Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is planning to take to (a) consult further with the infected blood community and (b) involve that community in the development of the Government's response to the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
This Government is committed to engaging openly and transparently, and taking on board feedback from the infected blood community. The Cabinet Office regularly engages with over 30 key representatives and organisations in the community. I have met with a number of these representatives several times and will continue to do so.
The Government will consider the Infected Blood Inquiry’s Additional Report carefully, and respond in due course.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that crypto asset businesses have access to banking systems.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is aware that cryptoasset firms are facing challenges associated with access to banking services, and it is engaged with the sector on these matters.
Whilst the Government recognises that access to banking decisions are largely commercial in nature, we expect business to be treated fairly. That is why the Government has already taken action in this space, including bringing forward legislation to enhance relevant protections in cases where a business has their bank account terminated by their provider.
The Government is also currently finalising legislation to create a financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets in the UK. Under this regime, firms will need to be licensed by the FCA to provide relevant cryptoasset services in or to the UK, and the Government would not expect such licensed firms to be subject to restrictions by banking services providers simply because of the sector they belong to.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the funding allocated to the Infected Blood Compensation Authority is drawn from the £11.8 billion set aside by the Government for infected blood compensation or provided from a separate budget.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
In the Autumn Budget, the Government announced £11.8 billion in compensation to people who were infected and affected as a result of the Infected Blood scandal.
This is separate to the funding allocated to the administrative costs of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of the (a) establishment and (b) ongoing administration of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office will lay IBCA's annual reports and accounts before Parliament in the usual way. The Cabinet Office will expect to be consulted by IBCA where there is a risk that IBCA will breach its administrative cost controls, or vary significantly from the agreed business plan.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the equality impact assessments undertaken in relation to the development of regulations on infected blood compensation.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025 Equalities Impact Assessment can be found here:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2025/9780348268843/pdfs/ukdsipes_9780348268843_en_001.pdf.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
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 number of people waiting to sit a Dental Overseas Registration Examination.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on exactly how many candidates are waiting to sit the General Dental Council’s (GDC) Overseas Registration Exam (ORE), as this data is held by the GDC.
In April 2025, we understand from the GDC that there were approximately 5,000 candidates on the combined waiting lists for both parts of the ORE exam.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase food security.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are investing over £2.7 billion a year in farming and nature recovery, cutting EU export costs for food producers, and ensuring farmers are well-placed to bid for a fair share of public sector food contracts.
We will make reforms to ensure farmers receive fair payment for food production and have appointed former National Farmers Union president and cross-bench peer Baroness Minette Batters to review barriers to farming profitability.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, on the UK Ancestry Visa.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The UK Government values its close cultural and historical ties with its fellow Commonwealth countries and this is reflected by the UK Ancestry visa, which allows Commonwealth citizens with a UK-born grandparent to live and work in the UK.
Further details of all measures announced in the Immigration White Paper will be set out in the normal way in due course and, where necessary, will be subject to consultation.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, whether she plans to change the 12-month qualifying period between the grant of indefinite leave to remain and the right to apply for naturalisation.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
We will be consulting on the earned settlement and citizenship schemes later this year and further details on the proposed schemes will be provided at that time.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has undertaken preparatory work on a potential youth mobility scheme with the EU.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
We have agreed that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU. We have agreed that any scheme will be time-limited and capped, and we have also been clear that it should be in line with the UK’s existing schemes with countries like Australia and New Zealand. The exact parameters will be subject to negotiation.