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 improve CAMHS referral times.

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

We know too many children and young people are waiting too long for mental health support and through our Plan for Change, we’re determined to give children and young people the best start in life.

The Government is expanding access to mental health support teams in all schools and colleges to reach all pupils by 2029, ensuring that every pupil has access to early support services. This expansion will ensure that up to 900,000 more children and young people will have access to support from trained education mental health practitioners in 2025/26.

More widely, we are, rolling out Young Futures Hubs. The Government’s first 50 Young Futures Hubs will bring together services at a local level to support children and young people, helping to ensure that young people can access early advice and wellbeing intervention. We will work to ensure there is no wrong door for young people who need support with their mental health.

We have also committed to hiring 8,500 more mental health staff to reduce waiting times. Thus far, we have hired almost 7,000 extra mental health workers since July 2024.

Furthermore, the Medium Term Planning Framework is also asking integrated care boards to prioritise eliminating the longest waits of over a year for children and young people to ensure timely access to care and better mental health outcomes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of the current palliative care strategy.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England.

The MSF will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life and will enable integrated care boards to address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care. This will be aligned with the ambitions set out in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan.

It would not be right to pre-empt exactly what will be in the final MSF at this time, as we develop it with our palliative care and end of life stakeholders. It is our intention to work together with those stakeholders to ensure that everyone has access to the care they need, in the right place, at the right time. As part of the MSF, we have invited representatives from a number of organisations to engage with us as part of this process, which has already commenced.

Further information about the MSF is set out in the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1087, which I gave on 24 November 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of unregistered pharmacies that are operating.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Pharmacy is a protected title in law, and it is a criminal offence for a business to engage in regulated activity, for example supplying pharmacy only medicines to the public, and call themselves ‘a pharmacy’ if they are not registered with the pharmacy regulator. Any concerns about a business that is operating as a pharmacy while not being registered should be raised with either the General Pharmaceutical Council for Great Britain or the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency Criminal Enforcement Unit (MHRA CEU) actively seeks to identify individuals involved in unlawful activity. Where appropriate, the MHRA CEU prosecutes those who put public health at risk, although are not able to release information on the number of ongoing investigations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the department are taking to mark international day of disabled people.

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

The Department has not taken any specific steps to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities this year. However, we remain committed to championing the rights of disabled people.

As the Lead Minister for Disability (LMD) for the Department, I will continue to work with fellow LMDs across the Government towards our shared goal of breaking down barriers to opportunity for disabled people.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to address extreme flooding.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Over the last year, this Government has made significant progress by committing record investment in flood and coastal erosion defences; introducing the most significant change in flood and coastal erosion funding policy for nearly fifteen years; and building partnerships to improve flood preparedness and resilience.

As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, we are investing £4.2 billion over three years (2026/27 to 2028/29) to construct new flood and coastal erosion schemes and maintain and repair existing defences across England. In our first year in Government, 151 flood defence schemes have been delivered, better protecting over 24,000 homes and businesses.

This Government will invest at least £10.5 billion into our flood defences between April 2024 and March 2036 benefitting nearly 900,000 properties across England.

The Environment Agency’s National Flood Risk Assessment data now includes climate change scenarios, providing the best evidence to inform long-term risk assessment and the development of flood mitigation strategies.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking with cabinet colleagues to support young disabled people with complex needs into work.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government is taking action to help young disabled people and young people with complex health needs move towards work. This is a diverse group, so it is key that the individual gets access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, for them.

The Youth Guarantee and Pathways to Work will guarantee specialist support for young people with long-term health conditions and disabled young people.

We have announced an £820 million funding package for the Youth Guarantee to overhaul support and give a generation of young people a brighter future. Over the next three years:

• Almost one million young people on Universal Credit across Great Britain will benefit from support designed to get them into employment and learning.
• For young people on Universal Credit and looking for work, we will create guaranteed jobs for almost 55,000 young people, giving them the start they need; alongside nearly 300,000 additional work experience and training opportunities.
• Additionally, we will further expand our Youth Hubs to over 360 to every local area of Great Britain.

Through Pathways to Work we are building towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits. This will be the biggest investment in support for disabled people and those with health conditions in at least a generation. We anticipate that, once fully rolled out, the Pathways to Work Guarantee will offer a comprehensive range of support including: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.

Youth Guarantee and Pathways to Work will build on the range of support available to disabled people and people with health conditions, regardless of their benefit status or Work Group. For example, Connect to Work a supported employment programme that joins up work skills and health support, and Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies, which combine the expertise of therapists and employment advisers to give those with mental health conditions the support they need to find work tailored to them. Additionally, disabled people and people with health conditions might be able to access WorkWell, which is our new way to deliver integrated work and health support through local partnerships.

Finally, we are considering how we might go even further. The Right Honourable Alan Milburn will lead on an investigation of the rise in youth inactivity with a particular focus on the impact of mental health conditions and disability. Reporting in Summer 2026.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with ger counterparts in Northern Ireland in relation to the second outbreak of blue tongue in Portaferry.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra works closely with the Devolved Governments with the aim of providing, where possible, a consistent and coordinated response across the UK.

Following the first confirmed bluetongue cases in Northern Ireland, Defra is working with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to review policy regarding movement of bluetongue susceptible animals between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. This has included a case conference, and a CVO stocktake attended by the chief veterinary officers and policy leads from Defra, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the price of school uniforms.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The cost of school uniform, particularly of branded items, remains a key concern for parents. Parentkind recently found that more than a quarter of parents will go without heating or eating to be able to afford school uniform. Whilst uniforms play a valuable role in creating a sense of common identity among pupils and reducing visible inequalities, too many schools still require high numbers of branded uniform items despite statutory guidance stating branded items should be kept to a minimum.

This is why the department has introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require, to bring down costs and remove barriers to accessing sport and other school activities. This will allow parents greater flexibility to make spending decisions that suit them. The department intends to introduce this limit from September 2026.

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 potential impact of changes to PET-CT procurement in England on diagnostic access for patients from Northern Ireland who rely on specialist capacity elsewhere in the UK.

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

NHS England is in the process of reprocuring some positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET-CT) services to replace current contracts that are due to expire at the end of March 2027. The geographies covered by the existing contracts will continue to be covered under the new arrangements, so no impact on diagnostic access is expected for patients from Northern Ireland who rely on specialist capacity elsewhere in the United Kingdom. The current arrangements for patients travelling to England for PET-CT and other treatments remains unchanged.

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 help avoid creating a single point of failure in PET-CT diagnostic services.

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

NHS England’s specialised commissioning function commissions positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET-CT) diagnostic services and is responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient capacity across England to meet planned demand. To avoid creating a single point of failure in these services, NHS England has ensured that PET-CT services in England are delivered by a range of different organisations, including National Health Service trusts, the independent sector, and charities, often working in partnership. They help to provide resilience across the system.

NHS England is in the process of reprocuring some PET-CT services to replace current contracts that are due to expire at the end of March 2027. NHS England has recently concluded a round of market engagement on its proposals. NHS England has not yet finalised its proposals for the procurement, as the point of market engagement is to receive feedback and take this into account in the final design.

PET-CT scans use isotopes from a comprehensive network of United Kingdom based cyclotrons. The Government has made up to £520 million available through the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund to support UK manufacture of medicine and medical technology products. This includes applications looking to establish, expand, or improve UK-based manufacture of medical radioisotopes for diagnostic or therapeutic applications.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have changed since the start of the winter season; and what geographical variation there has been in those admissions.

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

The information requested is not collected centrally. NHS England publishes annual data on the number of admissions with a primary diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In 2024/25, there were 121,506 admissions. This data is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/hospital-admitted-patient-care-activity/2024-25

NHS England also publishes winter situation reports, which are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/uec-sitrep/urgent-and-emergency-care-daily-situation-reports-2025-26/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to address multiple sclerosis in the updated Women’s Health Strategy; and whether there will be discussions on how this can inform development of the Northern Ireland Women’s Health Action Plan.

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

We know that women can be impacted by a range of different health conditions at the same time, including those that only affect women, those that affect women differently or more severely to men, or those that affect everyone equally. This is why the renewed Women’s Health Strategy will set out how we are improving experiences and outcomes for all women as we deliver the 10-Year Health Plan.

At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), including the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit and the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology.

We have set up a United Kingdom-wide Neuro Forum, facilitating formal, biannual meetings across the Department, NHS England, the devolved administrations and health services, and Neurological Alliances of all four nations. The new forum brings key stakeholders together, to share learnings across the system and discuss challenges, best practice examples and potential solutions for improving the care of people with neurological conditions, including MS.

Health policy and delivery are devolved to the administration of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. As a UK Government department, the Department of Health and Social Care engages constructively and works collaboratively with the devolved administrations on areas of shared interest, including information sharing, coordination, and issues that have UK wide or cross-border implications.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of derelict buildings across the UK.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Derelict buildings can blight communities and the Government is committed to giving communities the tools to revitalise them. The National Planning Policy Framework encourages and supports the development of under-utilised land and buildings, especially if this would help to meet identified needs for housing where land supply is constrained.

The Government’s Pride in Place programme will provide up to £5 billion to help the most deprived communities thrive, which could include restoring derelict buildings. Phase 1 of the programme included funding for Northern Ireland and corresponding funding will be made available for Phase 2.

Regeneration policy levers are largely devolved. In England, the Government has introduced High Street Rental Auction powers, giving councils the power to auction the lease of long-term vacant properties.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve night time safety in bars and clubs.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government works closely with local authorities and industry to ensure venues licensed to sell alcohol, such as bars and clubs, operate safely. Under the Licensing Act 2003, which applies to England and Wales, premises must promote the four statutory licensing objectives - public safety, the prevention of crime and disorder, the prevention of public nuisance and the protection of children from harm.

If a matter arises at a premises that undermines any of these objectives, the relevant licensing authority may review the licence and take appropriate action up to and including suspending or revoking the licence.

We also encourage licence holders to adopt recognised safeguarding initiatives which provide support for individuals who feel unsafe in the night-time economy.

Furthermore, from 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2026, we are running a Winter of Action to target night-time economy offences, retail crime and anti-social behaviour across England and Wales. Led by Police and Crime Commissioners and Deputy Mayors, local plans will be delivered in partnership with police forces and community safety organisations to address the issues that matter most in town centres.

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 include provisions in forthcoming national development management policies to help increase the scaling of stepping stone housing models across local authority areas.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. My Department continues to engage with stakeholders in the homelessness sector to support the development of schemes and policies to tackle homelessness, including stepping stone accommodation.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that it is for local authorities to assess the size, types and tenure of housing needed for different groups, including those who require affordable housing, and reflect this in their planning policies. The Government intends to consult on a revised National Planning Policy Framework this year.

Government planning guidance states that once a planning application is validated, the local planning authority should determine it promptly and, in any case, within the statutory time limit unless a longer period is agreed in writing with the applicant. If a valid application is not determined within the agreed timeframe, the applicant may appeal to the Secretary of State for non-determination.

Setting space standards for homes helps to maintain design quality, promote health and wellbeing, and increase comfort for occupants and other users. Each application is judged on its own individual merit and the weight given to these considerations is a matter for the local planning authority as the usual decision taker in the first instance.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of whether the planning system enables local authorities to approve applications for homes in a timely manner for young people at risk of homelessness.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. My Department continues to engage with stakeholders in the homelessness sector to support the development of schemes and policies to tackle homelessness, including stepping stone accommodation.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that it is for local authorities to assess the size, types and tenure of housing needed for different groups, including those who require affordable housing, and reflect this in their planning policies. The Government intends to consult on a revised National Planning Policy Framework this year.

Government planning guidance states that once a planning application is validated, the local planning authority should determine it promptly and, in any case, within the statutory time limit unless a longer period is agreed in writing with the applicant. If a valid application is not determined within the agreed timeframe, the applicant may appeal to the Secretary of State for non-determination.

Setting space standards for homes helps to maintain design quality, promote health and wellbeing, and increase comfort for occupants and other users. Each application is judged on its own individual merit and the weight given to these considerations is a matter for the local planning authority as the usual decision taker in the first instance.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he will issue guidance to local authorities on flexibility in the Nationally Described Space Standards when delivering stepping stone accommodation for young people at risk of homelessness.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. My Department continues to engage with stakeholders in the homelessness sector to support the development of schemes and policies to tackle homelessness, including stepping stone accommodation.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that it is for local authorities to assess the size, types and tenure of housing needed for different groups, including those who require affordable housing, and reflect this in their planning policies. The Government intends to consult on a revised National Planning Policy Framework this year.

Government planning guidance states that once a planning application is validated, the local planning authority should determine it promptly and, in any case, within the statutory time limit unless a longer period is agreed in writing with the applicant. If a valid application is not determined within the agreed timeframe, the applicant may appeal to the Secretary of State for non-determination.

Setting space standards for homes helps to maintain design quality, promote health and wellbeing, and increase comfort for occupants and other users. Each application is judged on its own individual merit and the weight given to these considerations is a matter for the local planning authority as the usual decision taker in the first instance.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reintroducing a milk strategy for schools.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only

Milk is an excellent food for children’s growth and development. As part of the School Food Standards, lower fat milk or lactose reduced milk must be available to children who want it for drinking at least once a day during school hours. It is a legislative requirement that milk is provided free of charge to pupils who meet the free school milk criteria, and schools may charge all other pupils.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs leads the School Milk Scheme Strategy, which supports the provision of milk in schools. The strategy aims to support the consumption of dairy products by children from an early age to promote healthy eating habits and good nutritional health, and support efforts to tackle child obesity by part subsidising, or reimburse in full where relevant, the cost of a daily portion of dairy in line with national guidance. The Strategy also sets out who the support is targeted at and the eligible products that can be supported.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are on ENT waiting lists in England.

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

As of October 2025, there are 613,974 incomplete ear, nose, and throat patient pathways. Patient pathways are not equivalent to the number of people on the waiting list, as patients can be waiting for more than one treatment at the same time.

A dashboard that provides monthly data on patient pathways is also available at the following link:

https://data.england.nhs.uk/dashboard/rtt

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been admitted to hospital in the last month with Flu A.

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

NHS England began publishing Winter Situation Reports on 24 November, meaning data on flu-specific bed occupancy is only available from this date onwards.

Between 24 November and 7 December, an average of 2,189 hospital beds were occupied by patients with flu across all acute settings, including both General and Acute and Critical Care beds.

These figures are published in the NHS England Winter Situation Reports which are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/uec-sitrep/urgent-and-emergency-care-daily-situation-reports-2025-26/

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the forthcoming guidance to local authorities on statutory duties under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989; and what steps she is taking to ensure that safeguarding and the best interests of the child are explicitly embedded in that guidance.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

This Government remains firmly committed to safeguarding children from a range of harms. This includes ensuring that statutory safeguarding partners, including the police, have the right resources, tools and training to identify and respond and work together effectively.

I have continued to discuss these important issues with cross-government Ministerial colleagues and will be writing a joint letter out to safeguarding partners on this important issue, alongside ensuring relevant guidance remains up to date.

The new Centre for VAWG and Public protection will also ensure that the response by police continues to be improved, including supporting best practice in working together to ensure a robust multiagency response in supporting children.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of electricity prices.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The department publishes official estimates of electricity prices within Quarterly Energy Prices. These statistics are published quarterly and provide our most recent estimates of domestic and non-domestic electricity prices. These include a time series, through which trends can be assessed.

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 more young people into work.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This Government is investing in young people’s futures. At the Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820 million for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy.

Through the expanded Youth Guarantee, young people aged 16-24 across Great Britain are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning, including:

• Support to find a job: For young people on Universal Credit who are looking for work, we are introducing a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, which over the next three years will offer nearly 900,000 16–24-year-olds a dedicated session, followed by four weeks of additional intensive support with a Work Coach. This new support will identify specific work, training, or learning opportunities locally for each young person and ensure they are supported to take those up. This support could be delivered at a Youth Hub.

• Further expansion of Youth Hubs: We are expanding our network of Youth Hubs to over 360 locations so that all young people – including those not on benefits – can access opportunities and wider support in every local area of Great Britain. Youth Hubs will bring together partners from health, skills and the voluntary sector, working closely with Mayors and local authorities to deliver joined-up community-based support.

• c. 300,000 additional opportunities for workplace experience and training: For young people on Universal Credit who are looking for work, we will create up to 150,000 additional work experience placements and up to 145,000 additional bespoke training opportunities designed in partnership with employers – Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). At the end of each SWAP, employers offer a guaranteed job interview to participants.

• Guaranteeing jobs: For long-term unemployed 18–21-year-olds on Universal Credit, the Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide six months of paid employment. This will reach around 55,000 young people over the next three years. We know young people need support quickly and that is why we will begin delivery of the Jobs Guarantee in six areas from spring 2026 in: Birmingham & Solihull, East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire & Essex, Central & East Scotland, Southwest & Southeast Wales. We will deliver over 1,000 job starts in the first six months. This will be followed by national roll-out of the Jobs Guarantee across Great Britain.

• Prevention: We are also making it easier to identify young people who need support, by investing in better data sharing for those who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), further education attendance monitoring, and new risk of NEET data tools giving local areas more accurate insights to target support where it's needed most. We are also investing in work experience opportunities for young people at particular risk of becoming NEET, focused on pupils in state-funded Alternative Provision settings, (education provided outside mainstream or special schools for children who cannot attend a regular school, often due to exclusion, health needs, or other circumstances). This builds on measures announced in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper earlier this autumn.

Growth and Skills Levy’s £725 million package of reforms includes a change to fully fund SME apprenticeships for eligible people aged under 25, and £140 million pilot of new approaches to better connect young people aged 16-24, especially those who are NEET, to local apprenticeship opportunities. These are important steps in the government’s ambition to support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, which will also be supported by expanding foundation apprenticeships into sectors that traditionally recruit young people.

In Northern Ireland, all DWP policy areas are transferred (apart from the private pensions regulatory regime), including employment support. This is the responsibility of the Department for Communities.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support young disabled people who cannot work.

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

For a small minority of young people, work is not a realistic goal. However, for most disabled young people and young people with a health condition, given the right support, working at some point in the near future is a credible ambition. We know amongst people on health-related benefits those under 25 are significantly more likely to think they could work now if the right job and support was available.

We are delivering the biggest employment support package for disabled people and people with health conditions in more than a generation. Backed by £1 billion a year of new, and additional funding by 2030, we will build towards a guarantee of personalised work, health and skills support to improve returns to work and prevent economic inactivity, as part of rebalancing spending towards work over welfare.

This includes an extra £300 million on top of that announced at the Spring Statement, enabling us to go further and faster on our new planned investment in work, health and skills support offers, building on and learning from successes such as the Connect to Work programme, which is being rolled out over 2025 to provide disabled people and people with health conditions with one-to-one support at the point when they feel ready to work.

Support is also available through the Access to Work scheme - a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant which supports the recruitment and retention of disabled people in employment.

A young disabled person may also be eligible for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which provides a contribution towards the extra costs that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition. PIP is non-contributory, non-means-tested, available regardless of whether the recipient is in work or not and can be worth up to £9,747.40 a year, tax free. PIP can also be paid in addition to any other financial or practical support someone may be entitled to such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, NHS services, free prescriptions, and help with travel costs to appointments.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports of the persecution of Christians in Kashmir.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to promoting and defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) as a core element of our foreign policy, and India is one of the UK's priority countries for promoting FoRB. Where we have specific concerns, we raise them with the Government of India.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people received spirometry testing in community diagnostic centres in 2025.

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

As of December 2025, community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are now delivering additional tests and checks on 170 sites across the country.

Spirometry with bronchodilator response is a minimum test requirement of all standard and large CDCs. It is therefore expected that all fully operational standard and large CDCs offer this service.

CDC programme funded diagnostic test activity is reported from management information collected monthly. Spirometry test activity is included as part of the ‘other respiratory’ category. 307,866 ‘other respiratory’ tests have been delivered between January 2025 and the end of October 2025, the latest published data. Spirometry is not recorded separately and so individual testing volumes are not held in the format requested. CDC management information, including a list of tests categorised under the ‘other respiratory’ grouping, can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/cdc-management-information/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many community diagnostic centres have spirometry equipment.

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

As of December 2025, community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are now delivering additional tests and checks on 170 sites across the country.

Spirometry with bronchodilator response is a minimum test requirement of all standard and large CDCs. It is therefore expected that all fully operational standard and large CDCs offer this service.

CDC programme funded diagnostic test activity is reported from management information collected monthly. Spirometry test activity is included as part of the ‘other respiratory’ category. 307,866 ‘other respiratory’ tests have been delivered between January 2025 and the end of October 2025, the latest published data. Spirometry is not recorded separately and so individual testing volumes are not held in the format requested. CDC management information, including a list of tests categorised under the ‘other respiratory’ grouping, can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/diagnostics-waiting-times-and-activity/cdc-management-information/

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including targets and milestones for reducing child poverty in legislation.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Monitoring and Evaluation framework published alongside the Strategy set out that a baseline report will be published in Summer 2026 with annual reporting on progress thereafter and Government already has a statutory duty to publish poverty statistics annually. We have put these clear reporting arrangements in place so that the progress we make is transparent for all.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on whether the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia plans to declare independence from Algeria on 14 December 2025.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We were aware of the intention of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia to make a declaration of independence on 14 December, which they have since done. I refer the Hon. Member to the responses I provided in February regarding the situation in Kabylia and confirm that we continue to monitor developments closely.

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 potential impact of the extension to the Healthy Start scheme to families with no recourse to public funds.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department ran a consultation, Eligibility for Healthy Start for groups that have no recourse to public funds or are subject to immigration controls, which provided examples of the potential impacts of extending Healthy Start to families with no recourse to public funds. The consultation has now closed, and the Department is currently considering options following the consultation. Further information will be available in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to publish a further equalities impact assessment of the Child Poverty Strategy, which will include the potential impact of the strategy on groups at highest risk of poverty.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

A full summary Equalities Analysis was published alongside the Strategy and is available at: Child Poverty Strategy: Summary Equalities Analysis - GOV.UK.

The impacts of policies contributing to the Child Poverty Strategy will be kept under review and monitored on an ongoing basis by departments using their own established approaches to considerations made under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).

The ongoing Monitoring and Evaluation of the Child Poverty Strategy will also continue to assess the poverty risk and prevalence for groups with protected characteristics, as far as the data and evidence gathering allow. The Monitoring and Evaluation framework published alongside the Strategy set out that a baseline report will be published in Summer 2026, with annual reporting on progress thereafter.

As set out in our Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, published alongside the Strategy, we will continue to work closely with the devolved governments to complement existing monitoring and evaluation activity, and consider how best to feed in their own findings to track progress at both the local and national level, particularly where powers are devolved.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support creative education in schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Education is a devolved matter, and this response relates to state-funded schools in England only.

On 5 November, the government issued the response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, setting out the changes that will be made to the national curriculum, as well as reforms to qualifications, school accountability and enrichment. The first teaching of a refreshed curriculum will be September 2028, and will include improvements in music, art and design, dance in PE, and drama in English.

We will also consult on an improved version of Progress 8 that balances a strong academic core with breadth.

Next year, the National Centre for Arts and Music Education will support excellent teacher training in the arts, boost partnerships between schools and cultural organisations and promote arts opportunities.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the current use of AI in schools.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department recognises the transformative potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) use in schools when used safely and effectively. However, we also recognise that evidence is still emerging on GenAI use in schools.

That is why the department collects biennial evidence via the Technology in Schools survey, with our most recent report published on 27 November 2025 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technology-in-schools-survey-report-2024-to-2025.

We also collect more regular evidence via Omnibus Surveys and work closely with the sector and stakeholders to understand how we are pioneering safe and effective adoption of AI in schools. We have published guidance and toolkits for educators, launched the EdTech Evidence Board pilot to build confidence in education technology (EdTech) products, and developed product safety expectations with industry partners. We are also funding innovation through initiatives such as Oak National Academy’s AI lesson planning assistant.

Our approach balances opportunity with risk, prioritising child-centred design, safeguarding, data protection and evidence-based pedagogy.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the independent review of Carer's Allowance overpayments.

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

The Independent Review into overpayments of Carer’s Allowance linked to earnings covered England and Wales. In view of the principle of parity with DWP in matters of social security, I informed the Minister for Communities of the Review’s findings and the Government’s response to them, and officials from the two Departments are in discussion on the issues raised. Since social security is transferred in Northern Ireland, questions 99735 and 99736 are matters for the Executive.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the number of unpaid carers in Northern Ireland affected by Carer's Allowance overpayments in relation to a) earnings and b) fluctuating earnings from 2015 to 2025.

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

The Independent Review into overpayments of Carer’s Allowance linked to earnings covered England and Wales. In view of the principle of parity with DWP in matters of social security, I informed the Minister for Communities of the Review’s findings and the Government’s response to them, and officials from the two Departments are in discussion on the issues raised. Since social security is transferred in Northern Ireland, questions 99735 and 99736 are matters for the Executive.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has had made an assessment of the potential impact of the findings and recommendations of the Independent Review of Carer's Allowance payments on carers in Northern Ireland.

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

The Independent Review into overpayments of Carer’s Allowance linked to earnings covered England and Wales. In view of the principle of parity with DWP in matters of social security, I informed the Minister for Communities of the Review’s findings and the Government’s response to them, and officials from the two Departments are in discussion on the issues raised. Since social security is transferred in Northern Ireland, questions 99735 and 99736 are matters for the Executive.

New leadership of the Orange Order in Ireland

Christmas (No. 2)

Gender apartheid

Refurbishment and re-opening of historic Coleraine building

First anniversary of the closure of Walleys Quarry landfill site in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Newcastle-under-Lyme Christmas Card Competition 2025

50th anniversary of Kingsmills Massacre

North Staffordshire Pensioners’ Convention 35th anniversary

Passing of Callum McVeigh

Seventy years of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award

St Mirren Football Club

Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School

ADHD services

Cancellation of May 2026 Local Elections

Tribute to Lance Corporal George Thomas Hooley

Selsey Beach Litter Ninjas

Norfolk County Council Elections in May 2026

St Mirren, winner of the Premier Sports Cup

50th anniversary of Central Church Torquay

Wemyss Ware wins Best Heritage Pottery Company

The Gatehouse in Oxford

Yeovil College's University Centre

Bank holiday for celebrations if England win the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Winifred Maduko Ambassador of the Year Award

In memory of Andrew Arbuckle MBE

Swan Theatre, Yeovil

The Good Fellowship Club

Missing Evri deliveries

Future of Cambridge Veterinary School

10th anniversary of Boxing Day floods

UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons

80th anniversary of the South Devon Branch of the Devonshire Association

Xcite West Lothian Leisure

150th anniversary of Laurelvale Cricket Club

Violence in Bangladesh

Award of the Honorary Freedom of the Parish of the City of Durham to Inspector Dave Clarke BEM

Tackling antisemitism and hatred

Winter NHS corridor care

Reducing emigration of young, skilled British citizens

Eilean Dubh care home

60th anniversary of Re-engage Epsom and Ewell

Parkway Shopping

Linlithgow Repair Shop

West Lothian Youth Brass Bands

Speed of deportation of foreign offenders

Schools Residential Outdoor Education (Scotland) Bill (No. 2)

Sinking of SS Tilawa

Construction of a new MRI centre at West Berkshire Community Hospital

Homelessness in Wiltshire

Border violence

Cairngorms Pride CIC

Blue Space Highland

The achievement of Mr Atushi Horiba

Moray Wellbeing Hub CIC

The Lossie 2-3 group and The Lossie Community Hub

Forres Osprey Bus SCIO

Diane Maciver

Dance North Scotland CIC

Moray Fresh Start SCIO

Hopeman Fish and Chip Co

Official opening of the Angus Community Wellbeing Centre (The Beacon)

Right to trial by jury

Acquittal of Shaun O’Sullivan, free speech and religious freedom

Higher education pension cuts

Town status for Sauchie

AES Solar

Walker's Shortbread Exporter of the Year

Brilliantly Brave

Russell Construction

Changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief in the Autumn Budget 2025

40th anniversary of the ordination of Father John McGinley

Cary Repair Café

Hope Community Church Clydebank

County Durham Together Public Service Award

Supporting shopworkers

Team GB at the 2025 Deaflympics

Royal Naval Association Torbay

UN International Human Rights Defenders Day

Tackling Islamist extremism

Elaine Davis and charities in Devon

Found: Jim Shannon made representations.

Found: The most frequent user in the 2019 Parliament was Jim Shannon with 44 debates, accounting for 10.5% of

Found: Committee in the 2019 Parliament, with one Member—affectionately known as our ‘season ticket holder’, Jim Shannon—accounting