Written questions by Maguire.

With reference to the bonus GP practices in England will be paid to prescribe patients weight loss drugs, what estimate his Department has made of the expected level of potential savings for the NHS over a one year, five year and 10 year period.

The 2026/27 GP Contract introduces new incentives through the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for general practitioners to prescribe weight loss drugs. At this stage, the Department has not made quantified estimates of net costs to the National Health Service over one-, five- or ten-year periods specifically attributable to these QOF indicators. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s technology appraisal considered the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of tirzepatide at a population level, and the QOF changes are intended to support appropriate implementation of that guidance. QOF is an established lever for supporting the roll out of evidence-based care in general practice. Data gathered through QOF this year will be used to understand the impact of the new QOF obesity indicators on patient pathways and service use, and this evidence may inform future assessment of costs and benefits over time.

With reference to the GP Contract 2026/27, what estimate his Department has made of the level of cost savings for the NHS in relation to the bonus GP practices in England will be paid to prescribe patients weight loss drugs.

The 2026/27 GP Contract introduces new incentives through the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for general practitioners to prescribe weight loss drugs. At this stage, the Department has not made quantified estimates of net costs to the National Health Service over one-, five- or ten-year periods specifically attributable to these QOF indicators. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s technology appraisal considered the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of tirzepatide at a population level, and the QOF changes are intended to support appropriate implementation of that guidance. QOF is an established lever for supporting the roll out of evidence-based care in general practice. Data gathered through QOF this year will be used to understand the impact of the new QOF obesity indicators on patient pathways and service use, and this evidence may inform future assessment of costs and benefits over time.

Media and Sport, when she plans to begin delivery of the Enrichment Expansion Programme; and how her Department plans to work with selected schools to roll out the programme.

As part of the Government’s ambition to halve the participation gap, DCMS, in partnership with DfE, will invest £22.5 million through the Enrichment Expansion Programme (EEP). This funding will support up to 400 schools in areas of greatest need across England to provide youth-voice led, tailored and high-quality enrichment offers.The programme is currently being designed, and further details on delivery timelines and school selection will be shared in due course.

Media and Sport, how her Department plans to measure progress towards her target for reducing the enrichment gap; and what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to do so.

The Government's National Youth Strategy is a 10-year plan designed to ensure that every young person nationwide has somewhere to go, someone who cares for them, and a community they feel a part of. Halving the participation gap in enriching activities between disadvantaged young people and their peers is one of the clear ambitions of this cross-government strategy. Full details of the measurement of the participation gap will be published in due course. The Local Outcomes Framework has already committed to including an indicator on participation in youth services.We are working closely with other government departments to ensure the successful delivery and accountability of the National Youth Strategy. This includes developing a set of shared outcomes to be used across departments, which will allow us to track progress against key outcomes in the strategy.

If he will make it his policy to introduce a statutory entitlement to paid leave for kinship carers.

The Government’s Parental Leave and Pay Review will conclude in early 2027 with a set of findings which outline next steps for implementing any reforms.In addition to considering, all current and upcoming parental leave and pay entitlements, the Review is considering the needs of other working families who do not qualify for existing leave and pay entitlements, such as kinship carers.The Government is also supporting kinship carers through other mechanisms and has recently launched a kinship pilot to support up to 5,000 kinship families by paying eligible carers an allowance equivalent to the Fostering National Minimum Allowance.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of GPs that will be needed to ensure that patients deemed clinically urgent are dealt with on the same day.

As a result of actions taken by the Government, we have the highest number of fully qualified general practitioners (GPs) since 2015. As of 31 December, there are also over 43,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) direct patient care staff working in GPs. We are investing £485 million into GPs in 2026/27, bringing the total spend on the GP Contract to over £13.8 billion. This builds on the £1.1 billion boost in investment in 2025/26. Following feedback from the 2026/27 GP Contract consultation, we are introducing a practice-level GP reimbursement scheme which ringfences and repurposes £292 million of funding from the current Capacity and Access Payment. This funding will be available to practices to hire additional GPs or fund additional sessions from existing GPs to support clinical same day urgent access in GPs. This aims to strengthen capacity, access, and improve patient satisfaction, whilst also addressing GP unemployment and underemployment. As part of the 26/27 GP Contract, we are increasing the flexibility of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) by removing the restriction that ARRS funding can only be used for recently qualified GPs, increasing the maximum reimbursement amount for GP roles to reflect experience, and enabling primary care networks to recruit a broader range of ARRS roles, where agreed with the commissioner. We are not defining “clinically urgent” from the centre. GP staff are trained and experienced in recognising which patients need to be seen quickly.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to reduce animal testing.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 November 2025 to Question UIN 91769.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of animal testing on animal welfare.

The Government takes the welfare of animals used in science extremely seriously. The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) is the UK’s framework governing the use of animals in research. ASPA enables the limited use of animals in science for societal, environmental or animal benefit. It provides a strict system of controls, rigorously and robustly enforced by the GB Regulator, to ensure animals are only used where necessary and where the expected benefits justify the harms.ASPA requires application of the principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement (the 3Rs) and mandates licensing for establishments, individuals and research projects. A project can only be authorised following a harm-benefit analysis, and all applications undergo ethical and scientific review, including by local Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Bodies, before submission to the Regulator.Longer term, the Government is fully committed to reducing the use of animals in science. In November 2025, the Government published, Replacing animals in science which sets a programme to accelerate the development, validation, and uptake of alternative methods while maintaining high standards of scientific rigour and public safety.

How many sponsor licenses for care homes and care agencies that have been revoked have been successfully challenged in a) 2022, b) 2023, c) 2024, and d) 2025 by county.

Data on revocations of sponsor licences for care homes by county is not available from published statistics and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.The route to challenge any revocation decision is through the civil courts and determinations relating to sponsor compliance action can be found in published determinations handed down by the Judiciary.

How many sponsor licenses for care homes and care agencies have been revoked in a) 2022, b) 2023, c) 2024, and d) 2025 by county.

Data on revocations of sponsor licences for care homes by county is not available from published statistics and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.The route to challenge any revocation decision is through the civil courts and determinations relating to sponsor compliance action can be found in published determinations handed down by the Judiciary.

What steps her Department plans to take with (a) the Department for Health and Social Care and (b) local authorities to help ensure that immigration reforms support (i) recruitment to social care vacancies and (ii) the implementation of statutory duties under the Care Act 2014.

The Government published the Immigration White Paper ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System last year which announced the intention to end overseas recruitment for social care visas. The new Immigration Rules which prohibit overseas recruitment took effect in July 2025, however transitional arrangements exist for individuals already in the UK to switch into the route. The transitional arrangements are due expire in 2028 but will be subject to regular review. The Home Office continues to work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) funded Regional Partnerships to support care workers, who have been impacted by exploitative employers. DHSC are funding 15 regional hubs in England, made up of Local Authorities and Directors of Adult Social Services, working together to support displaced workers into new roles within the care sector. These regional hubs have received £12.5 million this financial year to support them to prevent and respond to unethical practices in the sector. The Government remains committed to supporting Health & Care visa holders who wish to pursue a career in the adult social care sector.

What estimate she has made of the number of people subject to the loan charge who will have their cases settled following the independent review of the loan charge.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers I gave on 9 February 2026 to UIN 109841, 109843 and 109842.

What assessment her Department has made of the value-for-money of the loan charge.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers I gave on 9 February 2026 to UIN 109841, 109843 and 109842.

What assessment her Department has made of the (a) effectiveness of the loan charge and (b) adequacy of HMRC’s approach to dealing with disguised remuneration schemes.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers I gave on 9 February 2026 to UIN 109841, 109843 and 109842.

How many outstanding Loan Charge cases she expects will be settled as a result of the McCann Review.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers I gave on 9 February 2026 to UIN 109841, 109843 and 109842.

What assessment has her Department made of the value-for-money to the taxpayer of the Loan Charge.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers I gave on 9 February 2026 to UIN 109841, 109843 and 109842.

What assessment has her Department made of the effectiveness of (a) the Loan Charge and (b) HMRC’s approach to dealing with disguised remuneration schemes.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers I gave on 9 February 2026 to UIN 109841, 109843 and 109842.

What discussions her Department has had with schools on the effectiveness of the three-item cap on branded uniform.

Whilst many schools are taking action to reduce costs, too many families still tell us that the cost of school uniform remains a financial burden. ​This is why we have introduced legislation to limit the number of branded items of uniform and PE kit that schools can require.When determining the level at which to set the limit, we considered the available evidence and engaged with a range of stakeholders, including schools, to ensure we struck the right balance between reducing costs for parents and recognising the benefits that some branded items can bring to school life.The majority of primary schools, and nearly a third of secondary schools, already successfully operate within the proposed limit. It is therefore right that schools currently asking for large numbers of compulsory branded items are required to remove them.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of paying GPs a bonus to prescribe patients weight loss drugs on savings to the NHS over a (a) one, (b) five year and (c) 10 year period.

The 2026/27 GP Contract introduces new incentives through the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for general practitioners to prescribe weight loss drugs. At this stage, the Department has not made quantified estimates of net costs to the National Health Service over one-, five- or ten-year periods specifically attributable to these QOF indicators. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s technology appraisal considered the clinical effectiveness and cost‑effectiveness of tirzepatide at a population level, and the QOF changes are intended to support appropriate implementation of that guidance. QOF is an established lever for supporting the roll out of evidence-based care in general practice. Data gathered through QOF this year will be used to understand the impact of the new QOF obesity indicators on patient pathways and service use, and this evidence may inform future assessment of costs and benefits over time.

What information her Department holds on the number of animals that have been used for animal testing in each year since 2022.

The Home Office publishes annual statistics on the use of animals in science which contain information on the number of procedures conducted each year. The number of procedures is not equal the number of animals that have been used in procedures that year because some animals may be used more than once in certain circumstances.The published annual statistics are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-statisticshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy/replacing-animals-in-science-a-strategy-to-support-the-development-validation-and-uptake-of-alternative-methods