Written questions by Johnson.

With reference to the Written Statement of 23 February 2026 on Clinical Trials, what information his Department holds on when the letter from MHRA to King's College London was (a) sent and (b) received; and on what date his Department became aware of (i) the letter and (ii) the concerns raised in the letter.

Given that there are live legal proceedings, we are unable to comment on the details of the PATHWAYS trial.

With reference to the Written Statement of 23 February 2026 on Clinical trials, whether (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials had discussions with MHRA on the Pathways clinical trial prior to February 2026.

Given that there are live legal proceedings, we are unable to comment on the details of the PATHWAYS trial.

Whether any children were recruited for any arm of the Pathways clinical trials prior to it being paused.

As announced on 20 February 2026, the PATHWAYS clinical trial has been paused, following new queries raised by the medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. No participants have been recruited to the trial and while it is paused recruitment will not start; therefore no children or young people will receive puberty suppression during this period.As the intensive element of PATHWAYS HORIZON is designed to provide a matched control group for the trial, and as PATHWAYS CONNECT is designed to compare children and young people receiving puberty suppression with a group in the intensive element of PATHWAYS HORIZON, it is not possible for these aspects to progress without the TRIAL element. The other PATHWAYS study projects are not affected by this pause.

Whether (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials had discussions with (i) NHS England, (ii) University of York and (iii) other researchers on the Data Linkage study in (A) November 2025, (B) December 2025 and (C) January 2026.

The data linkage study remains an important commitment and forms part of a wider national research programme underpinning the design and delivery of the new model of National Health Service care in place in England for children and young people with gender incongruence/dysphoria. No discussions were had with the University of York in November 2025, December 2025 and January 2026 about the data linkage study. The Department has, however, continued to regularly engage with and support NHS England, which has taken on responsibility for study delivery. Important final steps are currently being taken to enable the study to begin. On 26 February, an updated order was laid in both Houses of Parliament to facilitate delivery of the data linkage study. The order will provide appropriate legal protections for those individuals and organisations who will be sharing or processing data potentially subject to the specific protections of the Gender Recognition Act 2004, for the purpose of the study. The order is expected to come in to force on 20 March 2026. Final Health Research Authority study approval will also need to be in place before the study can begin.

Whether all arms of the Pathways clinical trials have been paused.

The PATHWAYS TRIAL focuses on the effects of puberty suppressing hormones on young people’s physical, social, and emotional well-being specifically when offered alongside the new model of National Health Service gender care based on comprehensive assessment and tailored psychosocial support. Therefore, the PATHWAYS study includes three non-interventional research projects:PATHWAYS Voices involves speaking to young people, parents and staff about their experiences of living with gender incongruence and their care in NHS Gender Services;PATHWAYS Horizon tracks the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of all young people attending United Kingdom NHS Gender Services who want to take part in the Horizon study, along with their parents; andPATHWAYS Connect studies whether puberty suppressing hormones affect young people's thinking and brain development through cognitive tests and brain scans. It would include some young people in the PATHWAYS trial and also some of the young people from the Horizon study.As announced on 20 February, the PATHWAYS clinical trial has been paused, following new queries raised by the medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. While it is paused, recruitment of children and young people into the trial will not start, and therefore no children or young people will receive puberty suppression. As the intensive element of PATHWAYS Horizon is designed to provide a matched control group for the trial, and as PATHWAYS Connect is designed to compare children and young people receiving puberty suppression with a group in the intensive element of PATHWAYS Horizon, it is not possible for these aspects to progress without the trial element. The other PATHWAYS study projects are not affected by this pause.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of school initial teacher training providers sending trainee teachers to conferences and work shops promoting the concept of white privilege on schools' ability to comply with sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996.

All Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses leading to QTS must incorporate the Initial Teacher Training Early Career Framework (ITTECF) in full. The ITTECF is based on the best available evidence of what makes high-quality teaching and sets out the critical core content that new teachers need to be successful as they join the teaching profession.The framework does not require ITT courses to include content on white privilege theory and/or schools' ability to comply with sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996.ITT courses must be designed so that trainees can demonstrate that they meet all the Teachers' Standards at the appropriate level. Part two of the Teachers’ Standards sets clear standards for teachers’ personal and professional conduct, including not undermining British values and promoting mutual respect and tolerance of different views. Regular Ofsted inspection of ITT providers considers their training content and how providers prepare trainees to meet all expected professional behaviours.

How many full time equivalent civil servants are working on his Department's response to the Hughes Report: Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024.

Civil servants often contribute to a range of policy areas within the Department, therefore it is not possible to provide specific staff numbers for those that are exclusively working on the Department’s response to the Hughes Report.

What monitoring her Department undertakes of recruitment and selection practices by organisations in receipt of public funds.

The department does not monitor the recruitment and selection approaches in place across other employers except in some specific situations, for example on the approach to the remuneration of some senior academy trust executive leaders.All individuals working in public roles within the education sector are expected to comply with the Seven Principles of Public Life, which includes making decisions fairly and on merit.

What number of UK citizens have obtained a primary medical degree outside the UK by country in each of the last five years.

The Department does not hold the data requested. Data is available that shows the scale of doctors employed in National Health Service trusts in England who qualified outside the United Kingdom and who declare a UK nationality. The data is not available by year of graduation, but an indication of annual numbers is possible by using the year of first General Medical Council (GMC) registration.Within NHS trusts in England, an average of 473 UK nationals who qualified outside the UK had registered with the GMC annually in the latest five years of available data, from 2019 to 2023. This will not count doctors who do not work in NHS trusts in England, and may include international medical graduates who gained UK citizenship after graduation or UK employment. The table attached presents the total number of doctors employed in NHS trusts in England who qualified outside the UK and who declare a UK nationality, and the ten largest countries of qualification for the years 2019 to 2023.

How many staff responsible for UK Foundation programme allocation process are (a) NHS employees, (b) civil servants and (c) people involved in direct clinical care.

The UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) facilitates the operation and continuing development of the Foundation Programme. It is jointly funded and governed by NHS England and the four United Kingdom health departments.All of the UKFPO’s administrative team are employees of the National Health Service, none are civil servants. Many of the team have wider experience of working in hospital settings directly with foundation doctors, or of working in foundation and medical education settings.The UKFPO's National Clinical Director is a clinician, and the role of the Clinical Advisor for Recruitment is shared by two foundation school directors who are also both clinicians. The team is also directly responsible to medical directors in the four nation statutory education bodies (SEBs).The UKFPO has a Foundation Recruitment Group which oversees its recruitment and allocation activity and processes. This group includes stakeholders like the Medical Schools Council, the British Medical Association, and medical school representatives, as well as the four nation SEBs.

How many and what proportion of (a) home students and (b) non-home students who graduated from the UK with a primary medical degree from 2010 to 2020 remain working in the NHS.

The Department does not hold the data requested. The Department does though hold data from internal analysis that may give wider context to the question tabled and this is included below.This analysis shows that of United Kingdom medical school students graduating in approximately 2012 to 2020, 93% of UK domiciled and 78% of non-UK domiciled students had entered the Foundation Programme year 2, as of 2024. Approximately 73% of UK and 55% of non-UK domiciled students had entered core/specialty training by 2024, though this number may rise further with time due to the level of competition to enter specialty medical training.The following table shows the entrants to UK medical school from 2007 to 2015, tracked to registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) and entry to initial stages of NHS training, by domicile at entry to medical school: HeadcountPercentage of initial medical school cohortDomicile at entry to medical school:UKNon-UKUKNon-UKCohort stage Entrants to UK medical schools60,8907,980100%100%of which seen on the GMC register57,1457,22594%91%of which entered Foundation year 156,6006,18593%78%of which entered Foundation year 255,8905,72592%72%of which entered level 1 of core/specialty training44,6354,41073%55%Source: the Department of Health and Social Care’s analysis of UK Medical Education Database, Higher Education Statistics Agency, and General Medical Council data, may not match other sources.Notes:data is currently only available to March 2024;the total entrants to the UK medical schools will include both those on UK Government funded places but also self-funded students at UK medical schools;analysis only tracks doctors into NHS training, some graduates may be in UK medical employment outside the NHS such as research/academia/industry;the numbers in specialty training may rise with time due to the competition in recruitment;data is not held by year of graduation, however students starting medical schools in 2007 to 2015 will correspond approximately to graduates between 2012 to 2020, therefore this is a reasonable proxy for the requested graduate cohorts; andthe data represents the vast majority of UK medical students, although it may not match other sources of medical school entrant data as it includes only the four most common medical school courses.The table above shows the entrants to UK medical schools between 2007 and 2015 by their domicile status at entry to medical school and the proportion who are then seen on the GMC register of doctors, those who have entered year one of foundation medical training, those who have entered year two of foundation medical training, and those who have entered the first level of core/specialty medical training. This analysis tracks medical students’ progress though NHS medical training up to 2024.

How many and what proportion of UK primary medical degree graduates were (a) British and (b) non-British by country in each of the last five years.

The Department of Health and Social Care does not hold information on the nationality of United Kingdom primary medical degree student graduates. The Office for Students publishes statistics on the fee statuses of annual intakes to medical courses across the UK, but not of those graduating. The fee statuses can act as a guide for UK versus non-UK nationality. The following table shows the fee statuses for intakes to UK medical schools during the academic years 2021/22 to 2025/26:Academic year Home feesOther feesWithdrawn during year2021/22Intake9,535965155Intake percentage89%9%1%2022/23Intake8,815885140Intake percentage90%9%1%2023/24Intake9,0301,09080Intake percentage89%11%1%2024/25Intake9,370980130Intake percentage89%9%1%2025/26*Intake9,8051,480N/AIntake percentage87%13%N/ASource: Medical and Dental Intakes, Office for Students, available at the following link: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-providers/finance-and-funding/medicine-and-dentistry-funding/data-on-medical-and-dental-intakes/ Note: data for 2025/26 is the initial intake data, hence there is no data on withdrawals during the year, as with prior data.Rules on the eligibility for home fees status are complex, but generally individuals must be resident and ‘settled’ in the UK on ‘the first day of the academic year’ for which they are paying fees to be eligible for home student status. With some exceptions, students must also have been ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK on the first day of the first academic year of their course and for the three years before that date.

How many additional medical places are funded in start in 2026 compared with 2025.

In England, the Office for Students (OfS) sets the maximum fundable limit for medical school places on an annual basis. For the 2025/26 academic year, the OfS has published the maximum fundable limit at 8,126 for medical school places, with further information available at the following link:https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-providers/finance-and-funding/medicine-and-dentistry-funding/medical-and-dental-maximum-fundable-limits/OfS will publish the limit for the 2026/27 academic year in due course.There are currently approximately 9,500 specialty training places. We set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts, with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.The Government is committed to training the staff we need, including doctors, to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

What (a) proportion and (b) number of people imprisoned for death by dangerous driving obtain a driving licence within five years after release.

The information requested is not held. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is not informed when an individual is released from prison, and endorsements ordered upon conviction by the courts for the offences of causing death by careless driving or causing death by dangerous driving are removed from the driver’s record after four years in line with the retention periods for these offences.

What (a) proportion and (b) number of people imprisoned for death by careless driving obtain a driving licence within five years after release.

The information requested is not held. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is not informed when an individual is released from prison, and endorsements ordered upon conviction by the courts for the offences of causing death by careless driving or causing death by dangerous driving are removed from the driver’s record after four years in line with the retention periods for these offences.

What (a) number and (b) proportion of people who obtained a driving licence in the last 10 years after a previous conviction for death by careless driving committed a further motoring offence.

The information requested is not held. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is not informed when an individual is released from prison, and endorsements ordered upon conviction by the courts for the offences of causing death by careless driving or causing death by dangerous driving are removed from the driver’s record after four years in line with the retention periods for these offences.

What (a) number and (b) proportion of people who obtained a driving licence in the last 10 years after a previous conviction for death by dangerous driving committed a further motoring offence.

The information requested is not held. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is not informed when an individual is released from prison, and endorsements ordered upon conviction by the courts for the offences of causing death by careless driving or causing death by dangerous driving are removed from the driver’s record after four years in line with the retention periods for these offences.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of recent and proposed changes to ISAs on the complexity of the savings landscape and household saving behaviour.

This is about making people’s savings work harder for them and for the economy. The UK has the lowest level of retail investment in the G7, with fewer than 1 in 10 people owning shares compared to 1 in 5 back in 1990. In Sweden, that figure rises to 2 in 5 people currently.That is why the government is keeping the full £20,000 ISA allowance for investment and setting the cash ISA limit at £12,000 from April 2027.This is part of our wider strategy aimed at supporting people to get into investing, including Targeted Support, which will be available from April 2026.The OBR have provided a forecast of household saving in their November Economic and Fiscal Outlook

What assessment she has made of the potential effect of cuts to teacher training bursaries in 26/27 on teacher recruitment in Lincolnshire.

The government committed, in our Plan for Change, to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools, and in colleges, over the course of this parliament.We are making progress. The latest workforce data reported over 2,300 more secondary and special school teachers in 2024/25 than in 2023/24, and this year over 32,000 trainees began training, a rise of 11% on the previous year.Initial teacher training (ITT) bursaries are offered to incentivise more applications to ITT courses. In reviewing these annually, we take account of historic recruitment, forecast economic conditions, and teacher supply need in each subject. We are continuing to offer bursaries worth up to £29,000 tax-free to encourage more talented people to train to teach key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.In addition, we offer a Targeted Retention Incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools. In Lincolnshire, there are 56 schools where teachers are eligible for these payments.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to business rates on the sustainability of commercial fitness gyms and community leisure centres serving rural communities.

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base. At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.