Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made in developing King’s Guard’s hats made of faux-fur.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Department has not yet identified a synthetic alternative that meets the standards required to provide an effective replacement for bearskin ceremonial caps. However, the Ministry of Defence remains committed to finding a synthetic alternative and continues to welcome submissions of test results, from a testing house accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, on synthetic alternatives that meet our criteria for a suitable, affordable and sustainable alternative to bearskin caps.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an observational trial for children and young people on private prescriptions for drug-resistant epilepsy who cannot access medical cannabis on the NHS.

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

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including medicinal cannabis for drug-resistant epilepsy. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality​​.

The NIHR and NHS England have confirmed over £9 million in funding for clinical trials to investigate whether two different cannabis-based medicines, one containing cannabidiol (CBD) and one containing a combination of CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol, are safe and effective treatments for drug-resistant epilepsies in adults and children. The trials will produce evidence of significant scientific value suitable for informing future clinical and commissioning decisions. While observational studies can be useful in some circumstances, they cannot demonstrate whether a treatment is ​safe or ​effective and would therefore be of limited scientific value compared with these trials.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Office for Budget Responsibility provided estimates between March 2016 and April 2028 on the potential impact that the proposed Soft Drinks Industry Levy would have on the Consumer Price Index (CPI); and what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of that policy on the CPI in the 2018-19 financial year.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Forecasting the economy, including the impact of Government policy decisions on inflation, is the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

The OBR set out its latest assessment of policy measures in its Spring Forecast 2026, published on 3 March 2026. The OBR did not publish a specific estimate of the impact of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy on inflation in that forecast, or in previous Economic and Fiscal Outlook publications since the levy was announced in 2016, which would include the impact for the 2018-19 financial year.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 5.60 of the policy paper entitled Explanatory memorandum to the statement of changes in the Immigration Rules: HC 1691, published on 5 March 2026, whether B2 level English language is required for applicants on the family visa route.

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

The changes to the English language requirements announced on 5 March 2026 will apply to individuals who are applying for settlement based on their family life, with effect from 26 March 2027. It is reasonable and proportionate that we give those already on a pathway to settlement 12 months to undertake the necessary learning.

This does not affect individuals who are applying for temporary permission to stay in the UK based on their family life.

The requirement to achieve B2 level English is equivalent to an A-level in a foreign language and evidences the ability to hold a conversation in English with a strong degree of fluency.

Being able to communicate effectively in English is vital for integration, enabling people to make a meaningful contribution to their communities. We think this is a reasonable and realistic expectation.

Government response to Israel’s West Bank annexation plan