Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the Government has received from foreign military sales of F-35s.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Partner Nations within the F-35 programme who contribute to F-35 development can recoup elements of those development costs from foreign military sales of the F-35.
To date this has resulted in $94.83 million in recoupment costs for the Department.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the BBC Charter Review consultation will be launched.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The existing BBC Royal Charter is due to expire on 31 December 2027.
The Government will launch the review process through publication of a Terms of Reference and public consultation in due course.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the reasons for the biobeads spill in Sussex.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) has a dedicated investigations team to establish cause, pathway and impact on the environment of this pollution event. As a live investigation, I am unable to publicly share details that may harm the credibility of any case which the EA may later bring to the courts. But I can tell you that EA officers have been working with all local partners on the initial and long term clean up strategy and have gathered the necessary evidence from impacted areas. I note that Southern Water Services have publicly stated that inspections at their Eastbourne works have found a damaged filter screen.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make a human rights impact assessment of the draft guidance by the Equality and Human Rights Commission entitled Code of practice for services, public functions and associations.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
I refer the honourable member to the written answer to PQ 83292, dated 3 November 2025.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) Ofwat and (b) the Environment Agency on the biobeads spill in Sussex; and whether Southern Water will be fined for that spill.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Environment Agency (EA) officers have been working with all local partners on the initial and long term clean up strategy and have gathered the necessary evidence from impacted areas. The EA will apply their enforcement and sanctions policy when deciding on an appropriate enforcement response.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to publish a list of live legal cases the Government is taking against water companies.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
At the conclusion of an investigation into a water company the Environment Agency (EA) will ordinarily be able to disclose the fact of the live prosecution from the point the information has been laid and summons granted. This is subject to any reporting restrictions imposed by the Court.
Information about formal cautions and prosecutions carried out by the EA can be found here.
For any ongoing criminal investigations into water companies, the EA may be constrained in what it can say in order to ensure that they do not prejudice the ongoing investigations, or any criminal proceedings that may follow. Each investigation would need to be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Details about all open enforcement and customer disputes cases with Ofwat are available on the Ofwat website.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has undertaken a human rights impact assessment of the draft guidance by the Equality and Human Rights Commission entitled Code of practice for services, public functions and associations.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has revised its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations following the six week consultation and submitted it to the Minister for Women and Equalities.
The parliamentary process for laying the Code is set out in the Equality Act 2006. We will ensure the correct process for considering the Code is followed.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of mandatory digital ID on minority groups.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has announced plans for a new digital ID to be available to UK citizens and legal residents aged 16 and over. Employers will be required to conduct digital right to work checks using the new digital ID by the end of this parliament, but it will not be mandatory for other purposes.
The Government will deliver a comprehensive inclusion programme to help ensure everyone eligible is able to access the new digital ID, including minority groups. We expect that groups that currently struggle to prove their identity, whether it’s due to the cost of passports or other reasons, will benefit from the opportunity to access free digital ID.
The Government will launch a public consultation on the new digital ID by the end of the year, setting out the proposed approach in more detail and seeking views on this. This will include the proposed approach to inclusion.
The Government will work closely with expert stakeholders from a range of organisations to make the programme as effective and inclusive as possible.
Following the Machinery of Government changes of 23/10/2025 policy responsibility now sits with the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the mandatory digital ID system will be (a) developed and (b) operated by third parties.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has announced plans for a new digital ID for all UK citizens and legal residents aged 16 and over. Employers will be required to conduct digital right to work checks using the new digital ID by the end of this parliament, but it will not be mandatory for other purposes.
We expect the programme to be designed, built and run by in-house Government teams, not outsourced to external suppliers. In the event any specialist external services or expertise are procured to support the delivery of the new digital ID system, this will be subject to all the usual competitive processes to ensure transparency, and value for the taxpayer.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the press release entitled US-UK pact will boost advances in drug discovery, create tens of thousands of jobs and transform lives, published on 16 September 2025, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) families will get access to cleaner, more reliable energy, (b) British consumers will be more protected from international fossil fuel price hikes and (c) British workers will benefit from high-paying jobs unlocked by these projects.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In September 2025, we announced the landmark UK-US Technology Prosperity Deal which will help turbocharge the Government’s nuclear and economic growth ambitions. This deal will cut the time it takes to build projects in both our countries, as well as opening the door to major new deals between UK and US companies.
Families and businesses across Britain continue to pay a heavy price for our exposure to fossil fuel markets controlled by dictators like Putin. Nuclear has a central role in taking back control of our energy so we can protect our country and bring down bills for good. That is why earlier this year the government announced the biggest expansion of nuclear in half a century - delivering historic public investment in Sizewell C, fusion energy, and the UK’s first small modular reactors, built by Rolls - Royce. This is the biggest investment in renewable energy, which is part of our Clean Energy Superpower mission, jobs, investment, growth for Britain, fighting for working people to deliver a better future.
The Technology Prosperity Deal will see greater opportunities through investment and rollout of AI infrastructure in both countries, creating jobs and driving growth. For example, the new AI Growth Zone in the North East will see billions of pounds worth of investment, skills training and jobs funnelled into the region. In addition, it will develop revolutionary quantum computers and speed up the deployment of this technology which will boost healthcare, protect citizens and create highly skilled jobs.