Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has taken steps following receipt of the BMA letter dated 4 April 2025 requesting review of the Foundation Programme allocations.

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

NHS England is due to review the Foundation Programme allocation process to make sure it works well for applicants. The review is aiming to commence in 2026. NHS England will advise stakeholders how they can input in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on introducing duty of candour legislation.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Government remains committed to implementing a ‘Hillsborough Law’ which will place a legal duty of candour on public servants and authorities, and criminal sanctions for those who refuse to comply in certain circumstances.

The Cabinet Office and Ministry of Justice are the lead Departments in Government for this matter. Ministry of Defence officials continue to liaise with colleagues across Government on this important issue.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to meet with bereaved families associated with the 1994 Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 53163 on 3 July 2025 to the hon. Member for Angus and Perthshire Glens (Dave Doogan).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria was used to determine the 100-year classification of documents on the Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash in 1994; and whether a review of that classification has been held in the last five years.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

For personal information and information linked to identifiable living individuals, The National Archives and the Advisory Council for National Records and Archives advocate a closure period of the ‘lifetime’ of the data subject. This assumes a lifetime of 100 years but will be graduated down from the age or assumed age of the youngest individual in the record. The Ministry of Defence has not conducted a review of the classification of the records within the last five years.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with the Minister for Finance for Northern Ireland on the ability of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to borrow to start to build homes.

Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations

As Chief Secretary to the Treasury, I am in regular contact with the Northern Ireland Minister of Finance on matters relating to Northern Ireland Executive funding, including the request for enhanced borrowing powers for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. This issue was most recently discussed at the Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee on 26 June 2025.

As part of the 2025 Spending Review, HM Treasury committed to begin immediate negotiations on a comprehensive Fiscal Framework for Northern Ireland. These discussions will include consideration of borrowing arrangements for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether motorcycling will be part of an integrated national transport strategy.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Integrated National Transport Strategy will be published later this year and set the long-term vision for transport across England. As the strategy continues to develop, we are looking at all modes to understand how transport should be better designed, built and operated to meet the needs of people who use it.

To achieve the goals of the strategy, we have conducted a series of engagement activities to gather insights from transport stakeholders and members of the public. This has included a public Call for Ideas and an 11-stop Regional Roadshow where we spoke with motorcyclists and motorcycle user representative groups about their experiences of transport in England and what could be done to improve it. Everything we heard through our engagement has been considered to support strategic development.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the forthcoming national cancer plan will introduce new targets for reducing late-diagnosis of cancer.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Reducing late diagnosis of cancer is a priority for the Department. As a first step, the National Health Service is now delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, to support early diagnosis and faster treatment.

NHS England is continuing the roll out of community diagnostic centres to ensure that patients can access the diagnostic tests they need as quickly as possible. The NHS is also improving pathways to get people diagnosed faster once they are referred, including non-specific symptom pathways for patients who do not fit clearly into a single urgent cancer referral pathway.

To further improve early intervention and reduce mortality rates, NHS England’s Help Us, Help You campaigns seek to address the barriers that are deterring patients from accessing the care they need. The campaign encourages people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner, focusing on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging ‘body awareness’ to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.

Further actions on reducing late-diagnosis and improving survival for all cancers will be outlined in the forthcoming National Cancer Plan, which will be published later this year. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer. The goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years, and the ambition will be set out as part of the National Cancer Plan.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ensure that the TV licence payment structures are (a) transparent, (b) proportionate and (c) accessible to people who cannot afford to pay the licence fee in one lump sum.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Television licences are issued on an annual basis and households can choose a variety of payment plans to spread the cost of the licence, including monthly and quarterly payment plans.

New joiners to TV Licensing’s monthly direct debit scheme pay for their first licence over 6 months. This front-loading of payments is a requirement set out in legislation. After the initial 6 months of joining the scheme, households pay towards their next licence through payments spread over 12 months. This is intended to reduce the BBC’s exposure to unexpected changes in its income that could result from households stopping their fee payments part-way through the year, and which could impact the BBC’s ability to deliver its services for the public.

The Government recognises the financial difficulties faced by some households. This is why we announced a significant extension to the Simple Payment Plan to support more households by enabling them to split up the annual licence fee payment into more manageable fortnightly and monthly instalments. This payment plan does not require front-loading. The changes, which came into effect in February 2025, make a greater number of households eligible for the Plan.

The Secretary of State is a strong supporter of the BBC and has been clear that the BBC must be funded by a model that is sustainable and fair to all those that are paying it. The Government is keeping an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and the forthcoming Charter Review will provide an opportunity for the Government to consider the best possible funding model to set the BBC up for success long into the future.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had discussions with the BBC on the rationale for requiring new Direct Debit customers to pay six months of licence fees in advance.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Television licences are issued on an annual basis and households can choose a variety of payment plans to spread the cost of the licence, including monthly and quarterly payment plans.

New joiners to TV Licensing’s monthly direct debit scheme pay for their first licence over 6 months. This front-loading of payments is a requirement set out in legislation. After the initial 6 months of joining the scheme, households pay towards their next licence through payments spread over 12 months. This is intended to reduce the BBC’s exposure to unexpected changes in its income that could result from households stopping their fee payments part-way through the year, and which could impact the BBC’s ability to deliver its services for the public.

The Government recognises the financial difficulties faced by some households. This is why we announced a significant extension to the Simple Payment Plan to support more households by enabling them to split up the annual licence fee payment into more manageable fortnightly and monthly instalments. This payment plan does not require front-loading. The changes, which came into effect in February 2025, make a greater number of households eligible for the Plan.

The Secretary of State is a strong supporter of the BBC and has been clear that the BBC must be funded by a model that is sustainable and fair to all those that are paying it. The Government is keeping an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and the forthcoming Charter Review will provide an opportunity for the Government to consider the best possible funding model to set the BBC up for success long into the future.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has held discussions with the BBC on requiring new Direct Debit customers to pay six months of licence fees in advance.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Television licences are issued on an annual basis and households can choose a variety of payment plans to spread the cost of the licence, including monthly and quarterly payment plans.

New joiners to TV Licensing’s monthly direct debit scheme pay for their first licence over 6 months. This front-loading of payments is a requirement set out in legislation. After the initial 6 months of joining the scheme, households pay towards their next licence through payments spread over 12 months. This is intended to reduce the BBC’s exposure to unexpected changes in its income that could result from households stopping their fee payments part-way through the year, and which could impact the BBC’s ability to deliver its services for the public.

The Government recognises the financial difficulties faced by some households. This is why we announced a significant extension to the Simple Payment Plan to support more households by enabling them to split up the annual licence fee payment into more manageable fortnightly and monthly instalments. This payment plan does not require front-loading. The changes, which came into effect in February 2025, make a greater number of households eligible for the Plan.

The Secretary of State is a strong supporter of the BBC and has been clear that the BBC must be funded by a model that is sustainable and fair to all those that are paying it. The Government is keeping an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and the forthcoming Charter Review will provide an opportunity for the Government to consider the best possible funding model to set the BBC up for success long into the future.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of advance payment requirements for TV licences on low-income households.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Television licences are issued on an annual basis and households can choose a variety of payment plans to spread the cost of the licence, including monthly and quarterly payment plans.

New joiners to TV Licensing’s monthly direct debit scheme pay for their first licence over 6 months. This front-loading of payments is a requirement set out in legislation. After the initial 6 months of joining the scheme, households pay towards their next licence through payments spread over 12 months. This is intended to reduce the BBC’s exposure to unexpected changes in its income that could result from households stopping their fee payments part-way through the year, and which could impact the BBC’s ability to deliver its services for the public.

The Government recognises the financial difficulties faced by some households. This is why we announced a significant extension to the Simple Payment Plan to support more households by enabling them to split up the annual licence fee payment into more manageable fortnightly and monthly instalments. This payment plan does not require front-loading. The changes, which came into effect in February 2025, make a greater number of households eligible for the Plan.

The Secretary of State is a strong supporter of the BBC and has been clear that the BBC must be funded by a model that is sustainable and fair to all those that are paying it. The Government is keeping an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and the forthcoming Charter Review will provide an opportunity for the Government to consider the best possible funding model to set the BBC up for success long into the future.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had discussions with the Northern Ireland Department of Health on the (a) operation of the Foundation Programme allocation process and (b) its potential impact on applicants in Northern Ireland.

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

The UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) manages the national application process for the UK Foundation Programme, issues guidance on foundation training, and promotes the consistent delivery of the Foundation Programme across the United Kingdom, including in Northern Ireland. The UKFPO is funded by, and is accountable to, the four UK statutory education bodies, including the Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency.

NHS England is due to review the Foundation Programme allocation process. The review is aiming to commence in 2026. NHS England will advise stakeholders on how they can input in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to make changes to the Foundation Programme allocation process, following the most recent application round.

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

NHS England is due to review the Foundation Programme allocation process. The review is aiming to commence in 2026. NHS England will advise stakeholders, including the British Medical Association, on how they can input in due course.

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July, we will work across Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period, for specialty training.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the (a) fairness and (b effectiveness of the Foundation Programme allocation process.

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

NHS England is due to review the Foundation Programme allocation process. The review is aiming to commence in 2026. NHS England will advise stakeholders, including the British Medical Association, on how they can input in due course.

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July, we will work across Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period, for specialty training.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will support the British Medical Association's Foundation Programme Recruitment Campaign.

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

NHS England is due to review the Foundation Programme allocation process. The review is aiming to commence in 2026. NHS England will advise stakeholders, including the British Medical Association, on how they can input in due course.

As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July, we will work across Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training, and to prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period, for specialty training.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to enable (a) private coaches, (b) education tutors and (c) other self-employed people to apply for an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service certificate with the relevant barred list check, in line with Recommendation 4 of the Bailey Review.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

On 9 April 2025, the Government published an update on its work to tackle child sexual abuse, available on GOV.UK: Tackling Child Sexual Abuse. As part of this, by the end of 2025, we will introduce secondary legislation to create the ability for self-employed individuals, working in sensitive roles with children and vulnerable adults, to access higher-level Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. This change will apply in England and Wales.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to introduce a legal requirement for people undertaking regulated activity to obtain an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service certificate with a barred list check.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Outside of specific sectors such as health and education, where Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are mandated, the decision to carry out DBS checks lies with the employer. DBS checks apply in England and Wales; other parts of the UK have their own arrangements.

Whilst some sectors do set requirements for enhanced checks for some roles and/or settings where regulated activity takes place. Home Office legislation around regulated activity and DBS checks only provides eligibility for checks; it does not make them a requirement.

However, if an individual has been barred, then they will be committing a criminal offence if they knowingly engage, or seek to engage, in regulated activity with a vulnerable group from which they are barred. This is punishable by imprisonment and/or fine. The same is true for employers who knowingly employ somebody who is on the barred list. This is why employers are expected to undertake regular checks for those in regulated activity otherwise they risk committing that offence.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent engagement he has had with the blood cancer community on the significance of implementing a proxy measure for early diagnosis in blood cancer.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department continues to support the National Health Service to diagnose and treat cancer as early and fast as possible. There have been improvements in the prognosis of blood cancer patients, with patients now living twice as long. However, we recognise that because of the damaged NHS this Government inherited, patients with cancers with non-specific symptoms such as blood cancer, are waiting too long for diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. However, the Department will continue to engage with blood cancer charities and key stakeholders to determine how to support the best outcomes for blood cancer patients.

At this time no current assessment has been made on the potential merits of a proxy measure for early diagnosis in unstageable blood cancers. However, we remain committed to making improvements across different cancer types and reducing disparities in cancer survival. Early cancer diagnosis is also a specific priority within the NHS’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities. The NHS currently track early diagnosis in stageable blood cancers by combining the percentage of diagnoses within stage 1 or 2, as it would for any other stageable cancer.

Furthermore, to tackle late, emergency setting diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England with blood cancers being one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), through the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Services, collects information on how many people in England have cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms. The NDRS website also shows the number of people treated for different tumour types by treatment type, as well as survival rates, mortality rates, and data on urgent suspected cancer referrals. Further information is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/cancer-data-hub

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients in England, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will ensure patients, including those with blood cancer, have timely access to the latest treatments and technology.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will commit to engaging with the blood cancer community to agree on an appropriate measure for early diagnosis in blood cancer.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department continues to support the National Health Service to diagnose and treat cancer as early and fast as possible. There have been improvements in the prognosis of blood cancer patients, with patients now living twice as long. However, we recognise that because of the damaged NHS this Government inherited, patients with cancers with non-specific symptoms such as blood cancer, are waiting too long for diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. However, the Department will continue to engage with blood cancer charities and key stakeholders to determine how to support the best outcomes for blood cancer patients.

At this time no current assessment has been made on the potential merits of a proxy measure for early diagnosis in unstageable blood cancers. However, we remain committed to making improvements across different cancer types and reducing disparities in cancer survival. Early cancer diagnosis is also a specific priority within the NHS’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities. The NHS currently track early diagnosis in stageable blood cancers by combining the percentage of diagnoses within stage 1 or 2, as it would for any other stageable cancer.

Furthermore, to tackle late, emergency setting diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England with blood cancers being one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), through the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Services, collects information on how many people in England have cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms. The NDRS website also shows the number of people treated for different tumour types by treatment type, as well as survival rates, mortality rates, and data on urgent suspected cancer referrals. Further information is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/cancer-data-hub

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients in England, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will ensure patients, including those with blood cancer, have timely access to the latest treatments and technology.

Chinook Justice Campaign

Blood Cancer Awareness Month

Final delivery plan on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)

Equitable national prostate cancer screening

Naloxone

Farmers, growers and the supermarket supply chain

Digital ID

Young farmers' organisations across the United Kingdom

Sanctions on Israel and International Court of Justice findings

Greyhound racing

Proposal for a wealth tax

UK-based medical charities in Palestine

Climate Finance Fund (Fossil Fuels and Pollution) Bill

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Tonia Antoniazzi (Chair); Chris Bloore; Sorcha Eastwood; Claire Hanna

Found: Not called_NC8 Iqbal Mohamed Sorcha Eastwood 5 REPORT STAGE Tuesday 8 July 2025 .

Submit Evidence (by 7 Nov 2025)

2026 marks 25 years since the establishment of the PSNI following the recommendations of the Patten review on policing. This inquiry will examine how far the objectives and aspirations of the Patten review have been realised, and explore the key challenges facing policing and security in Northern Ireland today—particularly in areas that remain under UK Government co-ordination and funding. Read our call for evidence [here] for more detail about the inquiry and how to contribute your views.