Written questions by German.

With reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 997, published on 1 July 2025m what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of removing (a) dental hygienists and (b) dental technicians from the Skilled Worker visa eligible occupation list on (i) sustainability of the dental workforce sustainability and (ii) patient access to care.

On 12 May, the Government published its Immigration White Paper, outlining our future approach to legal migration routes. A technical annex (www.gov.uk/government/publications/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-white-paper/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-technical-annex) was published alongside the Immigration White Paper setting out the impact of some of the key policy changes.The Statement of Changes to Immigration Rules laid on 1 July represent the first step in delivering on the Governments White Paper and included raising the skills threshold for Skilled Worker, excepting an interim Temporary Shortage List of lower skilled occupations deemed critical to the UK’s Industrial Strategy, which was based on advice from the Department of Business and Trade and His Majesty’s Treasury.Home Office and DHSC continue to work very closely to understand the impact of all Immigration Routes on sector workforce. It is our intention to publish an Impact Assessment (IA) at the earliest opportunity. NHS Employers has published www.nhsemployers.org/articles/immigration-rule-changes-july-2025 which explains the impact of the changes on health and social care occupations.

If she will bring forward legislative proposals to include betting shop workers within the scope of the offence of assault against a retail worker.

Through our Crime and Policing Bill, this Government has introduced a new specific standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to help tackle the epidemic of shop theft and violence towards retail shop workers that we have seen in recent years.For the purposes of this new offence, our definition of a ‘retail worker’ is intentionally narrow given the vital need to provide legal clarity and ensure there is no ambiguity for courts in identifying whether an individual is a retail worker, and the assault took place in the course of their work. The Government does not plan to include betting shop workers within the new offence.However, Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 created a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public, including public-facing roles in betting shops.