Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in doses of (a) insulin and (b) diabetic medication on driver license renewals.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) assesses licence applications from drivers using insulin or other diabetes medications based on the risk of hypoglycaemia and the stability of diabetes management.
Car and motorcycle drivers who use insulin must demonstrate adequate hypoglycaemic awareness and must not have experienced two or more episodes of severe hypoglycaemia in the previous 12 months. The most recent episode must have occurred more than three months prior to application. Drivers are also required to attend regular medical reviews and meet the statutory eyesight standards.
Drivers of lorries and buses are subject to more stringent medical requirements due to the size of their vehicles and the length of time they spend driving. They must have had no episodes of severe hypoglycaemia within the last 12 months, demonstrate full hypoglycaemic awareness, and provide medical evidence of stable diabetes control. This includes four weeks of glucose readings as part of an annual independent diabetes medical assessment when they apply for a licence.
All insulin-treated drivers must comply with glucose monitoring requirements, including checking glucose levels before driving and at regular intervals while driving. Monitoring may be undertaken using either finger-prick testing or continuous glucose monitoring systems, including Freestyle Libre.
For drivers using non-insulin diabetes medications, assessments focus on whether the treatment carries a risk of hypoglycaemia. Car and motorcycle drivers are required to notify the DVLA only if such a risk exists, while lorry and bus drivers must notify the DVLA of any diabetes medication use. In all cases, licence entitlement depends on evidence of stable diabetes management, appropriate monitoring, and effective hypoglycaemic control.
Changes to insulin or medication dosage do not automatically affect a person’s entitlement to drive.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will set out the process for driver licence renewals which are subject to the monitoring of blood sugar levels, including Freestyle Libre.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) assesses licence applications from drivers using insulin or other diabetes medications based on the risk of hypoglycaemia and the stability of diabetes management.
Car and motorcycle drivers who use insulin must demonstrate adequate hypoglycaemic awareness and must not have experienced two or more episodes of severe hypoglycaemia in the previous 12 months. The most recent episode must have occurred more than three months prior to application. Drivers are also required to attend regular medical reviews and meet the statutory eyesight standards.
Drivers of lorries and buses are subject to more stringent medical requirements due to the size of their vehicles and the length of time they spend driving. They must have had no episodes of severe hypoglycaemia within the last 12 months, demonstrate full hypoglycaemic awareness, and provide medical evidence of stable diabetes control. This includes four weeks of glucose readings as part of an annual independent diabetes medical assessment when they apply for a licence.
All insulin-treated drivers must comply with glucose monitoring requirements, including checking glucose levels before driving and at regular intervals while driving. Monitoring may be undertaken using either finger-prick testing or continuous glucose monitoring systems, including Freestyle Libre.
For drivers using non-insulin diabetes medications, assessments focus on whether the treatment carries a risk of hypoglycaemia. Car and motorcycle drivers are required to notify the DVLA only if such a risk exists, while lorry and bus drivers must notify the DVLA of any diabetes medication use. In all cases, licence entitlement depends on evidence of stable diabetes management, appropriate monitoring, and effective hypoglycaemic control.
Changes to insulin or medication dosage do not automatically affect a person’s entitlement to drive.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency use in the consideration of applications for licence renewals from drivers who take (a) insulin and (b) diabetes medication.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) assesses licence applications from drivers using insulin or other diabetes medications based on the risk of hypoglycaemia and the stability of diabetes management.
Car and motorcycle drivers who use insulin must demonstrate adequate hypoglycaemic awareness and must not have experienced two or more episodes of severe hypoglycaemia in the previous 12 months. The most recent episode must have occurred more than three months prior to application. Drivers are also required to attend regular medical reviews and meet the statutory eyesight standards.
Drivers of lorries and buses are subject to more stringent medical requirements due to the size of their vehicles and the length of time they spend driving. They must have had no episodes of severe hypoglycaemia within the last 12 months, demonstrate full hypoglycaemic awareness, and provide medical evidence of stable diabetes control. This includes four weeks of glucose readings as part of an annual independent diabetes medical assessment when they apply for a licence.
All insulin-treated drivers must comply with glucose monitoring requirements, including checking glucose levels before driving and at regular intervals while driving. Monitoring may be undertaken using either finger-prick testing or continuous glucose monitoring systems, including Freestyle Libre.
For drivers using non-insulin diabetes medications, assessments focus on whether the treatment carries a risk of hypoglycaemia. Car and motorcycle drivers are required to notify the DVLA only if such a risk exists, while lorry and bus drivers must notify the DVLA of any diabetes medication use. In all cases, licence entitlement depends on evidence of stable diabetes management, appropriate monitoring, and effective hypoglycaemic control.
Changes to insulin or medication dosage do not automatically affect a person’s entitlement to drive.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether any British companies are involved in the (a) manufacture and (b) sale of cluster munitions.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As a State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the UK takes its obligations seriously and continues to fulfil them. The UK takes a comprehensive approach across government and globally to directly tackle the issue of cluster munitions, including adopting national legislation. The UK Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Act 2010 which was introduced by the then Labour government, created criminal offences banning the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions (Article 9).
As a consequence, the manufacture of cluster munitions is prohibited in the UK. The export of such munitions is also subject to the strictest controls. Such exports would only be permitted in order for such munitions to be destroyed, for training in detection or disposal, or for development of counter-measures.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the licensing regime for shotgun ownership on the rural economy.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation, published on 13 February 2025, included a commitment to having a public consultation on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns to bring them more into line with the controls on other firearms in the interests of public safety. The Government response set out the reasons why the Government considers this consultation to be important, and we intend to publish this shortly.
We will carefully consider all of the views put forward in response to the consultation once it is published, before taking any decisions on whether and what changes may be necessary in the interests of public safety. The Government will also provide an assessment of the impact of any changes that we intend to bring forward, including to policing and to the business community in rural areas, at the relevant time.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what form of impact assessment on pharmacies was carried out prior to changing the payment claim window for pharmacy first services from 3 months to five days.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of delivering the Pharmacy First service, pharmacy contractors receive a monthly fixed payment if they meet specific requirements, which include minimum activity levels.
From June 2025, pharmacies delivering 20 to 29 consultations receive £500, while those with at least 30 consultations continued to receive £1,000 monthly. To make this change and facilitate more timely payments, the claim window for Pharmacy First was reduced from three months to one month. The new tier of payment supports pharmacies with lower potential for delivery and has increased the number of pharmacies qualifying for Pharmacy First fixed payments.
This adjustment was agreed with the sector representative body, Community Pharmacy England, as part of negotiations for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2025/26. An article was published in May 2025 by NHS Business Services Authority providing advanced notice.
For the clinical pathway element of the Pharmacy First service, 241,340 consultations were delivered in April, 242,077 consultations were delivered in May, and 254,692 consultations were delivered in June. In April, 3,996 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment, in May 3,979 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, and in June 4,051 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment while 1,565 contractors received the £500 fixed payment.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what number of bonus payments to community pharmacies for reaching the 20 and 30 target for consultations were paid in (a) April, (b) May and (b) June 2025.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of delivering the Pharmacy First service, pharmacy contractors receive a monthly fixed payment if they meet specific requirements, which include minimum activity levels.
From June 2025, pharmacies delivering 20 to 29 consultations receive £500, while those with at least 30 consultations continued to receive £1,000 monthly. To make this change and facilitate more timely payments, the claim window for Pharmacy First was reduced from three months to one month. The new tier of payment supports pharmacies with lower potential for delivery and has increased the number of pharmacies qualifying for Pharmacy First fixed payments.
This adjustment was agreed with the sector representative body, Community Pharmacy England, as part of negotiations for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2025/26. An article was published in May 2025 by NHS Business Services Authority providing advanced notice.
For the clinical pathway element of the Pharmacy First service, 241,340 consultations were delivered in April, 242,077 consultations were delivered in May, and 254,692 consultations were delivered in June. In April, 3,996 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment, in May 3,979 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, and in June 4,051 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment while 1,565 contractors received the £500 fixed payment.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
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 trends in the level of community pharmacies reaching the threshold for Pharmacy First bonus payments.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of delivering the Pharmacy First service, pharmacy contractors receive a monthly fixed payment if they meet specific requirements, which include minimum activity levels.
From June 2025, pharmacies delivering 20 to 29 consultations receive £500, while those with at least 30 consultations continued to receive £1,000 monthly. To make this change and facilitate more timely payments, the claim window for Pharmacy First was reduced from three months to one month. The new tier of payment supports pharmacies with lower potential for delivery and has increased the number of pharmacies qualifying for Pharmacy First fixed payments.
This adjustment was agreed with the sector representative body, Community Pharmacy England, as part of negotiations for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2025/26. An article was published in May 2025 by NHS Business Services Authority providing advanced notice.
For the clinical pathway element of the Pharmacy First service, 241,340 consultations were delivered in April, 242,077 consultations were delivered in May, and 254,692 consultations were delivered in June. In April, 3,996 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment, in May 3,979 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, and in June 4,051 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment while 1,565 contractors received the £500 fixed payment.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what number of pharmacy first consultations have been recorded for (a) April , (b) May and (c) June 2025.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of delivering the Pharmacy First service, pharmacy contractors receive a monthly fixed payment if they meet specific requirements, which include minimum activity levels.
From June 2025, pharmacies delivering 20 to 29 consultations receive £500, while those with at least 30 consultations continued to receive £1,000 monthly. To make this change and facilitate more timely payments, the claim window for Pharmacy First was reduced from three months to one month. The new tier of payment supports pharmacies with lower potential for delivery and has increased the number of pharmacies qualifying for Pharmacy First fixed payments.
This adjustment was agreed with the sector representative body, Community Pharmacy England, as part of negotiations for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for 2025/26. An article was published in May 2025 by NHS Business Services Authority providing advanced notice.
For the clinical pathway element of the Pharmacy First service, 241,340 consultations were delivered in April, 242,077 consultations were delivered in May, and 254,692 consultations were delivered in June. In April, 3,996 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment, in May 3,979 contractors received the £1000 fixed payment, and in June 4,051 contractors received the £1,000 fixed payment while 1,565 contractors received the £500 fixed payment.
Asked by: Charlie Maynard (Liberal Democrat - Witney)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce incidences of freight crime.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
We fully recognise the serious and growing threat that freight crime poses to businesses, drivers, and the wider economy. This Government is determined to crack down on it. The incidences of freight crime, where criminals rip the sides of lorries and take the goods inside, is frightening for those dedicated HGV drivers across the UK, and the perception this crime is low risk and high reward is unacceptable.
There are strong links between freight crime and serious organised crime, which is a major threat to the national security and prosperity of the UK and estimated to cost the economy at least £47 billion annually.
This Government is committed to tackling serious and organised crime in all its forms. We work closely with Opal, the police’s national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime, which has multiple thematic desks, including a vehicle crime intelligence desk which covers freight crime.
We will continue to work with law enforcement agencies and other invested stakeholders to change the unacceptable perception that freight crime is low risk and high reward and find solutions which will tackle it.