Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to publish a winter preparedness analysis for 2025-26 defining eligibility for covid boosters.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an independent expert committee which reviews the latest data on COVID-19 risks, vaccine safety, and effectiveness and advises the department on the approach to vaccination and immunisation programmes. The JCVI published advice for future COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in autumn 2025 and spring 2026 in November 2024, and published advice for autumn 2026 and spring 2027 in July 2025. The Government accepted JCVI advice for autumn 2025 in June 2025. The Government is considering the JCVI’s advice for 2026 and spring 2027 carefully and will respond in due course.
The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious disease, involving hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19. The JCVI assessment indicates that the oldest age cohorts and individuals who are immunosuppressed are the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease.
Therefore, in autumn 2025, a COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to:
- adults aged 75 years old and over;
- residents in a care home for older adults;
- individuals aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed, as defined in the ‘immunosuppression’ sections of tables 3 or 4 in the COVID-19 chapter of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book.
The National Health Service is preparing earlier and more robustly for winter this year, with rigorous stress testing of local plans, closer working with local partners, and a far earlier kick-off of winter preparations. Vaccinations have been ramped up across the board for flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus so families can protect themselves and others. This includes the surge capacity and escalation plans in place across all NHS and urgent care services. As set out in the 2025/26 Urgent Emergency Care Plan, the NHS is focusing on improvements that will see the biggest impact on urgent and emergency care performance this winter. The 2025/26 Urgent Emergency Care Plan is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/urgent-and-emergency-care-plan-2025-26/
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has had with their Vietnamese counterparts on the use of counter-terrorism laws to target (a) Montagnard Indigenous Peoples and (b) Christian religious minorities in the country.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government continues to raise concerns with the Vietnamese authorities about the use of national security legislation to target Montagnard Indigenous Peoples and Christian religious minorities. These issues were most recently raised by the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Indo-Pacific, Catherine West MP, during meetings with Vice Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang in London on 17 March 2025 and in Hanoi on 23-24 October 2024. The UK also raised the case of Y Quynh Bdap, a Montagnard activist facing extradition from Thailand, in our statement at the UN Human Rights Council in September 2025.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact on household costs in the event that the freeze on fuel duty is lifted in the November budget.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned increase in line with inflation for 2025/26. The temporary 5p cut is scheduled to expire in March 2026. The Government carefully considers the impact of fuel duty on households and businesses, with decisions on rates made at fiscal events.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans her Department has to review the future of the fuel duty freeze.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned increase in line with inflation for 2025/26. The temporary 5p cut is scheduled to expire in March 2026. The Government carefully considers the impact of fuel duty on households and businesses, with decisions on rates made at fiscal events.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure the Curriculum review includes a focus on practical financial skills.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Curriculum and Assessment Review's final report was published on 5 November. As part of its focus on preparing learners for a changing world, the Review has recommended updating or strengthening five areas of applied knowledge: financial literacy, media literacy, digital literacy, oracy and climate education.
The government’s response to the Review’s report was published on the same day. Through our reforms, children will be better prepared for the modern world.
Improved financial literacy, taught from an early age, will help children and young people master money skills. The department will do this by making citizenship compulsory in key stages 1 and 2. Additionally, references to financial education in the mathematics and citizenship programmes of study will be strengthened, and the relevant content sequenced appropriately, so that content can then be applied to practical situations, contexts, and problems. We will ensure that key concepts relevant to financial education, such as calculating interest, are first introduced in mathematics.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the ongoing Curriculum Review will include a focus on expanding or deepening the teaching of practical financial skills for pupils.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
On 5 November, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review published its final report which includes recommendations for a refreshed curriculum and assessment system in England. The government responded to this report. The response includes a commitment to strengthen pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship, with digital resources to support teaching.
Work is now underway to deliver a new curriculum and assessment system that is ambitious for every child, rich in knowledge and strong on skills.
The government is legislating so that academies will be required to teach the reformed national curriculum, alongside maintained schools. This will give parents certainty over the core of their child’s education.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to strengthen the enforcement and delivery of financial education across all types of schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
On 5 November, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review published its final report which includes recommendations for a refreshed curriculum and assessment system in England. The government responded to this report. The response includes a commitment to strengthen pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship, with digital resources to support teaching.
Work is now underway to deliver a new curriculum and assessment system that is ambitious for every child, rich in knowledge and strong on skills.
The government is legislating so that academies will be required to teach the reformed national curriculum, alongside maintained schools. This will give parents certainty over the core of their child’s education.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
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 take steps to implement the same rules on (a) binding contracts and (b) upfront information in property transactions as are in place in Scotland.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 6 October 2025, the government published two consultations outlining reform proposals to transform home buying and selling. They can be found on gov.uk here and here.
The consultations include proposals to require sellers and estate agents to provide upfront property information and to support binding contracts.
Final decisions are subject to the outcome of these consultations.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that all primary schools are keeping children safe from the exposure to the sun during the school day.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Schools are responsible for safeguarding children in their care. We expect all schools to make sensible decisions about sun safety when temperatures are high.
The department’s Education Hub website signposts the UK Security Agency’s advice for teachers and other educational professionals on looking after children before and after hot weather, and the Health and Safety Executive’s advice for schools as employers.
We also expect schools to engage parents and pupils in discussions about what precautions are acceptable, including how schools adhere to the UK Security Agency’s advice around whether staff should administer sunscreen to younger pupils, whether children are allowed to carry their own sunscreen or cover up, wear sunglasses and a hat.
The department has no plans to introduce a national sun safe policy for primary schools. We believe schools are best placed to determine what measures are practical within the context of their school to minimise the risks arising from pupils being exposed to the sun during the school day.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy that all primary schools must adopt a national sun safe policy.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Schools are responsible for safeguarding children in their care. We expect all schools to make sensible decisions about sun safety when temperatures are high.
The department’s Education Hub website signposts the UK Security Agency’s advice for teachers and other educational professionals on looking after children before and after hot weather, and the Health and Safety Executive’s advice for schools as employers.
We also expect schools to engage parents and pupils in discussions about what precautions are acceptable, including how schools adhere to the UK Security Agency’s advice around whether staff should administer sunscreen to younger pupils, whether children are allowed to carry their own sunscreen or cover up, wear sunglasses and a hat.
The department has no plans to introduce a national sun safe policy for primary schools. We believe schools are best placed to determine what measures are practical within the context of their school to minimise the risks arising from pupils being exposed to the sun during the school day.