are settled in the UK were not affected by the change.
The rules are clear, and it is reasonable to expect those with families to bear them in mind when making decisions about whether to apply for a Health and Care visa as a care worker, no matter where they intend to make that application from.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to dependant rules for care workers on family unity for those settled in the UK.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Immigration Rules preventing those holding leave as a care worker from having dependant applications associated with their visas took effect on 11 March 2024 and transitional arrangements were put in place to protect those already in the route. Dependants who are born whilst the worker in the UK, and those who are settled in the UK were not affected by the change.
The rules are clear, and it is reasonable to expect those with families to bear them in mind when making decisions about whether to apply for a Health and Care visa as a care worker, no matter where they intend to make that application from.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications by dependants of care workers under SOC 6135 have been (a) received and (b) refused since changes to dependant rules were introduced.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The information requested is not available from published statistics and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance is provided to NHS Trusts on the diagnosis and management of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome in the absence of traditional allergy markers.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is currently no National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline specifically covering the diagnosis and management of mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). In the absence of condition‑specific national guidance, clinicians are expected to use their professional judgement, drawing on the available evidence, specialist advice, and relevant NICE guidance for related conditions and symptoms.
Care for people with suspected or confirmed MCAS is typically delivered through established allergy, immunology and other relevant specialist services, with management focused on individual symptoms and clinical need. National Health Service trusts are expected to follow recognised standards of evidence‑based practice, work within agreed local pathways, and involve multidisciplinary teams where appropriate, particularly given the complex and multi‑system nature of the condition.
The Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Final Delivery Plan will support improvements for people with overlapping conditions such as MCAS by promoting more coordinated, person-centred care across primary, community and specialist services. Through actions to improve clinical education, strengthen multidisciplinary working, and develop clearer local pathways aligned with NICE guidance, the plan aims to ensure that patients with complex, multi-system presentations are assessed holistically and have their symptoms managed more effectively. While commissioning decisions remain local, this approach will help services better recognise co-existing conditions and provide more joined-up care for those with overlapping needs.
Asked by: Shockat Adam (Independent - Leicester South)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what consideration she has given to the potential merits of restricting or removing monetisation for accounts that repeatedly promote extremist content, harassment, misogyny or misinformation.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must tackle hateful online content where it is illegal or harmful to children. They must take steps to ensure their algorithms do not target users with this content. Under new duties to be introduced next year, the largest user-to-user platforms will be required to set out in Terms of Service content prohibited on their services, then apply these Terms consistently.
In Protecting What Matters, the government’s social cohesion strategy, DSIT and DCMS committed to developing options for reducing the inadvertent monetisation of harmful online content. We have engaged with platforms, the ad industry, and civil society on this issue.