Written questions by Lopez.

What assessment his Department has made of (a) the effect of no national oversight relating to the quality of vision rehabilitation services for patients in England and (b) the experiences of those with sight loss when it comes to being able to use those services.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have the duty to shape their care market and to commission a range of high-quality, sustainable, and person-centred care and support services to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes encouraging a wide range of service provision to ensure that people, including those with sight loss, have a choice of appropriate services and equipment that maximises independence.Although the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is not currently required to assess vision rehabilitation services, as regulated activities under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, sensory services, including vision rehabilitation, do form part of the CQC’s overall assessment of local authorities’ delivery of adult social care.CQC assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for development, in their delivery of their duties under part 1 of the Care Act. This facilitates the sharing of good practice and helps us to target support where it is most needed. The CQC will report on sensory services when there is something important to highlight, for example, something being done well, innovative practice, or an area for improvement.

If he will make an assessment of recent trends in the number of patients receiving timely access to vision rehabilitation services in line with industry best practice.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is now assessing how local authorities are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. These assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for development, facilitating the sharing of good practice, and helping us to target support where it is most needed. This means that sensory services, including vision rehabilitation, form part of the CQC’s overall assessment of local authorities’ delivery of adult social care. In that context, the CQC will report on sensory services when there is something important to highlight, for example, something being done well, innovative practice, or an area for improvement.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help ease restrictive licensing practices in relation to software by large cloud providers to ensure that there is fair and open competition in the sector.

The Government is committed to supporting a competitive and innovative digital economy. This is why we prioritised the commencement and implementation of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (the CMA) new powers in digital markets. The CMA is independent of Government, and any decisions on which markets it next investigates is for their Board.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of introducing VAT to to medicines provided free under Early Access Medicines Scheme programmes on pharmaceutical companies.

I refer the honourable member to the answer that I gave to PQ UIN: 87051.

What assessment (a) her Department and (b) HMRC have conducted on the potential impact on patient access to innovative medicines from the introduction of VAT to medicines provided free under Early Access Medicines Scheme programmes.

VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Taxation is a vital source of revenue which helps to fund public services. Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) allows patients access to free medicines for life threatening conditions before receiving full NHS approval. Under UK VAT law, some transactions where no money changes hands are treated as if a supply has been made – these are called deemed supplies. This is to keep the system fair. Whether VAT applies to medicines or treatments provided for free under the EAMS will depend on the precise facts of the case. In certain circumstances the giving of goods away for free can be outside the scope of VAT. Where the supply is within the scope of VAT a relief may apply, meaning the supply can be made VAT free.

What assessment her (a) Department and (b) HMRC have conducted on the potential impact on clinical trial numbers from the introduction of VAT to medicines provided free under Early Access Medicines Scheme programmes.

VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Taxation is a vital source of revenue which helps to fund public services. Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) allows patients access to free medicines for life threatening conditions before receiving full NHS approval. Under UK VAT law, some transactions where no money changes hands are treated as if a supply has been made – these are called deemed supplies. This is to keep the system fair. Whether VAT applies to medicines or treatments provided for free under the EAMS will depend on the precise facts of the case. In certain circumstances the giving of goods away for free can be outside the scope of VAT. Where the supply is within the scope of VAT a relief may apply, meaning the supply can be made VAT free.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support access to growth capital for scaling UK tech firms.

DSIT delivers specific policy interventions to unlock growth investment for UK science and technology firms, as well as contributing deep science and technology expertise to initiatives led by others, such as the British Business Bank’s £4bn Industrial Strategy Growth Capital Fund. A second cohort of Science and Technology Venture Capital Fellows will commence training in November, receiving specialist training overseen by DSIT to enable them to launch deep-tech venture capital funds. And, DSIT sponsors the National Security Strategic Investment Fund’s investment arm, making direct investments into companies developing strategically-important dual-use technologies, with increased funding up to £330m for 2026-30.

If he will make an assessment with the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the potential merits of creating a dedicated scale-up investment scheme.

The Chancellor and Secretary of State wrote on 20 October to the British Business Bank, setting the Bank’s strategic priorities over the next five years. These include an objective to “support our most promising businesses in the Industrial Strategy priority sectors to scale and stay here.”The letter notes “Through a two-thirds increase in its annual investments, the Bank will crowd in tens of billions of pounds of private capital with a particular focus on ensuring that our most promising scale-up businesses can access the capital they need to realise their ambitions here in the UK.”The full text is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-strategic-priorities-to-the-british-business-bank

Whether she plans to expand the (a) Enterprise Investment Scheme and (b) Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme scheme to support older companies seeking increased investment.

The Government is focused on making the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business, and understands the key role of a competitive investment environment in achieving economic growth. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government committed to creating a positive environment for entrepreneurship and business investment. We are working with leading entrepreneurs and venture capital firms on how policy supports that, including the role of the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of reforming the (a) Enterprise Investment Scheme and (b) Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme to improve support for firms in the post-start-up phase.

The Government is focused on making the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business, and understands the key role of a competitive investment environment in achieving economic growth. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government committed to creating a positive environment for entrepreneurship and business investment. We are working with leading entrepreneurs and venture capital firms on how policy supports that, including the role of the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme.

If she will commission guidance from HM Revenue and Customs clarifying whether medicines supplied under the Early Access Medicines Scheme fall outside the scope of VAT Deemed Supply rules.

Under UK VAT law, some transactions where no money changes hands are treated as if a supply has been made – these are called deemed supplies. This is to keep the system fair if a business has reclaimed VAT on costs (like making or importing goods), it should not avoid accounting for VAT when those goods leave the business for free. Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) allows patients access to free medicines for life threatening conditions before receiving full NHS approval. Whether VAT applies to medicines or treatments provided for free under the EAMS will depend on the precise facts of the case. Where the supply of free medicine under the EAMS meets the criteria of a deemed supply, VAT will be due.HMRC considers that the guidance around these rules is clear and long-established.

Whether medicines provided free under Early Access Medicines Scheme programmes are liable for output VAT.

Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) allows patients access to free medicines for life threatening conditions before receiving full NHS approval. There are special VAT rules for the supply of goods without payment. Whether VAT applies will depend on the precise facts of the case. In certain circumstances the giving of goods away for free can be outside the scope of VAT. Where the supply is within the scope of VAT a relief may apply, meaning the supply can be made VAT free.

If she will take steps with HM Revenue and Customs to help ensure that a(a) medicines and (b) treatments provided under the Early Access to Medicines Scheme are not subjected to (i) direct or (ii) indirect VAT.

VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Taxation is a vital source of revenue which helps to fund public services. Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) allows patients access to free medicines for life threatening conditions before receiving full NHS approval. Under UK VAT law, some transactions where no money changes hands are treated as if a supply has been made – these are called deemed supplies. This is to keep the system fair. If a business has reclaimed VAT on costs (like making or importing goods), it should not avoid accounting VAT when those goods leave the business for free. Whether VAT applies to medicines or treatments provided for free under the EAMS will depend on the precise facts of the case. In certain circumstances the giving of goods away for free can be outside the scope of VAT. Where the supply is within the scope of VAT a relief may apply, meaning the supply can be made VAT free. The Government keeps all taxes under review but there are no plans to change the law for Deemed Supplies.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the application of VAT for (a) medicines and (b) treatments provided for medical (i) trials or (ii) compassionate use under the Early Access to Medicines Scheme.

The DSIT Secretary of State has not met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss this particular matter.There has been no recent law or policy change in this area.Application of VAT is determined on a case-by-case basis depending on specific details of the nature of the supplies. This includes medicines or treatments provided for free under the Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS). In certain circumstances the giving of goods away for free can be outside the scope of VAT. Where the supply is within the scope of VAT a relief may apply, meaning the supply can be made VAT free.

Innovation and Technology, what her Department's planned timetable is for the implementation of outstanding provisions in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement [made by the former Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms], we intend to implement the remaining provisions of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 as soon as possible. Subject to considering the consultation responses, we intend to finalise s61-64 of the Act, relating to renewal agreements, by the end of the year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 70873, whether her Department has commissioned the use of hotel accommodation in the London Borough of Havering for the purpose of housing asylum seekers since 10 February 2025.

No new hotels have been commissioned to accommodate asylum seekers in the London Borough of Havering since 10 February 2025. When a hotel has been identified for use as contingency accommodation, Home Office officials will write to the local authority Chief Executive and the constituency MP to inform them of plans to accommodate asylum seekers there.

If he will itemise each (a) contract awarded and (b) payment made to Public Digital by his Department since 4 July 2024.

All contract award information is available on Contracts Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk.All CO spend information above £25,000 is published on a monthly basis and is available on Gov.Uk - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data

With reference to the SFIA rate card in Annex 5 of the signed Work Order for Project_7114, published on Contracts Finder on 9 July 2025, if he will (a) publish the underlying rate card and (b) disclose any mark-up charged by Bloom Procurement Services Ltd on rates paid to Public Digital Ltd.

This information is commercially sensitive and therefore cannot be disclosed.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the number of retail jobs.

On Monday 21 October, the Government published a comprehensive package of analysis on the impact of the Employment Rights Bill. This is available at: http://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments and provides analysis of the potential sectoral impacts of the Bill, including the retail sector.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Answer of 19 September 2024 to Question HL812 on Emily Middleton, whether the relevant background information provided to the Civil Service Commission included that secondment from Public Digital.

The Director General, Digital Centre Design was appointed in line with Civil Service Recruitment Principles. The Civil Service Commission was provided with the relevant background information requested, including Ms Middleton’s full employment history, when approving this temporary appointment. This included Ms Middleton’s CV where the reference to the secondment was made. This text was released in FOI2024-00256 Internal Review.