Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of NHS spending on pharmaceutical products on levels of NHS staffing, equipment and activity in the context of the UK-US trade deal.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Every patient deserves access to the best possible treatment. By increasing the standard National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) cost-effectiveness threshold, we are increasing the value that we place on innovations that deliver improvements to patient health. Alongside the changes that we announced in the Life Sciences Sector Plan this will increase both the speed and breadth of patient access to innovative medicines and encourage growth in United Kingdom based clinical trials. This is supported by confirmation that, thanks to strong UK support for innovation, the UK has secured mitigations under the United States of America’s ‘Most Favoured Nation’ drug pricing initiative.
This deal will also benefit our life sciences sector, driving jobs, investment, and growth. We have secured a preferential tariff rate of 0% for all pharmaceuticals exports to the US for at least three years, and preferential terms for the UK’s medical technology exports, meaning no additional new tariffs on medical technology.
The move has secured the confidence of the pharmaceutical industry that the UK is a top destination for investment and growth, with major firms like Moderna, Prologis, and BioNTech investing billions here, and renewed confidence in the UK.
Costs will start smaller but will increase over time as NICE approves more life improving and lifesaving medicines. Total costs over the spending review period are expected to be approximately £1 billion. But the final costs will depend on which medicines NICE decides to approve and the actual uptake of these.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 December 2025 to Question 99417 on Undocumented Migrants, what steps she is taking to recover individuals who go out of contact with her Department.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has a dedicated tracing capability that works in partnership with the police, other government agencies, and commercial companies to help identify information on a person. Where tracing checks are successful, we will consider the most appropriate intervention, including whether to task an enforcement team to conduct a visit or to set up a suitable immigration reporting regime.
Tracing is just one of the ways in which contact can be re-established. Individuals are also encountered through routine Immigration Enforcement and police activity. In all cases we will consider the most appropriate action, including arrest and detention and possible removal from the United Kingdom. Many individuals who are out of contact may also re-engage with the department voluntarily or decide to leave the UK.
We are committed to improving data quality for illegal migrants to ensure that we restore order and control to our borders. We have already set up teams to review existing areas to streamline processes, improve training and ensure join-up across systems across illegal migration to get the data right first time.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant of Answer of 22 December 2025 to Question 99417: Undocumented Migrants, what steps she is taking to improve the quality of absconder data.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has a dedicated tracing capability that works in partnership with the police, other government agencies, and commercial companies to help identify information on a person. Where tracing checks are successful, we will consider the most appropriate intervention, including whether to task an enforcement team to conduct a visit or to set up a suitable immigration reporting regime.
Tracing is just one of the ways in which contact can be re-established. Individuals are also encountered through routine Immigration Enforcement and police activity. In all cases we will consider the most appropriate action, including arrest and detention and possible removal from the United Kingdom. Many individuals who are out of contact may also re-engage with the department voluntarily or decide to leave the UK.
We are committed to improving data quality for illegal migrants to ensure that we restore order and control to our borders. We have already set up teams to review existing areas to streamline processes, improve training and ensure join-up across systems across illegal migration to get the data right first time.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2025 measures on VAT on private hire vehicles on (a) people with disabilities and (b) older people.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Private hire vehicle (PHV) services provided by VAT-registered businesses are, and always have been, subject to the standard rate of VAT (20%).
The Government’s announcement at Autumn Budget 2025 puts an end to the exploitation of a VAT administration scheme, designed for the tour operator sector, by a small number of large private hire vehicle operators seeking to pay a lower rate of VAT than others.
This won’t affect smaller operators outside London whose drivers contract directly with passengers, or black cabs, neither of which have attempted to exploit this scheme.
By making sure all operators pay their fair share, the Government expects to raise around £700m of tax revenue each year that it believes should already be being paid. Protecting this revenue is part of the Government’s tax reforms which have enabled us to protect payslips, cut energy bills and reduce borrowing.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2025 to Written Question 75761, what criteria he uses to determine cost-effectiveness.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The criteria used to determine the cost-effectiveness of offering services in the NHS App is yet to be finalised, as scoping is at an early stage and will take place alongside the business planning process for the Spending Review period.
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of adopting a preventative approach to mental health; and what steps he is taking to support such an approach.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to transform mental health services. We want to promote good mental health and wellbeing for the nation, prevent people from developing mental health problems, and improve the lives of people living with a mental health condition. This includes providing mental health support teams in schools and colleges, improving assertive outreach, investing in mental health emergency departments, and increasing access to evidence-based digital interventions.
Additionally, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities Regional Public Health team work closely with local councils to become signatories to the Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health. This includes developing local plans to improve mental wellbeing across the life course and to reduce inequalities in mental health, working with partners across the health and care system, as well as schools and employers.
The Government has also recently launched an independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism. This review will seek to identify opportunities to provide different models of support and pathways, within and beyond the National Health Service, that promote prevention and early intervention.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of safeguards in AI when dealing with mental health based queries.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the importance of safeguards when using artificial intelligence (AI) for mental health queries. The United Kingdom has a world-leading regulatory system, and the National Health Service operates within a comprehensive regulatory framework for AI, underpinned by rigorous standards established by bodies including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Health Research Authority, and the Care Quality Commission. These agencies ensure that AI technologies are safe, effective, and ethically deployed within healthcare settings.
Publicly available AI applications that are not deployed by the NHS, such as ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini, are not regulated as medical technologies and may offer incorrect or harmful information. Users are strongly advised to be careful when using these technologies. The Department recommends that individuals seek advice from the NHS website, which provides clinically approved guidance on mental health-based queries, or that they reach out to healthcare professionals.
The Department continues to work with NHS England and regulators to strengthen oversight and ensure AI in health and care is safe, effective, and accountable.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's news story entitled UK-France treaty targeting illegal crossings comes into force, published on 4 August 2025, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the one in, one out scheme to date.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are continuously monitoring and evaluating the agreement with France to ensure its effectiveness. There will be a full evaluation at the end of the pilot period.
Any individual who re-enters the UK illegally may be detained and, where appropriate, we will seek to expedite removal.
The system is working: two individuals who returned to the UK having already been removed were detected, detained, and their cases were expedited for return. We continue to work closely with our French counterparts to ensure that those who are returned under the agreement do not re-enter the UK illegally.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the reciprocal agreement with France in deterring repeat illegal entry attempts.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are continuously monitoring and evaluating the agreement with France to ensure its effectiveness. There will be a full evaluation at the end of the pilot period.
Any individual who re-enters the UK illegally may be detained and, where appropriate, we will seek to expedite removal.
The system is working: two individuals who returned to the UK having already been removed were detected, detained, and their cases were expedited for return. We continue to work closely with our French counterparts to ensure that those who are returned under the agreement do not re-enter the UK illegally.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 8 October 2025 to written question 75742, if he will make an estimate of the resources required for continuous monitoring.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Detailed planning is still underway for the Spending Review period, which would include the continuous monitoring of all elements of the NHS App, including artificial intelligence assisted triage functionality. At this stage no estimate has been made of the resources required for the continuous monitoring of the triage functions of the NHS App specifically, but it is being included and is a key element when considering how to deliver this change.