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 business rate increases on the community pharmacy network.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In the Autumn Budget 2025, the Government took the hard choices to protect the National Health Service in England and continue to prioritise reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion support package.

This year, we have also increased funding to community pharmacies to almost £3.1 billion, the largest uplift in funding for any part of the NHS across 2024/25 and 2025/26.

The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) review and (b) reform the current community pharmacy contract.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

In the Autumn Budget 2025, the Government took the hard choices to protect the National Health Service in England and continue to prioritise reducing waiting times. We have also stepped in to cap bills and help businesses, as part of a £4.3 billion support package.

This year, we have also increased funding to community pharmacies to almost £3.1 billion, the largest uplift in funding for any part of the NHS across 2024/25 and 2025/26.

The Department will consult Community Pharmacy England on any proposed changes to reimbursement and remuneration of pharmacy contractors for 2026/27 shortly.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if her department will release further information on the Voluntary National Insurance contributions for periods abroad.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The previous rules around voluntary National Insurance Contributions (NICs) allowed those with a limited connection to the UK to build UK State Pension entitlement at a very cheap rate.

At Budget 2025 the Government took two immediate steps to fix the most unfair elements of these rules. From April 2026 we are removing most access to Class 2 voluntary NICs for periods abroad. This will prevent thousands of people who are not in the UK from building entitlement to a UK State Pension far more cheaply than working people here. Secondly, we are strengthening the link a person needs to have to the UK before they can build their National Insurance record abroad. A person will now need to have spent 10 years living or building their NI record in the UK, up from three years.

A Tax Information and Impact Note for these changes will be published alongside the introduction of legislation.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what conversations he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential for sending UK troops to Greenland.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Defence Secretary speaks to his colleagues on a range of issues affecting our national and international security, including the High North.

As noted by the Defence Secretary last week, one UK military officer joined a reconnaissance visit to Greenland, in an observational capacity, at the request of the Danish Government. This was not a deployment of forces to Greenland, but a military recce ahead of future Danish-led exercise activity. They have now returned to Copenhagen, where they are based, following conclusion of the recce.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people do not receive National Insurance credits through not applying for Child Benefit.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

It is estimated that 214 thousand people who qualified for Child Benefit in 2024-25 were not claiming it and missed out on National Insurance credits. This estimate excludes those who paid National Insurance contributions or who received credits via another route.

HMRC encourages parents and guardians to claim Child Benefit, even if their or their partner’s income means they may be liable to the High Income Child Benefit Charge. They can opt out of getting Child Benefit payments so they do not have to pay the charge and can still get National Insurance contributions to protect their State Pension.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of whether the Government is on track to meet its international commitments under the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government will submit the UK Seventh National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity by the deadline of 28 February 2026, setting out our progress towards implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

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 increase funding for local authorities to ensure timely access to vision rehabilitation services for people with sight loss, including residents in Woking.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Local authorities are responsible for assessing individuals’ care and support needs, including sight loss and, where eligible, for meeting those needs. Where individuals do not meet the eligibility threshold, they can get support from their local authorities in making their own arrangements for care services, as set out in the Care Act 2014.

The Government is making around £4.6 billion of additional funding available for adult social care, which includes vision rehabilitation, in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements. This includes additional grant funding, growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care, and an increase to the National Health Service contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund, in line with the Department’s Spending Review settlement.

The provisional Local Government Finance Settlement confirms the Government’s plans to simplify adult social care funding to give local government more flexibility, and to redistribute it to where it is needed most. This will enable local authorities to deliver the Government’s priorities for adult social care within a more flexible funding system and give councils greater discretion over how to use funding to respond to local needs, including for vision rehabilitation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of requiring parents to apply for Child Benefit on their eligibility to qualify for National Insurance credits.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

DWP has not conducted such an assessment. Child Benefit is a benefit administered by HMRC.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of the average time taken by Transport for London to process and issue private hire vehicle driver licences.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Department for Transport is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which local licensing authorities in England license the taxi and private hire vehicle trades but ultimately the licensing process is left at the discretion of local authorities. We work closely with Transport for London on a range of issues but the operation of private hire driver licensing is a matter solely for them and it would not be appropriate for ministers to comment or intervene.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many priority service applications for visas are processed within 5 working days; and how many super priority service applications are processed by the end of the next working day.

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

This information is published in table VSI_02 (column L) of the UK Visa & Immigration Transparency Data. This shows the proportion of applications processed in line with the 5 working days service standard for priority application, and next working day service standard for super priority applications. Cases which are defined as non-straightforward due to their complexity sit outside the service standard and are therefore excluded from these figures.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues to local Government on safeguarding procedures for drivers transporting pupils to and from school.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Local authorities are responsible for arranging free home-to-school travel for eligible children. The department publishes statutory guidance to assist local authorities in meeting their duties.

The statutory guidance makes clear that local authorities must ensure the arrangements they make are suitable for the needs of the children concerned. They should ensure drivers and passenger assistants have undergone an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check with a check of the children’s barred list, and that they have received training in safeguarding and any other training they need to meet the specific needs of the children travelling.

In addition, health and safety law requires local authorities to assess risk and put in place reasonably practicable control measures to protect their employers and others, including the children for whom they arrange travel, from harm.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of social media use on children’s mental health.

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

I share the worries of parents and many of those in the medical profession; the question is not whether the government will act, but how. These are nuanced issues on which there are a diverse range of views; that is why we are launching a consultation and national conversation on next steps. We are also working closely across government on these topics, with DHSC, as well as Ofcom, DfE, and the Home Office. Furthermore, the Department for Education will be producing guidance on screentime.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Attorney General’s Office on ending the presumption of parental contact in family court cases.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government announced on 22 October 2025 that it will repeal the presumption of parental involvement when Parliamentary time allows.

Prior to this announcement, a Parliamentary write-round was undertaken which included consideration by the Attorney General’s Office.

The repeal will be taken forward once an appropriate legislative vehicle is identified. This remains a Ministerial priority, and we will announce further plans due course.

Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week 2025

Grey belt policy and the impact on villages and rural communities

Local Government

Radiotherapy in the National Cancer Plan

Refugee homelessness and the asylum move-on period

Removal of statutory consultee status from Sport England

Lessons in storm resilience

Edinburgh Zoo’s veterinary achievements and Poly the northern rockhopper penguin

Gambling harms

Role of British and NATO forces in Afghanistan

St David’s Day (Dydd Gwyl Dewi)

British forces on the front line in Afghanistan

Horse and rider road safety

Social media for under 16s

Legacy of British troops in Afghanistan and Iraq

Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

Gardens Trust statutory consultee status

Apprenticeship Week 2026

Hospices and end of life care

President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement

Signing of the Hamburg Declaration

90th anniversary of the Spitfire

Public toilet provision

World Cancer Day

Flooding as a result of Storm Chandra

Artificial Intelligence chatbots

Stamp Duty liability for periodic tenancies

World Cancer Day and breast cancer

Health and Care Worker visas

Found: present Florence Eshalomi, in the chair Lewis Cocking Chris Curtis Mr Lee Dillon Maya Ellis Mr Will Forster

Found: present: Florence Eshalomi (Chair); Andrew Cooper; Chris Curtis; Mr Lee Dillon; Maya Ellis; Mr Will Forster