Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether changes to immigration rules will apply retrospectively to BNO visa holders in the UK.

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

The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.

BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.

We are seeking views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement and will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation, including when the Rules will apply from and any transitional arrangements that will apply.

In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the proposed transfer of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, whether current staff will retain (a) access to the Civil Service Pension Scheme and (b) access to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

For those connected to the transition of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to a new body, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) understands this represents a significant change. The Department is committed to ensuring a smooth transition for all as valued colleagues.

The Transfer of Undertaking Protections of Employment (TUPE) and Cabinet Office Statement of Practice (COSOP) provides protections to employee rights when they transfer. MHCLG is committed to protecting existing terms and conditions wherever we can and will continue to engage staff and Trade Unions ahead of the consultation process. We have heard what is important to colleagues and will prioritise, namely the Civil Service Pension Scheme and access to internal Civil Service jobs.

The consultation process with trade unions will cover the full range of measures affected by the transfer. We expect this consolation to start in early January as agreed with HSE Trade Unions but are awaiting confirmation. Both HSE and the Department have extensive experience in managing transitions of this nature and will work closely together to ensure that all affected colleagues are fully supported throughout the process.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) operational risk and (b) physical demands of Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) personnel within NHS ambulance services; and whether he has plans to review the current pension and retirement framework for HART staff alongside other uniformed emergency services.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART) provide National Health Service care in high-risk environments, guided by national Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response standards. Operational risks are managed through a nationally consistent safe system of work, including Standard Operating Procedures, risk assessments and specialist training. Each ambulance trust supplements these with local risk assessments. Physical demands are addressed through national recruitment standards and mandatory six-monthly Physical Competency Assessments, with restrictions and support if standards are not met. NHS England commissions the Resilience Emergency Capabilities Unit to maintain standards and deliver specialist training.

The NHS Pension Scheme is designed to reward lifelong service to the NHS and is considered exceptionally generous. The Department considers that the current pension arrangements reflect the physical and operational demands on HART staff.

The scheme has many flexible retirement options to allow staff to retire sooner than normal pension age, with pensions reduced accordingly to account for the fact they are paid for longer. Even when taken years before Normal Pension Age, an NHS Pension can provide for a comfortable living and gives exceptional value to staff.

For those facing severe ill-health, the scheme allows for ill-health retirement at any age without a reduction in pension benefits. Additionally, members can access the Early Retirement Reduction Buy Out option, which enables retirement up to three years earlier without a reduction to benefits, with costs sometimes shared by ambulance service employers.

Aligning the NHS Pension Scheme with those of other emergency services, such as police and fire, would require higher contributions from all NHS staff. There are no plans at present to risk pension affordability for NHS staff or to equalise the normal pension ages of all emergency workforces.

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 changes to immigration rules on people on current settlement pathways.

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

The earned settlement model, proposed in A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.

Details of the earned settlement scheme, including any transitional arrangements for those already in the UK, will be finalised following that consultation.

The final model will also be subject to economic and equality impact assessment, which we have committed to publish in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to adjournment debate of Tuesday 11 November 2025 entitled Blood Transfusions during the Falklands War, what plans his Department has to investigate Argentine blood transfusions to British service personnel aboard SS Uganda during the Falklands war.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

As I wrote to my hon. Friend on 18 December 2026, the Department will review the evidence he has presented in the coming months. Having conducted a search, we determined the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold information relating to Argentine blood transfusions to British Service personnel aboard SS Uganda during the Falklands war. However, the Surgeon General for the Armed Forces is further investigating this matter.

I encourage individuals who believe they may have received infected blood in the course of Armed Forces treatment overseas, including veterans of the Falklands War, to contact the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA).

As with all cases, evidence will be assessed on the balance of probabilities, meaning the IBCA will need to be satisfied that it is more likely than not that the person got their infection from blood or a blood product as opposed to another route.

Found: meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Fleur Anderson; Aphra Brandreth; Phil Brickell; Dan Carden

Found: meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Fleur Anderson; Aphra Brandreth; Phil Brickell; Dan Carden

Found: meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Fleur Anderson; Aphra Brandreth; Phil Brickell; Dan Carden

Found: present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Fleur Anderson; Alex Ballinger; Aphra Brandreth; Phil Brickell; Dan Carden

Found: present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Fleur Anderson; Alex Ballinger; Aphra Brandreth; Phil Brickell; Dan Carden