Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the concentration of ownership of UK mobile towers among wireless infrastructure providers; and what assessment she has made of the implications of this market structure for competition and mobile coverage.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government continually monitors developments across the mobile market to understand how they may shape investment in comprehensive, high-quality mobile connectivity that is secure and affordable for consumers and business.

On 10 February, the Government published the Mobile Market Review call for evidence, inviting stakeholders to provide detailed evidence on the technological, structural and financial developments across the mobile ecosystem and how they impact investment, competition and consumer outcomes, and on what further actions the Government could take to support these objectives.

The call for evidence closes on 5 May. The Government encourages all relevant stakeholders to engage with the process and provide robust evidence to help inform future policy development.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of 2017 Electronic Communications Code reforms on relationships between telecoms operators and site providers; and whether she has made an estimate of the number of site providers who have declined to renew mast agreements as a result.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government wants Code agreements to be negotiated collaboratively; and the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 made changes to the Code intended to support this.

The Department has not undertaken comprehensive monitoring of the number of active Code agreements following the 2017 reforms.

However, landowners can terminate agreements governed by the Electronic Communications Code for a number of reasons, including if they intend to redevelop the land. Therefore, any data on the number of terminated agreements alone would not be indicative of the effectiveness of the 2017 reforms.

It should also be noted that 4G geographic coverage from all four operators has risen from 40% in 2016 to 81% in 2025 and 5G premises (outdoor) coverage has reached 47% from all four operators in 2025.

The 2022 reforms also introduced a requirement for operators to inform landowners of the availability of alternative dispute resolution and to consider using it before issuing legal proceedings. Section 70 of the Act, which will be implemented in due course, will introduce a new process for the handling of complaints about the conduct of operators under the Electronic Communications Code.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of ownership of UK mobile towers among wireless infrastructure providers; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of that market structure on competition, pricing and mobile coverage.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The government continually monitors developments across the market to understand how they may impact investment in comprehensive, high-quality mobile connectivity that is secure and affordable for consumers and business.

On 10 February, the Government published the Mobile Market Review call for evidence, inviting stakeholders to provide detailed evidence on how technological, structural and financial developments across the mobile ecosystem may impact investment, competition and consumer outcomes, and on what further actions Government could take to support these objectives.

The call for evidence closes on 5 May, and the Government encourages all relevant stakeholders to engage with the process to help inform future policy development.

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 potential impact of mileage restrictions applied to Motability scheme vehicles on disabled people and families living in semi‑rural and rural areas, particularly those reliant on their vehicle to travel longer distances to work, education settings and schools, healthcare appointments and other essential services; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that such restrictions do not create geographic inequality for disabled people.

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

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors.

The changes to the leasing package were announced on 26 March and include reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year. Changes only apply to new leases and there are no changes to the mileage allowance of existing leases. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already use less miles than the proposed new mileage allowance. They have acknowledged that there will be an impact on some customers and are considering if the impact can be mitigated in some limited circumstances.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to oppose proposed changes submitted to the Police Remuneration Review Body on reducing compensation for cancelled rest days and altering re-roster arrangements for police officers.

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

The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) makes recommendations to the Government on the appropriate level of pay and allowances for police officers, including payments for cancelled rest days. The PRRB gathers and invites parties to submit evidence to inform their decisions. The Government will give very careful consideration to any recommendations made by the PRRB.

The Government expects any changes to police pay and conditions to take into account the welfare, morale and retention of officers, alongside the operational needs of policing. We are clear that officer wellbeing must remain a central consideration in any changes.

More widely, this Government remains firmly committed to supporting the wellbeing of police officers and staff through the Police Covenant. This includes ongoing work to ensure that officers have access to appropriate support in key areas such as mental health, physical protection, and support for their families.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposals by the National Police Chiefs’ Council to change compensation arrangements for cancelled police rest days on officer welfare, morale and retention.

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

The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) makes recommendations to the Government on the appropriate level of pay and allowances for police officers, including payments for cancelled rest days. The PRRB gathers and invites parties to submit evidence to inform their decisions. The Government will give very careful consideration to any recommendations made by the PRRB.

The Government expects any changes to police pay and conditions to take into account the welfare, morale and retention of officers, alongside the operational needs of policing. We are clear that officer wellbeing must remain a central consideration in any changes.

More widely, this Government remains firmly committed to supporting the wellbeing of police officers and staff through the Police Covenant. This includes ongoing work to ensure that officers have access to appropriate support in key areas such as mental health, physical protection, and support for their families.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, following the announcement in the Budget on 30th October 2025 and its requirement for both the National Minimum Wage and employer National Insurance contributions to be increased, whether assurances will be given to General Practices nationally that they will be reimbursed for these increased costs.

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

Funding for general practice (GP) is agreed annually through consultation on the GP Contract, which considers wider cost pressures facing practices as part of the overall settlement. These funding decisions are informed by a range of factors, including independent recommendations from the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration, where relevant, as well as affordability considerations. However, the GP Contract does not provide for automatic reimbursement of individual cost increases, including changes to National Insurance contributions or the National Minimum Wage.

In this context, we have uplifted the GP Contract by £601 million for 2026/27. This builds on last year’s £1.1 billion of investment, taking the two-year increase to £1.7 billion, or 13.8% in cash terms and 8.1% in real terms. Through consultation with stakeholders, we set these uplifts and changes to the contract with regard to the pressures faced by businesses. This includes the costs associated with the Government’s agreement to implement review body recommendations, including a 3.5% pay rise for GPs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are required for vaccines for the prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections to obtain regulatory approval including an indicative timeline for licensing.

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

For any new medicine to be introduced to the United Kingdom market an application to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is required. The MHRA is ready to support companies that are looking to introduce new medicines to the United Kingdom market, offering regulatory and scientific advice to help companies at any stage of the product development process. The MHRA has established procedures in place to review any applications we receive to evaluate the benefit risk of a product in relation to its quality, safety, and efficacy. The exact timeframe will depend on the type of submission the company makes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England plans to update its clinical guidance on long‑term support for cardiac arrest survivors, including access to free medication.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England is focused on improving long‑term, holistic follow‑up and rehabilitation after cardiac arrest. In December 2024, to support local systems to commission high quality cardiac rehabilitation, NHS England published Commissioning standards for cardiac rehabilitation, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/commissioning-standards-for-cardiovascular-rehabilitation/

Access to prescribed medicines is determined through existing medicines and prescribing policy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with NHS England on expanding medical exemption criteria to include cardiac arrest survivors dependent on long‑term rhythm‑stabilising medication.

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

There are no current plans to add cardiac arrest to the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate, and no discussions have been held with NHS England on this matter.

People who require long-term heart medication may be eligible for exemption from National Health Service prescription charges for another reason. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition, and whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.

Additionally, people on a low income can seek help under the NHS Low Income Scheme, and people who have to pay NHS prescription charges and need many prescription items could save money with a prescription prepayment certificate.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department plans to review prescription charge exemptions for people who require lifelong medication following a cardiac arrest.

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

There are no current plans to add cardiac arrest to the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate, and no discussions have been held with NHS England on this matter.

People who require long-term heart medication may be eligible for exemption from National Health Service prescription charges for another reason. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition, and whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.

Additionally, people on a low income can seek help under the NHS Low Income Scheme, and people who have to pay NHS prescription charges and need many prescription items could save money with a prescription prepayment certificate.

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 ensure that people access long‑term heart medication given the level of prescription charges.

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

There are no current plans to add cardiac arrest to the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate, and no discussions have been held with NHS England on this matter.

People who require long-term heart medication may be eligible for exemption from National Health Service prescription charges for another reason. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition, and whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.

Additionally, people on a low income can seek help under the NHS Low Income Scheme, and people who have to pay NHS prescription charges and need many prescription items could save money with a prescription prepayment certificate.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme to include (a) farmers and (b) food production.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Eligibility for the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme is informed by the Government’s Industrial Strategy and by the recent consultation on scheme eligibility.

Decisions on eligibility have been taken to drive economic growth in line with the Industrial Strategy, by targeting manufacturing frontier industries within its growth sectors, as well as manufacturing foundational industries that provide important inputs to them, where electricity costs most directly affect international competitiveness.

Farming and food production are therefore not within the scope of the Scheme.

100th anniversary of the birth of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Found: Allison Gardner (Labour; Stoke-on-Trent South) Kit Malthouse (Conservative; North West Hampshire) Samantha Niblett

Found: I also want to pay tribute to a couple of colleagues, Simon Opher MP and Samantha Niblett MP, who have

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AI model sizes and data volumes are growing significantly. At the same time, areas like quantum computing and protein synthesis also require increasing amounts of computational power.