Written questions by Robertson.

Which external organisations David Lock KC has referenced in advice to Ministers as part of his advice on the costs of clinical negligence.

As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. He has engaged a number of stakeholders to date and will continue to consult. His work is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) reports.The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.

Which external organisations David Lock KC has spoken to as part of his role advising Ministers on the costs of clinical negligence.

As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. He has engaged a number of stakeholders to date and will continue to consult. His work is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) reports.The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.

What discussions his Department has had with the Civil Procedure Rules Committee on the implementation of fixed recoverable costs for lower value clinical negligence claims since 4 July 2024.

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.Although forecasts remain uncertain, it is likely that the costs of clinical negligence will continue to grow substantially. As the question describes, the Government Actuary’s Department forecasts that annual payments for compensation and legal costs will increase from £3.1 billion in 2024/25 to £4.1 billion by 2029/30.As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee reports.

What steps he is taking to help prevent clinical negligence costs reaching the currently forecast £4 billion per year by 2029-30.

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.Although forecasts remain uncertain, it is likely that the costs of clinical negligence will continue to grow substantially. As the question describes, the Government Actuary’s Department forecasts that annual payments for compensation and legal costs will increase from £3.1 billion in 2024/25 to £4.1 billion by 2029/30.As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee reports.

What steps he is taking to help reduce the proportion of legal costs as a percentage of overall clinical negligence costs.

The rising costs of clinical negligence claims against the National Health Service in England are of great concern to the Government. Costs have more than doubled in the last 10 years and are forecast to continue rising, putting further pressure on NHS finances.Although forecasts remain uncertain, it is likely that the costs of clinical negligence will continue to grow substantially. As the question describes, the Government Actuary’s Department forecasts that annual payments for compensation and legal costs will increase from £3.1 billion in 2024/25 to £4.1 billion by 2029/30.As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee reports.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions to (a) GP practices, (b) the number of FTE GPs in work and (c) locum GPs.

We are investing an extra £1.1 billion in general practices (GPs) in 2025/26, the biggest cash increase in a decade. We now have the highest number of fully qualified GPs serving in more than a decade. By boosting the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme with £160 million pounds, we have prevented over 3,000 GPs graduating into unemployment.GPs are valued independent contractors who provide over £13 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with the sector both about what services they provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract, taking into account the cost of delivering services, including staffing costs.The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

What steps he is taking to (a) improve access to GPs and (b) increase the number of FTE GPs (i) in work and (ii) on permanent contracts.

We are increasing the capacity in general practices by investing £160 million via the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) to recruit more general practitioners (GPs) to ensure the delivery of more GP appointments. Since October 2024, 3,073 individual GPs have been recruited into work, preventing them from graduating into unemployment. Further flexibilities were made to the ARRS to enable primary care networks to recruit recently qualified GPs, including removing caps on the number of GPs that can be recruited through the scheme to increase the number of both part-time and full-time GPs in employment. As a result, 6.8 million additional appointments were delivered in the year to December 2025, compared with the previous 12 months, and there is now the largest number of fully qualified GPs since 2015 We have invested an additional £1.1 billion in GPs to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest cash increase in over a decade and will facilitate the recruitment of GPs. The 8.9% boost to the GP Contract in 2025/26 is greater than the 5.8% growth to the National Health Service budget as a whole.The Government is also committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. The plan will also ensure that staff are better treated, have better training, more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future. Importantly, after a decade of declining satisfaction, patient experiences with access to their GP has improved significantly. As of December 2025, 75.2% of patients report that they find it is easy to contact their GP, a 14.3 percentage point increase since July 2024.

How many GP practices have closed in the last 12 months; and and GPs have (a) resigned and (b) retired in the same period of time.

Data on GP practices, including closure dates, is published as part of the ‘GP and GP practice related data’ set, available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/services/organisation-data-service/data-search-and-export/csv-downloads/gp-and-gp-practice-related-dataData on GP workforce can be found here:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/general-and-personal-medical-services/31-december-2025#

What discussions she has had with the optical sector on (a) proposals to modernise driver vision testing and (b) any other proposals to strengthen road safety standards.

On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. Alongside the strategy, we launched five consultations including a consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers. We welcome responses from optometrists and optometrist organisations to the consultations. My officials have met with various optometrist organisations (including the College of Optometrists and the Association of Optometrists) while developing the proposed changes to eyesight testing for older drivers, and we will continue to engage with optometrist organisations as our policies develop further.

What steps her Department is taking to help support public awareness of the Don’t Swerve a Sight Test campaign.

We appreciate the work that the Association of Optometrists is doing to highlight the importance of good vision for driving.On 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all road users. Alongside the strategy, we launched a consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers.All drivers, regardless of age, have a legal responsibility to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if they develop a medical condition that may affect their ability to drive.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of increasing the number of vision checks required for drivers aged over 70 on road safety.

At the age of 70, drivers must renew their entitlement, and at most, every three years after that. This provides a timely reminder to individuals to consider their health in the context of driving. To renew their entitlement, they must make a legal declaration, via self-certification, that they can meet the legal eyesight standards required to drive and confirm whether they have any medical condition which may affect their fitness to drive. On 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all road users including older drivers. Alongside the strategy, we launched a consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers.A summary of the evidence underpinning the need for mandatory eyesight testing is included in the ‘safety impacts of mandatory eyesight testing’ section of the consultation document.Once the consultation has concluded, we will publish our response in due course.

What steps she is taking to support the maritime sector.

The Government strongly supports the sector, including £448m of funding for maritime decarbonisation, updating the National Policy Statement for Ports, fostering an environment for port investment, backing maritime skills and seafarers’ rights. We will shortly publish a Maritime Growth Strategy with our priorities for sustainable sector growth, people, environment, and safety.

What proportion of the reduction in NHS waiting lists since April 2025 is attributable to patient removals; and if he will publish a breakdown of waiting-list change by treatment status.

Waiting list management information is published, by week, each month, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/Referral-to-treatment (RTT) data is published monthly, for the data two months prior, by NHS England, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/Whilst we do not currently publish the number of removals from the waiting list for reasons other than a clinical decision, this can be calculated from published RTT data.Between April 2025 and November 2025 inclusive, official statistics show 14,460,885 removals from the list, 12,391,696 of which have been reported as completed pathways, and the remainder, 2,069,189, or 14.3%, were unreported removals. Unreported removals include patients removed from the waiting list for not attending their first appointment, instances where the provider cannot accept the referral because it does not carry out the relevant procedure, and where patients are removed from the waiting list through validation because they no longer need to be treated. We do not currently publish data on the specific reasons for each unreported removal or at what treatment stage in the pathway removals take place.The national elective access policy sets out the principles for providers’ management of their waiting list, including the use of two-way communication with patients to ensure that patients are fully informed and aware of any appointments needed for their care. The policy can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-elective-access-policy/

If his Department will report the number of patients removed from waiting lists data and the reasons for their removal.

Waiting list management information is published, by week, each month, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/Referral-to-treatment (RTT) data is published monthly, for the data two months prior, by NHS England, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/Whilst we do not currently publish the number of removals from the waiting list for reasons other than a clinical decision, this can be calculated from published RTT data.Between April 2025 and November 2025 inclusive, official statistics show 14,460,885 removals from the list, 12,391,696 of which have been reported as completed pathways, and the remainder, 2,069,189, or 14.3%, were unreported removals. Unreported removals include patients removed from the waiting list for not attending their first appointment, instances where the provider cannot accept the referral because it does not carry out the relevant procedure, and where patients are removed from the waiting list through validation because they no longer need to be treated. We do not currently publish data on the specific reasons for each unreported removal or at what treatment stage in the pathway removals take place.The national elective access policy sets out the principles for providers’ management of their waiting list, including the use of two-way communication with patients to ensure that patients are fully informed and aware of any appointments needed for their care. The policy can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-elective-access-policy/

If his Department will publish full, raw NHS waiting-list data including removals and treatment activity on a weekly and monthly basis.

Waiting list management information is published, by week, each month, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/Referral-to-treatment (RTT) data is published monthly, for the data two months prior, by NHS England, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/Whilst we do not currently publish the number of removals from the waiting list for reasons other than a clinical decision, this can be calculated from published RTT data.Between April 2025 and November 2025 inclusive, official statistics show 14,460,885 removals from the list, 12,391,696 of which have been reported as completed pathways, and the remainder, 2,069,189, or 14.3%, were unreported removals. Unreported removals include patients removed from the waiting list for not attending their first appointment, instances where the provider cannot accept the referral because it does not carry out the relevant procedure, and where patients are removed from the waiting list through validation because they no longer need to be treated. We do not currently publish data on the specific reasons for each unreported removal or at what treatment stage in the pathway removals take place.The national elective access policy sets out the principles for providers’ management of their waiting list, including the use of two-way communication with patients to ensure that patients are fully informed and aware of any appointments needed for their care. The policy can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-elective-access-policy/

What steps he is taking to ensure patients are not wrongly removed from the official NHS waiting list due to administrative issues.

Waiting list management information is published, by week, each month, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/wlmds/Referral-to-treatment (RTT) data is published monthly, for the data two months prior, by NHS England, and is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/Whilst we do not currently publish the number of removals from the waiting list for reasons other than a clinical decision, this can be calculated from published RTT data.Between April 2025 and November 2025 inclusive, official statistics show 14,460,885 removals from the list, 12,391,696 of which have been reported as completed pathways, and the remainder, 2,069,189, or 14.3%, were unreported removals. Unreported removals include patients removed from the waiting list for not attending their first appointment, instances where the provider cannot accept the referral because it does not carry out the relevant procedure, and where patients are removed from the waiting list through validation because they no longer need to be treated. We do not currently publish data on the specific reasons for each unreported removal or at what treatment stage in the pathway removals take place.The national elective access policy sets out the principles for providers’ management of their waiting list, including the use of two-way communication with patients to ensure that patients are fully informed and aware of any appointments needed for their care. The policy can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-elective-access-policy/

Whether she plans to require in-vehicle CCTV in licensed taxis and private hire vehicles.

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill seeks a power for the Secretary of State to set in regulations national minimum standards for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. The power was approved by the House of Commons and the Bill is now being considered by the House of Lords. Should Parliament enable the setting of standards, mandating CCTV in vehicles will be considered as part of that process.

What assessment her Department has made of the extent to which business rates relief and other fiscal support provided to Heathrow and Gatwick is available to regional airports; and what steps she is taking to ensure regional airports are not placed at a competitive disadvantage.

The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector, however this government recognises the crucial role regional airports play in supporting thousands of local jobs, connecting communities to global opportunities, and strengthening social and economic ties across the four nations. My department regularly engages with regional airports including through the Aviation Council, which includes a Regional Connectivity Working Group chaired by industry. At the Budget, the Government announced a £4.3bn business rates support package. This includes a redesigned transitional relief scheme worth £3.2 billion to provide more generous support for those paying higher tax rates (such as the new high-value multiplier), including airports.

If she will provide, for each driving test centre in Great Britain, the car practical driving test waiting time in weeks in January 2026.

The attached Excel document shows the average waiting time in weeks, in January 2026, for a car practical driving test at all driving test centres (DTC) in Great Britain.

What the average processing time was for driving licence applications in December 2025.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 January to question UIN 103613.