Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered strengthening the licensing requirements of the General Dental Council to improve access to dentistry for children, as recommended in a recent Policy Exchange report.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dentistry in the United Kingdom. The GDC sets the standards that must be met by domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to the UK dental register. As an independent regulator, it would be for the GDC to determine whether any changes are required to its standards in response to the Policy Exchange report’s recommendations.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle “dental deserts” where very few NHS dentists are available.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government acknowledges the challenges that National Health Service dental patients are facing in accessing a dentist in particular areas of the country, and we are taking action to improve this. Integrated care boards are recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme, which will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in underserved areas for three years; and as announced in our 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period, intended to be at least three years. That will mean more NHS dentists, more NHS appointments and better oral health.
We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on shorter term improvements to the NHS dental contract on 16 December 2025. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with the greatest needs first while incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. Further information is available at the following link:
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to encourage more dentists to provide NHS dentistry.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government acknowledges the challenges that National Health Service dental patients are facing in accessing a dentist in particular areas of the country, and we are taking action to improve this. Integrated care boards are recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme, which will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in underserved areas for three years; and as announced in our 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period, intended to be at least three years. That will mean more NHS dentists, more NHS appointments and better oral health.
We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on shorter term improvements to the NHS dental contract on 16 December 2025. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with the greatest needs first while incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. Further information is available at the following link:
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will criminalise unenforceable clauses in tenancy agreements.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Upon commencement on 1 May 2026, the relevant provisions of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will require landlords to provide their tenants with certain information about the terms of the tenancy in writing.
Landlords will be able to comply with this requirement by including the information in a written tenancy agreement. Landlords who fail to provide the prescribed information could face a fine of up to £7,000 from their local authority.
The Renters’ Rights Act also provides local authorities with powers to act against unenforceable clauses such as requiring a tenant to sign a fixed term.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support employment businesses in verifying Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) eligibility in circumstances where agency workers may be registered at multiple agencies and claim SSP from each party.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Currently, agency workers can sign up to work for multiple agencies and, once they have done some work under that contract, are eligible to receive Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from each individual employer during periods of sickness absence. This will not change. Guidance on gov.uk already provides support to employers in verifying an employee’s eligibility to SSP.
The changes being made to SSP through the Employment Rights Act ensure that people who work through employment agencies and employment businesses have comparable rights and protections to their counterparts who are directly employed. The changes to SSP are limited and do not change the existing eligibility criteria beyond removing the waiting period and Lower Earnings Limit.
The Government intends to conduct a post-implementation review (PIR) of the Employment Rights Act within five years of implementation. The impact of the measures to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay will be monitored on employers and employees alike. This can include considering the impact on workers in the agency sector.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the British Toy and Hobby Association’s report entitled Still toying with children’s safety, published on 23 October 2025.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 require that all toys must be safe before being placed on the UK market, including online. Despite this, we recognise that non-compliant products remain available to UK consumers.
The Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 provides Government with the necessary powers to update product safety legislation, including to modernise and clarify the responsibilities of online marketplaces. As announced at Budget, we will consult on proposals in early 2026.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards takes action to address non-compliant products sold online, including monitoring marketplaces, test purchasing, and taking appropriate enforcement action where necessary.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department’s policies of levels of tobacco excise taxes in Australia; and what assessment she has made of the potential relationship between trends in the level of tobacco excise taxes and (a) the size of the illicit tobacco market and (b) associated organised criminal activity.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Australia imposes some of the highest tobacco duty rates globally with excise accounting for a significant share of retail price. In the UK, tobacco duty aims to both raise revenue and reduce harm to public health by discouraging smoking. High duty rates make tobacco less affordable and are a proven way to reduce smoking prevalence and have helped reduce the percentage of adult smokers in the UK from 26% in 2000 to 10.6% in 2024.
The illicit tobacco market is dominated by organised crime groups that make money by smuggling and selling illicit tobacco products in the UK. Strong enforcement is essential in tackling the illicit tobacco market. HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force have had illicit tobacco strategies in place since 2000. Our latest strategy, “Stubbing out the problem”, was published in January 2024. The Department continues to investigate how the illicit tobacco market is evolving, including through its compliance activity, and the extent to which that may affect overall tax receipts seen.
Whilst tobacco duty has been progressively increased over time, successive illicit tobacco strategies have proven effective in tackling the size of the illicit tobacco market, reducing the tobacco duty tax gap from 21.7% in 2005/6 to 13.8% in 2023/24.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support was agreed with his Bahraini counterpart for the future Royal Navy presence at the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain during the UK Bahrain Strategic Dialogue on 24 November 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
At the UK-Bahrain Strategic Dialogue on 24 November, the UK thanked Bahrain for hosting our regional naval base, and there was mutual reference to the importance of our continuing cooperation on maritime security. The UK signed an updated Defence Cooperation Agreement with Bahrain in the summer of 2025, and at the same time completed accession to the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement, becoming the third party to this agreement with the US and Bahrain.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Royal Navy presence is at the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain following the decommissioning of HMS Lancaster.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK remains steadfast in its commitment to maintaining a presence in the Middle East, reassuring partners and contributing to regional security and stability. Central to this posture is the UK Maritime Component Command (UKMCC), located in Bahrain, with a footprint of c125 personnel, which commands and controls Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. This also includes the MOD’s role in the Combined Maritime Forces framework and the delivery of training to regional partners.
The Royal Navy is evolving its approach to operations in the Middle East, focusing on modernising capabilities, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring basing and access for times of crisis. The RN’s modernisation programme has already delivered an autonomous mine countermeasures capability operating in the Gulf, which continues to innovate at pace. In terms of personnel footprint, the RN maintains a strong regional presence, including roles within US Fifth Fleet Task Forces in Bahrain, Loan Service personnel in Oman, RN embeds in the British Military Mission in Kuwait, and RN personnel advising on seabed warfare through the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Programme (MODSAP) programme in Saudi Arabia.
The RN remains agile and ready to respond to emerging threats, deploying platforms to meet Defence Plan commitments and operational requirements, which are continuously reviewed.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funding he has allocated to a long term Royal Navy presence at the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK remains steadfast in its commitment to maintaining a presence in the Middle East, reassuring partners and contributing to regional security and stability. Central to this posture is the UK Maritime Component Command (UKMCC), located in Bahrain, with a footprint of c125 personnel, which commands and controls Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. This also includes the MOD’s role in the Combined Maritime Forces framework and the delivery of training to regional partners.
The Royal Navy is evolving its approach to operations in the Middle East, focusing on modernising capabilities, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring basing and access for times of crisis. The RN’s modernisation programme has already delivered an autonomous mine countermeasures capability operating in the Gulf, which continues to innovate at pace. In terms of personnel footprint, the RN maintains a strong regional presence, including roles within US Fifth Fleet Task Forces in Bahrain, Loan Service personnel in Oman, RN embeds in the British Military Mission in Kuwait, and RN personnel advising on seabed warfare through the Ministry of Defence Saudi Armed Forces Programme (MODSAP) programme in Saudi Arabia.
The RN remains agile and ready to respond to emerging threats, deploying platforms to meet Defence Plan commitments and operational requirements, which are continuously reviewed.