Written questions by Wheeler.

Whether his Department has considered the implications of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal for the potential approval of Jascayd (nerandomilast).

No specific consideration of the implications of the United Kingdom and United States’ Economic Prosperity Deal for the approval of Jascayd (nernadomilast) has been made. The changes that we are making to the way in which the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evaluates medicines are expected to increase the number of medicines that NICE is able to recommend for National Health Service use. NICE will continue to develop its recommendations on whether individual medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS independently on the basis of the available evidence and through extensive engagement with interested parties.

Whether his Department has an estimate of the earliest possible date Jascayd (nerandomilast) could be available to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients.

Nerandomilast does not currently have a United Kingdom marketing authorisation for use in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It is currently being evaluated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) which makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS.Subject to licensing, NICE currently expects to publish final guidance on nerandomilast in September 2026.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the RPI plus 3 per cent interest rate on Plan 2 student loan debt on the ability of graduates earning the UK median wage to begin to pay down their outstanding student loan debt.

Plan 2 interest rates vary with income when the borrower has left study and is in repayment. The lower interest threshold, below which borrowers are charged an interest rate of RPI+0%, is currently £28,470. Interest then increases on a sliding scale to RPI+3% for borrowers earning over the higher interest threshold (currently £51,245). This ensures that, post-study, only borrowers earning higher incomes are charged RPI+3 interest.Student loan repayments are made based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly earnings, not the interest rate or amount borrowed. Outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower.

What estimate her Department has made of outstanding Plan 2 student loan debt in the year the first loans become eligible to be written off; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of that debt on Government finances.

The oldest Plan 2 loans will become eligible for cancellation in 2046. For the England-domiciled 2012/13 cohort, the first to receive Plan 2 loans, we forecast a total of £17,036 million in loan balances (including interest) will be cancelled at the end of their 30-year repayment periods. These cancellations are accounted for at the point of loan outlay. The future cancelled debt is reflected in both the national accounts and the department’s accounts in the year the loan is issued and is then updated annually. It will not result in further losses when the loans reach the end of their 30-year write-off period. The treatment of student loans in the national accounts is in line the methodology published by the Office for National Statistics and can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/publicsectorfinance/methodologies/studentloansinthepublicsectorfinancesamethodologicalguide.

Whether his Department has undertaken work to identify which additional public services could be delivered face to face through the Post Office network; and whether he has discussed the potential expansion of such services with other departments.

As set out in the Government’s Green Paper, the role of Post Office is changing, fuelled by significant changes in Post Office’s markets. Government will continue facilitating discussions around the future of cash and banking services, as demonstrated by the recent joint discussions held between the Post Office and the banking sector. The Department for Business and Trade will also work across government to explore opportunities to improve and enhance the delivery of in-person government services, and we have established a cross-government working group for this purpose. However, Post Office’s services are ultimately a commercial matter for the organisation and its partners.

Whether his Department has considered the potential merits of the Post Office network hosting community banking representatives to provide in-person access to more complex banking services.

As set out in the Government’s Green Paper, the role of Post Office is changing, fuelled by significant changes in Post Office’s markets. Government will continue facilitating discussions around the future of cash and banking services, as demonstrated by the recent joint discussions held between the Post Office and the banking sector. The Department for Business and Trade will also work across government to explore opportunities to improve and enhance the delivery of in-person government services, and we have established a cross-government working group for this purpose. However, Post Office’s services are ultimately a commercial matter for the organisation and its partners.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the Graduate Guarantee scheme for newly qualified nurses and midwives in England to include graduates who qualified prior to 2024.

No assessment has been made. There are no plans to extend the Graduate Guarantee to include graduates who qualified prior to 2024.

How the eligibility criteria for the Graduate Guarantee scheme for newly qualified nurses and midwives in England was determined.

The Graduate Guarantee is a workforce measure aimed at improving the access and transition into employment for newly qualified nurses and midwives in England.It is aimed at ensuring that the 2025 cohort has opportunities to apply for roles across the health and care sector, ensuring that students who qualified in September 2025 and January 2026 will directly benefit. There is no national eligibility criterion, reflecting that employment decisions sit locally with National Health Service trusts and that individuals may choose when to apply following qualification.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework on the competitiveness of UK manufacturers exporting to the EU.

As with other relevant EU regulations, the Department for Business and Trade is monitoring the EU’s Clean Industrial State Aid Framework (CISAF) and its impact on British businesses including UK manufacturers exporting to the EU. The government is using TCA structures and informal channels to ask questions and where necessary raise concerns about new EU regulations. During this year's annual Level Playing Field Trade Specialised Committee, the UK raised the CISAF and its impact on Third Countries with the EU.

Whether companies in the UK plastics manufacturing sector will be eligible for inclusion in the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme.

As set out in the Industrial Strategy, the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will support eligible manufacturing frontier industries within ‘IS-8’ manufacturing sectors and manufacturing foundational industries that provide key inputs to those frontier sectors, subject to meeting a threshold of electricity intensity. The Department for Business and Trade has recently launched a consultation outlining the proposed methodology for identifying eligible businesses within these parameters. The consultation document includes an indicative list of eligible industries.

If he will publish the methodology for the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme.

The Department of Business and Trade recently launched a consultation on the proposed approach to eligibility for the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme. The final approach to eligibility will be published in due course following the consultation’s closure in January.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department’s publication entitled Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025, if she will consider including all instances of the use of the LD50 and LC50 tests in Basket 1: Animal testing/models for which mature replacement technologies already exist and could be applied to phase out in all but exceptional circumstances.

The Strategy uses a ‘baskets’ approach to group animal tests according to how ready they are for replacement, based on the maturity of potential alternative methods. These initial baskets are not exhaustive and will be reviewed and refined in consultation with the research community on a regular basis, noting that two LD/LC50 tests are already in basket 1 and 2 (botulinum potency and fish acute toxicity tests respectively) meaning they are among the first targeted for phase-out.In addition, the Government-funded National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) has ongoing work to replace, reduce and refine LD/LC50 tests.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department’s publication entitled Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025, what steps she is taking to end the use of the LD50 and LC50 tests.

The Strategy uses a ‘baskets’ approach to group animal tests according to how ready they are for replacement, based on the maturity of potential alternative methods. These initial baskets are not exhaustive and will be reviewed and refined in consultation with the research community on a regular basis, noting that two LD/LC50 tests are already in basket 1 and 2 (botulinum potency and fish acute toxicity tests respectively) meaning they are among the first targeted for phase-out.In addition, the Government-funded National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) has ongoing work to replace, reduce and refine LD/LC50 tests.

With reference to her Department’s publication entitled Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2024, published on 23 October 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the increase in the number of procedures involving (a) fish, (b) rats and (c) horses from 2023 to 2024.

In 2024, there were 2.64 million regulated scientific procedures carried out in Great Britain involving living animals. This is a decrease of 1% on the previous year, and the lowest number since 2001.The trends in the number of animals and types of procedures carried out each year are influenced by a range of extraneous factors, for example requirements for research and testing which include products being brought to market.The Home Office is responsible for regulating under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) to assure compliance with protections afforded to animals used in science and to administrate the licensing framework. Data trends and requirements will be assessed by the authorities whom have particular responsibilities and requirements for the use of animals of science.

With reference to her Department’s publication entitled Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2024, published on 23 October 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the increase in the number of procedures conducted for LD50 and LC50 tests from 2023 to 2024.

The Lethal Dose 50 and Lethal Concentration 50 procedures are subject to strict regulations under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. This legal framework requires that animals are only ever used in science where there are no alternatives, where the number of animals used is the minimum needed to achieve the scientific benefit, and where the potential harm to animals is limited to that needed to achieve the scientific benefit.Some authorised medicines in the UK include quality control tests which require the use of animals, conducted to ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of specific medicines. These tests account for the LD50 cases still conducted.The requirement for LD50 and LC50 tests is set by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines and the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations set by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.This Government is committed to the development of non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy by the end of this year to support the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing.

With reference to her Department’s publication entitled Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2024, published on 23 October 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the increase in the number of (a) marmosets and tamarins and (b) rhesus monkeys used for the first time in scientific procedures from 2023 to 2024.

The requirements for regulatory testing are set by regulators such as the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, which regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the UK.The use of non-human primates continues to represent a very small proportion of the total number of procedures carried out in Great Britain, accounting for approximately 0.1% of all experimental procedures in 2024. The total number of procedures using non-human primates, and the total number of non-human primates used decreased in 2024 compared to 2023. Non-human primates are required by regulatory authorities for use in their assessments of whether potential medicines and other therapeutics are to be considered safe for human use. Non-human primates are also used for the safety assessment of novel pharmaceuticals in cases where they are the most appropriate and scientifically justified species.Non-human primates are classed as specially protected species, and their use is permitted only under exceptional circumstances.The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 ensures that all use of non-human primates in the UK is strictly regulated and licences that authorise testing on non-human primates are only granted where there is robust scientific justification and no viable alternative. Each project licence application is subject to a rigorous harm-benefit analysis, and the welfare of the animals is a primary consideration at every stage.This Government is committed to the development of non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy by the end of this year to support the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing.

If she will make an estimate of the number of children that were not accessing their entitlement to free childcare in Worsley and Eccles constituency in the 2024-25 academic year.

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.The latest January 2025 statistics relating to funded early education and childcare were published on 11 July 2025. These are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/funded-early-education-and-childcare/2025.Statistics at constituency level are not readily available. Figures on the number of children registered for the families receiving additional support, universal and working parent entitlement in Salford can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/26af6f8f-ac9d-4ccb-94e3-08de11382822.

How many school-based nursery places were available in Worsley and Eccles constituency in the 2024-25 academic year.

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.We have announced over £400 million of funding to create tens of thousands of places in new and expanded school-based nurseries to help ensure more children can access the quality early education where it is needed and get the best start in life.We do not retain data on school-based nursery places available in the Worsley and Eccles constituency. However, according to the department’s latest Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey for the reporting year 2024, there were 52,200 registered nursery class childcare places available in the North West region of England. The median hourly parent-paid fee for childcare in the region was £5.75 per hour for children under two, £5.60 per hour for two year-olds, and £5.50 per hour for three and four year-olds.We do not have an estimate of the size of the waiting list for accessing early years childcare in Worsley and Eccles constituency in the 2024/25 academic year.

If she will make an estimate of the size of the waiting list for accessing early years childcare in Worsley and Eccles constituency in the 2024-25 academic year.

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.We have announced over £400 million of funding to create tens of thousands of places in new and expanded school-based nurseries to help ensure more children can access the quality early education where it is needed and get the best start in life.We do not retain data on school-based nursery places available in the Worsley and Eccles constituency. However, according to the department’s latest Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey for the reporting year 2024, there were 52,200 registered nursery class childcare places available in the North West region of England. The median hourly parent-paid fee for childcare in the region was £5.75 per hour for children under two, £5.60 per hour for two year-olds, and £5.50 per hour for three and four year-olds.We do not have an estimate of the size of the waiting list for accessing early years childcare in Worsley and Eccles constituency in the 2024/25 academic year.

How many children were in receipt of funded childcare in Worsley and Eccles constituency in the 2024-25 academic year.

It is our ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.The latest January 2025 statistics relating to funded early education and childcare were published on 11 July 2025. These are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/funded-early-education-and-childcare/2025.Statistics at constituency level are not readily available. Figures on the number of children registered for the families receiving additional support, universal and working parent entitlement in Salford can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/26af6f8f-ac9d-4ccb-94e3-08de11382822.