Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Online Safety Act 2023, how the department is ensuring that the voices of children are considered in the implementation of the Act, to help ensure that their concerns and experiences are heard and acted on.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

On 2 March, the government launched a landmark consultation on how to give young people the childhood they deserve in an online world. Alongside the formal consultation, we have launched a child and parent-friendly version, ensuring these important voices are properly heard.

As part of the National Conversation running alongside the consultation, we will be hosting events across the UK to hear directly from young people. Families, young people, and communities from all over the UK are encouraged to discuss this vital topic in community events, MP-led local conversations, and engagement through schools and civil society organisations.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the department is taking to ensure the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023 does not inappropriately impact on individual rights to privacy.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The right to privacy is central to our online safety work. The Online Safety Act has cross-cutting duties to ensure that users’ rights and privacy are protected. All providers are required to give particular regard to the importance of protecting users’ rights when implementing measures to comply with their new safety duties.

As the independent regulator of the Online Safety Act, Ofcom may refer matters to the Information Commissioners Office if it has concerns that a provider has not complied with its obligations under data protection law.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the department is taking to ensure that age verification measures implemented by social media apps such as snapchat in response to the Online Safety Act 2023 are effective.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

As the regulator, Ofcom is responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the Online Safety Act. Ofcom has set out in guidance that age assurance technologies should fulfil the four criteria of technical accuracy, robustness, reliability, and fairness to be considered highly effective.

Ofcom is set to publish reports on age assurance and the use of app stores by children by July 2026 and January 2027 respectively. The public consultation on protecting children online will also seek views on strengthening age assurance measures. Where evidence demonstrates further action is necessary to protect children online, we will not hesitate to act.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 17th February 2026 to questions 112546 and 112547 on listed places of worship, if he will provide a target date for the publication of the guidance for applicants of the scheme.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Further details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process for the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund will be published in due course. We are not yet in a position to confirm a date for the publication of this guidance.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the performance of Thames Valley Police in responding to information requests from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority; and what steps she is taking to ensure that police forces provide timely responses.

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

The Government expects all police forces to respond swiftly to requests for information from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

No assessment has been made of the performance of Thames Valley police in this regard.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Department is taking to limit exposure of children to harmful content on a) self harm and b) eating disorders through social media algorithms.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Online Safety Act requires services, including social media, to protect children from illegal, harmful, and age-inappropriate content.

In scope services that are likely to be accessed by children must use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from encountering the most harmful types of content, such as content that encourages, promotes or provides instructions for self-harm and eating disorders.

The Act requires services to consider, as part of their risk assessments, how algorithms could impact children’s exposure to illegal content and content which is harmful to children on their service.

Ofcom can take robust enforcement action against services failing to comply with their duties.

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 publish a timeline for the UK and Welsh Governments to jointly publish the 2026 Transition Plan, accompanied by interim strategic guidance for the current regulators, and to introduce the Water Reform Bill to Parliament.

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

The Transition Plan is part of our plan to reform the sector and will be published in due course. It will describe the transitional arrangements to enable the stable, successful delivery of reforms, and will be accompanied by a new Strategic Policy Statement for Ofwat and a Ministerial Direction for the Environment Agency.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Amos Review interim report's findings regarding reports of racism and stereotyping in maternity and neonatal services; and what steps are being considered to respond to these issues.

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

The interim report of the national independent investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal care, chaired by Baroness Amos, underlines the unacceptable experiences of some women and their families due to racism and discrimination.

The investigation aims to identify the drivers and impact of inequalities faced by women, babies and families from Black and Asian backgrounds as well as deprived and marginalised groups. A coherent single set of national recommendations will be published by the investigation in June, which the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will address by developing a new action plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care.

We are not waiting for the investigation to report. We are taking immediate actions, including a programme in all trusts to tackle discrimination and racism, while local systems are all implementing their Equity and Equality action plans. We have also launched a ‘Maternal Care Bundle’ which includes best practice for clinical conditions that are the leading causes of death for women from Black and Asian backgrounds.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will publish milestones for the Parental Leave Review.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Review launched on 1 July 2025 and started with a period of discovery to understand the current system and gather evidence and views from stakeholders. We received almost 1,500 responses to the Call for Evidence. These are currently being analysed, and the findings will inform the Review. We are continuing to engage with stakeholders (including business groups, parent groups, and academics) throughout 2026 to inform the Review.

The Review will conclude in early 2027 with a set of findings in which the Government will outline next steps for taking any reforms forward to implementation.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the water regulator replacing Ofwat will have prosecution powers.

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

The Government has set out its ambition to create a powerful new water regulator, bringing together the relevant functions from the existing regulators (Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, Environment Agency and Natural England) into one new body. This will replace the current fragmented system with one regulator capable of integrated management of the water system.

Defra is developing the design and operating model of the new regulator and will ensure the regulator has robust enforcement powers. These reforms will be set out in a future water reform bill.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HMRC plans to move from Government Gateway to One Login.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC detailed its ambitions for moving to GOV.UK One Login in its Transformation Roadmap which was published in July 2025. This can be found here: HMRC's Transformation Roadmap - GOV.UK

HMRC entered public beta testing for new individual customers (those without a Government Gateway account) in February 2026 and controlled numbers of new users can now sign up to access HMRC digital services through GOV.UK One Login.

This public beta is scheduled to run until June 2026, prior to a full go-live for new individual customers later this year.

This will be followed by existing individuals (those with a Government Gateway account) and agents and organisations, as set out in the Transformation Roadmap.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the potential impact that delays in access to newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy will have on those not part of the upcoming in-service evaluation of screening for the condition.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the challenges faced by those living with rare diseases and their families and is committed to improving outcomes. This is why the National Health Service is planning a large-scale in-service evaluation (ISE) of screening for spinal muscular atrophy in newborn screening services, starting in January 2027.

Over 400,000 babies would be offered screening as part of this ISE. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has asked NHS England to investigate whether it would be appropriate and feasible for the evaluation to be rolled out across the whole of England.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) can be a devastating condition, and we recognise that if treatment is given before a baby shows any symptoms, outcomes can be significantly improved. However, any screening programme that would impact approximately 650,000 babies per year in the United Kingdom must be underpinned by high quality robust evidence that demonstrates that screening will do more good than harm. The ISE will will help inform a future UK National Screening Committee recommendation on whether screening for SMA should be added to the NHS Newborn Blood Spot Screening Programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to mitigate disparities in outcomes associated with partial geographical coverage of the in-service evaluation of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the challenges faced by those living with rare diseases and their families and is committed to improving outcomes. This is why the National Health Service is planning a large-scale in-service evaluation (ISE) of screening for spinal muscular atrophy in newborn screening services, starting in January 2027.

Over 400,000 babies would be offered screening as part of this ISE. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has asked NHS England to investigate whether it would be appropriate and feasible for the evaluation to be rolled out across the whole of England.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) can be a devastating condition, and we recognise that if treatment is given before a baby shows any symptoms, outcomes can be significantly improved. However, any screening programme that would impact approximately 650,000 babies per year in the United Kingdom must be underpinned by high quality robust evidence that demonstrates that screening will do more good than harm. The ISE will will help inform a future UK National Screening Committee recommendation on whether screening for SMA should be added to the NHS Newborn Blood Spot Screening Programme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure that screening as part of the in-service evaluation of newborn screening of spinal muscular atrophy is commenced.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the challenges faced by those living with rare diseases and their families and is committed to improving outcomes. This is why the National Health Service is planning a large-scale in-service evaluation (ISE) of screening for spinal muscular atrophy in newborn screening services, starting in January 2027.

Over 400,000 babies would be offered screening as part of this ISE. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has asked NHS England to investigate whether it would be appropriate and feasible for the evaluation to be rolled out across the whole of England.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) can be a devastating condition, and we recognise that if treatment is given before a baby shows any symptoms, outcomes can be significantly improved. However, any screening programme that would impact approximately 650,000 babies per year in the United Kingdom must be underpinned by high quality robust evidence that demonstrates that screening will do more good than harm. The ISE will will help inform a future UK National Screening Committee recommendation on whether screening for SMA should be added to the NHS Newborn Blood Spot Screening Programme.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what proportion of UKRI and other research council funding was spent on (a) dementia, (b) cancer, (c) stroke and (d) coronary heart disease research in each year between 2019 and 2025.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Medical Research Council (MRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), supports world‑leading research to accelerate diagnosis, develop treatments and prevent disease.

Details of funding from MRC, as well as other research councils within UKRI, on specific areas is provided in the table below:

*'Rest of UKRI' spend figure for 2019/20 is unavailable. For 2024/25, ‘Rest of UKRI’ figure does not include funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is she taking as a result of HM Governments report titled Global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security, published on 20 January 2026.

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

The Nature security assessment forms part of routine cross-government resilience planning and complements the UK’s National Security Strategy, National Risk Register and Chronic Risk Analysis.

Climate change and nature loss act as risk multipliers, increasing pressures on food systems, water security and global stability. Assessing these risks helps ensure the UK is better prepared to anticipate, respond to, and mitigate future challenges.

Defra, along with other Government Departments, is already taking action to address the potential risks identified in the assessment.

Internationally, the UK is investing in forest and ocean protection and is on track to invest £11.6bn of International Climate Finance between 2021 to 2026, including £3bn for vital habitats such as tropical rainforests, and marine ecosystems, and to support indigenous communities.

The UK is also taking action domestically: tree planting in England is at its highest rate in over twenty years; we are restoring peatlands, improving water quality, protecting pollinators, and have introduced landmark legislation to safeguard our marine environment.

We are strengthening supply chain resilience through the Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy and supporting food security by backing British farmers through new technology, streamlined regulation, and nature-friendly farming schemes that reward sustainable production.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has assessed the potential merits of introducing measures to accelerate the roll-out of new newborn screening programmes for genetic diseases.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England is currently planning a large-scale in-service evaluation (ISE) of screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which is a genetic condition, in newborn screening services to start in January 2027. Over 400,000 babies would be offered screening as part of this ISE. The ISE will help inform a future UK NSC recommendation on whether screening for SMA should be added to the NHS Newborn Blood Spot Screening Programme (NBSP).

An ISE for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), another genetic condition, was undertaken in some newborn screening services in England from 2021 and concluded in 2024. During this period, 900,000 babies were screened, and 10 babies were found to have SCID. NHS England is planning to continue the SCID ISE alongside the ISE for SMA.

The Generation Study, which launched in 2024, is evaluating the effectiveness of using whole genome sequencing to test 100,000 newborns for genetic mutations associated with more than 200 rare genetic conditions. The sequencing of 100,000 newborns through the Generation Study will be completed by summer 2027.

The evaluation part of the study will then be completed and shared with the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) which advises ministers on all screening matters. The UK NSC will assess the findings to determine whether any newborn genomic screening can be recommended or whether more research is required.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Early Access to Medicines Scheme in facilitating patient access to new treatments for neuromuscular diseases.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) supports access to treatments for people living with neuromuscular diseases. The majority of neuromuscular diseases are defined as rare diseases. On the 2 November 2025, the MHRA published a policy paper on rare therapies and United Kingdom regulatory considerations, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rare-therapies-and-uk-regulatory-considerations/rare-therapies-and-uk-regulatory-considerations

The Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS), is an existing pathway across the regulatory and access system designed to support innovative treatments being available to patients earlier in the development cycle, outside of a clinical trial. This includes for those living with neuromuscular diseases. The Government is collaborating across the regulatory system to continuously review the effectiveness of these pathways for rare diseases. Further information on the EAMS is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-the-early-access-to-medicines-scheme-eams

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects NICE to publish the outcomes of the appeals on its final draft guidance on donanemab and lecanemab.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The appeals against the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommendations on donanemab and lecanemab for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease were heard by NICE’s independent appeal panel in January. The next steps of the appraisal will be subject to the outcome of the appeals, and NICE will update its stakeholders in due course.

Situation in Iran

King's Guard's ceremonial bearskin caps

State visits to the US

International Women's Day 2026 and women’s inclusion in placemaking

World Hearing Day 2026

Funding for rural fire and rescue services

National Keep Britain Tidy Campaign

Covid Day of Reflection 2026

Cardiac risk in the young

Eating disorder services

NHS dentistry

Temporary accommodation and its impact on neurodivergent children

Ambulance handover times

Recognition of armed forces personnel wounded in terrorist attacks outside of operational deployment

Royal Mail delivery standards

Outdoor learning

UNESCO World Heritage status for chalk streams in England

Delay Repay scheme

Creative industries and the use of AI

Airport drop-off charges

Energy prices for households and businesses

Endometriosis Awareness Month 2026

Heating oil prices

Found: Members present: Dame Chi Onwurah (Chair); Emily Darlington; George Freeman; Kit Malthouse; Freddie van Mierlo

Found: Erewash) Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat; Newton Abbot) Daniel Zeichner (Labour; Cambridge) Freddie van Mierlo

Found: Onwurah; Emily Darlington; Dr Allison Gardner; Kit Malthouse; Dr Lauren Sullivan; Adam Thompson; Freddie van Mierlo

Found: Onwurah; Emily Darlington; Dr Allison Gardner; Kit Malthouse; Dr Lauren Sullivan; Adam Thompson; Freddie van Mierlo

Found: Onwurah; Emily Darlington; Dr Allison Gardner; Kit Malthouse; Dr Lauren Sullivan; Adam Thompson; Freddie van Mierlo

Exposure to digital technologies is an everyday experience for children, in how they play, learn, and connect with their families, friends and wider society. This exposure results in a complex picture of benefits and risks related to children’s physical and cognitive development and physical and mental health. There is a lot of data about device use and online habits but how the use of a wide range of digital devices affects development in childhood and adolescence is less clear.