Written questions by Maguire.

Whether her Department plans to include voluntary work as a qualifying measure of societal contribution for British National (Overseas) visa holders under the proposed points-based pathway to Indefinite Leave to Remain.

We will consult later this year on the details of the Earned Settlement policy and will provide details of how the scheme will work after that, including on any transitional arrangements for those already in the UK.

Whether the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism will have a military use exemption.

From 1 January 2027, the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will apply to specific goods imported from the aluminium, cement, fertiliser, hydrogen, and iron & steel sectors. The specific goods are listed in the Government response to the consultation on the ‘Introduction of a UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism’, this is available at: Consultation on the introduction of a UK carbon border adjustment mechanism - GOV.UK The UK CBAM is designed to address the risk of carbon leakage and to ensure that CBAM goods which are imported from overseas face a comparable carbon price to what is paid by manufacturers producing the same goods in the UK. The UK CBAM does not apply to imports of military equipment. Therefore, the UK CBAM will not have a specific military use exemption.

Whether her Department plans to allow British National (Overseas) visa holders to use the same border control queues as UK citizens at UK airports.

There are no proposed changes to airport queuing arrangements for any cohorts, including British National (Overseas) passport holders, at the current time.However, queueing arrangements at the UK border, including the use of eGates, remain under constant review to prioritise security, maintain fluidity and ensure that we continue to run our border in the best interests of the UK whilst also taking into account capacity and availability of space at individual ports. The government is committed to improving our border security and the passenger experience by continuing to look at options to increase the usage of eGates by those currently eligible and explore innovative technologies to increase the use of automation at the UK border.

If his Department will release all bereavement case studies submitted to Module 4 of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry in a timely manner.

The COVID-19 Inquiry is independent of the Government, and its timing, process, and focus are all matters for the Chair, Baroness Heather Hallett. This includes the disclosure of documents submitted to the Inquiry.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to publish its legal advice on whether Israel is breaching international humanitarian law in Gaza.

In line with the long-standing practice under successive governments, we do not routinely publish the legal advice on which assessments of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) compliance are based.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the BNO visa settlement route on older BNO visa holders’ ability to access pension funds from Hong Kong.

The Government remains fully committed to the BNO route, and we will continue supporting members of the Hong Kong community in the UK and all those who will arrive in future. We are listening to visa holders' views about the route to settlement, and we will continue to do so.We are aware that individuals in the UK on the BN(O) visa route are having difficulty drawing down early their pensions held in Hong Kong's Mandatory Provident Fund. We continue to raise this issue directly with the Hong Kong authorities to encourage a pragmatic solution.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of extending the route to settlement from 5+1 to 10+1 years on the mental health of British (National) Overseas visa holders.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at the time. An impact assessment will be developed alongside any finalised policy.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of a delay in settlement for British National (Overseas) child visa holders caused by a change from a 5+1 to a 10+1 route on access to (a) scholarships, (b) tuition support and (c) student finance.

Subject to meeting the normal eligibility requirements, Hong Kong British National (Overseas) status holders will be able to qualify for student finance, including tuition fee loans and maintenance loans, and home fee status once they have acquired settled status in the UK. This is in line with most other persons on routes to settlement.The Home Office has made clear that they will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details of the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the repayment threshold of student loans on plan five in line with those on plan two.

Where government reforms lead to the introduction of a new student loan plan type, the terms of the new loan, such as repayment threshold, interest rates and length of the loan are considered as a whole. They are then set in legislation to apply to that specific loan type, such as for Plan 5 which was introduced in 2023.Comparing only one element, such as the threshold, of a historic plan to a new plan does not provide a balanced assessment. Though the Plan 5 repayment threshold is lower than for Plan 2, the Plan 5 interest rate is lower (RPI+0%) when compared with Plan 2 Plan (RPI+3% during study and varies with earnings post-study).In 2022, the department conducted a government consultation to assess the impact of policy reforms on higher education funding and finance, including changes to repayment thresholds from Plan 2 to Plan 5. Details on the consultation are available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/62223cfb8fa8f549071fc82c/Higher_education_policy_statement_reform_consultation_-_Equality_analysis.pdf.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing monthly start dates for the 30 hours funded childcare scheme.

The government’s Plan for Change sets out a commitment to give children the best start in life, breaking the link between background and opportunity.Children become eligible for an early education and childcare place from 1 September, 1 January or 1 April, the term after they reach the relevant age and meet relevant eligibility criteria.Depending on when a child is born and when the eligibility criteria are met, there will be differing periods to wait until the relevant termly date.Termly deadlines enable local authorities and childcare providers to plan and ensure sufficient early years places are available for parents each term, as there are clear periods for when children are likely to enter into a place.

What steps her Department is taking t support the expansion of (a) return to work and (b) accredited conversion courses at UK universities for (i) overseas workers and (ii) BNO visa holders seeking to re-enter the UK workforce.

UK higher education (HE) providers offer a wide range of conversion courses designed to help individuals transition into new career areas. Many providers also offer tailored support for students, including pre-sessional programmes, careers guidance and post-graduation employability support.As autonomous bodies which are independent of government, universities and other HE providers are responsible for their business decisions in relation to both domestic and international students.The UK European Network of Information Centre supports the recognition of international qualifications in the UK. The service facilitates the entry of students with qualifications from other countries into UK educational institutions and work by enabling them to provide evidence that they meet the entry requirements for courses and jobs.

What steps she is taking to implement the recommendations of Dame Elizabeth Gloster's report entitled Report of the Independent Investigation into the Financial Conduct Authority’s Regulation of London Capital & Finance plc, published on 23 November 2020.

Dame Elizabeth Gloster made four recommendations to the government, which were all accepted. She recommended that the government review the allocation of ISA-related responsibilities between the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and HMRC. As announced in the government’s response to Dame Elizabeth’s report, HMRC and the FCA established an ISA Intelligence Working Group, which led to strengthened communication and information sharing between the two organisations. HMRC has also increased the level of compliance checks that it carries out on ISA products and managers. The government is also exploring whether the penalties regime for ISA managers is sufficiently robust to deter breaches of the ISA regulations. Dame Elizabeth recommended that the Treasury should consider whether Article 4 of MiFID or section 85 of FSMA should be extended to non-transferable securities. The government has legislated via the Public Offers and Admissions to Trading Regulations 2024 to bring previously unregulated non-transferrable debt securities, including minibonds, within scope of the new UK Prospectus regime. The FCA has published its final rules, and the new regime will commence in January 2026. She recommended that the Treasury and other relevant Government bodies should work with the FCA to ensure that the legislative framework enables the FCA to intervene promptly and effectively in the marketing and sale through technology platforms, and unregulated intermediaries, of speculative illiquid securities and similar retail products. The government and the FCA have taken action to strengthen the regulatory regime for financial promotions, including for high-risk investments. In addition, under the Online Safety Act 2023, large internet platforms will be required to put in place systems and controls to avoid fraudulent advertising appearing on those platforms. Finally, Dame Elizabeth recommended that the Treasury should consider the optimal scope of the FCA’s remit, recognising the broad range of responsibilities that it has. The government remains of the view that the UK’s financial regulatory framework – where the FCA has a strategic objective to ensure that relevant markets function well – is appropriate and functioning well. The government welcomes the steps that the FCA took to address Dame Elizabeth’s recommendations, and in particular the reform programme that it implemented in order to reflect and manage its wide remit. The government engages regularly with the FCA on issues relating to its regulatory perimeter and remit. Since 2021, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury (EST) has held a regular Perimeter Meeting with the FCA CEO to discuss the FCA’s Perimeter Report. The most recent meeting was on 24 March 2025. The minutes of these meetings are published and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hm-treasury-and-financial-conduct-authority-regulatory-perimeter-meetings The FCA also accepted all of Dame Elizabeth’s recommendations addressed to it, and has made significant changes as a result, including undertaking a comprehensive transformation programme to improve its practices and operational efficiency. The government and the FCA continue to work together closely to ensure that financial services are well regulated, and to address risks to consumers.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the tightening of eligibility criteria for NHS Continuing Healthcare by Integrated Care Boards on disabled people's ability to (a) access and (b) remain in employment.

The Department is responsible for Continuing Healthcare (CHC) policy and legislation. We have provided statutory guidance, setting out clear processes for CHC, which all integrated care boards (ICBs) must have regard to. CHC is funded by ICBs, and it is for individual ICBs to make assessments and decisions in a consistent manner in line with their statutory duties and guidance. This guidance has not changed and ICBs are expected to maintain CHC delivery in line with their statutory duties. NHS England holds ICBs accountable and engages with them to ensure that they discharge their functions. This includes monitoring eligibility rates and undertaking detailed work to compare ICBs with similar demographics, including further investigation of outliers for drivers of variation.

Whether his Department has made an estimate of the proportion of firearm holders with a firearms marker on their patient records.

The role of general practitioners (GPs) in the firearms licensing process is set out in the Home Office’s publication Firearms licensing: statutory guidance for chief officers of police, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statutory-guidance-for-police-on-firearms-licensingTo support their role, a digital marker, SNOMED activity coding, was fully rolled out across GP IT suppliers by May 2023, giving all GPs in England access within existing GP IT systems. GPs do not need to download a separate firearms marker software.We have not made an estimate of the proportion of firearm holders with a firearms marker on their patient records. This is because NHS England publishes an annual SNOMED report, which includes information on the number of times a relevant firearms code was added to GP patient records within the publication period. The report is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mi-snomed-code-usage-in-primary-care/2023-24It should be noted that a patient could have one code added to their record multiple times throughout the year, and therefore, it is not possible to infer the number of patients with a particular code from this data. We are exploring options for how this data can be analysed to support the use of the digital marker.This significant strengthening of the medical checks process aids GPs, or any other registered medical practitioners, in completing the application form for a person’s medical suitability for a firearms licence. The digital marker also alerts a GP if there is any concerning deterioration in a person’s health presented during the five year licence period that may impact their suitability to hold a firearms licence. GPs can now more easily alert their local police force when necessary, as the decision for who can grant and renew a firearms licence remains with the local police force.

What information his Department holds on the percentage of GPs that have downloaded firearms marker software.

The role of general practitioners (GPs) in the firearms licensing process is set out in the Home Office’s publication Firearms licensing: statutory guidance for chief officers of police, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statutory-guidance-for-police-on-firearms-licensingTo support their role, a digital marker, SNOMED activity coding, was fully rolled out across GP IT suppliers by May 2023, giving all GPs in England access within existing GP IT systems. GPs do not need to download a separate firearms marker software.We have not made an estimate of the proportion of firearm holders with a firearms marker on their patient records. This is because NHS England publishes an annual SNOMED report, which includes information on the number of times a relevant firearms code was added to GP patient records within the publication period. The report is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mi-snomed-code-usage-in-primary-care/2023-24It should be noted that a patient could have one code added to their record multiple times throughout the year, and therefore, it is not possible to infer the number of patients with a particular code from this data. We are exploring options for how this data can be analysed to support the use of the digital marker.This significant strengthening of the medical checks process aids GPs, or any other registered medical practitioners, in completing the application form for a person’s medical suitability for a firearms licence. The digital marker also alerts a GP if there is any concerning deterioration in a person’s health presented during the five year licence period that may impact their suitability to hold a firearms licence. GPs can now more easily alert their local police force when necessary, as the decision for who can grant and renew a firearms licence remains with the local police force.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that there is sufficient project delivery capacity within (a) the NHS and (b) supply chains to implement the New Hospital Programme.

Earlier this year, the New Hospital Programme (NHP) appointed a Health Delivery Partnership as its principal Programme Delivery Partner, which is working closely with the NHP to provide the expert technical skills needed to develop the infrastructure and programme delivery capability to support successful delivery.The NHP remains committed to strengthening its internal capacity, supported by a Knowledge and Skills Transfer Strategy aimed at embedding the self-sustaining knowledge and skills required to increase its in-house resource.Since 2021, the NHP has undertaken extensive market engagement with industry to build industry interest, assess current capacity, and understand key investment drivers. The NHP launched procurement for its bespoke Hospital 2.0 Alliance Framework, designed to establish a long-term, sustainable, and collaborative supply chain partnership and contracting model that will secure market appetite and investment.The NHP is currently engaging with industry on the Hospital 2.0 integrated system, particularly the technical requirements, specification, and designs. Three key industry sectors identified to focus on include: designers and architects; main works contactors; and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing contractors.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of NICE’s rejection of trastuzumab deruxtecan for use in secondary breast cancer treatment on patient outcomes.

Decisions on whether new medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service in England are made on the basis of recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) following an evaluation of a treatment’s costs and benefits. These are very difficult decisions to make, and it is important that they are made independently and on the basis of the available evidence.NICE published guidance in July 2024 on the use of Enhertu for the treatment of HER-2 low metastatic and unresectable breast cancer and was unfortunately unable to recommend it for routine NHS funding. I understand that NICE and NHS England have sought to apply as much flexibility as they can in their considerations of Enhertu for HER2-low breast cancer and have made it clear to the companies that their pricing of the drug remains the only obstacle to access.Ministers met with the manufacturers of Enhertu, AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo, in November 2024, to encourage them to re-engage in commercial discussions with NHS England. Despite NICE and NHS England offering unprecedented flexibilities, the companies were unable to offer Enhertu at a cost-effective price. NICE’s guidance published in July 2024 will therefore remain unchanged. NICE has reassured me that the door remains open for the companies to enter into a new NICE appraisal if they are willing to offer Enhertu at a cost-effective price.Since January 2022, NICE has recommended all but one of the treatments for breast cancer that it has assessed. These treatments are now available to eligible NHS patients.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of NICE’s severity modifier on access to new treatments for incurable secondary breast cancer.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is responsible for the methods and processes that it uses in the development of its recommendations. The severity modifier was introduced in January 2022 as part of a number of changes intended to make NICE’s methods fairer, faster, and more consistent.NICE carried out a review of the implementation of the severity modifier in September 2024 and found that it is operating as intended. This showed that the proportion of positive cancer recommendations is higher, at 84.8%, than with the end-of-life modifier it replaced, at 75%, and the proportion of positive recommendations for advanced cancer treatments is also higher, at 81.1% compared to 69%.Since January 2022, NICE has recommended all but one of the treatments for breast cancer that it has assessed. These treatments are now available to eligible National Health Service patients.NICE has commissioned research to gather further evidence on societal preferences that will inform future method reviews.

How many Work Capability Assessments for Employment and Support Allowance conducted via video call by Ingeus have been (a) delayed and (b) rescheduled due to technical issues in the last 12 months.

The department is committed to delivering health assessments that are accessible, efficient, and represent value for money. Video assessments, including those delivered by Ingeus, form part of a modernised service designed to improve flexibility and claimant experience. The department continues to monitor supplier performance and assess delivery models to ensure they meet contractual standards, providing a quality service to claimants and the best value for money for the taxpayer. To safeguard claimants, robust procedures are in place to mitigate the impact of any technical problems during video assessments. These may include prompt rescheduling of appointments or the consideration of an alternative assessment method if appropriate, ensuring that no claimant is disadvantaged due to circumstances beyond their control. The department remains focused on ensuring timely access to benefits for all eligible individuals. From the commencement of the Ingeus contract on 9 September 2024 to 21 July 2025, a total of 1,839 Work Capability Assessments for Employment and Support Allowance were completed via video. During the same period, 11 video assessment appointments were cancelled/rescheduled due to technical problems. These issues could include problems with broadband connectivity, DWP system issues such as the Medical Services Referral System (MSRS) or the Document Repository System (DRS) etc. Information on delays specifically caused by technical problems is not held.

What assessment he has made of the level of employment opportunities for newly qualified nurses in Surrey.

Decisions on the employment of newly qualified nurses are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts, which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are working closely with NHS England, employers, universities, and regional nursing leads to ensure support is in place to help graduating nurses find a role as soon as possible after qualification and transition into the workplace.