Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the need for a dedicated senior official to lead on (a) coordination of policy to support state boarding schools, (b) securing sustainable funding for state boarding provision, and (c) cross-departmental engagement with the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Health and Social Care; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure state boarding schools remain a viable option for Armed Forces and mobile families.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Ministry of Defence oversees the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) for eligible service personnel, which provides clearly defined financial support to ensure that the need for frequent mobility does not interfere with a child’s education. This includes supporting parents with the option of using a state boarding school. Further information can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/61684e30e90e07197867eb2b/20211007-DCS_CEAS_INFO_02-CEA_AND_BOARDING_SCHOOL_CONSIDERATIONS_INFORMATION_V4.pdf.
Senior officials maintain oversight of state boarding school policy and coordinate, as appropriate, with relevant teams across the department and other government departments on matters such as the national minimum standards for boarding and day pupil fees.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of state boarding schools in supporting the education of children from Armed Forces families and other mobile families as an affordable alternative to independent boarding provision.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Ministry of Defence oversees the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) for eligible service personnel, which provides clearly defined financial support to ensure that the need for frequent mobility does not interfere with a child’s education. This includes supporting parents with the option of using a state boarding school. Further information can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/61684e30e90e07197867eb2b/20211007-DCS_CEAS_INFO_02-CEA_AND_BOARDING_SCHOOL_CONSIDERATIONS_INFORMATION_V4.pdf.
Senior officials maintain oversight of state boarding school policy and coordinate, as appropriate, with relevant teams across the department and other government departments on matters such as the national minimum standards for boarding and day pupil fees.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 (a) ensure that medical device manufacturers can verify the General Medical Device Nomenclature categories and associated charges used to calculate their annual registration fees under the Device Online Registration System and (b) minimise duplicative regulatory and registration costs for UK-based manufacturers arising from divergence between the UK regime and the EU’s EUDAMED system.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
When the registration system updates for collecting the new medical device registration fee go live on 1 April 2026, the system will have the functionality to show manufacturers the Global Medical Device Nomenclature (GMDN) Level 2 Categories they are being charged for. In the meantime, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will make available, to customers who specifically request this, the breakdown of GMDN Level 2 Categories they would be charged for, based on their registrations this November. The MHRA has made it clear to customers that these are estimates only. This is part of an ongoing MHRA campaign to ask manufacturers to review their registrations before 31 March 2026, to ensure that they have only registered the products they place on the market. Another round of more accurate fee estimates in late February/early March 2026 is planned.
The MHRA has strengthened the safety and surveillance system for medical devices following the post-market surveillance legislation, SI 2024 No. 1368, that came into force on 16 June 2025.
In addition to the clear benefits to patient safety, the new legislation and resulting increased post-market surveillance requirements are a critical enabler of the MHRA’s more risk-proportionate, pro-innovation approach to regulation that is heralded in the NHS 10-year plan as the MHRA can be more confident in picking up safety issues in real world data.
The MHRA post market surveillance depends on the registration of all medical devices in the United Kingdom. The UK is not involved in the European database on medical devices, or EUDAMED, and the market surveillance mechanisms it supports.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s proposed annual registration fees for medical devices under the Device Online Registration System on (a) small and (b) micro medical device manufacturers; and what steps he is taking to ensure that those fees do not disproportionately affect family-run and other niche low-volume manufacturers.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The new medical devices registration fee is designed to be proportionate to the breadth of presence of each manufacturer across the medical device market in Great Britain. In response to consultation feedback, the fee has been set at the minimum number of Global Medical Device Nomenclature (GMDN) Level 2 Categories that cover a manufacturer’s registered products. GMDN Level 2 Categories are sufficiently broad to cover the product range of a typical small or micro company. Based on the registration data held in November 2025, 55% of manufacturers will only pay a single fee of £300. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is currently contacting all manufacturers individually, setting out the number of GMDN Level 2 Categories they would be charged for, based on their registrations in November 2025. This is part of an ongoing MHRA campaign to ask manufacturers to review their registrations before 31 March 2026, to ensure that they have only registered products they manufacture and place on the market. This exercise is likely to increase the number of manufacturers only paying one fee of £300.
The MHRA has strengthened the safety and surveillance system for medical devices following the post-market surveillance legislation, SI 2024 No. 1368, that came into force on 16 June 2025.
In addition to the clear benefits to patient safety, the new legislation and resulting increased post-market surveillance requirements are a critical enabler of the MHRA’s more risk-proportionate, pro-innovation approach to regulation that is heralded in the NHS 10-year plan as the MHRA can be more confident in picking up safety issues in real world data.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 showcase departmental AI pilots, including (a) which tools are being used, (b) what safeguards are in place, and (c) what has succeeded or failed; and whether she will publish accessible case studies to provide templates for responsible AI adoption by SMEs, charities, and public sector organisations.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government is promoting departmental pilots through the PM’s Exemplars Programme, which have been established to learn from high potential AI pilots in areas such as health, education and planning, and share learnings of what works or not. AI tools used in the public sector are also promoted via the public AI Knowledge Hub – a centralised repository of use cases, guidance and prompts - and through an AI Community of Practice available to all public sector workers.
All AI projects across Government are safeguarded by access to DSIT’s suite of responsible AI guidance, tools and expertise which enable rapid innovation whilst ensuring a transparent, trustworthy and responsible approach.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 support SMEs to (a) implement cybersecurity measures and (b) procure AI systems securely; and whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing (i) subsidised support and (ii) guidance to tackle the cost pressures that prevent small businesses from adopting secure-by-design practices.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Improving the cyber security of our nation’s SMEs is critical to the resilience of the wider economy. The Government provides free tools, guidance, and training to help SMEs implement cyber security measures. This includes the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC’s) recently launched Cyber Action Toolkit which provides SMEs with tailored advice.
The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) and the NCSC, have introduced several voluntary Codes of Practice, covering Software, AI, and apps and app stores. These measures, co-designed with industry and experts, set minimum security requirements and support SMEs to securely adopt AI systems.
We will continue to work with industry and monitor the impact of these Codes of Practice. This will enable us to assess their effectiveness and consider further guidance and incentives to help SMEs confidently implement secure-by-design practices in a cost-efficient way. For immediate assistance, SMEs should get in touch with their regional Cyber Resilience Centre, which are run by the police and the Home Office, and offer free cyber advice and support to SMEs.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the level of economic loss from AI-enabled fraud and scams.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government does not hold an estimate of the full socio-economic cost from AI enabled fraud. Not all incidents of fraud are reported but reports to Action Fraud which reference the suspected use of artificial intelligence resulted in estimated losses of £0.69m in 2023, £4.55m in 2024 and £3.74m in the period of January to September 2025. Action Fraud was replaced by the improved Report Fraud service on 4 December. It is a self-reporting tool, meaning those making reports will not always be aware if AI has been used and it is not possible to independently verify the use of AI generated content.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment she has made of disparities in AI training and support between (a) state and private schools, and (b) high-performing and underperforming schools; and what steps she is taking to address these inequalities.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department does not publish comparative assessments of artificial intelligence (AI) training between school types, but we monitor sector capability through the Technology in Schools Survey, which informs our programmes. Earlier this year we published online support materials to help teachers and leaders use AI safely and effectively, developed with sector experts. Our approach benefits all schools and reduces disparities in access and capability.
Following the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report on 5 November, we will update the national curriculum to prepare young people for life and work in a changing world. Refreshed programmes of study will include AI, including issues like bias, in addition to digital and media literacy.
To ensure consistency, we are legislating so that academies will be required to teach the refreshed national curriculum alongside maintained schools. Content will be shaped through expert engagement, with a public consultation on draft proposals next year.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 develop standards to help with procurement and encourage AI adoption amongst SMEs.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In July, the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce published ten recommendations to help the UK’s SMEs become the most digitally capable and AI confident in the G7 by 2035. We are now working to deliver these recommendations.
We have already partnered with Google on a series of events to help SME leaders around the UK explore how AI can help them.
DSIT has published AI Management Essentials to help SMEs implement responsible AI governance practices.
Also, we are prioritising SMEs in our new system to give them a fair chance at public contracts, with departmental targets and a new SME Procurement Education programme.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department are taking to review the state pension addition for individuals aged 80 and over; and whether the Department plans to adjust that addition in line with inflation to ensure it provides meaningful financial support.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The 25 pence a week Age Addition is part of the old State Pension, for those who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, and is paid with their State Pension, when they reach the age of 80.
The Age Addition is not part of the new State Pension, but for those people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, the 25 pence Age Addition under the existing rules will continue.