Sadik Al-Hassan

The Government gave the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) statutory information gathering powers which commenced on 1 January 2025 so that it can monitor and scrutinise petrol and diesel prices. The CMA will be able to assess how well competition is working in the road fuel market and advise government if further actions are needed to protect consumers.

The Government has also committed to implement Fuel Finder to increase price transparency, so consumers can compare prices to find the best deal and incentivise greater competition. Subject to legislation and parliamentary timings, we aim to launch Fuel Finder by the end of 2025.

I have asked Ofcom to check their figures, but according to them, 94% of the constituency has 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile operators, while 5G is available outside 96% of premises from at least one operator. The government’s ambition is for all populated areas, including rural communities, to have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030.

We are working with industry and Ofcom to ensure we have the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment in this crucial infrastructure.

This government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed and thrive in their education and as they move into adulthood.

To enable high quality and inclusive practices within mainstream schools, the department is building a strong and credible evidence base on what works to drive inclusive education. The department has also created an Expert Advisory Group for Inclusion, who are using their expertise and drawing on that of wider stakeholders to advise government on how to best drive inclusive practice and improve the education experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND in mainstream schools.

Additionally, the department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year. Total high needs funding for children and young people with complex SEND is over £12 billion in 2025/26. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has also announced £740 million for high needs capital in the 2025/26 financial year to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. This can be used to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children with SEND, create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit pupils’ needs and continue to provide places to support pupils in special schools with the most complex needs.

The Fishing & Coastal Growth Fund will be investing £360 million over the next 12 years. We will work with industry to target investment where it matters most. For example, by considering investment in new technology and equipment to modernise our fishing fleet, training and skills to upskill the workforce and back the next generation of fishermen and promote the seafood sector to export our high-quality produce across the world.

The proposal to designate Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route as a National Trail was approved in 2022. Natural England has been working with the Councils and National Park Authorities along the route to bring it up to National Trail quality standards.

We have worked to make sure the route is permanently protected in law and have improved the surface to make it easier to use. This includes 5km of flagstones over Nine Standards Rigg and White Mossy Hill in the middle of the route which gets very boggy. This will help protect local habitats and preserve the route for walkers.

We have also put up new signs that help people find their way and recognise Alfred Wainwright’s role in establishing the route.

The route remains on track for completion with plans to officially launch it in spring 2026.

As aviation is devolved, decisions regarding any subsidies made to Cardiff Airport is a matter for the Welsh Government. While the Secretary of State has not had any conversations with counterparts in the Welsh Government, officials continue to engage the Welsh Government and nearby airports to understand the potential impacts.

For medicines prescribed as part of National Health Service primary care, patients either pay the standard NHS prescription charge or receive their prescriptions free of charge, depending on eligibility. Pharmacies are responsible for collecting these charges on behalf of the NHS and are not permitted to charge patients more than the set fee, even if the medicines have been assembled at the hub pharmacy.

Pharmacies can offer private services to patients and charge additional fees to those who choose these services, for example, to have medicines delivered to their homes. Distance selling pharmacies are contractually required to deliver medicines to patients free of charge and this requirement will not be affected if a distance selling pharmacy engages a hub.

The Government is taking decisive steps to secure the future of life sciences research in the United Kingdom and to ensure we remain internationally competitive. The upcoming Life Sciences Sector Plan sets out a bold vision to strengthen our world-class research and development, attract global investment, and accelerate healthcare innovation.

The National Health Service seeks the best value in its commercial deals for patients and taxpayers. The recent NHS Commercial Framework consultation clarified the circumstances in which indication specific pricing will be considered in England. The framework now provides further guidance relating to the time period over which revenue loss is considered and the components included in its calculation, referencing the potential to include future indications where there is a high degree of confidence of regulatory approval, a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendation, and forecast volumes and prices. This will help companies better understand the circumstances in which indication specific pricing may be available to support patient access to new medicines.

The 10-Year Health Plan will describe a shared vision for the health and care system in 2035, drawing directly from the extensive engagement that has been undertaken with the public, patients, and staff. The plan will set out how care models and pathways will need to change or evolve to better meet their needs, and the cultural and behavioural changes we want to see. The plan’s shift from sickness to prevention will help ensure the National Health Service uses its relationship with patients to help patients improve and protect their own health.

Under the Enhanced health in care homes framework, every care home must be aligned to a primary care network (PCN) and must have established protocols between the PCN, the care home, and system partners, such as local general practices and pharmacies, for information sharing, shared care planning, use of shared care records, and clear clinical governance.

Pharmacies are expected to maintain a reasonable stock holding to meet their legal obligations to dispense all prescriptions, including to patients in care homes, with reasonable promptness, recognising that it is not feasible for a pharmacy to maintain stock of every medicine. The Pharmacy Quality Scheme rewards community pharmacy contractors that deliver quality criteria, one of which is the Palliative and End of Life Care scheme. Participating pharmacy contractors must declare if they intend to routinely stock 16 critical end of life medicines, including controlled drugs such as morphine and midazolam and/or parenteral haloperidol, and must have an action plan in place to support local access. This enables palliative medicines to be quickly sourced when prescribed.

Most care homes with nursing can hold stocks of controlled drugs and will not require a licence to access medicines containing controlled drugs for patients who need them. This is because care homes run by public authorities or charities are exempt from the need for a Home Office controlled drug licence. Care homes without nursing cannot store controlled drugs unless they are prescribed for individual residents.

Under the Enhanced health in care homes framework, every care home must be aligned to a primary care network (PCN) and must have established protocols between the PCN, the care home, and system partners, such as local general practices and pharmacies, for information sharing, shared care planning, use of shared care records, and clear clinical governance.

Pharmacies are expected to maintain a reasonable stock holding to meet their legal obligations to dispense all prescriptions, including to patients in care homes, with reasonable promptness, recognising that it is not feasible for a pharmacy to maintain stock of every medicine. The Pharmacy Quality Scheme rewards community pharmacy contractors that deliver quality criteria, one of which is the Palliative and End of Life Care scheme. Participating pharmacy contractors must declare if they intend to routinely stock 16 critical end of life medicines, including controlled drugs such as morphine and midazolam and/or parenteral haloperidol, and must have an action plan in place to support local access. This enables palliative medicines to be quickly sourced when prescribed.

Most care homes with nursing can hold stocks of controlled drugs and will not require a licence to access medicines containing controlled drugs for patients who need them. This is because care homes run by public authorities or charities are exempt from the need for a Home Office controlled drug licence. Care homes without nursing cannot store controlled drugs unless they are prescribed for individual residents.

I met Iraqi Foreign Minister Dr Fuad Husein during the official visit of his Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to the UK from 14-16 January. During the visit, our Prime Ministers signed the landmark Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, a wide-ranging treaty on trade and strategic cooperation, and announced a trade package worth up to £12.3 billion.