Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to phase out animal testing.

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

On 11th November 2025 the government published “Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods” which outlines the steps we will take to achieve this. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy/replacing-animals-in-science-a-strategy-to-support-the-development-validation-and-uptake-of-alternative-methods ).

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, where the UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods will be located.

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

On 11th November 2025 the government published “Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods” (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy/replacing-animals-in-science-a-strategy-to-support-the-development-validation-and-uptake-of-alternative-methods) which sets out our plans to establish a UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (UKCVAM). The location of and timeline for the creation of the UKCVAM is under development and the Government will update on this in due course.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to protect children in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire from becoming victims of indecent deepfakes.

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

The Government is committed to tackling the atrocious harm of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

UK law is clear – creating, possessing, or distributing child sexual abuse images, including those that are AI generated, is already illegal, and the Online Safety Act requires services to proactively identify and remove such content.

We are taking further action in the Crime and Policing Bill. We are introducing an offence to criminalise AI models which have been optimised to create child abuse material and have tabled amendments to support the stringent testing of AI systems for child sexual abuse material risks.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with the Internet Watch Foundation.

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

Protecting children online is a priority for this department. The Internet Watch Foundation does vital work to tackle child sexual abuse and DSIT and other departments engage closely with them on their critical work.

I regularly meet with online safety stakeholders and remain committed to continuing this incredibly important relationship. Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to deliver clearer, cheaper and more accountable local police oversight in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

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

The Government announced on 13 November that it plans to abolish Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) at the end of their current term of office in May 2028, subject to legislation.

PCC functions will transfer to Mayors of Combined Authorities, where possible, and to elected council leaders where it is not. Where there are no confirmed plans for a Mayor, as is the case in Staffordshire, we will create new Policing and Crime Boards to bring local council leaders together to oversee the force in their area, supported by an appointed day to day Policing and Crime lead.

We estimate that at around £100m will be saved in this Parliament as a result of these governance reforms. Once delivered, we expect they will achieve savings to the Home Office of around £20m a year, enough to fund around 320 extra police constables.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what priorities the Government has for the G20 Summit in Johannesburg.

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

The Prime Minister updated the House on 25 November about his attendance at the G20 Summit, where he advanced an agenda for shared global growth and strengthened partnerships that deliver for the British people.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the access to a police front counter for people (a) living, (b) working and (c) learning in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

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

Decisions regarding the police estate, including the availability of front counters at police stations, are a matter for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, or equivalents. They are best placed to make these decisions based on their knowledge of local need and their experience.

A key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission is focused on restoring neighbourhood policing, and rebuilding trust and confidence in policing. As such, all forces including Staffordshire, now have named and contactable neighbourhood officers dedicated to addressing the issues that matter most to their communities. We have also provided £200 million in FY 2025/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of the Parliament. This increase in neighbourhood policing, alongside the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will strengthen the connections between the police and the communities they serve.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve public access to police officers in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

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

Decisions regarding the police estate, including the availability of front counters at police stations, are a matter for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, or equivalents. They are best placed to make these decisions based on their knowledge of local need and their experience.

A key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission is focused on restoring neighbourhood policing, and rebuilding trust and confidence in policing. As such, all forces including Staffordshire, now have named and contactable neighbourhood officers dedicated to addressing the issues that matter most to their communities. We have also provided £200 million in FY 2025/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of the Parliament. This increase in neighbourhood policing, alongside the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will strengthen the connections between the police and the communities they serve.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent engagement her Department has had with international partners on the 2025 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 29 October to question 83638.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people with Parkinson's disease who have access to a Parkinson’s nurse in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

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

No estimate has been made of the number of people with Parkinson's disease who have access to a Parkinson’s nurse in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire. The Department does not hold data on how many hospitals have staff who are members of the Parkinson’s UK Excellence Network.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) and local authorities to meet the care and support needs of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Patients living in the Surrey Heath constituency would be covered by either the NHS Frimley ICB or the NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB. ICBs are responsible for commissioning services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations and, in doing so, we expect them to have regard to best practice guidance, such as that published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

This Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

The new NHS App will end the 8am rush by providing more flexibility in the way that people contact their general practitioner (GP), enabling better GP appointment booking as long as GPs make appointments available in the App. It will also help people to get care quicker without seeing their GP, for example improved self-care by going to a pharmacy or by self-referring into a specialist pathway or by providing remote consultations with specialists.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospitals have staff who are members of the Parkinson’s UK Excellence Network.

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

No estimate has been made of the number of people with Parkinson's disease who have access to a Parkinson’s nurse in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire. The Department does not hold data on how many hospitals have staff who are members of the Parkinson’s UK Excellence Network.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) and local authorities to meet the care and support needs of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Patients living in the Surrey Heath constituency would be covered by either the NHS Frimley ICB or the NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB. ICBs are responsible for commissioning services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations and, in doing so, we expect them to have regard to best practice guidance, such as that published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

This Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

The new NHS App will end the 8am rush by providing more flexibility in the way that people contact their general practitioner (GP), enabling better GP appointment booking as long as GPs make appointments available in the App. It will also help people to get care quicker without seeing their GP, for example improved self-care by going to a pharmacy or by self-referring into a specialist pathway or by providing remote consultations with specialists.

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 (a) promote earlier detection of mouth cancer, (b) ensure (i) dentists, (ii) GPs and (iii) other frontline health professionals are trained to identify early warning signs and (c) reduce the time taken to (A) diagnose and (B) refer patients for treatment for mouth cancer.

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

We know that cancer incidence, including mouth cancer incidence, is increasing. We know that more needs to be done to improve outcomes for patients with mouth cancer, including raising awareness of signs and symptoms and focusing on prevention, such as the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Our forthcoming National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart, and it will include further details on how we will speed up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.

To support earlier and faster cancer diagnosis, we are now delivering additional checks, tests and scans at 170 community diagnostic centres.

Additionally, to help increase early detection of cancer, the Government has recently launched Jess’s Rule, an initiative that asks general practitioners (GPs) to think again if, after three appointments, they have been unable to diagnose a patient, or their symptoms have escalated.

We are also investing an additional £889 million in general practice, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This will help to ensure we have a well-trained and well-equipped primary care service that can take the time to provide quality care to patients around the country.

Dentists and other dental professionals, including hygienists, routinely check the soft tissues of a patient’s mouth for signs of cancer during dental visits and as part of the check-up will make an assessment and record an individual’s oral cancer risk. Dentists will prioritise patients at a higher risk of oral cancer for more frequent recall and review in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.

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 implications for his policies of trends in the level of mouth cancer in the last ten years.

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

We know that cancer incidence, including mouth cancer incidence, is increasing. We know that more needs to be done to improve outcomes for patients with mouth cancer, including raising awareness of signs and symptoms and focusing on prevention, such as the introduction of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Our forthcoming National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart, and it will include further details on how we will speed up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.

To support earlier and faster cancer diagnosis, we are now delivering additional checks, tests and scans at 170 community diagnostic centres.

Additionally, to help increase early detection of cancer, the Government has recently launched Jess’s Rule, an initiative that asks general practitioners (GPs) to think again if, after three appointments, they have been unable to diagnose a patient, or their symptoms have escalated.

We are also investing an additional £889 million in general practice, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This will help to ensure we have a well-trained and well-equipped primary care service that can take the time to provide quality care to patients around the country.

Dentists and other dental professionals, including hygienists, routinely check the soft tissues of a patient’s mouth for signs of cancer during dental visits and as part of the check-up will make an assessment and record an individual’s oral cancer risk. Dentists will prioritise patients at a higher risk of oral cancer for more frequent recall and review in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.

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 adequacy of the (a) number of referrals and (b) time taken to treat people with heart valve disease in each region.

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

Cutting elective care waiting times, including for cardiology services, is a key priority for the Government. The national waiting list for cardiology services has fallen by 59,307 since this Government came into office, with an increase in the proportion waiting less than 18 weeks, from 60.2% to 62.4%. But we know there is much more work to be done.

Cardiology is identified as a top priority for reform in our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025. Specific actions being taken to reform cardiology include increasing specialist input earlier in care pathways, developing standard pathways for common outpatient presentations such as palpitation, and increasing timely access to cardiac diagnostic tests, including through “straight to test” pathways.

To accelerate progress towards the Government’s ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease modern service framework in 2026. The Department and NHS England are engaging widely throughout its development to ensure that we prioritise ambitious, evidence-led, and clinically informed approaches to prevention, treatment, and care.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced £600 million in the October statement to reduce diagnostic waiting lists, supporting new and expanded community diagnostic centres (CDCs), upgraded hospital diagnostic equipment, and digital diagnostic capabilities. NHS England's digital investments, including using artificial intelligence for cardiac imaging, have accelerated cardiology test reporting. From July 2024 to September 2025, CDCs performed 312,049 echocardiography and 281,869 electrocardiography tests, with many centres adopting innovative cardiac pathways to speed diagnosis and treatment, including for women.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future. We know that women deserve better, which is why we are delivering our commitment that never again will women’s health be neglected. The 2022 Women’s Health Strategy identified many important issues, including cardiology, which remain valid, so we now need to align the strategy with the 10-Year Health Plan and identify areas where we need to go further. That is why we are updating the Women’s Health Strategy, to assess the progress that has been made so far and to continue progressing delivery.

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 ensure access to (a) diagnostic and (b) treatment options for women with heart valve disease.

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

Cutting elective care waiting times, including for cardiology services, is a key priority for the Government. The national waiting list for cardiology services has fallen by 59,307 since this Government came into office, with an increase in the proportion waiting less than 18 weeks, from 60.2% to 62.4%. But we know there is much more work to be done.

Cardiology is identified as a top priority for reform in our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025. Specific actions being taken to reform cardiology include increasing specialist input earlier in care pathways, developing standard pathways for common outpatient presentations such as palpitation, and increasing timely access to cardiac diagnostic tests, including through “straight to test” pathways.

To accelerate progress towards the Government’s ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease modern service framework in 2026. The Department and NHS England are engaging widely throughout its development to ensure that we prioritise ambitious, evidence-led, and clinically informed approaches to prevention, treatment, and care.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced £600 million in the October statement to reduce diagnostic waiting lists, supporting new and expanded community diagnostic centres (CDCs), upgraded hospital diagnostic equipment, and digital diagnostic capabilities. NHS England's digital investments, including using artificial intelligence for cardiac imaging, have accelerated cardiology test reporting. From July 2024 to September 2025, CDCs performed 312,049 echocardiography and 281,869 electrocardiography tests, with many centres adopting innovative cardiac pathways to speed diagnosis and treatment, including for women.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future. We know that women deserve better, which is why we are delivering our commitment that never again will women’s health be neglected. The 2022 Women’s Health Strategy identified many important issues, including cardiology, which remain valid, so we now need to align the strategy with the 10-Year Health Plan and identify areas where we need to go further. That is why we are updating the Women’s Health Strategy, to assess the progress that has been made so far and to continue progressing delivery.

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 resilience of the food system.

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

The UK has a resilient food supply chain and is equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. The United Kingdom Food Security Report (UKFSR) sets out an analysis of statistical data relating to food security in the UK, fulfilling the duty in the Agriculture Act 2020 to present a report on food security to Parliament at least once every three years. The first UKFSR was produced in 2021. The most recent UKFSR was published on 11th December 2024. The UKFSR examines past, current, and future trends relevant to food security to present the best available understanding of food security at the time of publication.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to replace the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme.

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

The Government is steadfastly committed to our excellent horticulture sector and the vital role that it plays in strengthening food security by ensuring a reliable and sustainable supply of fresh home-grown produce.

In 2024, the value of UK-grown fruit and vegetables was over £3 billion increasing by 4.5% and 2.1% respectively with the overall fresh fruit and vegetable market valued at approximately £11 billion including exports worth around £170 million contributing significantly to the UK economy.

With the closure of the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme, future support for the sector is being considered alongside Defra’s work to simplify and rationalise agricultural grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and value for money for the taxpayer.

Wider Government support for the sector includes a five-year extension of the Seasonal Worker visa route, providing greater stability for businesses, and a continued easement on import checks for medium-risk fruit and vegetables ahead of the new SPS agreement with the EU.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the strength of the horticulture sector.

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

The Government is steadfastly committed to our excellent horticulture sector and the vital role that it plays in strengthening food security by ensuring a reliable and sustainable supply of fresh home-grown produce.

In 2024, the value of UK-grown fruit and vegetables was over £3 billion increasing by 4.5% and 2.1% respectively with the overall fresh fruit and vegetable market valued at approximately £11 billion including exports worth around £170 million contributing significantly to the UK economy.

With the closure of the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme, future support for the sector is being considered alongside Defra’s work to simplify and rationalise agricultural grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and value for money for the taxpayer.

Wider Government support for the sector includes a five-year extension of the Seasonal Worker visa route, providing greater stability for businesses, and a continued easement on import checks for medium-risk fruit and vegetables ahead of the new SPS agreement with the EU.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the adequacy of food security.

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

The UK has a resilient food supply chain and is equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Defra regularly meets with Cabinet Office, other Government Departments, Devolved Governments on resilience planning, including food security.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to protect food security.

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

The Food Sector is one of the UK's 13 Critical National Infrastructure sectors. Defra and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are joint Lead Government Departments (LGDs), with Defra leading on supply and the FSA on food safety. We work closely with the Cabinet Office and other LGDs ensuring food supply is fully incorporated as part of emergency preparedness, including consideration of dependencies on other sectors.  Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to improve standards in local politics.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We published the government’s response to the Strengthening the Standards and Conduct Framework for Local Authorities in England consultation on 11 November. The response, informed by the consultation and wider sector engagement, sets out our ambition to introduce a clearer and consistently applied conduct system that will help local elected members to hold themselves and their colleagues to account in meeting the high standards and conduct their roles demand and the public have a right to expect.

We intend to legislate on local government standards reforms when parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with Tunisian authorities on the recent crackdown on human rights organisations.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 September to Question 70304.

Team GB at the 2025 Deaflympics

Royal Naval Association Torbay

UN International Human Rights Defenders Day

Anniversary of the murder of Ken Smyth and Daniel McCormick

McLaren title win for British motorsport

Thanking postal workers

150th Anniversary of Bo’ness Public School

140th anniversary of the North West of Ireland Football Association

Hilary Freedman's 60 years of service to the NHS