Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish figures for the percentage of Universal Credit claimants who are working, broken down by hourly increments, in each of the past five years.

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

Statistics on the number of people on Universal Credit are regularly published on Stat-Xplore, with the latest statistics by employment status available to February 2026. As there is no limit to how many hours a person can work and still get Universal Credit, information on the number of hours worked for those in employment is not collated.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to HMS Dragon's deployment to the eastern Mediterranean and the planned retirement of Type 23 frigates before the Type 26 and Type 31 replacements enter service, what steps he has taken to mitigate the Royal Navy’s capability gap in escort vessels.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Type 26 frigates are expected to begin entering service from 2028, and all Type 31s are expected to be in service by the early 2030s. This is part of a carefully managed modernisation programme, which will see these new highly capable Frigates enter service, and the Type 23s retire from the Royal Navy following decades of dedicated service. In addition, there will be significant long-term investment in the six Type 45s, to enhance and sustain these world beating Air Defence platforms into the late 2030s.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on improving the recognition of overseas qualifications and reducing barriers to employment in the NHS.

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

The statutory regulation of healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom is designed to protect patients and the public by ensuring that registered practitioners are appropriately trained, competent, and fit to practise.

The UK’s healthcare professional regulators are independent bodies responsible for setting standards of education, training, and professional conduct. They are also responsible for setting registration routes, including for overseas‑qualified applicants, to ensure UK standards of safe and effective practice are met. Only those who meet these requirements can legally practise in regulated healthcare professions.

National Health Service employers are responsible for ensuring that individuals appointed to specific roles meet the requirements of those posts in line with service needs, patient safety requirements, and relevant NHS frameworks.

The Government is committed to maintaining robust regulatory frameworks that support public safety, professional standards, and confidence in the healthcare system. Through its programme of regulatory reform, the Government will bring forward legislation to modernise the legislative frameworks of the regulators to ensure that they have the powers they require to protect the public while supporting an effective and flexible workforce. In the meantime, we continue to engage with regulators to support the effective use of their existing powers and frameworks to facilitate efficient registration pathways for both UK and overseas‑qualified applicants, consistent with public protection.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how the Government will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.

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 regulatory and accreditation barriers on the level of NHS workforce.

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

The statutory regulation of healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom is designed to protect patients and the public by ensuring that registered practitioners are appropriately trained, competent, and fit to practise.

The UK’s healthcare professional regulators are independent bodies responsible for setting standards of education, training, and professional conduct. They are also responsible for setting registration routes, including for overseas‑qualified applicants, to ensure UK standards of safe and effective practice are met. Only those who meet these requirements can legally practise in regulated healthcare professions.

National Health Service employers are responsible for ensuring that individuals appointed to specific roles meet the requirements of those posts in line with service needs, patient safety requirements, and relevant NHS frameworks.

The Government is committed to maintaining robust regulatory frameworks that support public safety, professional standards, and confidence in the healthcare system. Through its programme of regulatory reform, the Government will bring forward legislation to modernise the legislative frameworks of the regulators to ensure that they have the powers they require to protect the public while supporting an effective and flexible workforce. In the meantime, we continue to engage with regulators to support the effective use of their existing powers and frameworks to facilitate efficient registration pathways for both UK and overseas‑qualified applicants, consistent with public protection.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how the Government will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.

Found: Kent) Alex Mayer (Labour; Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard) Baggy Shanker (Labour; Derby South) Rebecca Smith

Found: Dr Rebecca Smith (2026). Personal comment. 35. Dr Richard Comont (2026). Personal comment. 36.