Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the recent 5CA data breach on protecting consumers online.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As the UK's independent regulator for data protection, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is responsible for monitoring compliance with the UK's data protection legislation and investigating complaints regarding breaches of the legislation. The ICO is investigating a data breach following a report by Discord.
The ICO provides guidance for the public on data protection on its website. Anyone concerned about the impact of the breach could also contact the ICO for further advice, by telephone on 0303 123 1113 and through its website: https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/.
Businesses can help prevent data breaches by improving their cyber resilience using the guidance and tools on offer from the government. This includes the new Cyber Action Toolkit for small businesses, the highly effective Cyber Essentials scheme which prevents common cyber-attacks, and the Cyber Governance Code of Practice to help boards and directors manage digital risks.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department's Vaccine Damage Payment Unit is still in operation.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) provides a one-off, tax-free payment of £120,000 to claimants who have been found, in rare cases and on the balance of probabilities, to have been severely disabled by certain vaccines for a disease listed in the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979.
Responsibility for the operation of the VDPS transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions to the Department of Health and Social Care on 1 November 2021. Since then, the NHS Business Services Authority has administered the VDPS on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care, which retains responsibility for the policy and legislation governing the scheme.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83545 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, if he will publish a version of the table provided for the years prior to 2021-22.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not held by the Department of Health and Social Care as the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme was administered by the Department for Work and Pensions until 2021.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total amount of payment is through the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme; and how much has been paid in each year for which figures are available.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme provides a one-off, tax-free payment of £120,000 to claimants who have been found, in rare cases and on the balance of probabilities, to have been severely disabled, 60% or more, by certain vaccines for a disease listed in the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979.
The following table shows the payments made through the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme since 2021/22, when NHS Business Services Authority took over the administration of the scheme, to 2025/26:
Year | Total amount paid |
2021/22 | £240,000 |
2022/23 | £8,640,000 |
2023/24 | £11,880,000 |
2024/25 | £6,480,000 |
2025/26 | £2,160,000 |
Total | £29,400,000 |
Note: data for 2025/26 is as of the end of September 2025, as this is the latest data available.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has held recent discussions with (a) DB Cargo and (b) railway preservation groups on preserving the 58050 locomotive.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Freight operators are private sector companies who lease or own their rolling stock. Any such decisions relating to the preservation of locomotives would be a commercial matter for those freight operators.
The department has not held any recent discussions with DB Cargo or railways preservation groups regarding the preservation of the 58050 locomotive.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress she has made on the appointment of a new CEO of DfT Operator Limited.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The contract for the current CEO of DfT Operator Limited is due to end in December 2025. In preparation for this, work is continuing to recruit a new CEO to ensure continued leadership for the organisation.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when his Department plans to respond to the consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contracts regime.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is committed to protecting consumers who enter subscription contracts. Chapter 2, Part 4 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 sets out a new regime for subscriptions contracts. Secondary legislation is required to implement it and the government ran a 12-week consultation on regulatory proposals (Consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contracts regime - GOV.UK). We are analysing the responses and carefully considering the points raised. A government response will be published in due course.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has been made on maintenance works at Glenart Castle Mess in Longbridge, Birmingham.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Glenart Castle Mess closed in July 2025 to allow for an upgrade to the water system infrastructure in the building. The maintenance works have progressed well and are on schedule, with 90% of works being complete.
The mess is planned to reopen on 11 November 2025 back to its original use.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether retired former employees of British Rail will retain travel privileges following the creation of Great British Railways.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government understands the importance of travel concessions for retired former British Rail employees and there are no plans to change these arrangements under Great British Railways.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 2.18 of the National Audit Office report entitled High Speed Two: A progress update, published on 24 January 2020, whether HS2 Limited has updated its indicative estimate that the cost of undertakings and assurances was £1.2 billion; and in which year's prices was that estimate.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
HS2 Ltd has not updated this figure. The estimate was provided to the National Audit Office in late 2019 – at that time, HS2 Ltd’s cost estimates were in 2015 prices.