Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on instructing external legal firms to defend claims relating to vehicle damage caused by potholes; and whether she plans to review the (a) cost-effectiveness of such arrangements and (b) impact on claimants seeking compensation for road maintenance issues.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department does not provide guidance to local authorities on this matter.

Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 places a statutory duty on highway authorities to maintain public highways. Dealing with compensation claims due to defects such as potholes on the highway network is entirely the responsibility of the relevant highway authority.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on the practice of continuing to levy full service charges on retirement leasehold properties following the death of the owner; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to (a) introduce time-limited liability for service charges on such properties and (b) strengthen protections for bereaved families for ongoing charges on vacant, unsold flats.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 4726 on 8 June 2026.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the annual exempt amount for Capital Gains Tax for individuals in supporting small investors and households; and whether she plans to review that threshold.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

The Annual Exempt Amount (AEA) for Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is £3,000 for individuals and £1,500 for most trustees. In 2022, the previous Government reduced this from £12,300 (£6,150 for most trusts) to the current level, phased in over two tax years.

The purpose of the AEA is to ensure that people are not taxed on low levels of capital gains. The Government judges that the AEA remains at an appropriate level to fulfil this function, ensuring that only gains above a modest threshold are subject to CGT. This keeps many individuals out of the self-assessment system, with only about 1% of the population paying CGT each year, while supporting strong public finances.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to prevent duplication and gaps in climate education and sustainability across different subjects and qualifications.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review recommended earlier sequencing and updated climate change, nature and sustainability content within the national curriculum subjects of geography, science, citizenship and design and technology, as well as ensuring the curriculum is coherently and logically sequenced and allows space for schools to support mastery of core concepts, effective transitions, and progression through each key stage of education.

The government accepted these recommendations in its response, and work is underway to refresh the curriculum in line with the Review’s recommendations. In doing so, the department will follow the curriculum principles as set out in the Review of coherence, subject mastery and depth, making sure that programmes of study and subject content are grounded in relevant and important knowledge and disciplinary skills. We are testing this with stakeholders ahead of publishing draft content for a public consultation which will open this September.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has taken steps to embed climate education and sustainability across the curriculum, beyond traditional subjects like Geography and Science.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review recommended earlier sequencing and updated climate change, nature and sustainability content within the national curriculum subjects of geography, science, citizenship and design and technology, as well as ensuring the curriculum is coherently and logically sequenced and allows space for schools to support mastery of core concepts, effective transitions, and progression through each key stage of education.

The government accepted these recommendations in its response, and work is underway to refresh the curriculum in line with the Review’s recommendations. In doing so, the department will follow the curriculum principles as set out in the Review of coherence, subject mastery and depth, making sure that programmes of study and subject content are grounded in relevant and important knowledge and disciplinary skills. We are testing this with stakeholders ahead of publishing draft content for a public consultation which will open this September.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure cohesion and consistency of climate and sustainability themes across subjects and qualifications.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review recommended earlier sequencing and updated climate change, nature and sustainability content within the national curriculum subjects of geography, science, citizenship and design and technology, as well as ensuring the curriculum is coherently and logically sequenced and allows space for schools to support mastery of core concepts, effective transitions, and progression through each key stage of education.

The government accepted these recommendations in its response, and work is underway to refresh the curriculum in line with the Review’s recommendations. In doing so, the department will follow the curriculum principles as set out in the Review of coherence, subject mastery and depth, making sure that programmes of study and subject content are grounded in relevant and important knowledge and disciplinary skills. We are testing this with stakeholders ahead of publishing draft content for a public consultation which will open this September.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of NICE introducing a fast-track evaluation process for brain tumour drugs supported by early-stage evidence.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

No such assessment has been made. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evaluates all new licensed medicines, including for brain tumours, and aims wherever possible to publish guidance for the National Health Service on their use close to the time of licensing. NICE is able to recommend promising new cancer drugs for use through the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) where there is too much uncertainty for NICE to be able to recommend routine funding. NHS England also funds the use of licensed medicines, via the CDF, that are recommended by NICE from the date of positive draft guidance, enabling patient access up to five months earlier than would otherwise be the case.

Through the Life Sciences Sector Plan, we are improving alignment between Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency licensing and NICE guidance, helping medicines reach patients three to six months faster. This includes a coordinated pathway and integrated advice service for developers, launched in March 2026, to streamline regulatory and Health Technology Assessment processes and support timely patient access.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that personalised cancer vaccines for brain tumour patients will become available on the NHS.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

There are currently no personalised cancer vaccines with a marketing authorisation for use in the United Kingdom. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has published draft guidance to support developers of personalised cancer immunotherapies, commonly known as personalised cancer vaccines, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/draft-guidance-on-individualised-mrna-cancer-immunotherapies

Any new licensed personalised cancer vaccine for brain tumours would be evaluated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS. NICE aims wherever possible to issue guidance for the NHS on new licensed medicines close to the time of licensing, and NICE-recommended medicines are eligible for funding through the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point of draft guidance, bringing forward patient access by up to five months.

In April this year, NICE and the MHRA also launched a new joint pathway for medicines, a commitment in the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan, which will accelerate access for NHS patients to clinically and cost effective medicines by three to six months.

Further, the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform set up to accelerate the development of cancer vaccines and speed up access to mRNA personalised cancer vaccine clinical trials for cancer patients. The CVLP has been instrumental in accelerating trial activity in cancer research, with CVLP sites driving faster activation and enrolment timelines. The platform is designed to be company- and clinical trial type-agnostic. Any company that wishes to deliver trials via the platform, including those developing vaccines for brain tumours, can contact the CVLP to explore how the platform can support their research.

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 medicines approved for the treatment of brain tumours in the last 10 years; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the approvals process for medicines for brain tumours.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Government recognises how difficult a diagnosis of a cancerous brain tumour can be for patients, carers, and families, and that treatment options remain limited. All new licensed medicines, including those for brain cancer, are assessed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE advises the National Health Service on whether a medicine is effective and represents good value for NHS resources.

All three medicines that NICE has evaluated for the treatment of brain tumours in the last 10 years have been recommended for use on the NHS. These are, carmustine implants and temozolomide for the treatment of newly diagnosed high-grade glioma, dabrafenib with trametinib for treating BRAF V600E mutation-positive glioma in children and young people aged one year old and over, and vorasidenib for treating astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma with IDH1 or IDH2 mutations after surgery in people 12 years old and over.

Recently, the increase to the cost-effectiveness threshold that NICE uses, announced in April as part of the United States and United Kingdom partnership, has enabled NICE to recommend vorasidenib for eligible patients with IDH mutant low grade glioma as an option to treat grade 2 astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma in eligible patients aged 12 years old and over, if it is considered the most suitable treatment option.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what meetings she has held with organisations representing police officers on the subject of police remuneration since taking office; which bodies were represented at those meetings; what issues were discussed; and what steps she is taking in response to concerns raised in those engagements.

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

Home Office Ministers have regular discussions with policing organisations and those representing police officers, covering a range of issues.

The Government is committed to the independent Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) and Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) processes, which remain the mechanism for considering the appropriate level of pay and allowances for police officers.

The PRRB and SSRB invite and receive submissions from a range of stakeholders, including the Government, policing bodies, and staff associations. The Government will give very careful consideration to the PRRB and SSRB’s recommendations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the number and proportion of police officers required to work on their rest days in each of the last five years; what assessment she has made of trends in the use of rest day working; and what steps she is taking to ensure that forces are able to manage demand without the frequent use of cancelled rest days.

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

The Home Office does not collect data centrally on how often police officers are required to work on their rest days. Decisions relating to the allocation of resources are the responsibility of Chief Constables according to local operational needs. We would expect that impact on officer wellbeing is taken into account when making any such decisions, in accordance with the statutory duties that all employers have to protect the health, safety and welfare of their workforce.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Police Remuneration Review Body will publish its next report on police pay and conditions; and what assessment she has made of the timescale for implementation of recommendations arising from that report.

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

The Government will give very careful consideration to the recommendations recently submitted by the Police Remuneration Review Body. A decision will be announced in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the availability and quality of swimming lessons in primary schools; what recent estimate her Department has made of the average cost to schools of delivering the national curriculum requirement for swimming and water safety; and what steps she is taking to support schools with the financial pressures associated with providing access to swimming facilities, transport, and specialist instruction.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises that swimming and water safety are vital life skills, and every child should have the opportunity to learn to swim and to keep themselves safe around water by the time they leave primary school.

Schools receive core funding for activities within the curriculum, including funding to provide compulsory swimming as part of PE and lessons on water safety which we are making a compulsory part of RSHE from September.

Increasing access and improving attainment in swimming and water safety will be key priorities for the new PE and School Sport Partnerships network. The network will support access to swimming by bringing together schools, local clubs, and national governing bodies of sport, helping to identify, and address barriers to participation so that funding and support are targeted where they are needed most.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the median time is from symptom onset to diagnosis for patients with brain tumours: and what steps he is taking to reduce that time.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The Government recognises the impact that waiting for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans can have on patients, including for patients with suspected brain tumours.

We are taking a range of steps to improve access to imaging, including expanding capacity through community diagnostic centres, which are providing millions of additional tests, such as MRI scans, in convenient community settings.

We are also supporting the National Health Service to increase workforce capacity, make better use of existing diagnostic equipment, and prioritise patients based on clinical need. These measures are helping to reduce waiting times and ensure patients with the most urgent needs are seen as quickly as possible.

We do not hold information on what the median time is from symptom onset to diagnosis for patients with brain tumours. Brain tumours include both non-cancerous, or benign, and cancerous, or malignant, brain tumours.

Diagnosing cancer faster and earlier remains a key priority for the Government, and we will continue to look for opportunities to optimize pathways, reduce waiting times, and ultimately improve outcomes, including for patients with brain tumours.

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 reduce waiting times for MRI scans for patients with suspected brain tumours.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The Government recognises the impact that waiting for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans can have on patients, including for patients with suspected brain tumours.

We are taking a range of steps to improve access to imaging, including expanding capacity through community diagnostic centres, which are providing millions of additional tests, such as MRI scans, in convenient community settings.

We are also supporting the National Health Service to increase workforce capacity, make better use of existing diagnostic equipment, and prioritise patients based on clinical need. These measures are helping to reduce waiting times and ensure patients with the most urgent needs are seen as quickly as possible.

We do not hold information on what the median time is from symptom onset to diagnosis for patients with brain tumours. Brain tumours include both non-cancerous, or benign, and cancerous, or malignant, brain tumours.

Diagnosing cancer faster and earlier remains a key priority for the Government, and we will continue to look for opportunities to optimize pathways, reduce waiting times, and ultimately improve outcomes, including for patients with brain tumours.

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 (a) trends in the level of complex post-traumatic stress disorder in England and (b) the adequacy of specialist support and treatment available for that condition.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

Information requested on trends in the level of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (complex PTSD) in England is not held centrally.

It is for integrated care boards to commission mental health services to meet the needs of their local population, including the needs of people with complex PTSD. The impact of trauma is widely recognised, including its potential lifelong consequences for people’s mental health, wellbeing, and life chances. Trauma-informed practice has therefore taken on growing prominence across the system as a way of improving how services recognise and respond to these experiences.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether (a) Palantir Technologies and (b) its subsidiaries and partners will have a role in the design, development and implementation of the consistent identifier framework in Clause 5 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is not required to complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) because personal data will be processed locally. Should this change, the department will conduct and publish a DPIA.

To date, pilot data has been processed locally. The next stage of piloting is under development and individual organisations’ responsibilities are still being determined.

Using the NHS number as the consistent identifier is separate from any health-related information or datasets. From piloting to date, improving connectivity enabled significant improvements in accuracy of records as well as easier location and retrieval of key information relevant to safeguarding children so reducing risk of falling through cracks between public services.

Responsibility for data governance of any data linkage initiative sits with the relevant data controllers. There are many instances of data linkage in place to support safeguarding and welfare of children. In the case of the consistent identifier project, the department, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the NSHSHS Executive are working closely together to ensure that any use of the NHS Number during pilot activity has appropriate governance in place.

Palantir or subsidiaries are not currently involved in work to pilot the Consistent Identifier. Any future organisation which wishes to connect and store the Consistent Identifier will have to satisfy the strict information governance criteria associated with storing and processing that number.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to act as (a) data controller, (b) joint controller and (c) processor in respect of personal data generated, linked, stored, analysed and processed under the consistent identifier framework in Clause 5 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is not required to complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) because personal data will be processed locally. Should this change, the department will conduct and publish a DPIA.

To date, pilot data has been processed locally. The next stage of piloting is under development and individual organisations’ responsibilities are still being determined.

Using the NHS number as the consistent identifier is separate from any health-related information or datasets. From piloting to date, improving connectivity enabled significant improvements in accuracy of records as well as easier location and retrieval of key information relevant to safeguarding children so reducing risk of falling through cracks between public services.

Responsibility for data governance of any data linkage initiative sits with the relevant data controllers. There are many instances of data linkage in place to support safeguarding and welfare of children. In the case of the consistent identifier project, the department, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the NSHSHS Executive are working closely together to ensure that any use of the NHS Number during pilot activity has appropriate governance in place.

Palantir or subsidiaries are not currently involved in work to pilot the Consistent Identifier. Any future organisation which wishes to connect and store the Consistent Identifier will have to satisfy the strict information governance criteria associated with storing and processing that number.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what cross-government governance arrangements are in place to oversee data linkage involving the consistent identifier in Clause 5 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act and other public sector datasets.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is not required to complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) because personal data will be processed locally. Should this change, the department will conduct and publish a DPIA.

To date, pilot data has been processed locally. The next stage of piloting is under development and individual organisations’ responsibilities are still being determined.

Using the NHS number as the consistent identifier is separate from any health-related information or datasets. From piloting to date, improving connectivity enabled significant improvements in accuracy of records as well as easier location and retrieval of key information relevant to safeguarding children so reducing risk of falling through cracks between public services.

Responsibility for data governance of any data linkage initiative sits with the relevant data controllers. There are many instances of data linkage in place to support safeguarding and welfare of children. In the case of the consistent identifier project, the department, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the NSHSHS Executive are working closely together to ensure that any use of the NHS Number during pilot activity has appropriate governance in place.

Palantir or subsidiaries are not currently involved in work to pilot the Consistent Identifier. Any future organisation which wishes to connect and store the Consistent Identifier will have to satisfy the strict information governance criteria associated with storing and processing that number.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the consistent identifier provisions in Clause 5 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act on NHS identifiers and other health-related datasets.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is not required to complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) because personal data will be processed locally. Should this change, the department will conduct and publish a DPIA.

To date, pilot data has been processed locally. The next stage of piloting is under development and individual organisations’ responsibilities are still being determined.

Using the NHS number as the consistent identifier is separate from any health-related information or datasets. From piloting to date, improving connectivity enabled significant improvements in accuracy of records as well as easier location and retrieval of key information relevant to safeguarding children so reducing risk of falling through cracks between public services.

Responsibility for data governance of any data linkage initiative sits with the relevant data controllers. There are many instances of data linkage in place to support safeguarding and welfare of children. In the case of the consistent identifier project, the department, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the NSHSHS Executive are working closely together to ensure that any use of the NHS Number during pilot activity has appropriate governance in place.

Palantir or subsidiaries are not currently involved in work to pilot the Consistent Identifier. Any future organisation which wishes to connect and store the Consistent Identifier will have to satisfy the strict information governance criteria associated with storing and processing that number.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has completed a Data Protection Impact Assessment for Clause 5 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department is not required to complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) because personal data will be processed locally. Should this change, the department will conduct and publish a DPIA.

To date, pilot data has been processed locally. The next stage of piloting is under development and individual organisations’ responsibilities are still being determined.

Using the NHS number as the consistent identifier is separate from any health-related information or datasets. From piloting to date, improving connectivity enabled significant improvements in accuracy of records as well as easier location and retrieval of key information relevant to safeguarding children so reducing risk of falling through cracks between public services.

Responsibility for data governance of any data linkage initiative sits with the relevant data controllers. There are many instances of data linkage in place to support safeguarding and welfare of children. In the case of the consistent identifier project, the department, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the NSHSHS Executive are working closely together to ensure that any use of the NHS Number during pilot activity has appropriate governance in place.

Palantir or subsidiaries are not currently involved in work to pilot the Consistent Identifier. Any future organisation which wishes to connect and store the Consistent Identifier will have to satisfy the strict information governance criteria associated with storing and processing that number.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of Armed Forces pension scheme provisions which limit survivor pension entitlement for spouses who married former service personnel after they had left service; and whether he plans to review Armed Forces pension scheme provisions.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

Before 6 April 1978, it was a well-established principle of occupational pension schemes, including those for the Armed Forces, that to be eligible to claim part of the scheme member’s pension upon the member’s death, a widow/er had to be married to the scheme member at the time they were in service. After 6 April 1978, when the Social Security Pensions Act 1975 came into force, this principle ended and provision was made for the payment of pensions to widow/ers who married service members after they had retired from service. However, the pension was paid only for any service that the member had after April 1978.

The changes did not extend to providing survivor benefits (i.e. to widow/ers) for members who left before 6 April 1978 and married after that date. Individuals receive the benefits in accordance with the scheme rules in place at the time of their retirement. It is a principle of public service pensions policy, and one that has been upheld by successive Governments, that improvements to pension schemes are not made retrospective. Retrospection would add significantly to the cost of introducing any meaningful improvements to the schemes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to Question 546 from the hon. member for South Cambridgeshire.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 July 2026 to Question 546.

Royal Mail delivery standards

Essential energy guarantee

Russian sanctions

International Court of Justice's July 2024 Advisory Opinion on the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Dolphin hunting in the Faroe Islands

Infrastructure Planning