Written questions by Cooper.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing double summer time.

The government believes the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK. The government believes now would not be the time to make changes that would require considerable planning and action by business. Since the government does not currently intend to make changes to the existing system, we will not be conducting an assessment of the potential merits of introducing double summer time.

What information her Department holds on the (a) shortest, (b) average and (c) longest processing times for a decision on an in-country parent visa application.

The Home Office does not publish this specific information, but the current expected processing times for in-country parent visa applications can be found at: Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK

With reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Business rates: forward look, updated on 11 September 2025, on what date the Valuation Office Agency will publish a full list of updated rateable values for all non-domestic properties.

The Valuation Office Agency plans to publish draft valuations for the 2026 Rating List on 26 November 2025, and the new list will take effect on 1 April 2026.

Communities and Local Government, if he will reject plans to establish a quarry at the former Hatfield Aerodrome.

Due to the quasi-judicial role of MHCLG Ministers in the planning system, I am unable to comment on the details of individual cases.

If she will bring forward the statutory review of the Jet Zero strategy.

This Government is committed to delivering greener transport as part of its missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower. We are progressing a range of measures to support the decarbonisation of the aviation sector at pace. The Government has introduced the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate and the SAF Bill to provide revenue certainty for UK SAF producers, is delivering airspace modernisation, which will see cleaner, quicker and quieter journeys, and is providing funding to support the develop of low and zero emission aerospace technologies. While there are no statutory obligations for the Government to review the Jet Zero Strategy, we continue to keep our approach to support the decarbonisation of aviation under review.

Whether he has made an assessment as part of the New Hospital Programme of the adequacy of the number of helipads available for air ambulance use.

The clinical need and business cases for helipads at New Hospital Programme schemes will continue to be reviewed as schemes’ business plans progress through the usual assurance processes. As part of the Hospital 2.0 standardisation work, we are continuing to assess the advantages and disadvantages of both rooftop and ground-level helipads for inclusion in new hospital designs.

Whether she plans to issue guidance to schools on how to access training resources to help deliver the CPR Smart programme.

All state funded schools are required to teach first aid as part of the statutory health education set out in the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. Independent schools are required to cover health education as part of their responsibility to provide personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. The statutory RSHE guidance includes basic first aid for primary school children, for example dealing with common injuries, such as head injuries, whilst pupils in secondary schools are taught further first aid, for example how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators and how to use them. The guidance sets out that it is for schools to decide how they teach RSHE topics, including how to draw on expertise available to them locally, such as that provided by the CPR Smart programme.

Whether funding is available for schools to purchase (a) defibrillators and (b) CPR training equipment.

The department provided over 20,000 defibrillators to almost 18,000 schools, ensuring that all state-funded schools in England have access to a device.The programme is now closed; however, schools who wish to purchase defibrillators are able to buy them through the NHS Defibs4Schools programme, which provides defibrillators of a suitable specification. Defibs4Schools can be contacted at: defibs4schools@supplychain.nhs.uk.Schools have the autonomy to decide how they teach first aid, including teaching additional topical content and which resources to use.It is for schools to decide what training equipment may be suitable to facilitate the delivery of CPR training at their school, based on their individual circumstances. The department provides advice on free resources in its defibrillator guidance to schools, including the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) RevivR CPR training and BHF CPR training pack for secondary schools. More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/automated-external-defibrillators-aeds-in-schools.

What discussions his Department has had discussions with (a) NICE and (b) Servier on the barriers to approving Vorasidenib for use by the NHS for the treatment of low glade glioma.

Department officials regularly speak with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to discuss a range of issues, including the status of individual appraisals. As NICE is an independent body, it would not be appropriate for the Department to interfere in the development of NICE’s recommendations on specific medicines. The Department has had no discussions about the appraisal of vorasidenib with Servier.NICE recently published draft guidance for consultation on the use of vorasidenib for treating astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma with IDH1 or IDH2 mutations after surgery in people aged 12 years and over. The consultation closed on 4 November 2025 and NICE’s independent appraisal committee is scheduled to meet on 20 November 2025 to consider its recommendations in light of the consultation responses.It is important that we have a system in place for making evidence-based decisions on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service, based on an objective assessment of their costs and benefits.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 77609 on Medical Treatments: Cost Effectiveness, what percentage of completed NICE appraisals for brain tumour medications have led to approval for use of a medication by the NHS in the last 12 months.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not published final guidance on any brain tumour appraisals in the last 12 months.NICE is currently developing guidance on the use of vorasidenib for treating astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma with IDH1 or IDH2 mutations after surgery in people 12 years and over and recently consulted on its draft recommendations. NICE currently expects to publish final guidance in January 2026.

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the increased use of VPNs on the level of (a) data and (b) national security risks since the introduction of the Online Safety Act.

The Department is monitoring the impact of circumvention techniques, including VPNs, on the Online Safety Act. Ofcom told Parliament last month that UK usage of VPN apps had declined from an initial peak when the Act’s child safety duties commenced.There are legitimate reasons for using VPNs, including enhancing cybersecurity and protection against hostile regimes. The National Cyber Security Centre has guidance for organisations that use VPNs.Organisations processing personal data, which could include VPN providers, are subject to data protection legislation that is enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office. This includes obligations to process people’s data fairly, lawfully and ensure it is held securely.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 77609 on Medical Treatments: Cost Effectiveness, if he will instruct NICE to review the adequacy of the Quality-Adjusted Life Year threshold for innovative medicines.

The pharmaceutical sector and the innovative medicines it produces are critical to our national interest, helping people access life changing treatments, reducing pressure on the health service over the longer-term, and ensuring we have a National Health Service that is fit for the future.That is why through our Life Sciences Sector Plan, we have committed to working with industry to accelerate growth in spending on innovative medicines, compared to the previous decade. Our 10-Year Health Plan set out how we’d reform National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

If she will make it her policy to set National Highways key performance indicators for cleaning up litter.

The Government intends to set National Highways a performance indicator (PI) for cleaning up litter on their roads as part of a wide range of performance indicators for the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) period, covering the years 2026/27 to 2030/31. RIS3 will be published in March 2026.

What steps her Department is taking to increase the availability of driving tests in St Albans.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.These actions include incentivised additional testing offers for driving examiners, doubling permanent training capacity for new driving examiners, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests.DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country to provide as many tests as possible. Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 290 driving examiners (DE) who are now in post and delivering driving tests.St Albans driving test centre is part of a cluster of test centres, including Stevenage.A new entrant examiner has recently passed their training course and is now testing full time and conducting driving tests at both St Albans and Stevenage driving test centres. A further new entrant examiner is in their final week of training, if successful they will begin conducting tests at St Albans and Stevenage from 3 November 2025. DVSA has also made offers to one further new entrant examiner, DVSA will arrange their training course as soon as they have accepted.On 28 May, DVSA launched a public consultation on improving the rules for booking car driving tests. The consultation closed on 23 July. DVSA will review the feedback given and announce next steps as soon as possible. Further information on the consultation can be found at:www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-car-driving-test-booking-rules/improving-car-driving-test-booking-rules

When her Department plans to publish the (a) findings of and (b) next steps from its consultation entitled Improving car driving test booking rules, published on 28 May 2025.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.These actions include incentivised additional testing offers for driving examiners, doubling permanent training capacity for new driving examiners, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests.DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country to provide as many tests as possible. Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 290 driving examiners (DE) who are now in post and delivering driving tests.St Albans driving test centre is part of a cluster of test centres, including Stevenage.A new entrant examiner has recently passed their training course and is now testing full time and conducting driving tests at both St Albans and Stevenage driving test centres. A further new entrant examiner is in their final week of training, if successful they will begin conducting tests at St Albans and Stevenage from 3 November 2025. DVSA has also made offers to one further new entrant examiner, DVSA will arrange their training course as soon as they have accepted.On 28 May, DVSA launched a public consultation on improving the rules for booking car driving tests. The consultation closed on 23 July. DVSA will review the feedback given and announce next steps as soon as possible. Further information on the consultation can be found at:www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-car-driving-test-booking-rules/improving-car-driving-test-booking-rules

When her Department plans to publish the final recommendations of the Curriculum and Assessment Review.

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report and recommendations will be published this autumn. The government’s response will be published alongside this.

How many and what proportion of EU Settlement Scheme applications submitted before December 2022 have yet to be processed.

The information requested is not centrally held but the current EUSS processing times are published on GOV.UK - EU Settlement Scheme: current estimated processing times for applications - GOV.UK.EUSS applications are considered on the specific facts of each case.The most recent data on EUSS applications is published in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The latest data relates up to June 2025.

What information her Department holds on the (a) shortest, (b) average and (c) longest processing times for a decision on an EU Settlement Scheme application.

The information requested is not centrally held but the current EUSS processing times are published on GOV.UK - EU Settlement Scheme: current estimated processing times for applications - GOV.UK.EUSS applications are considered on the specific facts of each case.The most recent data on EUSS applications is published in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The latest data relates up to June 2025.

How many applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain submitted by Syrian nationals (a) before October 2024 and (b) to date are pending decision.

The information requested is not centrally held.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 May to Question 51941 on Paraneoplastic Encephalomyelitis: Diagnosis, if his Department will write to the laboratories that do provide testing for the condition and ask whether they provide testing for KLHL11 antibodies.

There are no current plans to write to laboratories that provide testing for paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis to ask whether this includes KLHl11 antibody testing.27 pathology networks across England are working to provide a vast range of tests to ensure the accurate and timely diagnosis of conditions. This includes those tests that are typically used to support the diagnosis of paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis, such as immunology tests.The Government is supporting pathology networks to increase digital capabilities by March 2026 to reduce unnecessary waits and repeat tests, to ensure that patients receive their results sooner. This is supported by £600 million of capital in 2025/26 for diagnostics. This investment also provides funding for the automation of histopathology laboratories.