Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

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

Hybrid working is an informal, discretionary, non-contractual arrangement that enables employees to work partly in the workplace and partly at home. Employees are expected to spend a minimum of 40% of their working hours in the office. Office attendance requirements are managed locally to ensure the minimum requirement is met, and no central data is held on this.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help support pubs.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government recognises the vital role pubs play in supporting local economies and fostering community cohesion, as well as the pressures they face.

That is why we established the Licensing Taskforce in April, bringing together representatives from the hospitality sector to help shape reforms. We published the Government’s response on 31 July, setting out a new National Licensing Policy Framework to simplify outdated rules and protect long-standing venues from noise complaints. These reforms form part of the recently announced Small Business Strategy, which aims to tackle late payments, boost access to finance, and remove red tape to enable small businesses, including pubs, grow and thrive.

Additionally, we’re creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street and supports investment, including permanently lower rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties under £500,000 rateable value. We’ve also launched a Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects aligned with DBT and Hospitality Sector Council priorities such as Pub is The Hub to encourage local investment.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, for what purposes their Department has used artificial intelligence in the last year.

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

In the last year, the Department has expanded the use of artificial intelligence for a growing range of purposes within an AI governance framework consistent with the AI playbook for the UK Government. AI is being used to allow businesses to get tailored advice on export finance via business.gov.uk. A dedicated AI team has been exploring over 30 potential purposes such as conducting rapid evidence assessments and improving correspondence processes. In addition, the Department has made available approved AI tools and training to nearly 4,000 DBT officials around the globe, enabling them to benefit from AI in their own individual work.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data her Department holds on the proportion of foreign nationals claiming Universal Credit who are exempt from the habitual residence test.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

This information is not readily available and to identify, collate and provide it would incur disproportionate cost. British and foreign nationals who are fleeing persecution and humanitarian crises overseas are exempt from the normal requirement to be habitually resident so that they can access support quickly on arrival. Those who stay in the UK are likely to meet the requirement one to three months later, without the aid of an exemption. People covered by the exemptions at the time they claim must still meet all the other eligibility criteria before they can receive Universal Credit, including being in Great Britain and, if they are a foreign national, having an immigration status that permits access to public funds.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in what region Afghans resettled through the Afghanistan Response Route have been located.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The regular quarterly Immigration System Statistics provide details on how many individuals have been resettled to the UK broken down by resettlement route, region and local authority area. The number of people resettled under the Afghanistan Resettlement Programme (which includes consolidated data on the ‘Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy,’ ‘Afghan Citizens Relocation Scheme’ and ‘Afghan Response Route’) can be accessed at tab ‘Reg_D02’ of the following table: Regional and local authority data on immigration groups, year ending June 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people will become eligible for indefinite leave to remain in the next five years.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Eligibility for indefinite leave to remain is assessed upon application, by individual caseworkers, and as such, there are no fixed estimates of the number of individuals who will become eligible at any point.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with hospice providers on the increase in financial pressures they face.

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

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant. In 2024/25 and 2025/26, this funding was administered via integrated care boards in line with National Health Service devolution.

The Department and NHS England are looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care, including hospice provision, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

The Government and the NHS will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, including from hospices, to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required changes to palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams. Hospices will play an important role in that shift.

The Department and NHS England will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, to understand the issues and pressures they face.

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 support hospices with the increase in (a) the level of inflation and (b) staffing costs and (c) energy prices.

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

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant. In 2024/25 and 2025/26, this funding was administered via integrated care boards in line with National Health Service devolution.

The Department and NHS England are looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care, including hospice provision, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

The Government and the NHS will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, including from hospices, to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required changes to palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams. Hospices will play an important role in that shift.

The Department and NHS England will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, to understand the issues and pressures they face.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the funding model for hospices in England.

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

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant. In 2024/25 and 2025/26, this funding was administered via integrated care boards in line with National Health Service devolution.

The Department and NHS England are looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care, including hospice provision, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

The Government and the NHS will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, including from hospices, to ensure that the future state of services reduces variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required changes to palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams. Hospices will play an important role in that shift.

The Department and NHS England will continue to proactively engage with our stakeholders, including the voluntary sector and independent hospices, on an ongoing basis, to understand the issues and pressures they face.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will have discussions with retailers on the potential impact of trends in the level of business costs on (a) staffing levels and (b) lone working practices.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Staffing levels and business lone working policies are commercial matters for individual businesses to decide. An employer must identify the risks to lone workers and put control measures in place to protect them. It is for the employer to determine the best way to manage those risks taking account of the circumstances of their business and work activity. HSE provide guidance on lone working: Lone working: Protect those working alone - HSE.

The government is protecting the smallest businesses by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500. This means that this year, 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all, more than half of employers see no change or gain overall from this package and employers will be able to employ up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage and pay no employer NICs.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will hold a consultation on the introduction of a digital ID system; and if she will publish the results.

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

The Government is committed to making the state more efficient and easier to interact with through harnessing technology. We want to learn from countries who have digitised government services for the benefit of their citizens.

We are looking at whether a new digital ID could help tackle illegal immigration, transform public services, and bring benefits to people’s everyday lives. No firm decision, estimate or assessment has yet been made.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent conversations he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the introduction of a universal digital ID card.

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

The Government is committed to making the state more efficient and easier to interact with through harnessing technology. We want to learn from countries who have digitised government services for the benefit of their citizens.

We are looking at whether a new digital ID could help tackle illegal immigration, transform public services, and bring benefits to people’s everyday lives. No firm decision, estimate or assessment has yet been made.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to introduce a universal digital ID card.

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

The Government is committed to making the state more efficient and easier to interact with through harnessing technology. We want to learn from countries who have digitised government services for the benefit of their citizens.

We are looking at whether a new digital ID could help tackle illegal immigration, transform public services, and bring benefits to people’s everyday lives. No firm decision, estimate or assessment has yet been made.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure women’s shelters are in compliance with the Supreme Court judgment in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Duty bearers must follow the law and should take appropriate specialist legal advice where necessary.

The EHRC has submitted the draft updated Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations to the Minister for Women and Equalities. This will provide guidance to service providers, including those who run women's shelters.

The Government will consider the draft updated Code and, if the Minister approves it, lay it before Parliament.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what purposes their Department has used artificial intelligence in the last year.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is improving the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) efficiency, security and analysis. Over the last year, that has included using AI for language translation, document classification and data analysis, in support of the work of our policy and consular teams.

Through FCDO.ai, the Department is coordinating responsible adoption of this technology, including participation in the piloting of the cross government Microsoft Copilot tool. All activity is governed by our AI Acceptable Use Policy and established assurance processes. The Department will continue to develop capabilities aligned with UK principles on AI safety and work with partners across government and internationally to share best practice.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to review his Department's policies on distributing foreign aid to India.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are currently working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29. We will publish indicative ODA programme allocations for the next three years in due course.

The UK has transformed its relationship with India from donor to investor and partner. Investing the UK's ODA budget in supporting India's transition to clean energy helps mitigate the worsening impacts of climate change through bolstering the development of clean technology. Through UK investments and sharing expertise, we are also creating jobs, opportunities and inward investment for the UK.

This is a strategic investment in our partnership with the Indian Government, which we can make a return on. Last year our ODA spend in India was negative: we received more money back from investments made than we invested that year.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his policy is on responding to non-binding rulings of the United Nations International Court of Justice where they relate to the UK.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

While not legally binding, rulings such as the International Court of Justice's advisory opinions carry significant weight and are likely to be highly influential on any subsequent court or tribunal considering the same issues, so the UK will take them into account when formulating relevant policies.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

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

The Home Office operates in over 250 different workplaces across the UK as well as having a large number of mobile teams working in other locations.

Heads of Department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office occupancy data for the period July - September has been published, with further publications to happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will publish a list of projects focusing on improving equality, diversity and inclusion abroad that have received UK (a) foreign aid and (b) international development funding in the last two years.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Data on Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend is available in the Statistics on International Development publications, which are available for 2023 and provisionally for 2024. Data is available broken down by sector for the 2023 publication, including social sector spending on health and education, and humanitarian aid.

Further information on specific programmes, including those with a specific focus on equalities, can be found on GOV.UK's Development Tracker.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much the UK has spent in (a) foreign aid or (b) international development funding on projects on improving equality, diversity and inclusion overseas in the last two years.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Data on Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend is available in the Statistics on International Development publications, which are available for 2023 and provisionally for 2024. Data is available broken down by sector for the 2023 publication, including social sector spending on health and education, and humanitarian aid.

Further information on specific programmes, including those with a specific focus on equalities, can be found on GOV.UK's Development Tracker.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to reduce animal testing in the UK.

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

I refer the hon. Member for Ashfield to the answer of 12^th May 2025 to Question 49421.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria his Department uses when selecting recipients for international climate finance.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

International Climate Finance is spent in countries according to their vulnerability to climate change, ability to fund their own adaptation, and high emissions or high future emissions pathways where climate mitigation, poverty reduction, and development co-benefits potential are greatest.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to review his Department's policies on distributing foreign aid to Afghanistan.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are working through detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be used from 2026/27 to 2028/29. We plan to publish indicative allocations for the next three years in the coming months. This will provide the predictability our teams need to effectively manage the transition to 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI).

UK aid to Afghanistan is subject to strict monitoring and verification to ensure it is only used to help those in need. All funding is provided directly to implementing partners who are highly experienced at delivering in difficult circumstances. We do not give aid to the Taliban.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to review his Department's policies on distributing foreign aid to Pakistan.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We continuously examine all levers at our disposal to deliver for UK interests overseas, including foreign aid. We are currently reviewing allocations to all countries as part of the UK Government's move to reduce aid spending to 0.3 per cent of gross national income by 2027. Pakistan is an indispensable partner in keeping the UK safe from terror threats and organised crime, and some of the technical assistance we provide through UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) is integral to these efforts.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to support Craig and Lindsay Foreman in Iran.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are deeply concerned by Craig and Lindsay's detention in Iran. We are providing them with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members. We continue to raise the case directly with the Iranian authorities.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) diplomatic and (b) consular support his Department has given to Craig and Lindsay Foreman in the last three months.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are deeply concerned by Craig and Lindsay's detention in Iran. We are providing them with consular assistance and remain in close contact with their family members. We continue to raise the case directly with the Iranian authorities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for radiotherapy treatment.

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

Radiotherapy is vital in cancer care, and it remains a key priority for the Government to reduce radiotherapy waiting times and provide the highest quality of treatment available. This is why the Government has invested £70 million of central funding on 28 new radiotherapy machines across the country to replace older machines. These new machines are more efficient meaning that more patients can be seen more quickly. This will help to reduce waiting times for cancer patients.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

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

We do not collect data on the number of workdays that were completed remotely.

Our London headquarters office occupancy is monitored via anonymised entry pass swipe data and is published on gov.uk on a monthly basis starting October 2024, and to date is as follows:

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure Ofcom regulation does not lead to censorship of lawful content online.

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

Safeguards for freedom of expression have been built into the framework of the Online Safety Act. Ofcom is independent but must act in a way that is compatible with the European Convention of Human Rights, including in relation to freedom of expression. This is particularly important as Ofcom develops codes of practice and make enforcement decisions.

In-scope companies must implement safeguards for freedom of expression when fulfilling their duties. The framework's focus on transparency and user reporting will also enable users to more effectively appeal incorrect content removal.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent the removal of lawful content online.

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

Safeguards for freedom of expression have been built into the framework of the Online Safety Act. Ofcom is independent but must act in a way that is compatible with the European Convention of Human Rights, including in relation to freedom of expression. This is particularly important as Ofcom develops codes of practice and make enforcement decisions.

In-scope companies must implement safeguards for freedom of expression when fulfilling their duties. The framework's focus on transparency and user reporting will also enable users to more effectively appeal incorrect content removal.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions her Department has had with social media platforms on the impact of content removal policies on freedom of speech.

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

The Online Safety Act ensures accountability for tech companies for the safety of their users while upholding freedom of expression online. Ofcom and social media platforms have freedom of expression duties for which they can be held accountable. The Act does not prevent adults from seeking out legal content, nor does it decide what legal content platforms should or should not allow for adults.

The government works closely with Ofcom to ensure the framework is implemented effectively and proportionately, including in relation to freedom of expression. The government regularly engages with a wide range of organisations, including social media platforms, to support implementation.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has had recent discussions with Ofcom on the protection of lawful free speech online.

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

The Online Safety Act ensures accountability for tech companies for the safety of their users while upholding freedom of expression online. Ofcom and social media platforms have freedom of expression duties for which they can be held accountable. The Act does not prevent adults from seeking out legal content, nor does it decide what legal content platforms should or should not allow for adults.

The government works closely with Ofcom to ensure the framework is implemented effectively and proportionately, including in relation to freedom of expression. The government regularly engages with a wide range of organisations, including social media platforms, to support implementation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide funding for (a) adult and (b) children’s hospices for the next ten years.

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

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant. In 2024/25 and 2025/26, this funding was administered via integrated care boards in line with National Health Service devolution.

The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality and sustainability of all-age palliative and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

Officials will present further proposals to Ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) education about and (b) awareness of endometriosis.

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

The Government recognises the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce.

On 15 July, the Department for Education published the revised Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (RSHE) statutory guidance, which stipulates that secondary school RSHE lessons should cover menstrual and gynaecological health, covering aspects such as what is an average period, conditions including endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, and when to seek help from healthcare professionals. This revised guidance emphasises the importance of ensuring that pupils have a comprehensive understanding of women’s health topics.

The General Medical Council has introduced the Medical Licensing Assessment to encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the United Kingdom. The content map for this assessment includes several topics relating to women’s health, including menstrual problems, endometriosis, menopause, and urinary incontinence. This will encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the UK.

Endometriosis is also included in the core curriculum for trainee general practitioners, and for obstetricians and gynaecologists. In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence updated their guideline on endometriosis which makes firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referral and investigations for women with a suspected diagnosis, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG73)www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG73

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Office for National Statistics’ dataset entitled Business demography quarterly, UK Quarter 2 April to June 2025 edition, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the number of (a) agriculture, (b) forestry and (c) fishing business closures on the supply of food.

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

The Government assesses a whole variety of factors that affect UK food supply using readily available data. Two examples include: the Production to Supply ratio last updated in July 2025 (found here Chapter 14: The food chain - GOV.UK) and analysis of the UK’s Seafood Consumption (found here Seafood Consumption 2025 — Seafish and published annually).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

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

The Department does not hold data or information centrally on the number of workdays completed by staff remotely.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to ban foreign supertrawlers from UK waters.

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

The UK is committed to protecting our marine environment and ensuring sustainable fisheries. We are taking action through Marine Protected Area management and Fisheries Management Plans, which apply to all vessels in UK waters.

Any policy changes must be evidence-based and consistent with our international obligations, including the non-discrimination provisions of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

We continue to monitor fishing activity closely and will act where there is evidence of harm or non-compliance.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Office for National Statistics’ dataset entitled Business demography quarterly, UK Quarter 2 April to June 2025 edition, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of (a) agriculture, (b) forestry and (c) fishing business closures since 2017.

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

Defra is aware of the Office for National Statistics' quarterly business openings and closures data. There are many factors unrelated to government policy that might explain why businesses would be shown as "closing" in the data source, including purely statistical factors.

Defra monitors data on the number of farm businesses registered with Defra for England published here Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June - GOV.UK.

This Government is committed to supporting economic growth. We continue to work closely with our agriculture, fishing, seafood and forestry sectors to ensure they are vibrant, profitable, and sustainable.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure coordination between her Department and the Department for Work and Pensions when monitoring foreign nationals' eligibility for Universal Credit.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) applies strict compliance and benefit eligibility checks to all claimants regardless of their nationality. In addition to verifying a claimant’s identity, DWP always checks a person’s immigration status before paying them benefits if they are a foreign national. The DWP verify this information with the Home Office, including through automatic system-to-system checks, which the Home Office is increasingly rolling out to other Government departments and public authorities.

The data made available through those system-to-system checks is specific to the need of each department and contains only the necessary information to inform their decision making.

No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) is a standard condition applied to most categories of temporary immigration permission, which prevents those who are subject to immigration control from accessing certain services or benefits.

Those who are in the UK without lawful status are also prevented from accessing public funds. This includes access to Universal Credit.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what purposes their Department has used artificial intelligence in the last year.

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

AI is being used for a range of purposes in the Home Office to improve business delivery as part of overall digital improvements in the department with well-established systems such as e-Gates, to allow entry at the Border; in our passport service, to support online applications; triage tools, which route cases to the appropriate teams; and the Child Abuse Image Database (CAID) Classifier, which helps police officers grade child sexual abuse material (CSAM) more swiftly and reduces their exposure time to harmful content

The Home Office continues to introduce AI tools, including the rollout of Microsoft Copilot to assist in day-to-day activities. We have also provided bespoke tools to specific teams to support asylum decision making.

We are also running several AI trials to test their potential for wider productivity and quality improvements in existing business processes.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, for what purposes their Department has used artificial intelligence in the last year.

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

DCMS follows the UK Government’s AI Playbook principles on safe, effective and responsible adoption of AI, and works closely with DSIT as the “Digital centre of government”.

Any use of third party AI tooling is subject to multidisciplinary assurance prior to any use, including Cyber security, Data Protection, Knowledge and Information Management, and Technology assurance.

DCMS is in its early days in terms of AI usage and measuring benefits to productivity. In the past year the Department has used AI for the following:

• Summarising large documents and emails

• Analysis of large documents, drawing out key information and drafting reports

• Drafting meeting notes

• Generating draft content

• Enhancing our departmental data science capability

• Proof of concept of using AI large language models (LLMs) to analyse free text responses to a public consultation

AI produced data or drafts are manually reviewed. No decisions are made by the Department based on AI outputs, without manual checks and manual intervention.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of the repurposing of hotels as asylum accommodation on the number of jobs in the accommodation sector in each of the last three years.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has a legal obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and subsistence support whilst their application for asylum is being considered. The Home Office is committed to ensuring that destitute asylum seekers are housed in safe, secure and suitable accommodation, and that they are treated with dignity while their asylum claim is considered.

There is no obligation for hotels to contract with Home Office accommodation providers. This Government is delivering on its pledge to close asylum hotels; drastically reducing taxpayer costs and giving control back to local communities.

From over 400 asylum hotels open in summer 2023, costing almost £9 million a day, there are now less than 210, and we want them all closed by the end of this Parliament.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help tackle anti-Christian violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are deeply concerned by an escalation in attacks by Islamic State - Democratic Republic of the Congo (IS-DRC), also known as the Allied Democratic Forces, who primarily target Christians. The UK has repeatedly raised the actions of IS-DRC in the United Nations, including at the United Nations Security Council and Human Rights Council, and have sanctioned them through the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will undertake a review of the adequacy of targets based on the staging of solid tumours for the early diagnosis of blood cancers in patients.

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

The Department continues to support the National Health Service to diagnose and treat cancer as early and fast as possible. There have been improvements in the prognosis of blood cancer patients, with patients now living twice as long. However, we recognise that because of the damaged NHS this Government inherited, patients with cancers with non-specific symptoms such as blood cancer, are waiting too long for diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. However, the Department will continue to engage with blood cancer charities and key stakeholders to determine how to support the best outcomes for blood cancer patients.

At this time no current assessment has been made on the potential merits of a proxy measure for early diagnosis in unstageable blood cancers. However, we remain committed to making improvements across different cancer types and reducing disparities in cancer survival. Early cancer diagnosis is also a specific priority within the NHS’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities. The NHS currently track early diagnosis in stageable blood cancers by combining the percentage of diagnoses within stage 1 or 2, as it would for any other stageable cancer.

Furthermore, to tackle late, emergency setting diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England with blood cancers being one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), through the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Services, collects information on how many people in England have cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms. The NDRS website also shows the number of people treated for different tumour types by treatment type, as well as survival rates, mortality rates, and data on urgent suspected cancer referrals. Further information is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/cancer-data-hub

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients in England, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will ensure patients, including those with blood cancer, have timely access to the latest treatments and technology.

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 reduce the number of blood cancer patients diagnosed through A&E.

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

The Department continues to support the National Health Service to diagnose and treat cancer as early and fast as possible. There have been improvements in the prognosis of blood cancer patients, with patients now living twice as long. However, we recognise that because of the damaged NHS this Government inherited, patients with cancers with non-specific symptoms such as blood cancer, are waiting too long for diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. However, the Department will continue to engage with blood cancer charities and key stakeholders to determine how to support the best outcomes for blood cancer patients.

At this time no current assessment has been made on the potential merits of a proxy measure for early diagnosis in unstageable blood cancers. However, we remain committed to making improvements across different cancer types and reducing disparities in cancer survival. Early cancer diagnosis is also a specific priority within the NHS’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities. The NHS currently track early diagnosis in stageable blood cancers by combining the percentage of diagnoses within stage 1 or 2, as it would for any other stageable cancer.

Furthermore, to tackle late, emergency setting diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England with blood cancers being one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), through the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Services, collects information on how many people in England have cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms. The NDRS website also shows the number of people treated for different tumour types by treatment type, as well as survival rates, mortality rates, and data on urgent suspected cancer referrals. Further information is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/cancer-data-hub

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients in England, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will ensure patients, including those with blood cancer, have timely access to the latest treatments and technology.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the early (a) detection and (b) diagnosis of blood cancer.

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

The Department continues to support the National Health Service to diagnose and treat cancer as early and fast as possible. There have been improvements in the prognosis of blood cancer patients, with patients now living twice as long. However, we recognise that because of the damaged NHS this Government inherited, patients with cancers with non-specific symptoms such as blood cancer, are waiting too long for diagnosis and subsequent treatment.

There are no current plans to introduce a specific proxy staging measure or a corresponding national target to support the earlier diagnosis of blood cancers. However, the Department will continue to engage with blood cancer charities and key stakeholders to determine how to support the best outcomes for blood cancer patients.

At this time no current assessment has been made on the potential merits of a proxy measure for early diagnosis in unstageable blood cancers. However, we remain committed to making improvements across different cancer types and reducing disparities in cancer survival. Early cancer diagnosis is also a specific priority within the NHS’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities. The NHS currently track early diagnosis in stageable blood cancers by combining the percentage of diagnoses within stage 1 or 2, as it would for any other stageable cancer.

Furthermore, to tackle late, emergency setting diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England with blood cancers being one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), through the National Cancer Registration and Analysis Services, collects information on how many people in England have cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms. The NDRS website also shows the number of people treated for different tumour types by treatment type, as well as survival rates, mortality rates, and data on urgent suspected cancer referrals. Further information is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/cancer-data-hub

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on improving outcomes for cancer patients in England, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will ensure patients, including those with blood cancer, have timely access to the latest treatments and technology.

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 21 July 2025 to Question 67468 on Diseases: Undocumented Migrants, what information her Department holds on the number of irregular migrants who were found to have an infectious disease upon arrival in each of the last three years.

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

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) does not routinely collect or hold data on communicable disease by visa status for new arrivals to the United Kingdom. However, if an outbreak occurs, data associated with outbreak cases may be collected.

There was an outbreak of diphtheria among this group in 2022 and 2023. Monthly data on these cases is published by UKHSA and is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diphtheria-cases-among-asylum-seekers-in-england-2022/diphtheria-cases-among-asylum-seekers-in-england-weekly-data-tables

No cases were reported in 2024, and two cases have been confirmed so far in 2025.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of funding from the international climate finance funding will be allocated to each recipient country.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 17 September to Question 71017.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which countries will receive funding from the £11.6 billion international climate finance funding.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 17 September to Question 71017.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils who do not speak English as their first language who arrived in the UK in each of the last five years.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The requested data on the number of primary and secondary school pupils who have English as an additional language can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25.

The most recent data has been available since 5 June 2025.

A pupil is recorded to have English as an additional language if they are exposed to a language at home that is known or believed to be other than English. This measure is not a measure of English language proficiency or a good proxy for recent immigration.

The department does not hold data for the number of pupils who have recently arrived in the UK.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils who have English as a second language.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The requested data on the number of primary and secondary school pupils who have English as an additional language can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25.

The most recent data has been available since 5 June 2025.

A pupil is recorded to have English as an additional language if they are exposed to a language at home that is known or believed to be other than English. This measure is not a measure of English language proficiency or a good proxy for recent immigration.

The department does not hold data for the number of pupils who have recently arrived in the UK.