Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 70519 on Public Inquiries, what the total cost to the public purse of the Southport inquiry is at the most recent date for which data are available.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The total costs for the Southport Inquiry have not yet been published. However, the inquiry will be expected to publish its costs periodically and intends to make these available in due course on its website, which is available here: https://www.southport.public-inquiry.uk/

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2026 to Question 113596 on Mission Boards, if she will publish the current terms of reference of the Safer Streets Mission Board; and whether any changes have been made to those terms of reference since the Mission Board was established.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Safer Streets Mission Board was established as a Cabinet Committee. As with other Cabinet Committees, its detailed terms of reference are not routinely published.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2026, to Question 118358, on Clean Energy Mission Board: Membership, which delivery partners were in attendance at its most recent meeting.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The most recent meeting of the Clean Energy Superpower Mission Board was in November 2025. At that time it was still a Cabinet Committee and specific information about attendance and discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees is not normally shared publicly.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2025, to Question 23032, on Home Office: Flags, which unit of her Department decided which flags would be flown from the Department’s buildings in 2025.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) manages the protocol around flying the Union Flag from Government buildings, publishing the designated days list to that effect each year.

Home Office's other flag-flying is managed by Home Office Facilities Management (FM) providers at 5 sites, and by the Government Property Agency at 2 sites, and is signed off by the Deputy Director for Workplace Services and Projects (and shared with the Director for Property and Security, the DG for Chief Operating Officer Group and the Permanent Secretary’s office.

Any additional flags besides the flags of England, Scotland and Wales (flown on national days) would only be flown with sign off from the Permanent Secretary.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to section 5 of the Government Efficiency Framework, published on 24 November 2025, if she will publish the most recent quarterly efficiencies report provided to her department by each government department and public body in scope of the reporting requirements.

Answered by James Murray - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

Departments are required to report their efficiency savings within the performance section of their Annual Reports and Accounts (ARAs) from 2026-27.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Cabinet Office press release, Ministers rip up consultation culture, of 26 March 2026, if he will publish the revised guidance on Equality Impact Assessments.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government has committed to speeding up decision making and delivery for the British people. As part of this, a proportionate approach is being taken to equalities impact assessments, so that they improve policy and outcomes. Guidance for public authorities is already available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-sector-equality-duty-guidance-for-public-authorities/public-sector-equality-duty-guidance-for-public-authorities.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will respond to the consultation entitled F gas Regulation in Great Britain: Reform of the HFC phasedown before Whitsun recess.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is working at pace with the aim of providing more information to industry on the proposed HFC phasedown reform in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for steps following the recent consultation on F gas Regulation in Great Britain.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is working at pace with the aim of providing more information to industry on the proposed HFC phasedown reform in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued to NHS mental health providers on continuity of care when therapists leave posts or are absent for extended periods.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

NHS England has not produced specific guidance to National Health Service mental health providers on the continuity of care when therapists leave posts or are absent for extended periods, as maximising continuity of care is an important principle that is included in NHS England’s guidance to mental health services.

Staff turnover and absence are normal and unavoidable for all employers. Providers would be expected to minimise any impact on service users in such circumstances.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals. We will also publish a 10 year workforce plan later this year to ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places to care for patients when they need it.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the salary of the DHSC Permanent Secretary was approved by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Answered by James Murray - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The salary for the DHSC Permanent Secretary was approved as per the rules outlined in the senior pay guidance.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant of 17 March 2026, to Question 118785, on Palantir, for what reason no formal record of the meeting was produced.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The visit was part of the Prime Minister's trip to Washington. During this visit the Prime Minister listened to a short presentation about Palantir’s work, followed by a tour of the premises and an introduction to members of staff.

Any contracts for any firm go through the usual rigorous departmental processes and their decision makers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for patients referred for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention therapy for OCD within NHS mental health services in England.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

In England, people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are supported through NHS Talking Therapies, which provide National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended psychological treatments, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

For the most recent published data, in February 2026, the average waiting time from referral to first treatment for referrals where CBT was the first treatment was 28.2 days. In that month, 10,502 referrals began a course of CBT.

The recommended psychological treatment for OCD is CBT with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). However, current national data does not distinguish between CBT delivered with ERP and CBT delivered without ERP. It is therefore not possible to report separate waiting times specifically for ERP.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much her Department has spent on podiums used for Ministerial press conferences since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Government lecterns and podiums are regularly used at press conferences and speeches. This is managed on a case by case basis, depending on the location. Associated costs may be included within wider event production costs and therefore is not readily available to report on.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the merit ranking was of the Cabinet Secretary in the competition when she applied in the previous Cabinet Secretary recruitment process.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer to my answer for 113705. In accordance with data protection regulations, we do not provide information about candidates in Civil Service recruitment processes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that patients receiving community mental health care are appropriately involved in decisions relating to their treatment plans and discharge from services.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

The Department is committed to ensuring that people receiving community mental health care are meaningfully involved in decisions about their treatment, ongoing support, and discharge.

NHS England is introducing a new Personalised Care Framework for secondary mental health services, which sets clear expectations that care and support planning should be collaborative and centred on what matters to the individual. Under the framework, people should have a single, live care plan that reflects their needs, goals, and preferences, is developed jointly with professionals, and is reviewed regularly. This is reinforced through NHS England’s Community Mental Health Framework.

Recent reforms through the Mental Health Act 2025, as well as statutory discharge guidance applying to mental health inpatient settings, further strengthen this approach by promoting coproduced and personalised care and discharge planning.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2025 to Question 84664 on Universities: Admissions, what assessment has been made by (i) her Department and (ii) Office for Students on whether university admissions are materially determined by (a) the postcode of the applicant or (b) the parental occupation of the applicant.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Higher education (HE) should be a gateway open to all who have the ability and desire to pursue it. Our Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out our vision for a reformed system that helps everyone with the desire and aptitude to access high quality HE, breaks down the barriers to opportunity, and supports growth.

While universities are independent from government and are responsible for their own admissions decisions, it is essential that the students they admit are likely to succeed. Contextual admissions allow universities to consider an applicant's individual circumstances and background alongside their attainment, to better understand their potential. The Office for Students (OfS) provides guidance on the use of contextual admissions and expects providers to ensure policies are evidence-based and evaluated.

OfS monitors equality of opportunity, including access to HE, through its Equality of Opportunity Risk Register. HE providers are required, under Condition F1 of the OfS regulatory framework, to publish annual transparency information on applications, offers, acceptances and registrations broken down by sex, ethnicity and socioeconomic background.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2026 to Question 111851 on Law Officers: Equality, whether her Department's document entitled Attorney General's Guidance on Legal Risk, published on 6 November 2024, will be updated to reflect the proposed socio-economic duty when enacted.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The public sector duty regarding socio-economic inequalities is not yet in force in England. Once in force, the duty will require public authorities (including the Law Officers), when making decisions of a strategic nature about how to exercise their functions, to have due regard to the desirability of exercising them in a way that is designed to reduce the inequalities of outcome which result from socio-economic disadvantage.

The Attorney General’s Guidance on legal risk is intended to assist lawyers and others advising on lawfulness and legal risk in government, by setting out a common framework to assess risk. At such time that the duty comes into force, the Law Officers will have due regard to it in deciding whether any updates to this guidance are required.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2026 to Question 107385 on Ofwat: Equality, whether Ofwat intends to amend its policy approach; and if she will ask Ofwat to use the Equality Act terminology of sex when referring to protected characteristics.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As previously stated, Ofwat's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy makes reference to "gender" largely in relation to the outcomes of, and insight from, statutory Gender Pay Gap reporting.

Ofwat has confirmed that it will amend its EDI strategy to provide further clarity on where commitments and actions relate to the protected characteristic of sex and/or gender or gender reassignment.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2026, to Question 112826, on Global Counsel: Palantir, whether Global Counsel staff were in attendance at the meeting on 27 February 2025; and whether the office of the UK Defence Attache received communications from Global Counsel after that event.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Global Counsel staff were not present at the Prime Minister’s visit to Palantir on 27 February 2025. The UK Defence Attache has not corresponded or met representatives of Global Counsel since July 2024.

The visit was part of the Prime Minister's trip to Washington. During this visit the Prime Minister listened to a short presentation about Palantir’s work, followed by a tour of the premises and an introduction to members of staff.

Any contracts for any firm go through the usual rigorous departmental processes and their decision makers.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2026, to Question 117764, on Opposition: Domestic Visits, whether the (a) MOD or (b) Armed Forces have guidance on this issue in relation to visits to military sites.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence is eager to facilitate more engagement with Parliamentarians, and we are proactively doing so given the importance of Defence within the national conversation. Defence Ministers are committed to ensuring the Department is being more transparent and engaged with MPs from all parties, supporting visits to sites across the UK to meet our brave Service men and women.

Parliamentarians can seek approval to visit an establishment, including requests for media or photography in advance, and these are approved on a case-by-case basis noting security protocols and sensitivities. The most effective route remains to contact the Parliamentary Engagement Lead for the relevant Service in the first instance. Constituency MPs or MPs for immediately neighbouring constituencies may arrange visits directly with local establishments.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK–China memorandum of understanding, 2025, published on 27 February 2026, for what reason the agreement signed in March 2025 was published in February 2026.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the letter dated 10 September 2025 from the Strategy Directorate at the Department for Energy Strategy and Net Zero, dated 10 September 2025 and deposited in the House of Commons Library on 13 March 2026, if he will provide the equivalent information on domestic flights for each Minister from September 2025.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Areas of Research interest gov.uk page published by the Government Office for Science, whether she plans to update her Department’s area of research interests.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Home Office will be publishing updated Areas of Research interest later this year.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Senior Civil Servants who underperform against Ministerially set KPIs but subsequently win another Senior Civil Service role through fair and open competition will be permitted to take up that appointment.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients were referred to specialist OCD treatment centres commissioned by NHS England in each of the last five years.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of dynamic alignment with the EU on (a) AI and (b) crypto regulation.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to specialist treatment for people with severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) within community mental health services.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2026 to Question 108241 on Mission Boards, which (a) internal and (b) external members attended the most recent meeting of the Break Down Barriers to Opportunity Mission Board.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether communications between the Sovereign and the Government are in scope of Government responses to Humble Addresses.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, the statement made by the Prime Minister on 20 April, and the Government’s response to the debate of 21 April, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address.

Found: (Chair) Sarah Bool (Conservative; South Northamptonshire) Juliet Campbell (Labour; Broxtowe) Charlie Dewhirst

Found: (Chair) Sarah Bool (Conservative; South Northamptonshire) Juliet Campbell (Labour; Broxtowe) Charlie Dewhirst

Found: (Chair) Sarah Bool (Conservative; South Northamptonshire) Juliet Campbell (Labour; Broxtowe) Charlie Dewhirst

Found: Affairs Committee members present: Mr Alistair Carmichael (Chair); Sarah Bool; Juliet Campbell; Charlie Dewhirst