Written questions by Carden.

With reference to adjournment debate of Tuesday 11 November 2025 entitled Blood Transfusions during the Falklands War, what plans his Department has to investigate Argentine blood transfusions to British service personnel aboard SS Uganda during the Falklands war.

As I wrote to my hon. Friend on 18 December 2026, the Department will review the evidence he has presented in the coming months. Having conducted a search, we determined the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold information relating to Argentine blood transfusions to British Service personnel aboard SS Uganda during the Falklands war. However, the Surgeon General for the Armed Forces is further investigating this matter. I encourage individuals who believe they may have received infected blood in the course of Armed Forces treatment overseas, including veterans of the Falklands War, to contact the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). As with all cases, evidence will be assessed on the balance of probabilities, meaning the IBCA will need to be satisfied that it is more likely than not that the person got their infection from blood or a blood product as opposed to another route.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to immigration rules on people on current settlement pathways.

The earned settlement model, proposed in A Fairer Pathway to Settlement, is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.Details of the earned settlement scheme, including any transitional arrangements for those already in the UK, will be finalised following that consultation.The final model will also be subject to economic and equality impact assessment, which we have committed to publish in due course.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the proposed transfer of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, whether current staff will retain (a) access to the Civil Service Pension Scheme and (b) access to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

For those connected to the transition of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to a new body, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) understands this represents a significant change. The Department is committed to ensuring a smooth transition for all as valued colleagues. The Transfer of Undertaking Protections of Employment (TUPE) and Cabinet Office Statement of Practice (COSOP) provides protections to employee rights when they transfer. MHCLG is committed to protecting existing terms and conditions wherever we can and will continue to engage staff and Trade Unions ahead of the consultation process. We have heard what is important to colleagues and will prioritise, namely the Civil Service Pension Scheme and access to internal Civil Service jobs. The consultation process with trade unions will cover the full range of measures affected by the transfer. We expect this consolation to start in early January as agreed with HSE Trade Unions but are awaiting confirmation. Both HSE and the Department have extensive experience in managing transitions of this nature and will work closely together to ensure that all affected colleagues are fully supported throughout the process.

Whether changes to immigration rules will apply retrospectively to BNO visa holders in the UK.

The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.We are seeking views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement and will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers. Details of the earned settlement model will be finalised following that consultation, including when the Rules will apply from and any transitional arrangements that will apply.In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the cash ISA limit on savers nearing retirement.

Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) incentivise saving and investment for future goals by providing tax advantages to individual taxpayers. At Autumn Budget 2025, the government announced that from 6 April 2027, the annual Cash ISA limit will be set at £12,000 within the overall ISA limit of £20,000. Those aged 65 and over will continue to be able to put up to £20,000k in a cash ISA each year as we recognise they might need more flexibility to manage their savings as they approach retirement.

What recent discussions her Department has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on safety incidents involving lithium batteries on commercial flights.

Department for Transport (DfT) officials work closely with and regularly meet the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to monitor and discuss the risk of lithium batteries incidents, alongside other safety risks. The Dangerous Goods Governance Board meets quarterly to manage the joint DfT/CAA Lithium Batteries project which aims to reduce the risk posed by the carriage of undeclared lithium batteries aboard commercial aircraft to a level as low as reasonably practicable. In addition to the reduction of risk, the project provides assurance to the State Safety Board, which meets every 6 months, that the UK’s exposure to this safety risk is monitored, prioritised, responded to and effectively mitigated. There are also multiple other forums where DfT officials and the CAA discuss safety risks formally and informally, including lithium batteries.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the decision to reduce the therapy limit for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund on children using that fund.

The government made the difficult decision to cut the fair access limit in April to ensure that the fund remained financially sustainable and available to help as many children and their families as possible. As a result, this year the department has helped 14,000 children. This financial year we have invested £50 million into the adoption and special guardianship support fund. We have approved applications for nearly 14,000 children since April, for both therapy and specialist assessments. We continue to review the impact of the changes to funding made in April 2025.

Whether his Department plans to increase funding for research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

As set out in the final delivery plan, the Department has taken actions to strengthen research capacity and capability in relation to myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The level of research funding is determined by the quantity and quality of proposals that are recommended for support through the competitive process through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funding committees.The actions announced in the final delivery plan include a research showcase event, a new funding opportunity for a development award focussed on evaluating repurposed pharmaceutical interventions, and the announcement of new funded studies in health and care services, research infrastructure, and capacity-building.We are determined to accelerate progress in the treatment and management of ME/CFS and will continue working with the ME/CFS community to identify and address barriers to research. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including ME/CFS. Research funding is available, and applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.

What specialist support is available to adoptive parents of children with experience of trauma.

This financial year, the department has invested £50 million in the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund, giving adopted and kinship children access to therapeutic services that stabilise placements and offer specialist support to both adoptive children and parents.The department has approved applications for nearly 14,000 children since April, for both therapy and specialist assessments.In addition, the department is providing £3 million this year to Adoption England to develop more multidisciplinary teams in Regional Adoption Agencies. These joint teams, working with local health partners, enable families to receive holistic and high quality support.Adoption England is also working with Adoption Support and Local Authority Children’s ‘front door services’ to develop a much more joined-up approach to how services engage with families. The aim is to agree a protocol on collaboration so that families receive a far stronger range of support.

How many women in Liverpool Walton have been referred to NHS services in connection with PIP implants since 2011.

The Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry (BCIR), set up in 2016, collects all implant data, and explant data where possible.Practically, it is always difficult and often impossible to identify a model and product code on an explant. If explanted devices, or patients undergoing explant, cannot be linked to data collected at time of implant, then this often reduces explant data to 'patient, surgeon, location, date'. This in turn makes it impossible to monitor trends in explant/failure.NHS England is in the process of clarifying and mandating the detail required in the BCIR and other device-related collections.This will place a greater responsibility on trusts to either identify a device at the point of explant, or to identify the device from internal trust records created during the same patient's implant procedure. This will only be possible if the implant and explant are performed at the same trust. It is then the intention of NHS England to provide the same matching service for implant/explant where the trusts differ.This solution will, when implemented, give a full, proactive picture of device longevity/risk, for the purposes of research and surveillance, alongside the existing ability to identify patients affected by a device recall notice.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of NHS waste.

The Department and NHS England are always looking at ways of reducing waste and increasing efficiency. NHS England has had many discussions with National Health Service trusts on the reduction, elimination, and reuse of single-use polypropylene curtains, and have published best practice with regards to safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste.In addition, the Department has published the Design for Life Roadmap, a new strategy to transition away from all avoidable single-use medical technology (medtech) products towards a functioning circular system by 2045. This means designing, procuring, and processing medtech products in a way that maximises reuse, remanufacture, and recycling, thus preserving their value for as long as possible. The document sets out a plan of 30 actions to deliver the 2045 vision, which involve:driving positive behavioural change;exploring new commercial incentives to provide circular medtech, including value-based procurement;creating new standards to enable innovative products and services;planning the decontamination and recycling infrastructure of the future; andestablishing new collaborations to accelerate the emergence of transformative science.The Design for Life Roadmap is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/design-for-life-roadmapAs part of its work, the Design for Life programme maintains a list of products where circular alternatives are already available, and, for those with the highest potential benefits, explores means to accelerate adoption across the NHS. Ward curtains are on this product list, where a dedicated group, including procurement and clinical experts, are working to explore how the adoption of reusable versions can be supported.With regards to trials, the Design for Life programme has commissioned several pilots within NHS trusts to explore safe transitions from single-use to reusables, where the results have been published and cascaded among the NHS community. Furthermore, NHS England has developed and deployed an Innovation Portal to help document, evaluate, test, and deploy innovations in waste management across the NHS in England.

Whether his Department has had discussions with NHS trusts on the potential reuse of polypropylene ward curtains.

The Department and NHS England are always looking at ways of reducing waste and increasing efficiency. NHS England has had many discussions with National Health Service trusts on the reduction, elimination, and reuse of single-use polypropylene curtains, and have published best practice with regards to safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste.In addition, the Department has published the Design for Life Roadmap, a new strategy to transition away from all avoidable single-use medical technology (medtech) products towards a functioning circular system by 2045. This means designing, procuring, and processing medtech products in a way that maximises reuse, remanufacture, and recycling, thus preserving their value for as long as possible. The document sets out a plan of 30 actions to deliver the 2045 vision, which involve:driving positive behavioural change;exploring new commercial incentives to provide circular medtech, including value-based procurement;creating new standards to enable innovative products and services;planning the decontamination and recycling infrastructure of the future; andestablishing new collaborations to accelerate the emergence of transformative science.The Design for Life Roadmap is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/design-for-life-roadmapAs part of its work, the Design for Life programme maintains a list of products where circular alternatives are already available, and, for those with the highest potential benefits, explores means to accelerate adoption across the NHS. Ward curtains are on this product list, where a dedicated group, including procurement and clinical experts, are working to explore how the adoption of reusable versions can be supported.With regards to trials, the Design for Life programme has commissioned several pilots within NHS trusts to explore safe transitions from single-use to reusables, where the results have been published and cascaded among the NHS community. Furthermore, NHS England has developed and deployed an Innovation Portal to help document, evaluate, test, and deploy innovations in waste management across the NHS in England.

What mechanisms exist to support waste-reduction trials with NHS trusts.

The Department and NHS England are always looking at ways of reducing waste and increasing efficiency. NHS England has had many discussions with National Health Service trusts on the reduction, elimination, and reuse of single-use polypropylene curtains, and have published best practice with regards to safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste.In addition, the Department has published the Design for Life Roadmap, a new strategy to transition away from all avoidable single-use medical technology (medtech) products towards a functioning circular system by 2045. This means designing, procuring, and processing medtech products in a way that maximises reuse, remanufacture, and recycling, thus preserving their value for as long as possible. The document sets out a plan of 30 actions to deliver the 2045 vision, which involve:driving positive behavioural change;exploring new commercial incentives to provide circular medtech, including value-based procurement;creating new standards to enable innovative products and services;planning the decontamination and recycling infrastructure of the future; andestablishing new collaborations to accelerate the emergence of transformative science.The Design for Life Roadmap is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/design-for-life-roadmapAs part of its work, the Design for Life programme maintains a list of products where circular alternatives are already available, and, for those with the highest potential benefits, explores means to accelerate adoption across the NHS. Ward curtains are on this product list, where a dedicated group, including procurement and clinical experts, are working to explore how the adoption of reusable versions can be supported.With regards to trials, the Design for Life programme has commissioned several pilots within NHS trusts to explore safe transitions from single-use to reusables, where the results have been published and cascaded among the NHS community. Furthermore, NHS England has developed and deployed an Innovation Portal to help document, evaluate, test, and deploy innovations in waste management across the NHS in England.

Whether he plans to (a) review and (b) amend carer's allowance.

The Government keeps all aspects of Carer’s Allowance (CA) under review to see if it is meeting its objectives. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has a statutory duty to review State Pension and benefit rates each year based on a review of trends in prices and earnings growth in the preceding year. In April 2025 the rate of Carer’s Allowance increased by 1.7% to £83.30 per week. We have taken steps to improve the way CA operates and to support those who can combine their caring responsibilities with some paid work, including changing the weekly CA earnings limit to match 16 hours work at National Living Wage levels. This is the largest ever increase in the earnings limit since CA was introduced in 1976 and the highest percentage increase since 2001. Over 60,000 additional people will be able to receive CA between 2025/26 and 2029/30 as a result of investment worth around £500 million.

What steps his Department is taking to improve safety standards in the construction industry.

In line with its published Strategy 2022 to 2032, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) focuses on the most effective and efficient ways to improve the health and safety performance of all industries in Great Britain, including construction. HSE uses a variety of approaches in the construction industry. HSE visits construction sites where they have intelligence to suggest risk is not being managed adequately and investigates incidents in line with their published selection criteria. Planned inspection visits target work related health risks, the biggest cause of lost time and longer-term worker injury and address safety risks where present. As well as site visits, HSE engages with construction through a variety of channels including delivering industry talks, stakeholder events and engaging with the media and publishing targeted articles. HSE works with and through stakeholders that represent a cross section of the industry including the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), the Construction Industry Advisory Committee (CONIAC) and Working Well Together (WWT). There are dedicated HSE webpages and a range of freely available guidance to enable the construction industry to comply with health and safety law and keep themselves and others safe. HSE circulate a monthly construction e-bulletin which has 140,000 subscribers and, where needed, addresses specific safety risks.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 October to Question 84069 on Physician Assistants, if his Department will set out a timeline for reviewing existing guidance for employers.

NHS England is currently considering next steps for supporting the wider National Health Service and relevant stakeholders to implement the recommendations of the Leng Review, starting with those focused on patient safety, as requested by the Government.We will continue to work closely and collaboratively with partners across the NHS, the clinical professions, and their representative bodies so that patients receive safe, effective, and compassionate care in line with the relevant legal and clinical processes. As part of this, NHS England will be working with NHS Employers over the coming months, supported by colleagues in the regions, to consider what guidance and support can be provided to the system to implement those recommendations related to the employment of physician assistants.As further information to support implementation of the recommendations is available, it will be published at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/response-to-recommendations-from-the-independent-review-of-physician-associates-and-anaesthesia-associates/

What plans he has to meet with representatives of (a) museums and (b) galleries to discuss the potential impact of proposals for the implementation of a new subscription contracts regime on those organisations.

My department has regularly engaged with representatives from museums and galleries during the consultation on the implementation of the subscription regime (Consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contracts regime - GOV.UK). We are carefully considering the points they have raised about the impact of the proposals and will continue to engage closely with the sector.

What plans his Department has to review the framework for complaints handling by departments.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) - which is independent of Government - launched a new set of cross-Government complaint standards in October 2022, with the aim of making complaint processes quicker, easier and to help organisations learn from complaints. The Cabinet Office supports the PHSO in disseminating its standards across Government.

What recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman complaints which are upheld.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is independent of Government, and the Cabinet Office does not centrally keep records of, or track all, the recommendations made by the PHSO (including those upheld). The PHSO’s investigation reports and recommendations are directed to relevant departments and Arms Length Bodies. The PHSO however does publish complaints data annually, for 2024-25, please find this here: https://www.ombudsman.org.uk/organisations-we-investigate/annual-data-complaints

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September to Question 75141 on Multiple Occupation, if his Department will undertake such an assessment.

My Department has no current plans to undertake such an assessment. We will keep the regulation of HMOs under review, including whether an assessment of trends in the level of HMOs and the potential impacts of these on local authorities is needed.