Written questions by Dixon.

Whether his Department plans to consult on the regulation of fireworks.

The Government recognises that people hold a range of views on fireworks, including their impact on people, animals and local communities, as well as their importance to businesses and public events. The regulatory framework is kept under review, and I wi...

With reference to the answer of 10 November 2025 to Question 78821, whether additional resources have been allocated to research on (a) Giloma, (b) Glioblastoma, (c) Astrocytoma, (d) DIPG and (e) D

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner on 10 November 2025 to Question 78821. As investment for cancer research is calculated retrospectively, with a time lag due to annual reporting cycles, 2024/25 i...

Innovation and Technology, what progress she has made on revising the Cabinet Siting and Pole Siting Code of Practice.

In August 2024, the then Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms asked industry to consider revising the Cabinet Siting and Pole Siting Code of Practice to better reflect community concerns and convened a roundtable discussion with network oper...

What assessment her Department has made of the parity of GCSE English Language and IGCSE English Language on the coursework route qualifications.

GCSE English Language and IGCSE English Language are distinct qualifications, which are assessed and regulated in different ways.GCSE English Language qualifications in England are regulated by Ofqual, with subject content set by the Department. These GCS...

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of whether X continues to qualify for protection as a platform rather than a publisher under UK law.

The Online Safety Act imposes a range of duties on user-to-user service providers, including X, requiring them to proactively identify, mitigate and manage risks to users, and to be accountable for the safety of their platforms. Service providers must pro...

What steps her Department is taking to improve working conditions for parents working in primary and secondary education settings.

The department is taking a range of steps to improve working conditions for parents working in schools.The Employment Rights Act 2025 provides for the establishment of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB). This will be a new statutory body wi...

What consideration his Department has given to reviewing NHS optical voucher values for children with complex visual needs, particularly those with conditions such as Albanism.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that children, including those with complex visual needs such as albinism, can access appropriate optical care and appliances.National Health Service optical vouchers are designed to support eligible gr...

Pursuant to Answer of 2 June 2025 on Question 56485 on the limited capability for work and work-related activity element of Universal Credit, what progress has been made in reviewing the Child Maintenance calculation.

The Government is conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This includes updating the underlying research and ensuring it is fair for both parents and encourages willing and able compliance.The outcome of the review and next steps will be announced in due course.

With reference to her Department's consultation document entitled Assistive software funded through Disabled Students’ Allowance, published on 26 March 2026, what steps she is taking to ensure that any restrictions to access to specialist software will not be detrimental to student learning.

The department’s consultation on assistive software funded through Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) seeks to gather evidence on how best to modernise the support provided to take into account the huge advances in technology over recent years. As part of this, the consultation explores how the widespread availability of built‑in and free-to-access accessibility tools can meet some students’ needs without the use of specific specialist software products funded through DSA. The proposals in the consultation envisage that assistive software will continue to be funded through DSA where there is an additional disability-related need for it that cannot be met by any other software available to the student free of charge.No policy decisions have yet been made. The consultation remains live until 18 June, and responses will inform final policy decisions following the consultation.

What steps he is taking to ensure that migration from legacy benefits to Universal Credit does not affect a benefit claimant's eligibility for Council Tax Reduction, including the level of reduction they are entitled to; and what steps he is taking to help ensure that local authorities treat the Universal Credit transitional element as a regular part of a Universal Credit award for the purposes of determining Council Tax Reduction eligibility.

DWP does not have any control over council tax schemes, and overarching responsibility for Local Council Tax Reduction lies with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). As a result, Council Tax Reduction entitlement may differ from the support customers previously received under legacy benefits.We recognise that this can be difficult for customers, particularly where there has been no change in their overall household income following migration to Universal Credit. Transitional protection is designed to protect customers’ benefit entitlement levels when they move to Universal Credit. It does not provide cover for schemes that are administered by local authorities, including Council Tax Reduction, which are assessed separately from benefit entitlement.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of including maintenance loans as part of a student loan on students from lower income backgrounds.

We have future-proofed our maintenance offer by confirming that we will increase maintenance loans in line with forecast inflation every academic year. This will provide students with long-term financial certainty on the support they will receive while studying and ensure that students from the lowest income families receive the largest year-on-year cash increases in support. Maximum loans for living costs for undergraduate students will increase by 2.71% for the 2026/27 academic year.From 2028/29, maintenance grants will support full-time students from low-income households studying courses aligned with the government’s missions. The grants will provide disadvantaged full-time students with up to £1,000 extra per year on top of existing maintenance loans, increasing cash for students without increasing their debt.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing a proportionate regulatory framework for day care services for older and disabled adults, including dementia day care services.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. The CQC monitors, inspects, and regulates adult social care services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. Where concerns on quality or safety are identified, the CQC uses its regulatory and enforcement powers available and will take action to ensure the safety of people drawing on care and support.Day care services are operated by local authorities, the National Health Service, or voluntary/private organisations. These services operate in the premises in which social, recreational, and care services may be provided to people who need them, due to old age, illness, or disability. Currently, day care services for older and disabled adults, including dementia day care, in which no personal care is provided, are not regulated by the CQC. For day care services to be brought into scope of the CQC’s regulatory remit would require a change in legislation.These regulations are not currently under review. Any amendments to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 would be subject to the usual Parliamentary process which would include a public consultation, and thus an opportunity to consider the merits of further regulation of social care providers.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a national standardised water social tariff with clear eligibility and consistent discount levels.

The Government is working with industry to keep support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers are supported. We are working with water companies to ensure vulnerable customers across the country receive support. This includes improving the guidance for companies to design the best social tariffs for their customers. Over the next five years, water companies will have more than doubled the number of customers that will receive help with their bills through social tariffs from 4% in 2025 to 9% in 2030. We expect companies to hold themselves accountable for their commitment to end Water Poverty by 2030 and will work with the sector to ensure appropriate measures are taken to this end.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure General Practice nursing and administrative staff are offered a pay increase as a result of the funding increase for GP contracts for 2025/26.

The Government looks to the independent pay review bodies for a pay recommendation for National Health Service staff, including both contractor and salaried general practitioners (GPs). They consider a range of evidence from organisations including the Government, the NHS, and trade unions to reach their recommendations.The independent review body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) have recommended an uplift of 4% to the pay ranges for salaried GPs, and to GP contractor pay. As with last year, we accepted the DDRB’s pay recommendation. We have provided an increase to core funding for practices to allow this 4% pay uplift, on top of the provisional 2.8% uplift already provided, to be passed on to salaried and contractor GPs. The additional funding will also allow for pay uplifts for other salaried GP staff, including nursing and administrative staff. Information on the funding increase was communicated to practices on 31 July 2025. Further information can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/implementing-the-2025-26-gp-contract/The Government has written to the British Medical Association’s General Practitioners Committee England to set out its expectations regarding the extra funding being used to fund uplifts for all staff and a letter to ICBs was published on 31 July, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/financial-implications-and-actions-for-integrated-care-boards-icbs-following-the-mid-year-updates-to-the-2025-26-gp-contract/We expect GP contractors to implement pay rises to other practice staff in line with the uplift in funding they have received. As self-employed contractors to the NHS, it is up to GPs how they distribute pay and benefits to their staff.

Whether her Department plans to provide exemptions from Electronic Travel Authorisation for children living abroad who hold dual citizenship having inherited their British Citizenship from a Parent but who do not possess a British Passport.

British citizens with dual nationality (including those who acquired British citizenship from birth), are already exempt from the requirement to obtain an electronic travel authorisation when travelling to the UK.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of funding the full cost of specialist palliative care delivered by hospices.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning core and specialist palliative care services to meet the reasonable needs of their population, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and a service specification.The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. The MSF will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life and will enable ICBs to address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care.Through our MSF, we will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end-of-life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality. We will consider contracting and commissioning arrangements as part of our MSF. We recognise that there is currently a mix of contracting models in the hospice sector. By supporting ICBs to commission core and specialist care more strategically, we can move away from grant and block contract models. In the long term, this will aid sustainability and help hospices’ ability to plan ahead.The recently published Strategic Commissioning Framework and Medium-Term Planning Guidance also make clear the expectations that ICBs should understand current and projected total service utilisation and costs for those at the end of life, creating an overall plan to more effectively meet these needs through neighbourhood health.Hospices provide both core and specialist palliative care. Whilst acknowledging that not everyone will need specialist palliative care, we must ensure is that there is equitable and timely access to these services, whether they are provided by hospices or the National Health Service.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of social media on young people’s wellbeing.

I know parents are worried about how social media impacts children's wellbeing.Two weeks ago, we published a study led by Professor Amy Orben which reviewed recent causal research on this issue and found it to be inconclusive. There is more to be done, which is why we announced a swift consultation, backed by a national conversation.We will gather the evidence necessary to identify next steps and give children the childhood they deserve.

What funding he plans to make available to Integrated Care Boards to meet demand for ADHD and Autism assessments.

NHS England is responsible for determining allocations of financial resources to integrated care boards (ICBs). Funding for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism assessments are included within NHS England’s financial allocations to ICBs. The process of setting allocations is informed by the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation, an independent committee that provides advice to NHS England on setting the target formula which impacts how allocations are distributed over time.ICB allocations for 2026/27 to 2028/29 were published on 17 November 2025, and are available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/allocation-of-resources-2026-27-to-2027-28/Through the Medium-Term Planning Framework, published 24 October, NHS England has set clear expectations for local ICBs and trusts to improve access, experiences, and outcomes for autism and ADHD services over the next three years, focusing on improving quality and productivity.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of utilising disused water and gas pipes in the laying of new electrical cables as part of National Grid upgrades.

Network operators are responsible for assessing and selecting the appropriate construction methods for new infrastructure. The government has not undertaken an assessment of utilising disused pipes for the installation of new electricity cables but notes there are technical difficulties in using redundant pipes for electricity transmission, including the need to dissipate heat from electricity cables running through the pipes, means of access for maintenance and repair, the need to pass cables through the existing compressors and valves and, for AC cables, the need for power factor correction components. In addition, redundant pipes are not always located where infrastructure is required.

Whether she plans to extend the period by which UK nationals and family members living in (a) the EEA and (b) Switzerland at the end of the transition period will be eligible for home fee status, tuition fee and maintenance support to courses starting beyond 1st January 2028.

UK nationals and their children living in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland who wish to study in the UK will be eligible for automatic home fee status and student support for courses starting up to seven years from the end of the transition period. The seven-year period ensures that eligible UK nationals and their children whose normal place of residence is in the EEA or Switzerland will still be able to access home fee status and student financial support in England immediately on their return to the UK. From 1 January 2028, UK nationals and their children must normally have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) for three years immediately before the start of their course to qualify for automatic home fee status and student support. There are no plans to extend this period.