Written questions by Law.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of widening the eligibility of COVID vaccines to people with Multiple Sclerosis.

The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious illness, resulting in hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19.COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for most people, though it can still be unpleasant, with rates of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 having reduced significantly since COVID-19 first emerged.The focus of the JCVI advised programme is targeted vaccination of the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality. These are the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed.The Government has accepted the JCVI advice for spring 2026 and in line with the advice, a COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to the following groups:- adults aged 75 years old and over;- residents in care homes for older adults; and- individuals aged six months old and over who are immunosuppressed, as in the COVID-19 chapter of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book.The JCVI keeps all vaccination programmes under review.

What support the Government is giving to families in the Family Court who have suffered abuse by non-resident parents.

The Government is committed to ensuring that victims of domestic abuse, including children, are properly supported in the Family Courts. This is regardless of whether the abusive parent is resident or non-resident at the time of the case.Family Courts have a range of tools available to support and protect victims of domestic abuse. The court must assume that the ability of victims of domestic abuse to participate in family proceedings is diminished by vulnerability, and as such can make special measures available to support them in court. Special measures are designed to ensure victims are fully supported throughout proceedings and can include giving evidence by video link or from behind a screen or using separate waiting areas or separate entrances and exits. Additionally, a victim of domestic abuse cannot be cross-examined by their abuser in family proceedings. The court can appoint a qualified legal representative to undertake the cross-examinationTo further support victims, court procedures, set out in Practice Directions, make it clear that Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs), who provide practical, emotional or moral support, can accompany parties in proceedings.Where Family Court proceedings would risk causing harm to parents or children the court can make an order to prevent a person from making further applications without permission of the court, such as a civil restraint order or, in relation to proceedings under the Children Act 1989, an order under section 91(14) of that Act.Legal aid is also available for private family matters such as child arrangements, financial remedy proceedings and divorce if an individual is a victim of domestic abuse or at risk of being abused. Legal aid is also available for individuals in some private family orders, such as prohibited steps orders, if the child subject to the order is a victim of child abuse or at risk of abuse. Funding is subject to providing evidence of abuse and passing the means and merits test.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help improve the Welsh rail network.

I was pleased to join the Prime Minister in Taffs Well earlier this month to announce seven new stations in Wales and a generational funding commitment to the Welsh rail network and a pipeline of projects valued at £14 billion.The Prime Minister endorsed Transport for Wales’ vision for the future of rail in Wales, which will transform Welsh rail and support 12,000 jobs.

What guidance or requirements exist for NHS trusts, GP practices and other health providers to ensure that medical records, appointment letters and other clinical correspondence about a child are sent to the correct parents or addresses, including where parental responsibility is shared.

NHS England has a range of guidance online relating to communicating with patients, and the sharing of medical records for direct care. NHS England continues to support the secure sharing of patient information to improve safety, reduce the duplication of tests, and support patient choice. Programmes such as Connecting Care Records are designed to enable appropriate access to patient information across organisational boundaries.In the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan there is a commitment to create a Single Patient Record (SPR). The SPR will provide a single, secure, and up to date record that brings together health and care information so clinicians can access the appropriate information they need, wherever a patient receives care. This will help reduce the delays caused by missing information, and clinicians working with incomplete histories. Subject to parliamentary timetables, the SPR will begin rolling out from 2028, starting with maternity and frailty.The National Health Service is taking a digital-first approach to patient communications, to ensure seamless and effective communications with patients and families. Further information is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/about-nhs-digital/digital-first-messagingThere is no specific guidance relating to ensuring correspondence relating to a child is sent to the correct addresses, as this relates to ensuring the accuracy of records which runs throughout the guidance both produced by NHS England, and the professional bodies.NHS England’s Policy and Guidance Manual for Primary Medical Services provide standard operating processes for general practice registration and include specific guidance when registering a child and the circumstances in which safeguarding guidance should be followed. This essentially underlines a “think family” approach and states an adult with parental responsibility should normally be registered at the practice with the child. Further information on NHS England’s Policy and Guidance Manual for Primary Medical Services is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/primary-medical-services-policy-and-guidance-manual-pgm-2/

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of widening the eligibility of the NHS Low Income Scheme to include those who are on a state pension.

No such assessment has been made. People aged 60 years old and over are automatically entitled to free National Health Service prescriptions and free NHS eye tests.People on the state pension can apply for the NHS Low Income Scheme and depending on their income and requirements, may receive either full or partial help with health costs. Alternatively, they may be eligible for Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, which provides full help with health costs. Full help covers:- NHS prescription charges;- NHS dental treatment charges;- the cost of sight tests, glasses, and contact lenses;- the cost of travelling to receive NHS treatment; and- NHS wigs and fabric supports.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure the widest set of projects as part of biodiversity net-gain calculations.

Biodiversity net gain (BNG) applies to every planning permission in England granted under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, unless exempted. The Government has announced plans to remove BNG requirements for sites under 0.2 hectares, and that BNG will apply to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects from May this year.

Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken with Homes England to help support start-up builders.

Small and medium sized housebuilders are essential to meeting the government’s housing ambitions and supporting local economies.The government is acting to support SME housebuilders by increasing their access to land, providing further financial assistance and easing the burden of regulation.To that end, we have provided a £700 million extension to the Home Building Fund to help them build a further 12,000 homes and doubled the ENABLE Build Guarantee scheme to boost SME access to finance.We are making more Homes England land available to the sector through SME-only land sales with less bureaucratic sales process.We have also committed to simplifying the planning system with proposals for a new medium site size definition with corresponding policy and regulatory easements to help SME housebuilders thrive and grow. For further detail, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 16 December 2025 (HCWS1187).

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Kernow Industrial Growth Fund can be deployed as investment capital which can be recouped by Cornwall County Council for future projects.

Funding will be devolved to Cornwall Council, in line with the Government’s devolution agenda, empowering local leaders to invest in projects that best meet local needs. Final release of funding will be subject to a robust business case.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to provide capacity funding to local authorities for strategic economic development in Cornwall.

The government is establishing a £30 million fund to invest in Cornwall’s comparative sectoral advantages, including critical minerals, renewable energy and marine innovation, subject to a full business case. Funding will be devolved to Cornwall Council, in line with the government’s devolution agenda, empowering local leaders to invest in projects that best meet local needs. Project management costs are eligible as part of a capital project budget.

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure Royal Mail meets its statutory obligations.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, has powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification. Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21 million for failing to meet its quality of service targets in 2024-25 and instructed Royal Mail to urgently publish and implement a credible plan that delivers major and continuous improvement. I met the CEOs of Royal Mail and its parent company in November and raised concerns about Royal Mail’s performance. They reported continued targeted action to improve reliability. I will continue to raise concerns with Royal Mail if quality of service does not improve.

What steps he is taking to reduce burdens on NHS dentistry services, especially by ensuring dentists who are qualified to practice in other countries can be fast-tracked for qualification to practice in the UK.

The General Dental Council (GDC) regulates United Kingdom dentistry and sets the standards for all applicants to its registers. Routes to registration for overseas qualified dentists are set out in legislation.The Government is working with the GDC to increase the number of overseas-qualified dentists gaining registration to help address National Health Service workforce shortages.The GDC already offers priority booking to refugee dentists on its Overseas Registration Exam (ORE). Last year I asked the GDC to develop a plan to urgently cut the high ORE waiting list and in November received an update on their work. I have been assured that significant improvements to international registration are expected this year.I have also asked the GDC for an improved ORE booking system for the new ORE delivery contract, coming into effect from April 2026, and to explore prioritisation of UK resident candidates. I will meet the GDC again for an update on this work once the new contract is finalised.

What progress has been made towards global debt reform in discussions with the London Coalition.

The government is committed to working with our international partners and the private sector to tackle unsustainable debt. The London Coalition for Sustainable Sovereign Debt, initiated last year, continues to make progress on bolstering the private sector international debt architecture. The Coalition aims to promote greater resilience and debt sustainability for debtor countries through contractual innovations and enhanced coordination of creditors. The bonded debt working group continue to advance work on pause clauses, which suspend interest payments when events like climate shocks occur. This includes consulting with key stakeholders on their input paper published in November. The non-bonded debt working group is developing guidelines for how private sector creditors can better coordinate themselves during debt restructurings.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to ensure that food purchased by the public sector recognises seasonality of produce.

The Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF) already encourage public sector caterers to include seasonally available ingredients in their menus. The Government is currently considering options, including updating the GBSF to further encourage caterers to serve more seasonal produce.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to reform planning rules and permitted development rights to facilitate a wider range of housing for elderly people, including modern, low‑maintenance retirement communities and purpose‑built nursing homes; and what steps he is taking to protect local care standards.

The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including new policies designed to support the delivery of housing that meets the needs of different groups such as older people. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is responsible for assessing registered providers, including providers that deliver and manage residential and nursing homes. The CQC monitors, inspects and regulates services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. They can take appropriate action, including through their enforcement powers, when these standards are not met.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of a separate (a) price and (b) allocation mechanism for renewable baseload generation within future Contracts for Difference auction rounds.

Allocation Round 7 is currently in progress with results expected early in the new year. We assess the design of each allocation round ahead of it opening. We will publish details relating to the next allocation round in due course.

What progress he has made on the (a) establishment and (b) delivery of the MHRA Early Access Service.

In July of this year the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published a statement of policy intent for the development and implementation of an Early Access Service for innovative medical devices. The statement of policy intent is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-policy-intent-early-access-to-innovative-medical-devices/statement-of-policy-intent-early-access-to-innovative-medical-devices#next-steps The service aims to speed up safe access to innovative medical devices for patients, supporting the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan. The statement set out our intention to work with stakeholders across the life science ecosystem to further develop the policy and to build the internal capability required to deliver the service throughout 2025. Further information on our plans will be provided in early 2026.

What steps his Department is taking to expedite the recruitment of newly qualified midwives (a) nationally and (b) within Cornwall.

On 11 August 2025, the Government announced the Graduate Guarantee for nurses and midwives. The guarantee will ensure that there are enough positions for every newly qualified midwife in England. Vacant maternity support worker posts will be temporarily converted to Band 5 midwifery roles, backed by £8 million to create new opportunities specifically for newly qualified midwives and to further ease the recruitment strain.Decisions about local recruitment are matters for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts 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.

Whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the application of Section 33 of the Limitation Act 1980 in medical negligence cases involving cerebral palsy; and whether it has had discussions with Scope on this issue.

Limitation periods set statutory time limits within which a party must bring a civil claim, or give notice of a claim, to the other party in a dispute. For negligence resulting in personal injury (which would include clinical negligence claims) the limitation period is normally three years from the date of the alleged negligence or the date of the claimant’s knowledge of damage, whichever is later.However, under Section 33 of the Limitation Act 1980, this period can be extended at the court’s discretion, if it appears that it would be equitable (fair and reasonable) to all parties to allow an action to proceed.The Government has no plans to reform the law, and has had no discussions with Scope but they are welcome to write to me if they want to set out any specific concerns.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of further investment in agricultural supply chains in northern Nigeria to help promote the region’s (a) climate resilient agriculture, (b) peace and (c) security.

The UK is committed to supporting peace and stability in Northern Nigeria. Our work is strengthening agricultural supply chains in the region, to boost sustainable agriculture, food and nutrition security, and help address drivers of conflict.Our Propcom+ programme works with agribusiness, State and Federal government authorities, and wider development partners, to support investment and growth in climate-smart agriculture in Nigeria, including in the North. Since 2022, Propcom+ has worked with over 750,000 farmers and small-scale entrepreneurs, nearly half of which are women, to adapt to the effects of climate change. In addition, the UK's Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria programme (SPRiNG) is working to reduce rural violence in Northwest and North-central Nigeria. It does this by supporting productive livelihoods for farmers and pastoralists, and by strengthening conflict early warning, management and response.

What steps his Department is taking to provide additional funding to support households to improve their Energy Performance Certificate ratings under the Warm Homes Plan.

The domestic Energy Performance Certificate is based on energy costs. This government is investing £13.2 billion in the Warm Homes Plan to upgrade up to 5 million homes and cut energy bills for good, in line with the Manifesto commitment. Further details on allocations for individual programmes will be set out soon, but will include increasing funding for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, additional funding for social housing landlords through the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund and funding for the Warm Homes: Local Grant, to improve the energy performance of low-income households through the installation of energy efficiency measures and low carbon technologies, as well as funding to deliver heat network schemes.