Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
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 impact of co-morbidities such as liver disease which affects one in five people with cystic fibrosis as we mark cystic fibrosis awareness week from 8-14 June.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommend that patients and/or the families of people with cystic fibrosis are provided with the relevant information and the opportunity for discussion with clinicians on topics that include their diagnosis, monitoring of their condition, management options, and existing or possible complications that could relate to comorbidities like liver disease. NICE guidelines are available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng78
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
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 tackle the threat of antimicrobial resistance for people with cystic fibrosis as we mark cystic fibrosis awareness week from 8-14 June.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom’s 2024 to 2029 antimicrobial resistance (AMR) national action plan (NAP), published in May 2024, recognises that AMR impacts people differently. People with cystic fibrosis are an increased risk of infection, including resistant infections, and therefore action to tackle the threat of AMR is even more important for this group. In particular, the use of accurate diagnostic testing to guide effective antibiotic use, a priority commitment in the NAP, is critical for people with cystic fibrosis.
The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), has invested over £88 million in AMR programme funding over the last five years. This includes research to develop and evaluate diagnostics and point‑of‑care testing to improve infection detection and optimise antibiotic use. The NIHR also supports the development of health technologies, including diagnostics, through its wider research infrastructure.
The UK will continue to invest in tackling AMR where it is most impactful, helping to ensure that our actions to address AMR reduce the burden for the people who are more affected.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what (a) statutory regulations and (b) safety guidance her Department has issued regarding the use of strobe and flashing lighting at live music and sporting venues to mitigate seizure risk for spectators with photosensitive epilepsy.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not issue regulations and guidance on the use of strobe flashing lighting, however event organisers and venue operators have duties under existing health and safety legislation to protect the public from risks associated with it.
Under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, dutyholders must conduct thorough risk assessments and ensure members of the public are not exposed to health risks.
To support compliance, comprehensive industry guidance is available in The Purple Guide (formerly the Health and Safety Executive’s Event Safety Guide), which outlines best practices for flicker rates, equipment positioning, and necessary audience warnings. Further guidance is available from the NHS, local authorities, and the Epilepsy Society.
It is standard good practice for venues and ticketing platforms to provide advance warning of strobe effects.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2026 to Question 5319 on Animal Experiments, what the expected number of procedures involving (a) dogs and (b) non-human primates was under service project licences in each of the last five years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold centrally collated figures on expected number of procedures to be carried out under service project licences involving dogs or non-human primates in each of the last five years.
Project licences authorise programmes of work according to the scientific need set out in the application, rather than against a single centrally recorded expected procedures total. Information on the expected number and types of animals to be used is set out in published non-technical summaries for each of the licensed programmes of work – published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/non-technical-summaries-of-projects-granted-under-aspa.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what published outputs have been produced under the programme “Palestinian Bedouin at risk of forced displacement: IHL vulnerabilities, ICC possibilities” (GB-GOV-13-OODA-AHRC-C4WCAGQ-R6SBCMZ-AYRNVWK); whether a value for money assessment was conducted before approval; and whether the programme’s stated objective of engaging with the ICC’s work is consistent with UK ODA eligibility criteria.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The project “Palestinian Bedouin at risk of forced displacement: IHL vulnerabilities, ICC possibilities” (GB-GOV-13-OODA-AHRC-C4WCAGQ-R6SBCMZ-AYRNVWK) was funded under the AHRC/DFID Collaborative Humanitarian Protection Programme, which aimed to strengthen understanding of humanitarian protection risks and identify effective ways to reduce harm to vulnerable populations. The project produced a range of outputs, including peer‑reviewed research publications, policy papers, and wider dissemination materials, alongside field research across affected communities. It also supported wider policy, parliamentary and multilateral engagement, informed by research findings.
Value for money was an explicit assessment criterion, with all proposals subject to rigorous peer review by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the then Department for International Development, including detailed assessment of resource justification. All projects were required to submit an Official Development Assistance (ODA) compliance statement as part of the application process, in line with standard requirements.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of placing the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development on a statutory footing with powers to coordinate delivery of major water infrastructure projects across company boundaries.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have committed to ensuring that the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) continues to coordinate and assure major infrastructure delivery, supporting faster delivery and avoiding duplication before being incorporated into the new regulator.
We also support RAPID’s consultation on expanding its remit to include wastewater and other strategic projects. This aims to strengthen regulatory coordination, accelerate delivery, and enhance infrastructure resilience across regions.
Defra is also supporting the delivery of water infrastructure through the Water Delivery Taskforce, chaired by Minister Hardy to ensure that water companies deliver the infrastructure required to support economic growth and long-term resilience.
Additionally, Defra has established the Senior Sponsorship Group which brings together senior decision-makers, the Environment Agency, Natural England, Ofwat, the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), and water companies to identify and resolve barriers to major water infrastructure projects.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to introduce mandatory water efficiency requirements for (a) data centres and (b) other large non-household users.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In February, Government committed to looking at ways to help drive the uptake of water reuse and rainwater management for large non-household water users including data centres within the Water White Paper. Non-household businesses are encouraged to enquire about water efficiency audits through their water retailer to suggest and implement areas for improvement, including fixing leaks across the property.
The Government encourages developers to consider use of non-potable water, to embed water efficiency or water recycling and reuse in their design and contact their proposed water and wastewater supplier early in the planning process to understand and plan for any potential water restrictions.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to (a) designate and (b) deliver a national water transfer network to enable the movement of water between regions.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Government is committed to a twin track approach to improving water resilience. This involves urgent action to improve water efficiency and reduce water company leaks, alongside investing in new supply infrastructure, including new reservoirs and water transfers. £104 billion of private sector investment has been secured for the 2025-2030 period. This will fund essential infrastructure. For water supplies, this will progress delivery of nine new reservoirs and large-scale water transfer schemes by 2050.
Water companies have a statutory duty to provide a secure supply of water for customers. When preparing their Water Resources Management Plans, they must consider all options, including demand management and new water resources infrastructure, including reservoirs and transfers.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on Ofwat considering (a) measures to reduce reliance on single sources of water supply and (b) long-term asset health and resilience in future price determinations.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to increasing our water supply while protecting the environment and public health. We are taking a twin track approach to improving water supply resilience. This involves urgent action to reduce water company leaks and use drinking water and rainwater more efficiently, alongside new supply infrastructure, including new reservoirs and water transfers.
In the Water White Paper, the government set out our commitment to developing statutory resilience standards, which will be brought forward through the Clean Water Bill announced in the King’s Speech. These standards will ensure companies secure the long-term resilience of their water supply and sewerage systems.
Alongside the development of forward-looking asset health metrics to ensure critical infrastructure gets the funding that it needs, these standards will safeguard customer services in the context of a changing climate as well as population growth and other pressures.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
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 impact of (a) current demand reduction assumptions in water resource planning and (b) the proportion of projected savings by 2050 not tied to specific (i) policies and (ii) delivery mechanisms on delivery risk.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency’s National Framework for Water Resources estimates a shortfall of nearly 5 billion litres of water per day by 2050 between available supply and expected demand. Government has a statutory target to reduce water use in England per head by 20% by 2038, and is committed to a twin track approach to improving water resilience. This involves urgent action to improve water efficiency and reduce water company leaks, alongside investing in new supply infrastructure, including new reservoirs and water transfers.
Water companies have a statutory duty to provide a secure supply of water for customers, efficiently and economically and to set out how they plan to continue to supply water to their customers for the next 25 years through statutory Water Resources Management Plans (WRMPs). Defra works with regulators to closely monitor WRMP delivery through annual reviews.