Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Bryony House care home in Birmingham Northfield constituency will next be inspected by the CQC.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Bryony House Care Home was last inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in May 2025 and was rated as Inadequate and placed into special measures.
The CQC has advised that it continues to monitor the service closely and will carry out a further assessment, based on assessment priorities and the level of risk across the region. As this assessment will be unannounced, the CQC is unable to provide a timeframe for completion.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, with reference to page 68 of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority's Annual Report and Accounts 2023/24, whether IPSA recognises the PCS trade union for collective bargaining purposes.
Answered by Charlotte Nichols
IPSA does not recognise the PCS union for the purposes of collective bargaining. IPSA has established a long standing, trusted and collaborative arrangement with its PCS representatives over the years with whom it engages on significant matters that relate specifically to the small number of IPSA employees who are members of a trade union, as appropriate.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Warrington North, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, with reference to page 68 of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority's Annual Report and Accounts 2023/24, whether any IPSA activity necessitated formal employee consultation during (a) 2024-25 or(b) 2025-26 to date.
Answered by Charlotte Nichols
There is no IPSA activity during 2024-25 or 2025-26 to date that necessitated formal empoyee consultation. However, IPSA collaborates effectively with the PCS trade union representative on matters such as the pay of IPSA's people or significant changes to terms and conditions. Ahead of structural changes made in autumn 2025, IPSA collaberated with its trade union representative who was able to raise concerns at that point. Pay data and recommendations are raised with a formal sub-committee of IPSA's board and ultimate decisions on the pay of IPSA's people are taken at Board level.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to make it easier for musicians to tour in the EU.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Supporting creative and cultural touring is a manifesto commitment for this Government and delivering on it requires coordinated action across Whitehall, given the range of policy areas involved, including mobility, customs and logistics. Enabling artists and their crews to tour more easily supports shared economic growth, job creation and artistic innovation across Europe.
We recognise the practical challenges that current arrangements present for musicians and their crews, particularly smaller and emerging artists. Building on the Common Understanding Commitment reached at the inaugural UK-EU Summit, we are exploring with the EU Commission and EU Member States how best to improve arrangements for touring across the European continent.
DCMS Ministers are working closely with Cabinet colleagues to ensure a coherent, cross-Government approach. We are also engaging regularly with the sector to understand the operational impacts and identify workable solutions. Engagement with the EU and Member States will continue in pursuit of practical and proportionate progress, whilst respecting regulatory frameworks on both sides.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 91715, how many claimants were awarded a payment under the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme in each financial year since 1993-94.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 86092, how many claimants were awarded a payment under the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme in each financial year since 2021-22.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The NHS Business Services Authority is the administrator of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS). The following table shows the total number of awarded claims in each financial year since 2021/22:
Year | Total number of VDPS claims awarded |
2021/22 | 1 |
2022/23 | 72 |
2023/24 | 99 |
2024/25 | 55 |
2025/26 | 34 |
Total | 261 |
Note: Data for 2025/26 figure is accurate as of 6 February 2026. The previous question, answered on 28 October 2025, covered the period up until 30 September 2025. Some claims may be paid in a different financial year to which they were awarded.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 15 January to Question 101203, on Latex: Allergies, if he will place a copy of the Expert Advisory Group on Allergy's December 2025 minutes in the House of Commons Library.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Terms of Reference for the Expert Advisory Group on Allergy, which is overseen and supported by external stakeholders, states that the meetings are confidential. Therefore, the meeting minutes are not shared publicly.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the oral contribution of the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury of 27 January 2026 on Business Rates, whether changes to the business rates for pubs will include social clubs.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
All pubs and live music venues that meet the definitions set out in guidance will qualify for the business rates support announced on 27 January 2026.
In keeping with the intent of this policy, the Government is working with Local Authorities to ensure this includes establishments that are open to wide sections of local communities. This includes social clubs, such as working men's clubs.
I would like to thank my Honourable Friend for all his representations and engagement on this matter.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 18 of the Financial Conduct Authority's publication entitled Regulatory Initiatives Grid - 9th Edition, published on 12 December 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the FCA's commitment to consult on the implementation of Sustainability Reporting Standards disclosure requirements for UK listed companies on (a) alignment with international financial reporting standards and (b) economic growth.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government’s Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy set out how UK can play a leading role in facilitating the financing of the global net zero transition. The UK is already one of the world’s leading sustainable finance centres – the challenge is to evolve and expand. To achieve that challenge, the government is delivering on a small number of targeted initiatives, working closely with the sector to make the biggest impact – boosting investor protection and UK competitiveness.
As part of this, the government consulted last year on the UK Sustainability Reporting Standards, the UK’s implementation of the International Sustainability Standard Board’s global standards. The aim is to provide clear standards which support comparable and decision-useful disclosures for investors, and which align with other jurisdictions. The government will be publishing its consultation response along with the endorsed UK standards in Q1 2026.
The government welcomes the FCA consultation on the implementation of UK Sustainability Reporting Standards for listed companies, which is due to be published later this month, and encourages the sector to engage with that process.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much each train operating company paid on average in access charges per 100,000 passenger kilometres in 2024-25 by type of access charge.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The net access charge for each operator varies for several reasons such as infrastructure provider, and type and length of train being operated. This means it is not meaningful to compare the net costs of one operator against another. The range of net charges payable by the 14 Department for Transport contracted operators is shown in the following table. They include track, station and depot access charges, net of depot and station access income, but exclude charges for electricity consumption.
Operator Access Charges Values in £k per 100,000 passenger kilometres (-ve indicates income) | Minimum | Maximum | Average |
Fixed Track Access | 0.86 | 3.78 | 1.94 |
Variable Track Access | 0.27 | 6.69 | 0.88 |
Electric Asset Usage | - | 0.08 | 0.04 |
Other Infrastructure Access Charges | - | 0.55 | 0.09 |
Station and Depot Access Charges | -0.18 | 2.65 | 1.27 |
Schedule 4 Access Charge Supplement | 0.22 | 0.77 | 0.48 |