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This Week in Parliament, 27 May to 3 Jun 2026

Back from the break, and straight into a fight

4 divisions · 2,247 written questions · 236 distinct askers · Read the full article

For the first half of the week the Commons was dark. Members of Parliament were still on their Whitsun holidays until Sunday. They filed back in on Monday and got straight to work. There were four votes on the Armed Forces Bill. A ‘votes at 16’ bill and a duty-of-candour bill both reached report stage. And 236 Members of Parliament lodged 2,247 written questions on everything from Ebola in the Congo to NHS dentistry. Health, as ever, drew the most fire.

The divisions, closest first

Armed Forces Bill, New Clause 2
171302
Not carried by 131 on 2 June
Armed Forces Bill, New Clause 5
170301
Not carried by 131 on 2 June
Armed Forces Bill, New Clause 13
80298
Not carried by 218 on 2 June
Armed Forces Bill, New Clause 6
99371
Not carried by 272 on 2 June

Written questions, by department

Health282Defence216Cabinet Office177Transport163Treasury152Education150Home Office147Housing138Environment129Ministry of Justice116Work and Pensions109Business and Trade10714 others361

The most-asked subjects

12 Democratic Republic of the Congo: Ebola12 Pupils: Asthma11 NHS: Databases11 Political Parties: Finance11 Military Aircraft: Training11 Multinational Companies: Taxation10 Animal Experiments10 Peacekeeping Operations: Strait of Hormuz10 Civil Servants: Workplace Pensions8 Unemployment: Young People

A sample of the week’s questions

Dental Services: Contracts · Andrew Snowden, Conservative
Has the Department assessed the impact of variation in Unit of Dental Activity (UDA) values between NHS dental contracts within the same Integrated Care Board area?
The answer From 1 April 2023, commissioning responsibility for primary care dentistry transferred to integrated care boards, including the duty to assess local oral health needs and set commissioning priorities. NHS England has issued an Assurance Framework to support boards in doing so.
General Practitioners: Contracts · Dr Roz Savage, Liberal Democrat
What assessment has been made of the patient-safety implications of mandating 'Advice and Guidance' as a required step in GP referral pathways under the 2026/27 GP contract?
The answer The contract does not change the clinical threshold for referral to specialist care. GPs should continue to make a clinical decision to refer for specialist care where that is in the patient's best interests, and to request specialist advice where appropriate.
Shipping: UK Emissions Trading Scheme · Joe Robertson, Conservative
What criteria does the Department use to define the 'unique challenges' faced by Scottish island communities under the shipping Emissions Trading Scheme?
The answer There are over 90 inhabited island and peninsula communities in Scotland that rely on ferry services, each with distinct geographic contexts and with populations ranging from fewer than 10 to just over 21,000 inhabitants.
Feature

The police handling of the Henry Nowak stabbing

The most-pressed single subject of the week never appeared under any official heading. Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain) tabled eight written questions to the Home Office over the police response to the fatal stabbing of Henry Nowak. He pressed on whether attending officers misidentified the dying victim as a suspect, why he was handcuffed while seriously injured, and whether first-aid and casualty-care protocols were followed.

Ben Obese-Jecty asked more written questions than any other Member of Parliament this week with 210.

Karin Smyth answered the most with 109.

Every figure checked against the official Parliament record. henceforth.club