Written questions by Wrigley.

If he will take steps to strengthen the Orphan drug regulations to encourage research into rare diseases.

The Human Medicines Regulations include specific incentives to support orphan medicines, designed to encourage the development of medicines for rare diseases. The regulations enable the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to grant orphan designation to a medicine intended for the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a rare condition. This orphan designation provides the product with a period of market exclusivity for the specified condition, preventing similar competitor medicines from entering the market during this time. The MHRA further supports developers of orphan medicines by offering a full or partial refund of the marketing authorisation fee following a positive orphan designation. There is evidence that the regulations for orphan medicines do support development, with approximately 150 medicines having been successfully developed and authorised for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of rare diseases and given orphan designation in the United Kingdom. The MHRA will continue to review its approach to orphan medicines and, where necessary, will propose updates to the criteria to further encourage research into rare diseases, to improve patient outcomes.

If she will extend Ukrainian’s UK student visas.

Those granted further permission to remain in the UK under the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme will receive the same rights and entitlements to access work, benefits, healthcare and education as provided under the existing Ukraine Schemes.Individuals with permission under one of the Ukraine schemes have access to standard immigration routes to remain in the UK once their permission expires, in order to complete higher education courses they commence during their initial period of permission.Individuals will have continued access to student support and home fee status where they can show they have been granted further leave to remain in the UK.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to create a single independent appeals process for parking.

The Government is committed to delivering a single Code of Practice for private parking companies to follow, as part of this process we will undergo a public consultation to assess the impact of the Code. We are currently reviewing all options and will announce our plans regarding the code in due course. My officials meet regularly with the two private parking trade associations and consumer groups and I am due to meet with them soon.

If he will appoint a named lead in the Department with a responsibility to support research and innovation for rare cancers.

There are no plans to appoint a named lead within the Department for this purpose as the Department supports research and innovation for rare cancers, and other conditions, through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department spends £1.6 billion each year on research through the NIHR, with cancer as one of the largest areas of investment, at over £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.The development and delivery of research for rare cancers is supported and enabled nationwide through the NIHR’s infrastructure, including the NIHR Research Delivery Network, the NIHR Clinical Research Facilities, the NIHR Biomedical Research Centres, the NIHR HealthTech Research Centres, the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre, and the newly designated NIHR Commercial Research Delivery Centres. These all support the delivery of clinical research through facilities, staff resource, collaborations, and funding.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of prescription charges on patients with long-term health conditions; and whether he has made an estimate of the number individuals not taking prescribed medications due to cost.

The Department has made no assessment of the impact of prescription charges on patients’ health outcomes, or the number of hospital admissions or general practice visits. The Department does not hold data on the number of individuals not taking prescribed medications due to cost.Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there are a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place to help those with the greatest need. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.People with certain long-term medical conditions may qualify for a medical exemption, which entitles them to claim free prescriptions. Medical exemption is a long-standing exemption from prescription charges, which covers all the patient’s prescriptions, not just those for the qualifying condition. A list of the qualifying medical conditions and information on how to apply for a medical exemption certificate is available at the following link:www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/medexPeople on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. People who need multiple prescription items and who do not qualify for an exemption, or the NHS Low Income Scheme, could save money with a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC). PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with three-month and 12-month certificates available, and the 12-month PPC can be paid for in direct debit instalments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of Elon Musk's business interests in connection with his role as head of the US Department of Government Efficiency on UK national security.

The appointment of US officials is a matter for the US and not one in which we have a role. We have no plans to make an assessment along the lines proposed. The UK-US relationship has been the cornerstone of our security and prosperity for over a century. When the Prime Minister visited the White House on 27 February 2025, he discussed with President Trump the depth of the special relationship and their commitment to shared security and prosperity.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support businesses to meet their legal duties to the environment.

The Environment Agency appointed a new Chief Regulator, to deliver Government priorities to support business and sustainable economic growth, and ensure environmental regulation is future focused, effective and trusted. A key part of the Chief Regulator’s role is to act as a critical friend to the Environment Agency, ensuring the organisation is making the improvements it needs to and holding it to account. The new Chief Regulator’s report 2023-24 introduces the role of Chief Regulator. It summarises the performance of those it regulates, its own performance as a regulator, and changes needed to respond to a changing environment and support Government priorities.

With reference to her Department's guidance entitled, Universal Credit: further information for families, updated on 18 December 2024, how her Department defines the terms (a) available, (b) free, (c) appropriate and (d) affordable childcare.

There is no prescribed definition for the terms available, free, appropriate and affordable childcare. The work coach will work with the claimant to understand how childcare is preventing them from undertaking work related activities and make necessary adjustments.

What progress her Department has made on publishing a road safety strategy.

Improving road safety is one of the Department’s highest priorities. Too many people are killed and seriously injured in road traffic collisions, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. The Department is developing a road safety strategy and will set out more details in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will publish data on consumption emissions.

Defra publish the Carbon Footprint for the UK – including UK consumption emission figures. The latest data is available up to 2021 here : Carbon footprint for the UK and England to 2021 - GOV.UK.

If he will fully implement the recommendations of the Atherton report.

Following the July 2021 House of Commons Defence Committee report into Women in the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence has delivered a range of initiatives to improve the experience of women in the Armed Forces. Key actions have been taken to combat unacceptable sexual behaviour, with two Zero Tolerance policies and a Sexual Exploitation and Abuse policy; improvements have been made to women’s health and wellbeing with new policies on menopause and breastfeeding, emergency sanitary provision, sports bras and a urinary support device; together with improved female fit uniform and equipment (including body armour); greater career flexibility; and improved access to childcare through the Wraparound Childcare scheme. Related work has reformed the Service Complaints System to improve confidence and efficiency. The Service Justice System is more victim focussed, having established the Defence Serious Crime Unit and the Victim and Witness Care Unit in 2023. The Raising our Standards Team will continue to focus on driving more inclusive behaviours. In addition, new initiatives are being developed on women’s health to better prepare them for arduous training as well as an increased focus on bringing a gender perspective to the future development of existing equipment and uniform. The Armed Forces Commissioner Bill will establish an independent champion for our Serving personnel and their families. This a new, unprecedented post that will serve as a direct point of contact for Service personnel and their families to raise general service welfare matters.

What assessment she has made of the potential role of international students with Graduate visas in tackling workforce skills shortages in key sectors.

I refer the Honourable Member to my response to his question of 24th February 2025 [33207].

What steps he is taking to support women in the armed forces.

Following the July 2021 House of Commons Defence Committee report into Women in the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence has delivered a range of initiatives to improve the experience of women in the Armed Forces. Key actions have been taken to combat unacceptable sexual behaviour, with two Zero Tolerance policies and a Sexual Exploitation and Abuse policy; improvements have been made to women’s health and wellbeing with new policies on menopause and breastfeeding, emergency sanitary provision, sports bras and a urinary support device; together with improved female fit uniform and equipment (including body armour); greater career flexibility; and improved access to childcare through the Wraparound Childcare scheme. Related work has reformed the Service Complaints System to improve confidence and efficiency. The Service Justice System is more victim focussed, having established the Defence Serious Crime Unit and the Victim and Witness Care Unit in 2023. The Raising our Standards Team will continue to focus on driving more inclusive behaviours. In addition, new initiatives are being developed on women’s health to better prepare them for arduous training as well as an increased focus on bringing a gender perspective to the future development of existing equipment and uniform. The Armed Forces Commissioner Bill will establish an independent champion for our Serving personnel and their families. This a new, unprecedented post that will serve as a direct point of contact for Service personnel and their families to raise general service welfare matters.

If she will make a comparative assessment of taxation on (a) bio fuel and (b) fossil fuels.

The UK taxes fuels for a variety of reasons, and tax revenues from fuel are a vital part of overall tax revenues which are used to fund public services. Tax treatment does not generally differ between biofuels and fossil fuels.The government also ensures the tax system supports climate goals through measures such as the Carbon Price Support and Climate Change Levy.

Whether his Department has plans to ban imports from third country refineries that process Russian crude oil.

The UK has worked closely with international partners to constrain Russian oil revenues while maintaining global energy supply and security, protecting critical supply chains, and maintaining the stability of global markets. The Government does not speculate on future sanctions measures as to do so could reduce their impact. We continue to monitor the effectiveness of our sanctions.

Whether his Department has plans to ban the importation of oil products produced from Russian crude oil.

The UK has worked closely with international partners to constrain Russian oil revenues while maintaining global energy supply and security, protecting critical supply chains, and maintaining the stability of global markets. The Government does not speculate on future sanctions measures as to do so could reduce their impact. We continue to monitor the effectiveness of our sanctions.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has plans to ban UK firms from insuring supplies and products to and from Russia.

Together with our international partners, we have unleashed the largest and most substantial package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy. As a result, Russian imports into the UK have fallen by more than 99 percent, and UK exports to Russia are down by more than 75 percent. Many of our trade sanctions on goods include restrictions on the provision of financial services underlying trade to and from Russia. This includes the provision of insurance.

If he will make a comparative assessment of (a) gas and (b) biofuels for home heating.

Moving away from our reliance on natural gas for home heating is essential to achieving Net Zero and increasing our energy independence. The Government expects most properties will switch to heat pumps, along with heat networks, but recognises that in homes not connected to the gas grid, renewable liquid heating fuels (RLHF) could play a limited role in decarbonising heat. However, sustainable biomass is a limited resource, so the Government expects to prioritise its use in sectors which have fewest options to decarbonise. RLHFs are also more expensive to use than other heating solutions. We will keep evidence under review.

Communities and Local Government, when the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution will meet with the hon. Member for Newton Abbot.

I meet with members routinely, and am pleased to do so. My office have contacted the hon. Member.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that prescription charges do not act as a barrier to treatment for people with long-term medical conditions.

Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there is a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place to help those with the greatest need. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.People with certain long-term medical conditions may qualify for a medical exemption, which entitles them to claim free prescriptions. The medical exemption is a long-standing exemption from prescription charges, which covers all the patient’s prescriptions, not just those for the qualifying condition. A list of the qualifying medical conditions and information on how to apply for a medical exemption certificate is available at the following link:www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/medexPeople who do not qualify for an exemption and who need many prescription items could save money with a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC). PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with three-month and 12-month certificates available, and the 12-month PPC can be paid for in instalments.