Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many removals from elective waiting lists there have been as a result of data validation exercises in 2025-26; and what the cost to his Department has been of those exercises.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Validation is a well-established component for the effective management of waiting lists, ensuring that the patients who are on the list should still be there. While we have significantly reduced the size of the total elective waiting list by over 206,000 since the Government took office, a large list requires consistent validation in order to ensure that all patients on the list still require care, and all appointments are of optimum value for patients and clinicians.
The Department does not hold data centrally on the number of patient pathways removed from the elective waiting list as a result of data validation.
NHS England has paid the system £18,818,566 for validation exercises from April to September 2025. Payments for the most recent validation exercises have not yet been issued to providers. We know validation provides significant benefits for patients by reducing missed appointments, making effective use of clinical time, and ensuring patients are on the best care pathway for their needs.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of a ban on trail hunting on the economy in rural communities.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The department intends to launch a consultation seeking views on how to deliver a ban on trail hunting. The responses to that consultation will be used to inform our assessment of the potential impact of a ban on trail hunting on the economy in rural communities.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to consult (a) rural stakeholders and (b) trail hunting organisations prior to the introduction of legislative proposals to ban trail hunting.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We intend to launch a consultation seeking views on how to deliver a ban on trail hunting. We will welcome input from all quarters, including from rural stakeholders and trail hunting organisations.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of jobs in rural areas that will be affected by a ban on trail hunting.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The department intends to launch a consultation seeking views on how to deliver a ban on trail hunting. The responses to that consultation will be used to inform our assessment of the potential impact of a ban on trail hunting on the economy in rural communities.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has considered freezing or reducing the small business multiplier in response to rising fixed costs for SMEs.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to UIN 101363.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to publish analysis of the business rates burden by sector and business size following the 2026 revaluation.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to UIN 101363.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the comparative impact of the 2026 business rates revaluation on (a) small retailers and (b) online distribution centres.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to UIN 101363.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she plans to introduce further transitional relief for small businesses facing increases in business rates liabilities following the 2026 revaluation.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to UIN 101363.