Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the potential impact of the December 2025 medicines agreement with the US on costs to the NHS in England.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Tens of thousands of National Health Service patients will benefit from this deal, which will secure and expand access to vital drugs, and safeguard our medicines supply chain.
Costs will start smaller but will increase over time as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approves more life improving and lifesaving medicines. Total costs over the Spending Review period are expected to be approximately £1 billion. The final costs will depend on which medicines NICE recommends and the actual uptake of these.
This deal is a vital investment that builds on the strength of our NHS and world leading life sciences without taking essential funding from our frontline NHS services.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Plan 2 student loan borrowers there are resident in Stroud.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As of 30 April 2025, there were approximately 19,000 (to the nearest 1000) Plan 2 student loan borrowers with a positive loan balance registered with the Student Loans Company (SLC) to postcodes which fall wholly or partly within the local authority area of Stroud District Local Authority.
This will include borrowers who were resident in Stroud, including at parental addresses, when they applied for the loan and have not informed the SLC of a subsequent change of address.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 58971 on Historic Environment Records, how he plans to commence section 230 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023; and if he will publish a timetable for implementing it.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government continues to consider the implementation of section 230 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023. Any announcements will be made to Parliament in the usual way.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with The Pensions Regulator on what estimate it has made of how many and what proportion of UK pension scheme assets invested in (a) thermal coal-fired and (b) any other fossil fuel-fired power generation capacity; what assessment it has made of the potential impact of using UK pensions funds for expanding the use of fossil fuel on the markets of (i) the UK, (ii) Europe and (iii) any other country; and what estimate it has made of the value of UK pension funds invested in fossil fuels that are at risk of becoming stranded.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has not produced such estimates. As part of its supervision and to assist in understanding the link between performance and asset allocation, TPR now gets access to investment data from workplace pension schemes – including increased transparency on scheme decision-making, as well as probing investment governance standards.
Occupational pension schemes are required to set out how they consider financially material environmental, social and governance factors in their Statements of Investment Principles and to report annually on implementation. Larger schemes must also disclose their climate related risks and opportunities in line with the Task Force on Climate related Financial Disclosures framework. A 2024 TPR review found that more than 60% of sampled schemes had set a net zero goal for 2050 or earlier. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is currently undertaking a Post Implementation Review of the TCFD regime. We will report our findings this year.
In parallel, Government is working on the adoption of UK Sustainability Reporting Standards aligned with international standards and on mandating climate transition plans. TPR’s Transition Plan Working Group, which includes representatives from across the pensions industry, will report to the DWP in the spring. These initiatives will continue to strengthen transparency around scheme exposures to climate related risks and support the UK’s net-zero goals and broader green agenda.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support orchestras.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is proud to champion our world-class orchestras and musicians, and help them to thrive. Through Arts Council England’s (ACE) 2023–26 National Portfolio Investment Programme, more money is going to more orchestral organisations in more parts of the country than ever before.The National Portfolio is supporting 139 organisations classed as ‘music’ by investing around £65 million of public funding per annum. ACE investment in classical music remains high, in particular in orchestral music organisations, with 23 such organisations being funded to the tune of around £21 million per annum. We are also supporting orchestras through the tax system, confirming from April 2025 that Orchestra Tax Relief on production costs would be set at the generous rate of 45 per cent.
Over the course of this Parliament, we will also make a £1.5 billion capital investment into fulfilling our Arts Everywhere ambitions. This funding package includes £425 million for the Creative Foundations Fund, revitalising and renewing performing arts buildings across England, including resident venues and key stops on orchestral tours. We will also, for the first time, provide £80 million of capital funding to the National Portfolio Investment Programme over the next four years. This means that Arts Council England will be able to give around 1,000 cultural organisations a 5% uplift in their regular funding; the single biggest uplift to an existing Portfolio in decades.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to keep the Gaza medical evacuation scheme operating.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have supported a number of sick and injured children to leave Gaza and receive treatment in the UK. We continue to seek the most effective ways to deploy the UK's resources to meet healthcare needs in Gaza and the region and will update on this in due course.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Integrated Care Boards include further education colleges as partner institutions in their place-based partnerships, clinical strategic plans and Neighbourhood Health Plans; and if he will publish that list.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Association of Colleges' report entitled From treatment to prevention: how colleges can build a healthier society, published in December 2025, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on supporting further education colleges to deliver programmes for young people not in education, employment or training due to health reasons.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department consults with Cabinet colleagues on a range of policies, and we are determined to break down barriers to opportunity for all young people, including those with specific needs.
We have introduced the Youth Guarantee to tackle the number of those who are not in education, employment or training and improve access to opportunities.
Colleges are responsible for ensuring that their provision is designed, delivered, and continuously improved to meet the needs of all students and are subject to statutory duties and responsibilities in the area of special educational needs and disabilities. This underpins our commitment to providing all young people with learning difficulties and disabilities with the opportunities they need.
The department also continues to work closely with the further education (FE) sector to promote and support providers to develop mental health and wellbeing approaches. This is supported by the FE student support champion, Polly Harrow, who is improving colleges' ability to give learners the full opportunity to succeed and progress.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) small and (b) start-up businesses.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to supporting small and start-up businesses through the Small Business Plan - the most comprehensive package of support for small and medium size businesses in a generation.
Start-ups play a crucial role in fostering competition and innovation, and we are improving access to finance for start-ups through Start Up Loans provided by the British Business Bank.
Last year, we launched a new Business Growth Service to make it easier for small businesses to access the right advice and support and we are boosting SME growth through new digital and AI Adoption initiatives.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer to UIN 94508, how many of these unique applications were made by people currently outside the UK, compared to those already based in the UK.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not undertaken an analysis of the information collected as part of the 2025 medical specialty training programme to assess the location of applicants at the point of application.