Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to prioritise sight-loss conditions, including age-related macular degeneration, within (a) UK Research and Innovation's and (b) the Advanced Research and Invention Agency’s future biomedical research programmes.

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

The Medical Research Council (MRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), funds research into vision loss, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), through a range of schemes. This research spans discovery science and fundamental mechanistic understanding, through to new approaches for diagnosis and intervention. For example, MRC has committed over £4 million to Kings College University for a clinical trial to establish safety and efficacy of photoreceptor transplantation in retinal degeneration and AMD patients as a potential treatment of the condition.

The Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) has maximum autonomy over its research and project choice, and allocation of funding to research projects and different sectors will be decided by those with relevant technical expertise. ARIA has made nearly £530 million in funding available across its first 10 programmes, which includes biomedical research.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward regeneration funding for rural market towns.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In September 2025 we announced the Local Regeneration Fund, which brings together the Levelling Up Fund, Towns Deals and Pathfinder Pilots into a single, flexible capital pot, responding to Local Authority feedback for less bureaucratic oversight and more local autonomy.

This partnership approach empowers local authorities to allocate resources based on their own priorities, which will help rural councils. Decisions on how to manage these allocations rest with each authority’s Section 151 Officer or equivalent. In the small number of cases where projects are no longer viable, we expect projects to rescope their plans and use the funding for other initiatives in the same area that originally stood to benefit.

Earlier this month, the Prime Minister confirmed that 40 further places will join the Pride in Place Programme. That means that nearly 300 communities will benefit from this transformational programme. Funding for the Pride in Place programme is going to communities with the greatest need: places that have been overlooked and stand to benefit most, including market towns.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will bring forward proposals to require train operating companies to install and maintain CCTV systems in train carriages for the purposes of crime deterrence and detection.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Government has no current plans to introduce a mandate requiring the installation of CCTV in all train carriages, however most new train procurements since 1996 have included provision of CCTV. National Rail Contracts and Service Agreements between the Government and train operators do impose obligations that where CCTV is installed or upgraded, operators are contractually required to comply with relevant CCTV guidance and industry standards.

Where CCTV is provided, train operators are expected to follow the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) Rail Industry Standard for On-Train Camera Monitoring Systems. This standard sets out requirements for camera placement, image quality, secure data storage and integration with passenger alarms.

The RSSB Key Train Requirements (KTR) also emphasise the importance of internal CCTV as an element of passenger security, including good coverage, reliable performance and proper maintenance over the life of the train. The KTR document assists rolling stock procurers, specifiers, manufacturers, and system suppliers to compile procurement specifications for new and refurbished trains.

Swift access to CCTV images is critical for police investigations, which is why we recently announced nearly £17 million of funding for a project to connect railway station CCTV directly to BTP, providing investigators with the images they need to identify suspects and bring them to justice.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure safeguards in the use of AI in the defence systems within the continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The delivery of defence capabilities enabled by artificial intelligence (AI) will be ambitious, safe and responsible. Research to identify, understand, and mitigate against risks of applying AI for sensitive defence affairs is underway.

Routine nuclear deterrence operations continue to be conducted in accordance with the highest standards and controls. Regardless of any potential application of artificial intelligence in our strategic systems, we will ensure human political control of our nuclear weapons is maintained at all times. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will understand that I will not comment further on the details as to do so would prejudice the capability, security and effectiveness of the Armed Forces.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish a Modern Service Framework on kidney disease.

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

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the BBC on allowing licence fee payers to access the BBC app when overseas.

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

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) meets regularly with representatives of the BBC on a range of matters.

The BBC is operationally independent, and decisions on whether and how the BBC makes its content and services, such as its respective BBC apps, available to licence fee payers when abroad are therefore for the BBC to make independent of government.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce (a) ring-fenced and (b) targeted funding for research into age-related macular degeneration; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of such funding on long-term sight-loss prevention.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Research funds are not usually ringfenced into specific conditions and there is not a target for research funding into age-related macular degeneration. However, the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including age-related macular degeneration. Our approach to funding research is through open and fair competition and peer review to ensure that the highest-quality proposals, most likely to deliver real impact for patients, are funded without imposing financial targets or limits. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic

The nature of research means it is difficult to provide a precise assessment on impact against specific conditions, although there have been times when it has responded to Government commitments to spend pre-specified amounts of money on research in particular areas. In the last five financial years the NIHR has awarded £26.2 million on eye research which has included £6.2 million on Age Related Macular Degeneration

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants were dismissed from the Civil Service but not referred to the police for breaching the Official Secrets Act between 2005 and 2025.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

This information is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.

Departments have delegated responsibility for decisions relating to dismissal of an employee.

Civil Service statistics on the composition of the Civil Service workforce, including data on those leaving the Civil Service due to dismissals, are available on GOV.UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will meet with the Chief Executive of (a) Shropshire Council and (b) Telford & Wrekin Council to review the continuing use of Royal Mail postal services for democratic services and for elections where postal votes are permitted.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Officials in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government meet regularly with Royal Mail to discuss matters relating to elections including capacity, capability and contingency planning.

We are aware of current concerns about Royal Mail deliveries in national and local press, and have been in contact with Royal Mail about these ahead of the upcoming local elections in May.

As part of the usual engagement ahead of significant electoral events, Ministers and senior government officials have met with the Chief Executive and other senior representatives from Royal Mail and it is intended to do so again before of the May elections.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will require members of intelligence agencies transferring to ministerial private offices to declare confidentially to those ministers the (i) fact that they have previously served in an intelligence agency and (ii) name of that intelligence agency.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

As has been the policy of successive governments, the government does not comment on matters relating to the intelligence agencies.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to (a) expand and (b) refine the categories of sexual offences used in police recorded crime data for monitoring (i) the nature of offences committed and (ii) trends in sexual offences data in England and Wales.

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

The police recorded crime collection is primarily an offence-based series in which crimes are recorded by the police in England and Wales based on the criminal offence that has been committed.

To respond to user needs, sub-categories have been created such as providing a breakdown of the age and sex of victims of rape, and qualifiers to indicate if the crime was related to child sexual abuse or exploitation or was committed online. These provide more insight on the nature of such offences and the Home Office continually reviews the presentation of its official statistics to ensure they meet user needs.

In the recently published VAWG Strategy the government committed to improving the quality and availability of data which will include data collected by the police on sexual offences.

Data on sexual offences recorded by the police in England and Wales are published by the Office for National Statistics and trends from 2002/03 can be found in table A5a here:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to help address the under-reporting of sexual offences in England and Wales.

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

Rape and sexual offences are amongst the most harmful crimes in society and can have a devastating impact on victims, their loved ones and our communities.

We know that these crimes are underreported, and we are taking action to ensure victims have the confidence to report these offences and trust they will be taken seriously and supported when they do.

We have made several commitments to transform the criminal justice response to sexual offences. This includes ensuring there are specialist rape and sexual offences teams in every force by 2029, introducing free independent legal advice for adult victims of rape, and fast‑tracking rape cases.

Through the National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection, we are also continuing to support Operation Soteria and ensuring officers build the strongest possible, suspect‑focused cases to bring perpetrators of these horrific crimes to justice.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she will take to detain sanctioned Russian ships passing through the English Channel.

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

Further action against Russia's shadow fleet is critical to increasing economic pressure on Russia's war machine. We are also clear on the need to crack down on the dangerous and illicit practises that are employed by these vessels to evade sanctions and international safety and environmental rules. The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office has worked closely with other departments to increase pressure across the entirety of shadow fleet operations, and we will continue to consider what further actions we can take, in accordance with the UN Convention Of the Law of the Sea.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure transparency in the use of statutory consultation in the appointment of judges.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Lord Chancellor is committed to transparent and merit-based selection processes that maintain the quality of our judiciary.

Statutory consultation is provided for in legislation and requires the independent Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) to seek views from those with relevant experience, unless the appropriate authority agrees it is not required. It is one of a range of shortlisting and selection tools used by the JAC to ensure that candidates are of good character and have relevant capabilities for the role.

The JAC made changes to the operation of statutory consultation following an independent review in 2022 to provide clearer information about when and how statutory consultation is used. It has recently published an evaluation of those changes alongside updated guidance for candidates and consultees (https://judicialappointments.gov.uk/corp-publication/evaluation-on-the-revised-approach-to-statutory-consultation/).

Candidates can complain to the JAC and, if dissatisfied, to the independent Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman if they believe that their application for appointment has not been handled appropriately.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure transparency in the appointment of judges.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Lord Chancellor is committed to transparent and merit-based selection processes that maintain the quality of our judiciary. I refer the hon. Member for Wrekin, Mark Pritchard to the answer I gave on 1 May 2025 to Question 47182 (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-04-23/47182).

In January 2026, the independent Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) relaunched its website which includes detailed information about the new Judicial Skills and Abilities Framework, and updated guidance about statutory consultation. In addition, the Ministry of Justice works with the JAC and the judiciary to produce the annual Diversity of the Judiciary statistics, with detailed data about judicial appointments.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Judicial Appointment Commission on its use of resources to challenge Freedom of Information requests.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The independent Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is designated as a public body under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). The JAC is responsible for meeting its statutory obligations under the FOIA and the Data Protection Act 2018, including ensuring requests are handled in line with the relevant legislation. Decisions on the responses to individual Freedom of Information requests, including any associated legal consideration, are for the JAC.

The JAC as a non-departmental public body is responsible for managing its own resources including in relation to meeting its statutory obligations. The governance and accountability arrangements between the Ministry of Justice and the JAC are set out in the framework document agreed in line with HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money, including in relation to governance and financial matters

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 (a) prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in (i) the Wrekin constituency and (ii) Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin compared with national averages.

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

Data is available for emergency Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ for the Telford and The Wrekin constituencies, as well as for England, in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and provisionally for 2025/26:

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.

Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Shropshire can be found at the following link:

https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E06000051/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

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 merits of a Modern Service Framework on lung health.

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

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.

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 ensure earlier diagnosis of endometriosis.

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

It is unacceptable that women can wait so long for an endometriosis diagnosis, and we are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for endometriosis.

As announced in September 2025, we will establish an “online hospital”, NHS Online, which will give people across the country on certain pathways the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home.

Menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis will be among the first conditions available for referral to NHS Online from 2027. We’ve chosen some of the conditions with the longest waits and where online consultation works best.

NHS Online will help to reduce patient waiting times, delivering the equivalent of up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years, four times more than an average trust, while enhancing patient choice and control over their care. This will allow women with menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis across the country to reach a diagnosis sooner.

The General Medical Council (GMC) 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 for this assessment includes several topics relating to women’s health, including endometriosis.

In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) updated their guideline on endometriosis, which makes firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referral and investigations for women with suspected diagnosis, and will help the estimated one in 10 women with endometriosis receive a diagnosis faster. NICE is working with the National Health Service to ensure adoption of this best practice endometriosis care.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to protect whistleblowers who breach legislation relating to official secrets, including the Official Secrets Act 1989 and the National Security Act 2023, in order to protect the UK's national security.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Government is not currently considering any legislative reform in this area as the existing frameworks provide appropriate protections for protecting national security. There are established channels for members of the security and intelligence services to raise concerns, which can then be investigated appropriately without compromising national security through unauthorised public disclosure.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of former (a) National Security Advisers and (b) Deputy National Security Advisers since 2005 who advise (i) Chinese registered companies and (ii) subsidiaries of Chinese companies registered outside of China.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Crown servants are subject to the Business Appointment Rules when accepting new appointments outside government after Crown service.

For the most senior Crown servants, if an applicant has made an application for advice and the role is subsequently taken up, that advice will be published by the relevant body. Any advice provided to former National Security Advisers and Deputy National Security Advisers that was considered by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), prior to its closure on 13 October 2025, would have been published on ACOBA’s page on GOV.UK here

From 13 October 2025, any advice provided to former National Security Advisers and Deputy National Security Advisers will have been considered by the Civil Service Commission, and would be published on its website here

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to develop a new National Autism Strategy.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government will develop a new autism strategy. I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Manchester Rusholme on 26 February 2026 to Question 114228.