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, 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.

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 make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies on pollutant reduction within river improvement programmes of the report by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology entitled Review of the Classification Framework for Ecological Status/Potential under the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) England and Wales Regulations, published in July 2025.

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

In 2025, the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) published an independent review of the suitability of the Water Framework Directive ecological classification framework for measuring and assessing the health of the water environment. Among its suggestions was to employ a ‘surface waterbody biodiversity audit’ to inform policies on reducing pollution to the water environment.

We committed in the recently published Water White Paper to explore setting new ambitious targets for the water environment and are considering a wide range of inputs as part of these explorations, including the UKCEH report. Meanwhile, we continue to work towards our obligation to secure continuous improvement for the water environment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of expected outcomes for babies with spinal muscular atrophy living in areas (a) included in the in-service evaluation of newborn screening for SMA and (b) not included in the in-service evaluation.

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 (SMA) in newborn screening services. This ISE is due to start in January 2027 and will offer screening to over 400,000 babies.

As the ISE is still in the planning stages, the Department has not yet made a comparative assessment of expected outcomes for babies identified through the evaluation compared with babies born in areas not included in the evaluation.

Babies born outside the evaluation would continue to receive the current standard of care, including access to specialist clinical assessment and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved treatments where clinically appropriate. Clinical decisions for babies with suspected or confirmed SMA are made by specialist clinicians, regardless of where a child is born.

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 ISE to be rolled out across the whole of England.

Any screening programme that would impact approximately 650,000 babies per year in the UK must be underpinned by high quality robust evidence that demonstrates that screening will do more good than harm. The ISE 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 Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 13th February 2026 to question 105615 on play based pedagogy, if she will update initial teacher training and CPD frameworks to include evidence‑based training on play‑based pedagogy.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential to transform the training and support for all new teachers. That is why we are committing to a full review of the delivery of the Early Career Teacher Entitlement, including the framework content of the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework, in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support for trainees and early career teachers based on the most up to date evidence.

As part of the review, we will be seeking evidence and views from stakeholders from across the education sector.

We also want to ensure that National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) continue to offer the best possible support to teachers and leaders. In 2025, we announced a review of the NPQ courses.

To aid the review, the department published two calls for evidence to seek recent, relevant and high-quality research. We are considering a wide range of responses to ensure that review succeeds in improving pupil outcomes through updated NPQ courses that better meet the needs of education leaders based on the latest robust evidence.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 13th February 2026 to question 105615 on play based pedagogy, if her Department will consider the potential benefits of continuing play‑based pedagogy beyond the Early Years Foundation Stage into Key Stage 1.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Curriculum and Assessment Review considered the extent to which the curriculum and the assessment system in England is fit for purpose and meeting the needs of children and young people. The government’s response set out key reforms to the national curriculum that we will be taking forward. The purpose of the national curriculum is to outline what must be taught in schools rather than how.

We will continue to back educators to apply their professional judgment and creativity to meet the needs of their pupils, meaning children will be able to benefit from play-based learning throughout their primary education.

The department is working to make sure that all children and young people have access to a variety of enrichment opportunities, including opportunities for play, at school as an important part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 13th February 2026 to question 105615 on play based pedagogy, whether her Department plans to commission research into the potential impact of play‑based pedagogy on attainment and wellbeing in Key Stage 1.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Curriculum and Assessment Review considered the extent to which the curriculum and the assessment system in England is fit for purpose and meeting the needs of children and young people. The government’s response set out key reforms to the national curriculum that we will be taking forward. The purpose of the national curriculum is to outline what must be taught in schools rather than how.

We will continue to back educators to apply their professional judgment and creativity to meet the needs of their pupils, meaning children will be able to benefit from play-based learning throughout their primary education.

The department is working to make sure that all children and young people have access to a variety of enrichment opportunities, including opportunities for play, at school as an important part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 13th February 2026 to question 105615 on play based pedagogy, whether the forthcoming Enrichment Framework will include guidance on embedding play‑based pedagogy within core curriculum delivery.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Curriculum and Assessment Review considered the extent to which the curriculum and the assessment system in England is fit for purpose and meeting the needs of children and young people. The government’s response set out key reforms to the national curriculum that we will be taking forward. The purpose of the national curriculum is to outline what must be taught in schools rather than how.

We will continue to back educators to apply their professional judgment and creativity to meet the needs of their pupils, meaning children will be able to benefit from play-based learning throughout their primary education.

The department is working to make sure that all children and young people have access to a variety of enrichment opportunities, including opportunities for play, at school as an important part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity.

Situation in Iran

King's Guard's ceremonial bearskin caps

State visits to the US

Temporary accommodation and its impact on neurodivergent children

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

Endometriosis Awareness Month 2026

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

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

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