Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that access to the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme will continue for all those who need it.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to tackling the burden of diabetes in England and to reducing the variation in access to diabetes prevention services across the country.

A central mission of the Government is to build a health and care system fit for the future. To achieve this, it is crucial that we tackle preventable ill health, such as diabetes, by ensuring those at risk of developing, or already living with the disease, are identified, and can in turn be effectively treated.

We are continuing to deliver the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, which is highly effective for those who attend. More than 840,000 people have been supported through this programme, and it has been found to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 37%, compared to those who did not attend.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on the Right to Choose pathway for ADHD patients; and what steps he is taking to ensure that patients' access to (a) assessments and (b) treatment is maintained after NHS England is abolished.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Ministers will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.

The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job. We will empower staff to focus on delivering better care for patients, driving productivity up and getting waiting times down.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of advanced AI systems on (a) recruitment, (b) performance management and (c) other employment practices; and whether his Department is considering safeguards to reduce this impact.

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

We are already witnessing AI’s impact within the labour market. We are working to harness the benefits that AI can bring – such as productivity gains, rising living standards, and improved worker wellbeing; while mitigating the risks. DSIT has developed guidance for industry on the responsible adoption of AI in recruitment processes, utilising AI assurance techniques.

The Get Britain Working White Paper from DWP, HMT and DfE also sets out how government will address key labour market challenges. We will continue to work closely with these and other government departments through the AI Opportunities Action Plan on this rapidly developing area.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has considered including transparency and public accountability requirements as part of any regulatory model for advanced artificial intelligence systems.

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

The government is clear in its ambition to bring forward legislation which allows us to safely realise the enormous benefits and opportunities of the most powerful AI systems for years to come.

These proposals will be highly targeted, will build on the voluntary commitments already secured at the Seoul and Bletchley AI Safety Summits, and will be designed to be future-proofed and effective against this fast-evolving technology.

The government is continuing to refine its proposals, which will incentivise innovation and investment, and will launch a public consultation 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, how many staff are employed by the Marine Management Organisation to carry out (a) catch certificate verifications and (b) refusals for seafood consignment imports to the UK; and whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of staffing levels to ensure effective oversight of high-risk seafood imports.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Port Health Authority (PHA) are the competent authorities for the purposes of the Sea Fishing (Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing) Order 2009. PHAs are responsible for receiving and checking catch certificates and other supplementary IUU documents that accompany consignments of fishery products at the UK border and have the power to stop and detain consignments for further investigation and refuse imports where necessary. There is a total of 28 PHAs that receive fishery products from the EU and the rest of the world, each of which assess their own resource requirements.

MMO's IUU Team comprises of 10 FTE who provide advice and training to PHAs on the UK’s IUU Regulation for importation and are the conduit for further information needed on an import through formal verification between the PHAs and 3rd country authorities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential cost savings to the NHS arising from the implementation of the Hub and Spoke model in community pharmacy.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Impact Assessment was published alongside the consultation of the proposed hub and spoke reform, which was published on 13 May 2024. The assessment is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/hub-and-spoke-dispensing/outcome/government-response-to-the-consultation-on-hub-and-spoke-dispensing#impact-assessment-and-equality-considerations

No costs savings were attributed to the National Health Service in that assessment. The monetised benefits relate to the reduction in operating costs at the spoke pharmacies due to the savings in dispensing time. The Impact Assessment will be updated when the Government lays the proposed legislation in Parliament.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to extend universal free school meals to all children in (a) Bradford East constituency and (b) other areas of high child poverty.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government has a central mission to break down barriers to opportunity for every child. The government has inherited a trend of rising child poverty, which has increased by 700,000 since 2010, with over four million children now growing up in a low income family. That is why the government is committed to delivering an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty, tackling the root causes and giving every child the best start at life. To support this, a ministerial taskforce has been set up to begin work on the Child Poverty Strategy.

Under current programmes, disadvantaged pupils in state-funded schools, as well as 16 to 18 year-old students in further education, are entitled to receive free meals on the basis of low income. 2.1 million disadvantaged pupils are registered to receive free school meals (FSM) and a further 90,000 are registered to receive further education free meals. In addition, all children in reception, year 1 and year 2 in England's state-funded schools are entitled to universal infant free school meals, which benefits around 1.3 million pupils.

Additionally, the government is committed to introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, to set children up for the day and ensure they are ready to learn, while supporting parents and carers to work.

As with all government programmes, the department will keep the approach to FSM under review.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing financial support to enable people on low incomes to buy healthy food.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are committed to supporting vulnerable households access healthy food. We support over 365,000 pregnant women and young children to buy healthy foods like milk or fruit through Healthy Start, provide Free School Meals to over 3 million children, are tripling investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million, and last year invested over £200 million into the Holiday Activities and Food Programmes. We also continue to provide substantial funding to Local Authorities to support those most in need, and are extending the Household Support Fund (HSF) by a further year until March 2026, providing funding of £742 million in England. This will ensure low-income households can continue to access support towards the cost of essentials, such as food.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps through the next Spending Review to increase the level of funding for the provision of social housing for homeless people.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is committed to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 30393 on 24 February 2025 for more detail on the steps we have already taken to increase social and affordable housebuilding.

We will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme at the Spending Review. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for Social Rent.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of granting regulatory powers to the UK Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute; and whether such powers could include oversight of frontier AI models, safety testing, and enforcement mechanisms.

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

The government is clear in its ambition to bring forward legislation which allows us to safely realise the enormous benefits and opportunities of the most powerful AI systems for years to come. The government is continuing to refine its proposals and will launch a public consultation in due course.

As part of its plans to boost AI security, the government is committed to supporting and growing the AI Security Institute.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential for artificial intelligence policy to support inclusive economic growth and safeguard good work.

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

AI is at the heart of the Government’s plans to kickstart economic growth and improve public services.

Earlier this year the Prime Minister announced the AI Opportunities Action Plan - a roadmap setting out how we will achieve our AI ambitions by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier.

The Secretary of State has had discussions with Cabinet ministers, including with the Secretary of State for the Department for Business and Trade, regarding how the Government can maximise the potential of AI.

Libraries in state primary schools

Black Maternal Health Awareness Week 2025

Immigration application fees for young adults and children

NHS parking charges

47th anniversary of the murder of Altab Ali

Launch of The Rational Policy-Maker’s Guide to Rebuilding the NHS report

Death of Pope Francis

Collapse of Rana Plaza, Bangladesh

Households below average income

Fee waivers for ILR applications

Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919

Workplace disabilities and sickle cell disease

Skilled worker legislation impact on government workers

Found: Naz Shah Munira Wilson Frank McNally Tom Morrison Peter Lamb Lillian Jones Liz Jarvis Imran Hussain

Found: Naz Shah Munira Wilson Frank McNally Tom Morrison Peter Lamb Lillian Jones Liz Jarvis Imran Hussain

Found: Maguire Zarah Sultana Ayoub Khan Ms Diane Abbott Adrian Ramsay Kate Osborne Jeremy Corbyn Imran Hussain

Found: Naz Shah Munira Wilson Frank McNally Tom Morrison Peter Lamb Lillian Jones Liz Jarvis Imran Hussain

Found: Maguire Zarah Sultana Ayoub Khan Ms Diane Abbott Adrian Ramsay Kate Osborne Jeremy Corbyn Imran Hussain