Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to start (a) recording and (b) reporting on the number of animals who are bred for, but not actually used in, scientific procedures within animal testing figures.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office is presently reviewing the collection and publication of additional statistics on animals that were bred but not used in scientific procedures.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has undertaken an impact assessment on the decision to end overseas recruitment of care workers.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

We recognise the huge contribution of overseas care, but it is important that long-term plans are drawn up to train homegrown talent into the care sector.

As outlined in the ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System - Technical Annex’, it is estimated there will be an annual reduction of approximately 7,000 main applicants resulting from the removal of Care and Senior Care worker occupations from the Health and Social Care route.

To manage this change, there will be a transitional period until 2028.

Many care workers arriving on this route have been widely exploited, with tens of thousands displaced and promised jobs that did not materialise. They will be given the opportunity to work in the care sector, alongside the ongoing development of future workforce plans.

The White Paper sets out a number of reforms to the immigration system which will be implemented in a phased way. Each measure will be subject to an impact assessment when they are brought into force.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to regulate the fees charged by GPs to applicants for a medical review for a firearms licensing application.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

Medical checks are an important part of the firearms licensing process and help to ensure that those in possession of firearms licences do not present a threat to themselves or others.

Since November 2021, applicants have been required to provide medical information from a doctor when submitting their application for a firearms certificate. While doctors can charge a fee to the applicant to provide the medical information in relation to a firearms licence application, whether such a fee is charged, or the level of that fee, are a matter between the applicant and the doctor.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support small abbatoirs.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra recognises the vital role smaller abattoirs play in supporting local livestock producers and maintaining a resilient and competitive food supply chain.

Defra works closely with the industry including through the Small Abattoirs Working Group and the Small Abattoirs Task and Finish Group. These groups bring together Government and industry representatives on a regular basis and provide a forum for identifying the challenges and opportunities that the sector faces, and for collaborating on practical solutions to support the sustainability of small and medium sized abattoirs. This includes issues such as regulation, efficiency and labour, to help ensure the sector remains viable and resilient.

The Government will continue to engage with stakeholders to help address the pressures facing small abattoirs and ensure they remain a vital part of a competitive, sustainable and locally rooted food supply chain.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the release of Adult Social Care Funding Data, following the Information Tribunal order to disclose it in October 2024.

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

My Rt. Hon. friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular conversations with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about a variety of topics.

To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government has made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant. The Government has provided an increase to core local government spending power in 2025/26 of up to 6.8% in cash terms.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many qualified ophthalmic (a) consultants and (b) doctors there are who are able to treat glaucoma; how many people have glaucoma; and what estimate he has made of trends in these numbers over the next 10 years.

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

The UK National Screening Committee does not recommend screening for glaucoma because it is not clear if the tests which are available are accurate enough to be used in a screening programme. Regular sight tests are important in detecting glaucoma, which is why we recommend everyone having a sight test at least every two years. Free National Health Service sight tests are available for many, including children, those aged 60 years old and over, individuals on income-related benefits, and those diagnosed with, or considered at risk of, glaucoma.

The Department does not hold information on the absolute numbers of people living with glaucoma at any one time in England, and therefore no estimate has been made on the numbers of people who will have glaucoma in the next 10 years. Data is also not held centrally on the number of qualified ophthalmic consultants and doctors who are able to treat glaucoma in the NHS.

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 who will have glaucoma in England in each of the next 10 years.

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

The UK National Screening Committee does not recommend screening for glaucoma because it is not clear if the tests which are available are accurate enough to be used in a screening programme. Regular sight tests are important in detecting glaucoma, which is why we recommend everyone having a sight test at least every two years. Free National Health Service sight tests are available for many, including children, those aged 60 years old and over, individuals on income-related benefits, and those diagnosed with, or considered at risk of, glaucoma.

The Department does not hold information on the absolute numbers of people living with glaucoma at any one time in England, and therefore no estimate has been made on the numbers of people who will have glaucoma in the next 10 years. Data is also not held centrally on the number of qualified ophthalmic consultants and doctors who are able to treat glaucoma in the NHS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has considered introducing a national screening programme for glaucoma.

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

The UK National Screening Committee does not recommend screening for glaucoma because it is not clear if the tests which are available are accurate enough to be used in a screening programme. Regular sight tests are important in detecting glaucoma, which is why we recommend everyone having a sight test at least every two years. Free National Health Service sight tests are available for many, including children, those aged 60 years old and over, individuals on income-related benefits, and those diagnosed with, or considered at risk of, glaucoma.

The Department does not hold information on the absolute numbers of people living with glaucoma at any one time in England, and therefore no estimate has been made on the numbers of people who will have glaucoma in the next 10 years. Data is also not held centrally on the number of qualified ophthalmic consultants and doctors who are able to treat glaucoma in the NHS.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many unpaid carers concurrently on Personal Independence Payments and Carers Allowance are awarded less than four points in all daily living activities.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In August 2024 for England and Wales, there were 95,000 working aged claimants receiving both the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) - to help with extra living costs as a result of having a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability and difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of their condition - and Carer's Allowance (including entitlement only) because they care for another person for at least 35 hours a week, that received fewer than 4 points across all daily living descriptors in their last PIP assessment. Their eligibility for Carer’s Allowance is dependent on the condition/needs of the individual for whom they are caring, rather than their own PIP award.

Notes:

• There will be no immediate changes. Changes to PIP eligibility and rebalancing of UC aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval.
• PIP changes will only apply at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years. At the award review, claimants will be seen by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstances.
• We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions, and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.
• We have also launched a review of the PIP assessment, which I am leading, to make sure the PIP assessment is fair and fit for purpose. We will work with and listen closely to stakeholders to gather views on how best to approach the review before publishing the Terms of Reference.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is considering (a) restricting the number of children who can obtain Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and (b) replacing the EHCP system.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The evidence is clear that this government inherited a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system left in a state of disarray, with too many children not having their needs met and parents forced to fight for support.

This government is actively working with parents and experts on how children's needs can be better met, including through earlier identification and support to prevent needs escalating. We have made available £740 million to encourage councils to create more specialist places both in mainstream schools and specialist provision, and almost a £1 billion increase to the high needs budget for 2025/26 to ensure children have access to the support they need to achieve and thrive.

At the heart of any changes to the SEND system must be children’s outcomes and opportunities. The department’s aim is for the support children need to be more easily accessed earlier, and to put an end to adversarial processes with parents having to fight for support, while protecting provision currently in place. As part of our Plan for Change, we want to restore the confidence of families up and down the country and deliver the improvement they need so that they can achieve and thrive.

Carers Week 2025

Chinese Embassy

Police officers

Chronic urinary tract infections and women's health

Abduction of Ukrainian children

Access to Work backlogs

Gaza (No. 2)

Political parties at Pride

Universities and international students

Trans+ History Week

Securing habitat for endangered swifts and other cavity nesting birds

Progress in UK-EU relations

World Bee Day (No. 2)

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Found: Jones Dr Simon Opher Anna Gelderd Clive Lewis Sarah Edwards Sadik Al-Hassan Dan Aldridge Alison Bennett

Found: _17 Dr Danny Chambers Zöe Franklin Alison Bennett Ed Davey .

Found: Jones Dr Simon Opher Anna Gelderd Clive Lewis Sarah Edwards Sadik Al-Hassan Dan Aldridge Alison Bennett

Found: Jones Dr Simon Opher Anna Gelderd Clive Lewis Sarah Edwards Sadik Al-Hassan Dan Aldridge Alison Bennett

Found: Morrison Freddie van Mierlo Luke Taylor John Milne Caroline Voaden Claire Young Adrian Ramsay Alison Bennett

Found: Morrison Freddie van Mierlo Luke Taylor John Milne Caroline Voaden Claire Young Adrian Ramsay Alison Bennett

Found: Morrison Freddie van Mierlo Luke Taylor John Milne Caroline Voaden Claire Young Adrian Ramsay Alison Bennett

Found: Morrison Freddie van Mierlo Luke Taylor John Milne Caroline Voaden Claire Young Adrian Ramsay Alison Bennett

Found: Morrison Freddie van Mierlo Luke Taylor John Milne Caroline Voaden Claire Young Adrian Ramsay Alison Bennett

Found: Morrison Freddie van Mierlo Luke Taylor John Milne Caroline Voaden Claire Young Adrian Ramsay Alison Bennett

Found: Morrison Freddie van Mierlo Luke Taylor John Milne Caroline Voaden Claire Young Adrian Ramsay Alison Bennett

Found: Morrison Freddie van Mierlo Luke Taylor John Milne Caroline Voaden Claire Young Adrian Ramsay Alison Bennett

Found: Wilkinson, Susan Murray, Lisa Smart, Mr Paul Kohler, Liz Jarvis, Mr Lee Dillon, Adam Dance and Alison Bennett

Found: Wilkinson, Susan Murray, Lisa Smart, Mr Paul Kohler, Liz Jarvis, Mr Lee Dillon, Adam Dance and Alison Bennett