Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the contribution of British Wool's (a) sheep shearing training and (b) exchange with shearers and sheep farmers in Australia and New Zealand to farming in the UK.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
With a national flock of around 30m sheep, British Wool provides a unique and valuable service, for around 30,000 registered wool producers across the UK, to collect, grade, promote, and sell their fleece wool to the global textile industry.
British Wool is also the main provider and promoter of training for sheep shearers in the UK. In each of the last five years (2021-2025) British Wool has provided shearing training for between 798 and 898 people at skill levels ranging from beginners through to highly proficient commercial shearers. British Wool’s investment in this training includes subsidised courses for between 100- 200 young farmers a year.
Defra is aware of the role that shearers and sheep farmers from countries such as Australia and New Zealand have provided in sharing skills and expertise with UK sheep farmers and in supporting the health and welfare of the UK flock.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
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 increase the uptake of generic and biosimilar medicines to meet the objectives set out in the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom is a global leader in adopting biosimilar and generic medicines, which deliver major National Health Service savings and expand patient access to effective treatments sooner.
We are working with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and NHS England to understand forthcoming biosimilars and to ensure they reach the frontline efficiently. Through NHS England’s Best Value Biologicals Framework, clinicians start patients on the most cost‑effective biologics where appropriate, and switches are made swiftly and safely. This has already delivered £1.2 billion in savings over the past three years.
As set out in the 10‑Year Health Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan, we are streamlining regulation, improving procurement, and reducing variation in uptake. NICE’s whole‑lifecycle approach ensures clinical pathways are regularly reviewed so that patients benefit as soon as cost‑effective generics and biosimilars become available, as seen in recent cancer treatments. These actions support timely access to effective off‑patent medicines and a sustainable, competitive market for the NHS.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to continue funding for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis in Africa; how she plans to uphold commitments under the Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases; and what steps she is taking to ensure that pharmaceutical drug donations for preventive chemotherapy programmes are utilised to protect communities from preventable and treatable diseases.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has played a leading role on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and remains committed to tackling today's key global health challenges within the framework of a modern development partnership approach. The UK continues to invest in NTD research, including £3 million support to the Coalition for Operational Research on NTDs (COR-NTD) for research on Female Genital Schistosomiasis. We are also proud to provide up to £15 million to support the Eliminating Lymphatic Filariasis in Africa (ELFA) programme as part of the World Health Organisation 2030 NTD Road Map to prevent, control and eliminate NTDs by 2030. Announcements on future Official Development Assistance budgets will be made in due course.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to maintain global leadership on neglected tropical diseases, including fulfilling commitments under the Kigali Declaration and supporting delivery of the WHO NTD Roadmap 2021–2030; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of reductions in Official Development Assistance on those commitments.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has played a leading role on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and remains committed to tackling today's key global health challenges within the framework of a modern development partnership approach. The UK continues to invest in NTD research, including £3 million support to the Coalition for Operational Research on NTDs (COR-NTD) for research on Female Genital Schistosomiasis. We are also proud to provide up to £15 million to support the Eliminating Lymphatic Filariasis in Africa (ELFA) programme as part of the World Health Organisation 2030 NTD Road Map to prevent, control and eliminate NTDs by 2030. Announcements on future Official Development Assistance budgets will be made in due course.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reductions in Official Development Assistance on global efforts to eliminate neglected tropical diseases; and what steps her Department is taking to mitigate risks identified by the World Health Organization.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has played a leading role on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and remains committed to tackling today's key global health challenges within the framework of a modern development partnership approach. The UK continues to invest in NTD research, including £3 million support to the Coalition for Operational Research on NTDs (COR-NTD) for research on Female Genital Schistosomiasis. We are also proud to provide up to £15 million to support the Eliminating Lymphatic Filariasis in Africa (ELFA) programme as part of the World Health Organisation 2030 NTD Road Map to prevent, control and eliminate NTDs by 2030. Announcements on future Official Development Assistance budgets will be made in due course.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to prepare for another global pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ensuring the United Kingdom is prepared for a future pandemic is a top priority for the Government, and we are embedding lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in our approach to pandemic preparedness. We aim to have flexible, adaptable, and scalable capabilities that can respond to any infectious disease or other threat, rather than relying on plans for specific threats.
The Government is committed to learning the lessons from the UK COVID-19 Inquiry to protect and prepare us for the future. On 16 January 2025, the Government published its response to the inquiry’s module one report on resilience and preparedness. A copy of the response is attached. The Department has committed, as part of this response, to publishing a new pandemic preparedness strategy that will show how we are embedding our new approach to pandemic preparedness.
In the 2024 Autumn budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that £460 million of investment has been allocated to strengthen the UK’s pandemic preparedness and health protection, including replenishing personal protective equipment, vaccine, and medicines stockpiles.
In autumn 2025, the Department and the UK Health Security Agency conducted Exercise Pegasus, a national exercise on the UK’s preparedness for a pandemic. It tested our ability to respond to a pandemic, involving all regions and nations of the UK and thousands of participants. The exercise has provided valuable experience which is being used to inform our strategy and planning. The Government has committed to communicating the findings through the post-exercise report this winter.
An established clinical countermeasures programme is a core component of our pandemic preparedness and set of response capabilities. These countermeasures include personal protective equipment and hygiene consumables, as well as vaccines and therapeutics, such as influenza antivirals and antibiotics.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 her Department’s press release entitled UK leads global efforts to help communities save the ocean and beat poverty, published on 26 January 2026, what assessment her Department has made of the potential benefits of funding overseas marine conservation through the Ocean Community Empowerment and Nature Grants Programme on UK taxpayers.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Marine conservation delivers a wide range of benefits. These include reducing global biodiversity loss and preventing ecosystem collapse, systems that are vital for global security and economic growth in the UK and in developing countries. Some of the world’s most biodiverse and vulnerable coastal ecosystems and communities are in developing countries.
The National Security Assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and national security, published in January, highlights how environmental degradation can disrupt food, water, health, and supply chains, and can trigger wider geopolitical instability. These impacts pose significant threats to UK national security and long‑term prosperity.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
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 Ofwat’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2025-28, how much Ofwat has spent on external equality, diversity and inclusion training since July 2024; via which suppliers; and what the estimated cost of mandatory EDI training is in 2026.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The total expenditure on EDI training since July 2024 to date is £7,495 (not including VAT).
These details can be broken down as requested:
Name of supplier | Session topic | Cost |
Andrew Pain Ltd | Men's mental health | £800 |
Champions UK | Black History Month | £1,200 |
Powered by Diversity | A monthly session on a range of EDI topics (i.e. International Women's Day, Time to Talk Day) | £2,000 |
Wellity Global | Supporting neurodivergent individuals through times of change and stress | £3,495 |
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish an impact assessment for the proposals in the White Paper for Immigration.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Spring 2025 and Autumn 2025 Impact Assessments (published here: Impact assessments covering migration policy - GOV.UK) cover the proposals in the White Paper for Immigration.
Specifically, they cover proposals relating to the Skilled Worker route, Health and Care route, Student and Graduate route, HPI route, Global Talent route and the proposed changes to English Language Requirements and the Immigration Skills Charge.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to expand brain cancer trials in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with brain cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.
The Department is committed to turbocharging clinical research and delivering better patient care, to make the United Kingdom a world-leading destination for clinical research. We are working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of medicines and therapies of the future, including treatments for brain cancer.
In December 2025, the Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, announced an initial £13.7 million investment in the pioneering Brain Tumour Research Consortium to accelerate research into new brain tumour treatments. Significant further funding is due to be awarded shortly. The world-leading consortium aims to transform outcomes for adults and children and their families who are living with brain tumours, ultimately reducing lives lost to cancer.
The Government also supports the Rare Cancers Private Members Bill. The bill will make it easier for clinical trials on brain cancer to take place in England, by ensuring the patient population can be more easily contacted by researchers.