John Milne

As of 9 October 2026, the Department had a total of 1,096 items of correspondence from hon. Members which had not yet received a substantive reply. The majority of this correspondence relates to policy areas transferred from the former Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. This figure excludes correspondence transferred to other Government departments.

The average response time for correspondence which was answered during that period was 27 working days. To manage the impacts of the recent Machinery of Government change the Department has established a dedicated team to improve the timeliness of replies to correspondence so that hon. Members receive responses within 20 working days. We recognise that all members deserve a response promptly and we are working at pace to resolve this.

Criminals should never be left to destroy countryside for their own gain.

The CPS works closely with law enforcement partners to prosecute and deter environmental offending and will hold those who perpetrate it to account.

In March, the government published its Waste Crime Action Plan, which we are bolstering with further measures to tackle organised criminal gangs operating illegal waste dumping sites.

The impact that the Horizon scandal has had on postmasters and their families is horrendous. This Government is determined to hold those responsible to account.

Fujitsu’s culpability needs to be assessed in light of the final report of Sir Wyn Williams’s Inquiry. Once it is published we will carefully consider whether to launch debarment investigations based on the findings in that report.

In January 2024, Fujitsu committed to withdraw from bidding for contracts with new Government customers until the Post Office Horizon inquiry concluded – it would only bid for work with existing Government customers where it already has a contract with them, or where there is an agreed need for Fujitsu’s capabilities. Fujitsu’s correspondence on this matter is deposited in Parliament.

The Cabinet Office is monitoring Fujitsu’s compliance with these bidding constraints and carries out regular reviews of Fujitsu’s performance across their Government contracts. The Crown Representative meets regularly with the UK CEO to discuss this and other issues.

The impact that the Horizon scandal has had on postmasters and their families is horrendous. This Government is determined to hold those responsible to account.

Fujitsu’s culpability needs to be assessed in light of the final report of Sir Wyn Williams’s Inquiry. Once it is published we will carefully consider whether to launch debarment investigations based on the findings in that report.

In January 2024, Fujitsu committed to withdraw from bidding for contracts with new Government customers until the Post Office Horizon inquiry concluded – it would only bid for work with existing Government customers where it already has a contract with them, or where there is an agreed need for Fujitsu’s capabilities. Fujitsu’s correspondence on this matter is deposited in Parliament.

The Cabinet Office is monitoring Fujitsu’s compliance with these bidding constraints and carries out regular reviews of Fujitsu’s performance across their Government contracts. The Crown Representative meets regularly with the UK CEO to discuss this and other issues.

The Government is supporting agri-tech through targeted innovation, adoption, scale-up and export measures. In the Industrial Strategy, we committed to invest at least £200 million in the Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) by 2030, with £123 million available for FIP competitions in 2026/27, including Farming Innovation Investor Partnerships to crowd in private capital and grants to help farmers trial and adopt new technologies. Innovate UK programmes will help businesses commercialise and manufacture new products, while a new Agri-Tech Export Accelerator will support firms to pursue global opportunities. Agri-tech companies can also access wides support for skills, business finance and innovation.

The Department of Business and Trade has expertise committed to delivering economic growth in the agri-tech sector and helping to deliver the outcomes of the Industrial Strategy.

In the Industrial Strategy, Government set out an ambition to drive innovation in agriculture. We committed to invest at least £200 million in the Farming Innovation Programme by 2030, with £123 million available for competitions in 2026-27. To date, the programme has supported more than 300 projects, including innovations in fruit crop protection and dairy health in Horsham. Frontier industries are supported through a range of interventions tailored to their specific growth opportunities and barriers, rather than through directly comparable funding allocations. Progress is reported through our Quarterly Updates and recent one-year Industrial Strategy delivery update.

Watchkeeper unmanned aerial system (UAS) components are licensed from the UK to Israel solely for the purpose of supporting onward export to a Romanian UAS programme.

The Department has published extensive information on our export licences to Israel. This is available here: Israel export control licensing data: 31 July 2025 - GOV.UK.

As referenced in my answer to Question 117035, all five licences were for IDF/Israeli Government training. The equipment covered by those licences included non-lethal ammunition only used in training and not suitable for operational use, components for body armour, components for military training equipment, and various goods permitted to be exported under an Open Individual Export Licence (OIEL).

These exports are in line with the Government’s decision in September 2024 to suspend licences for exports to Israel of equipment that could be used in military operations in Gaza.

In the recent consultation ‘Accelerating electricity network connections for strategic demand’ Government proposed new measures to prioritise grid connections for projects of the highest economic and social value. The consultation included analysis of the potential impact of these measures, which may apply to demand projects of all types, including AI data centres. Government will publish the consultation response in due course.

Energy resilience is one of our top priorities. The Government is working with the industry to continually improve and maintain the resilience of old and new energy infrastructure, networks and assets, including the ones in rural areas. This will reduce vulnerabilities and ensure an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents.

The Government will also publish an Energy Resilience Strategy in 2026 to set long term priorities for maintaining a secure and resilient energy system.

Natural gas is used as an input for Power CCUS and CCUS-enabled hydrogen production. However, the Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan (23 June 2025) did not include a specific estimate of imported LNG emissions for CCUS. We are clear that future emissions from the production of natural gas will need to reduce in the UK and across the world and we are working with the US, EU and others to develop a framework to better measure, monitor, and report methane emissions from imported gas.

The Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) recommendations are independent advice, not government policy. The Government is considering the CCC’s advice and will set the CB7 level by 30th June 2026.

Alongside reporting the UK’s territorial emissions, the Government publishes UK carbon footprint statistics, which includes imported emissions. In July 2025, we announced the Production and Consumption Transformation (PACT) Centre. PACT will conduct independent world class research to expand the evidence base on production and consumption, providing actionable insights on energy and material efficiency solutions, including assessing imported emissions. This will support effective analysis and policy making in this field.

Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) provides the UK with a flexible source of gas supply to meet gas demand – helping respond when demand peaks, for example over winter when gas demand rises for home heating.

However, we are aware of the emissions associated with its use and we are working with international partners to explore ways to minimise methane and CO2 emissions across the LNG supply chain. This includes considering enhanced measuring, monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions to improve accountability and progress toward lower-emission LNG production and transport.

The government recognises that high quality digital connectivity is essential for businesses in the UK, including in rural areas. Our ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030 and we have a target to deliver nationwide (99%) gigabit broadband coverage by 2032.

By phasing out copper-based connections and rolling out gigabit-capable fibre broadband, we are enabling faster and more resilient connectivity. Through Project Gigabit, we are delivering fast, reliable broadband to UK homes and businesses not included in suppliers' commercial plans, complementing commercial market delivery. As of the end of December 2025, over 1.3 million homes and businesses in rural areas across the UK had been upgraded to gigabit-capable broadband through government-funded programmes.

Standalone 5G has the potential to offer high speed, high capacity, reliable connectivity, allowing communities and businesses to thrive. Where reliable 4G is not available, the Government’s Shared Rural Network programme continues to deliver 4G coverage, thereby improving the reliability and resilience of mobile connectivity. The programme has already met its interim target ahead of schedule, extending 4G coverage to over 95% of the UK landmass, with delivery continuing to January 2027 to address remaining not‑spots. This is improving day‑to‑day connectivity for rural businesses.

We recognise that power cuts can affect services, especially in rural areas. Ofcom are completing a detailed regulatory review of the resilience of mobile networks to power cuts, and Government is supporting collaboration between the electricity and telecommunications sectors to further reduce the likelihood and duration of any loss to mobile services from power cuts.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year. Any future funding allocations are subject to the outcome of the Spending Review.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are considering funding into alternatives for animal testing as part of the Spending Review, and cannot commit funding amounts in advance of this process.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Office for Life Sciences Officials have met with Dr Michaelis to discuss lobular breast cancer. The Government does not ringfence funding for specific cancer types. DSIT invests approximately £200 million into cancer research annually via UK Research and Innovation, and The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spent £121.8 million in 2022/23 on cancer research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research. DHSC is currently developing a new National Cancer Plan which will outline the Government’s strategy to improve patient outcomes for all cancer types, including breast cancer.

The Government doesn’t ringfence funding for specific diseases but is committed to funding cancer research, including lobular breast cancer. The Department of Health and Social Care spent £121.8 million in 2022/23 on cancer research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology funds cancer research via UK Innovation and Research (UKRI). UKRI invests approximately £200 million annually into cancer research, of which £10m per year is for breast cancer research.

Office for Life Sciences’ Cancer Healthcare Goals programme funds innovations at the earlier stages of the research and development pipeline. Such innovations will have the potential to diagnose multiple tumour types, including breast cancer.

We have allocated £1.3 million of funding for a National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) project that will assess the effectiveness of a new form of MRI scan to detect breast cancers that have been missed by mammograms.

Further NIHR research infrastructure funding supports Biomedical Research Centres and the NIHR Research Delivery Network, which has enabled delivery of 10 lobular breast-cancer studies.

The department is investing around £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and Integrated Care Boards, to develop a new Experts at Hand (EaH) offer.

Local area partnerships (LAPs) are responsible for planning and delivering their local EaH offer, taking account of local need, existing services and workforce capacity. The department is asking LAPs to develop a new offer of support for mainstream settings, drawing on specialist expertise across education, health and local services to meet local needs.

LAPs will have flexibility to design and deliver the offer in a way that reflects local needs and existing services, while working towards the expectations set out in the published EaH guidance. They will therefore be able to determine how best to deploy the specialist expertise required to meet the needs of children and young people in their area.

In the last five years, the department has issued 25 Improvement Notices, including revised Improvement Notices, to local authorities to improve special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services for children and young people.

Improvement Notices were issued to North Somerset (2021), Devon (2022), Kent, Plymouth, Oxfordshire and Oldham (2023), Hertfordshire, Halton, Bexley, Wirral, Suffolk, North Northamptonshire, Bury, West Northamptonshire, Worcestershire and Derbyshire (2024), Lancashire, Wirral (revised), Bracknell Forest, Tameside (initial and revised), Redbridge, Sheffield and Torbay (2025), and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (2026). Five of these Improvement Notices have since closed: Kent, Plymouth, Oxfordshire, Oldham and Hertfordshire.

The department has also issued three Statutory Directions over the same period to Birmingham (2021), Slough and Bournemouth (2023), Christchurch and Poole (2024). The Statutory Direction for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole closed in 2026, and an Improvement Notice was issued.

Further information on all open and closed Improvement Notices and Statutory Directions for SEND services can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/improvement-notices.

The department is asking local area partnerships, including local authorities and integrated care boards, to work together with settings and families to design and deliver their Experts at Hand offer to meet local needs and circumstances.

As part of delivery, local area partnerships should ensure that mainstream settings understand how to access the support and specialist expertise available through their local offer, including the range of support available and how it can be accessed.

Schools and local area partners should help children, young people and their families understand the support available through their local offer.

The department is investing around £1.8 billion over the next three years for local area partnerships, including local authorities and Integrated Care Boards, to develop a new Experts at Hand offer.

Specialist schools, specialist health services and other local specialist education and health services will play an important role in the development and delivery of local Experts at Hand offers. Local area partnerships will be able to draw on their expertise to help provide advice, coaching, workforce development and targeted support for mainstream settings. This will include specialist expertise from educational psychologists and trainees, speech and language therapists, support workers or assistants, occupational therapists and specialist teachers, including those based in specialist and alternative provision settings.

Through the offer, these practitioners may provide targeted interventions, support earlier identification of needs and help mainstream staff develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to meet the needs of children and young people more effectively.

The department’s new Experts at Hand offer will support many children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including some children and young people with cerebral palsy attending mainstream settings, by improving access to support and expertise within those settings, while others will receive support through provision specified in their education, health and care plan. Local area partnerships are expected to draw on appropriately qualified and supervised practitioners and existing professional standards within health and education workforces to meet the needs of all children and young people with SEND.

The department is asking local area partnerships to develop a new offer of support for mainstream settings, drawing on specialist expertise across education, health and local services to meet local needs, including where condition-specific expertise is required. The department will continue to monitor data on the growth of the relevant health and education specialist workforces.

To support delivery, the department is investing over £40 million in the specialist workforce, including £26 million to train 204 EPs in 2026 and 239 in 2027, with the remaining £15 million invested to establish new speech and language therapist advanced practitioners in every Integrated Care Board geographical area, to get more Speech and Language Therapists working in educational settings. Alongside this, the department is investing £200 million in SEND and inclusion training to upskill staff in every school, college and nursery. We will continue to monitor implementation as the programme develops.