Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what percentage of students who gained the Large Programme Uplift as a result of studying 4 A-levels in 2025 or most recently available year and would be eligible for the LPU under the revised guidance for 2026 to 2027, are (a) female; or (b) eligible for Free School Meals.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Institutions delivering 16-19 education have received the Large Programme Uplift (LPU) in the 2025/26 academic year. There were 6,755 students eligible for the LPU as a result of studying 4 or more A levels, of which:

• 36.46% were female students.
• 4.69% were eligible for free school meals (FSM).

Of those 6,755 students that attracted the LPU in the 2025/26 academic year due to studying 4 or more A levels, 3,968 (58.74%) would be eligible under the revised guidance for the 2026/27 academic year, of which:

• 24.85% would be female students.
• 4.71% would be eligible for FSM.

Notes about the data:

• The data provided is based on LPU allocations for the 2025/26 academic year, which uses data from the 2022/23 academic year.
• The FSM definition covers both FSM for academies and school sixth forms and free meals in further education. This is because the LPU data is extracted from both the School Census and the Individual Learner Record.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) number and (b) percentage of students who gained the Large Programme Uplift as a result of studying 4 A-levels in 2025 or most recently available year would be eligible for the LPU under the revised guidance for 2026 to 2027.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Institutions delivering 16-19 education have received the Large Programme Uplift (LPU) in the 2025/26 academic year. There were 6,755 students eligible for the LPU as a result of studying 4 or more A levels, of which:

• 36.46% were female students.
• 4.69% were eligible for free school meals (FSM).

Of those 6,755 students that attracted the LPU in the 2025/26 academic year due to studying 4 or more A levels, 3,968 (58.74%) would be eligible under the revised guidance for the 2026/27 academic year, of which:

• 24.85% would be female students.
• 4.71% would be eligible for FSM.

Notes about the data:

• The data provided is based on LPU allocations for the 2025/26 academic year, which uses data from the 2022/23 academic year.
• The FSM definition covers both FSM for academies and school sixth forms and free meals in further education. This is because the LPU data is extracted from both the School Census and the Individual Learner Record.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what percentage of students who gained the Large Programme Uplift as a result of studying 4 A-levels in 2025 or most recently available year were (a) female; (b) eligible for Free School Meals.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Institutions delivering 16-19 education have received the Large Programme Uplift (LPU) in the 2025/26 academic year. There were 6,755 students eligible for the LPU as a result of studying 4 or more A levels, of which:

• 36.46% were female students.
• 4.69% were eligible for free school meals (FSM).

Of those 6,755 students that attracted the LPU in the 2025/26 academic year due to studying 4 or more A levels, 3,968 (58.74%) would be eligible under the revised guidance for the 2026/27 academic year, of which:

• 24.85% would be female students.
• 4.71% would be eligible for FSM.

Notes about the data:

• The data provided is based on LPU allocations for the 2025/26 academic year, which uses data from the 2022/23 academic year.
• The FSM definition covers both FSM for academies and school sixth forms and free meals in further education. This is because the LPU data is extracted from both the School Census and the Individual Learner Record.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students gained the Large Programme Uplift as a result of studying 4 A-levels in 2025 or the most recently available year.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Institutions delivering 16-19 education have received the Large Programme Uplift (LPU) in the 2025/26 academic year. There were 6,755 students eligible for the LPU as a result of studying 4 or more A levels, of which:

• 36.46% were female students.
• 4.69% were eligible for free school meals (FSM).

Of those 6,755 students that attracted the LPU in the 2025/26 academic year due to studying 4 or more A levels, 3,968 (58.74%) would be eligible under the revised guidance for the 2026/27 academic year, of which:

• 24.85% would be female students.
• 4.71% would be eligible for FSM.

Notes about the data:

• The data provided is based on LPU allocations for the 2025/26 academic year, which uses data from the 2022/23 academic year.
• The FSM definition covers both FSM for academies and school sixth forms and free meals in further education. This is because the LPU data is extracted from both the School Census and the Individual Learner Record.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2025 to Question 79779 on the Timms Review, when he will provide more details on the membership of the steering group overseeing the review and planned next steps in the process.

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

On 18 December, the Timms Review’s co-chairs provided an update on the work of the Review, including recruitment of the steering group and next steps. You can find this update on GOV.UK via the following link: The Timms Review: Co-Chair Update, December 2025 - GOV.UK.

We will continue to publish updates on GOV.UK as the Review progresses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to (a) encourage people into the educational psychologist profession and (b) retain educational psychologists in the profession.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Educational psychologists play a critical role in the support available to children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. That is why the department is already investing more than £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists over two cohorts, starting their studies in 2024 and 2025. This is in addition to the £10 million currently being invested in the training of more than 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.

As these trainees complete their studies, they will join the workforce to support local authority educational psychology services, including contributing to statutory assessments. Trainees who have had their training funded by the department are required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period. For trainees beginning their course in September 2024, this period is three years.

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 the adequacy of the size of the anaesthetist workforce in (a) the East of England and (b) St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire constituency.

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

The Department has not made a specific assessment of the adequacy of the size of the anaesthetist workforce in the East of England and/or the St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire constituency. Appropriate National Health Service staffing levels are determined locally.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of anaesthetists across the UK.

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

We set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England published in July 2025 that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need.

On 8 December, the Government put an offer in writing to the British Medical Association (BMA) Resident Doctors Committee, which was rejected. The offer would have increased the number of training posts over the next three years from the 1,000 announced in the 10-Year Health Plan to 4,000, bringing forward 1,000 of these training posts to start in 2026. The BMA have rejected the Government's offer, so that is not going ahead. The Government will consider its next steps.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce identity theft by ghost brokers selling fake car insurance policies.

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

The Home Office works closely with law enforcement and industry partners to reduce fraud, including in the insurance sector. In October 2024, the Home Office also launched the Insurance Fraud Charter with major insurers to strengthen action against illegal intermediaries.

Operationally, the Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department investigates referrals from insurers and runs targeted operations, alongside public awareness campaigns delivered with the Insurance Fraud Bureau and the Association of British Insurers. The Insurance Fraud Breau also launched its, Avoid Ghost Brokers, campaign in May 2025 to warn the public about fake car insurance deals.

The Motor Insurance Taskforce, has also set out measures to tackle fraud and ghost broking in their report published in December 2025. The report is available online at: Motor Insurance Taskforce: Final Report and Actions.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when part 2 of the Independent Review of Fraud Offences will be published.

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

The Government has recently received the second and final report from Jonathan Fisher KC, Chair of the Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences.

We are now carefully considering the Review’s findings and recommendations and will respond in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that healthcare professionals are provided with timely guidance on prescribing alternatives when products they routinely prescribe are subject to safety recalls.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Defective Medicines Report Centre (DMRC) is part of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The role of the DMRC is to minimise the hazard to patients arising from the distribution of defective medicines by providing an emergency assessment and communication system between manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, pharmacies, regulatory authorities, and users. It achieves this aim by:

• receiving and assessing reports of suspected defective medicinal products for human use;
• advising and monitoring necessary actions by the responsible Licence Holder; and
• communicating the details of this action to relevant parties as necessary.

Where a medicinal product recall is required, the decision is taken in consultation with the relevant Licence Holder. It is the Licence Holder’s responsibility to ensure that a recall is carried out effectively throughout the distribution chain to the appropriate level. If necessary, the DMRC will issue a Recall Notification to support action taken by the Licence Holder. Where possible, the DMRC will actively engage with the Department to inform us of upcoming recalls, especially where there may be limited marketed products available or critical medicines involved. The Department’s Medicines Supply Team have a range of well-established processes and tools to mitigate risks to patients, and in some circumstances, this can include the prescribing of an alternative medicine.

The Department follows a clear operating framework for managing medicines shortages and, working with National Health Service specialist clinicians, develops appropriate management plans, including comprehensive guidance for prescribers, which are ratified by the Medicines Shortage Response Group to ensure that the most appropriate communication route is used. We work collaboratively with the MHRA throughout the recall process to ensure that when prescribing an alternative medicine should be considered, that this can be communicated in the Recall Notification, or as close to the issue of the Recall Notification that could result in a supply issue.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to review its policy on the Disabled Students' Allowance.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department keeps all support funded through the Disabled Students’ Allowance under regular review to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of disabled students. Any future changes will be communicated publicly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Written Parliamentary Question 85637, when his Department expects to publish the research funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research that will look at how to cost-effectively improve care coordination to align to the needs of patients.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Steps are being taken to improve the coordination of care for all rare diseases as a priority under the UK Rare Diseases Framework. Through the England Rare Diseases Action Plans, which set out actions to deliver against this priority, we commissioned research funded by NIHR to build on the CoOrdinated Care Of Rare Diseases (CONCORD) study with RAND Europe and University of Cambridge. The NIHR-funded CONCORD study sought to investigate how services for people with rare diseases are coordinated in the United Kingdom, and how people living with rare diseases, and healthcare professionals who treat rare diseases, would like them to be coordinated. The new study will help us understand how to best make improvements to care co-ordination in a way which aligns to the needs of patients with rare conditions and which is as cost-effective as possible for the NHS. The study is due to end in May 2026. Findings will be submitted to scientific journals after this date. Further information is avaiable on the CONCORD study at the following link:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/population-health-sciences/epidemiology-health-care/research/behavioural-science-and-health/research/health-care-organisation-and-management-group/concord-coordinated-care-rare-diseases

Naloxone

Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week 2025

Social media for under 16s

Health and Care Worker visas

Deregistration of international non-governmental organisations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Use of UK bases by the United States and international law in relation to Greenland

Less Survivable Cancers Week

UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons

High street gambling reform

Volumetric Concrete Mobile Plants and Vehicle Weight Restrictions

Missing Evri deliveries

Independence of Healthwatch England

Found: Psychologist at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust) CMH0089 Mr Gallant CMH0090 Ian Sollom