Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of issuing retail bonds to support increased defence investment.

Answered by James Murray - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The majority of government borrowing is financed through the issuance of UK government bonds (known as gilts) by the UK Debt Management Office (DMO). In addition, some of the government’s financing is raised in the retail savings market through products offered by National Savings and Investments (NS&I). Finance raised via gilts or NS&I products is generally not tied to specific areas of government spending, in order to offer the best value-for-money for taxpayers.

The government keeps the introduction of new debt financing instruments under regular review.

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 help improve access to menopause support and services in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

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

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service, and we acknowledge the impact that women suffering from symptoms of menopause has on their lives, relationships, and participation in the workplace.

In Buckinghamshire, a specialist menopause service was launched in August 2025 and was accessible to all Buckinghamshire women via referral from their general practitioner (GP), delivered by telephone as standard to ensure this holistic and patient centred specialist menopause care is delivered close to the patient, in their own home, with face to face provision available where required within GPs across the county.

As announced in October 2025, we will be asking local authorities across the country to include menopause in the NHS Health Check later this year. This will support eligible women across England to access high quality information on the menopause, including advice on managing symptoms, where to seek support, and a diagnosis.

Menopause and menstrual health conditions will be among the priorities for the NHS’s revolutionary new online hospital when it launches next year, providing faster access to specialist care.

On the 15 April 2026, we published the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy which identifies menopause as a core women’s health priority, recognising its impact on women’s health, wellbeing, work, and quality of life.

The strategy shifts menopause care into primary and community settings, including neighbourhood women’s health services and women’s health hubs, making care easier to access and closer to home.

The strategy commits to each region having a specialist centre to support group based approaches to high volume low complexity women’s health pathways such as menopause services, improving access, peer support, and consistency, with early rollout focused on areas of highest need.

The strategy recognises that menopause symptoms are often under recognised and poorly understood, and commits to improving information so women know their symptoms can be effectively managed, including through evidence-based treatments.

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 improve access to women’s health services in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency under the renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England.

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

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy was published on 15 April 2026 and women’s access to care is a key theme. We will support integrated care board to introduce a single point of access for all non-urgent referrals to gynaecology and women's health services to speed up access to better treatment

We will redesign clinical pathways for the most common pathways including heavy periods, menopause, and uro-gynaecology. This will standardise care pathways and remove unnecessary procedural delays.

We will fund a specialist centre in each region for group-based approaches to high volume low complexity women’s health pathways. This will improve productivity and empower women in common clinical areas, helping to reduce waiting lists and supporting self-management.

We will accelerate the deployment and spread of innovations that benefit women’s health, launching a FemTech healthcare challenge within two years with a pot of £1.5 million.

Funded by £5.25 million, we will expand access to Musculoskeletal (MSK) Hubs in the community by leveraging the leisure and fitness workforce to deliver evidence-based physical activity for people with MSK conditions.

Buckinghamshire delivers specialist gynaecology care to women through both community and secondary care, or hospital, services, with community services delivered from general practices across the county, including in Aylesbury. To further improve access to women's health services, the Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust and FedBucks are working together to expand community services, increasing clinic sites and aligning to neighbourhoods including North Bucks, to ensure more women can be seen for specialist gynaecology care more quickly and closer to home in the community service, thereby increasing capacity within the secondary care service to support waiting list reductions.

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 effectiveness of data collection on women’s health outcomes in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

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

A women's health data dashboard is available on the NHS Futures website and is available to anyone working within health and care sector who requires insight into women's health.

The dashboard is intended to provide national and local insight into the key aims of women's health aligned with the priorities of NHS England’s Women’s Health Programme and highlight potential unmet need, unwarranted variation, and health inequalities.

The Government will make the data dashboard publicly available with the next year, as set out in the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy published on 15 April 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of community-led housing in breaking down discrimination in access to housing.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government recognises that the community-led housing sector delivers a wide range of benefits including strengthening community participation in local decision-making, engendering community cohesion, achieving high quality design and strengthening the co-operative economy.

In March, we announced a £20m 10-year social finance investment to provide capital finance for community-led housing, which is expected to directly support the construction of more than 2,500 new homes over the next decade. These housebuilding projects will be led by communities to specifically address local needs in their area.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December strengthened support for community-led housing, including through changes to the size limit on community-led exception sites and a broadening of the definition of organisations able to deliver community-led housing.

The new Social and Affordable Homes Programme seeks to support an increase in the delivery of community-led and rural housing. The flexibility in grant rates provided for under the new programme will help community-led schemes achieve viability and help the sector grow towards its full potential.

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 improve early diagnosis of endometriosis for patients in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

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

The Government acknowledges the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce. We are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for endometriosis. It is unacceptable that women can wait so long for an endometriosis diagnosis and we are taking action to address this.

Nationally, we are establishing 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. It will connect patients with clinicians across the country through secure, online appointments accessed through the NHS App.

Menstrual problems, which may be a sign of endometriosis, will be among the first nine 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 and explore treatment options sooner.

Buckinghamshire delivers specialist gynaecology care to women through both community and secondary care, or hospital, services, with community services delivered from general practices across the county, including in Aylesbury. To further improve access to women's health services, the Buckinghamshire Healthcare Trust is working to expand community services, increasing clinic sites, and aligning to neighbourhoods including North Bucks, to ensure more women can be seen for specialist gynaecology care more quickly and closer to home in the community service, thereby increasing capacity within the secondary care service to support waiting list reductions.

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 workforce capacity in women’s health services serving the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

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

NHS England publishes monthly information on the composition of the workforce employed by National Health Service trusts and integrated care boards in England. This includes information on the workforce employed by individual bodies and for high-level staffing groups. The information can be found at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics

No specific central assessment has been made of the workforce capacity of women’s health services in the region, with decisions on the provision of local services being managed by individual NHS service provider and commissioners.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of discussions at the UK–US Financial Regulatory Working Group on (a) financial stability and (b) cross-border regulatory co-operation.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The UK and US are also working closely together on the Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future, which was established jointly by HM Treasury and US Treasury on 22 September.

The Taskforce is exploring options to strengthen linkages between UK and US capital markets, supporting growth and competitiveness in both jurisdictions by reducing burdens for UK and US firms raising capital-cross border. It is also exploring opportunities for collaboration on digital assets and other innovative financial activities.

HM Treasury and the US Treasury have conducted joint senior-level industry engagement in both London and Washington DC to ensure the Taskforce’s work is informed by what matters most to industry on both sides of the Atlantic. The Taskforce aims to report back to both finance ministries on its recommendations via the FRWG in summer 2026.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of enhanced UK-US regulatory co-operation on the competitiveness of UK capital markets.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The UK and US are also working closely together on the Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future, which was established jointly by HM Treasury and US Treasury on 22 September.

The Taskforce is exploring options to strengthen linkages between UK and US capital markets, supporting growth and competitiveness in both jurisdictions by reducing burdens for UK and US firms raising capital-cross border. It is also exploring opportunities for collaboration on digital assets and other innovative financial activities.

HM Treasury and the US Treasury have conducted joint senior-level industry engagement in both London and Washington DC to ensure the Taskforce’s work is informed by what matters most to industry on both sides of the Atlantic. The Taskforce aims to report back to both finance ministries on its recommendations via the FRWG in summer 2026.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen UK–US co-operation on digital finance and innovation.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The UK and US are also working closely together on the Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future, which was established jointly by HM Treasury and US Treasury on 22 September.

The Taskforce is exploring options to strengthen linkages between UK and US capital markets, supporting growth and competitiveness in both jurisdictions by reducing burdens for UK and US firms raising capital-cross border. It is also exploring opportunities for collaboration on digital assets and other innovative financial activities.

HM Treasury and the US Treasury have conducted joint senior-level industry engagement in both London and Washington DC to ensure the Taskforce’s work is informed by what matters most to industry on both sides of the Atlantic. The Taskforce aims to report back to both finance ministries on its recommendations via the FRWG in summer 2026.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to mitigate risks to UK economic security arising from financial instability in the Middle East.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Since the start of the conflict the Government has engaged allies and partners to urge de-escalation and shared efforts towards diplomacy, and has taken action to protect the UK public from the rising cost of living by providing immediate support for vulnerable heating oil customers and bringing energy bills down.

HM Treasury has also been working closely with the financial regulators to monitor potential risks to financial stability, including through its membership of the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) and the global Financial Stability Board (FSB). The FPC is responsible in the UK for identifying, monitoring and taking action to remove or reduce systemic risks to the UK financial system.

In its April 2026 Record, the FPC assessed that conflict in the Middle East represents a negative supply shock to the global economy. The FPC noted that while the financial system has remained resilient, and the UK banking system has the capacity to support households and businesses even if conditions were to be substantially worse than expected, the conflict has increased global uncertainty following a period of already elevated risks and called for firms to actively manage their risks.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential effect of developments in the Middle East on global financial stability.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Since the start of the conflict the Government has engaged allies and partners to urge de-escalation and shared efforts towards diplomacy, and has taken action to protect the UK public from the rising cost of living by providing immediate support for vulnerable heating oil customers and bringing energy bills down.

HM Treasury has also been working closely with the financial regulators to monitor potential risks to financial stability, including through its membership of the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) and the global Financial Stability Board (FSB). The FPC is responsible in the UK for identifying, monitoring and taking action to remove or reduce systemic risks to the UK financial system.

In its April 2026 Record, the FPC assessed that conflict in the Middle East represents a negative supply shock to the global economy. The FPC noted that while the financial system has remained resilient, and the UK banking system has the capacity to support households and businesses even if conditions were to be substantially worse than expected, the conflict has increased global uncertainty following a period of already elevated risks and called for firms to actively manage their risks.

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 reduce gynaecology waiting times for patients in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

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

We are committed to returning by March 2029 to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, including for gynaecology.

Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the reforms we are making to improve gynaecology waiting times across England. This includes innovative models of care that offer care closer to home and in the community, piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres for patients with post-menopausal bleeding, and increasing the relative funding available to incentivise providers to take on more gynaecology procedures.

Wider elective reforms will help cut waiting times for gynaecology services in Buckinghamshire and across England. These include more consistent clinical triage, tackling missed appointments, delivering new and expanded surgical hubs, and scaling up remote monitoring and use of patient-initiated follow ups.

We also provided new funding for general practice to expand Advice and Guidance (A&G) services. A&G is designed to help general practitioners and hospital specialists to work together and make the best treatment plans for patients, while reducing unnecessary referrals to long waiting lists. This enables patients to be seen more quickly, closer to home, benefiting from earlier specialist input.

We are also introducing an “online hospital”, NHS Online. From 2027, people on certain pathways, including severe menopause symptoms and menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis or fibroids, will have the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home. 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.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of electricity cost reductions on the competitiveness of manufacturers located in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The British Industry Supercharger is already supporting the competitiveness of around 550 of the most electricity and trade-intensive firms across Great Britain, including in Buckingham and Bletchley, by reducing electricity costs by on average approximately £65 – £87 per megawatt hour.

From 2027 the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will reduce electricity costs by up to £40 per megawatt hour for over 10,000 eligible manufacturing businesses. This will help bring electricity costs more in line with other European economies and help support investment and economic growth across Great Britain including in Buckingham and Bletchley.

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 support the recruitment, training and retention of Parkinson’s nurse specialists.

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

The Government recognises the vital role that Parkinson’s nurse specialists play in supporting people with Parkinson’s disease, providing expert clinical input, coordinating care, and helping patients and families manage a complex, progressive condition.

Responsibility for workforce planning, including the recruitment, training, and retention of specialist nurses, such as Parkinson’s nurse specialists, lies with the National Health Service. Integrated care boards are responsible for assessing local population need and ensuring that appropriate specialist services, including neurology and nursing support, are in place to meet that need.

At a national level, the NHS is supporting service improvement and workforce development for Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions through a range of programmes. This includes the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit. Both aim to reduce unwarranted variation, promote best practice, and support more consistent access to specialist expertise across England.

The forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will support the recruitment and retention of specialist nurses by setting out a long‑term approach to growing, training, and supporting the NHS workforce, with a focus on ensuring that staff have the right skills, career development opportunities, and working conditions to deliver high‑quality care. By improving education and training pathways, promoting advanced and specialist roles, and supporting flexible and multidisciplinary ways of working, the plan will help the NHS build a sustainable workforce able to meet future patient needs.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the volume of private capital that could be unlocked through partnerships with venture capital firms in the defence sector.

Answered by James Murray - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The Government recognises the important role that venture capital and other private investors play in backing innovation across the economy. The forthcoming Defence Finance Investment Strategy will be the Government’s blueprint for how we increase the capital available to improve warfighting readiness while also driving UK growth.

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 provide development support for co-operative businesses located in (i) Milton Keynes and (ii) Buckinghamshire.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government is committed to supporting diverse business models and doubling the size of the co-operative and mutual sector. We have received strong engagement from the sector through our Call for Evidence and are now analysing responses to shape future business support, including what can be achieved within existing support services such as the Business Growth Service and Growth Hubs.

Cooperatives play a vital role in Buckinghamshire’s agricultural sector and Government is developing the new Farmer Collaboration Fund to unlock the broader benefits of this sort of collaboration.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's guidance entitled The Erasmus+ programme, published on 17 December 2025, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) schools and (b) other participating organisations listed in that guidance to engage with the Erasmus+ programme in advance of the UK rejoining the scheme.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government will work closely with organisations and young people to maximise take-up, particularly among disadvantaged groups. The British Council is set take on the role of the UK National Agency.

The National Agency will be in charge of managing the implementation of the Erasmus+ Programme in the UK. The National Agency will have a dedicated website, and will issue guidance to applicants in advance of the 2027 funding call.

Alongside this, there will also be a broad range of sector outreach activities to increase awareness and engagement, such as webinars and targeted communications to schools, colleges and other eligible organisations. There will also be support for schools who wish to apply and make the most opportunities across Europe.

Schools can find guidance about the Erasmus+ programme on the Erasmus+ GOV.UK pages.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps the Government is taking to support developing countries facing sovereign debt crises.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 April in response to Question 122705.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure the UK remains internationally competitive in financial technology innovation.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The UK is a world leader in Fintech, and attracted $3.6 billion of investment in 2025, second only to the US. The Government is committed to making the UK the world’s most technologically advanced global financial centre, and remaining a leading jurisdiction for Fintech firms to start, scale, list, and stay.

In addition to measures announced in the Financial Competitiveness and Growth Strategy and at Budget, the Government set out at UK Fintech Week 2026 further detail on how it intends to modernise payment services regulation and update it to support new innovations in money and payments, ahead of soon publishing a consultation inviting the payments sector to feedback. This includes improving the regulation of payment services and electronic money by better integrating it with the UK’s core regulatory approach for financial services; regulating stablecoins for their use in payments, where these stablecoins have been issued under the forthcoming new regulated activity for stablecoin issuance in the UK; exploring how the regulation of payments services should adapt to payments conducted by AI agents; and providing the FCA new powers to regulate the future of Open Banking. The Government also published as part of the package draft secondary legislation to cut administrative burdens for companies wanting to provide stablecoin payments.

The Government has also appointed Chris Woolard CBE as Wholesale Digital Markets Champion, to provide market leadership and support industry progress on the development of a tokenised wholesale financial markets ecosystem.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with international financial institutions on mechanisms to mobilise private capital to support developing economies.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government firmly believes that mobilising private capital is critical to raise the finance needed to achieve our development and climate objectives and helping drive economic growth both in developing economies and at home here in the UK. That is why the UK is shifting from donor to investor and the International Financial Institutions are among our most important partners for mobilising private capital at scale.

We have regular engagement with them both through our representation on their Boards and through Ministerial engagement, such as at the recent World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings, which the Chancellor and Minister for Development both attended.

We want to support Multilateral Development Banks to reform their business model to further scale financing to developing countries, help build strong project pipelines and mitigate risks to attract more private capital. We also want them to help improve investment conditions and build local financial sector and local currency markets and to share more data on their investments.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the role of employee-owned business models in reducing the gender pay gap.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

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 support energy security through international co-operation following discussions at the IMF Spring Meetings.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what role the UK is playing in international efforts to reform global debt frameworks.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 April in response to Question 122705.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to accelerate investment in electrification infrastructure for HGV charging in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The £171 million Depot Charging Scheme will support the uptake of zero emission vans, coaches, and HGVs by part-funding the installation of charging infrastructure at fleet depots up to £1 million. This builds on the Zero Emission HGV Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme, which has already provided more than £120 million in funding to deploy hundreds of zero emission HGVs and their associated charging and refueling sites. The Government is also working with National Highways to deliver a series of webinars to support truck stop operators to prepare for zero emission HGV charging.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the health and wellbeing of workers in the logistics sector in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport is working with industry and across government to support workforce health in the logistics sector. Specifically, the department has been raising awareness among the road freight sector of a driver health training module, approved by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, which forms part of Driver Certificate of Professional Competence training. In addition, the Department of Health and Social Care is working with the road freight sector, through the Men’s Health Strategy, to increase uptake of NHS Health Checks by HGV drivers.

With industry, the Department for Transport and National Highways are investing in improvements to lorry parking facilities, including better welfare provision, additional capacity and enhanced security, which can contribute to the physical and mental wellbeing of drivers.

More widely, the government is working with employers through initiatives such as the Keep Britain Working programme to support workforce health and help people to remain in work, including within the logistics sector and encourages industry-led efforts to improve working conditions and employee wellbeing.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of employee-owned business models on reducing the level of the gender pay gap.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The research surrounding effective actions employers can take to close the gender pay gap makes it clear that a positive workplace culture, in combination with support from leadership, underpins the success of actions to close the gap.

While have not made an assessment of the impact of ownership structure on the gender pay gap in an organisation, the research available and the consultation we have undertaken forms the basis of voluntary action plans, with this government now encouraging large employers to publish the steps they are taking to close their gap, and support employees during the menopause, alongside their gender pay gap figures.

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 support energy security through international co-operation following the 2026 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The International Financial Institutions (IFIs) are the primary financing mechanism to respond to the impacts of the Middle East crisis on developing countries, including for energy security. They have an unparalleled ability to deliver emergency finance at scale to help deal with the immediate impacts in a crisis, as well as longer term policy reforms and investments that build resilience for the future.

Thanks in part to UK pressure, the IFI crisis toolkit is stronger than ever. The World Bank has made $20-25 billion of additional financing available and the International Monetary Fund has roughly $300 billion in total financing capacity to response to balance of payments crises. At the Spring meetings in Washington, the Minister of State for International Development pushed for a forward leaning, coordinated IFI response. The UK continued this work at the Global Partnerships Conference in London on 19-20 May.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the clean energy sector procures UK manufactured steel.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Our Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan gives investors the certainty and stability they need to invest in and expand UK supply chains.

We are committed to supporting and growing clean energy supply chains, creating good jobs across the UK. This includes ensuring there are opportunities for domestic products, including UK steel, to be used in our UK deployment projects; as well as leveraging our strong deployment trajectories to unlock even more investment into UK supply chains.

We have recently set out our approach to supporting the UK steel industry in the Steel Strategy and have announced revisions to tariffs and quotas to protect UK producers. Additionally, the National Wealth Fund has at least £5.8 billion for investing in some clean energy sectors, and green steel.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help prison staff combat substance misuse by inmates in the prison estate.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We recognise that levels of illicit drug use in prisons remain too high, and we are committed to creating safe, stable environments where staff are equipped with the tools and support they need to promote recovery and drug-free living. We have invested over £40 million in physical security across 34 prisons, including £10 million on drone countermeasures, to help prevent drugs entering prisons in the first place.

We work closely with our health partners to ensure that prisoners with a drug and alcohol dependency are identified at the earliest opportunity. This helps create the conditions in which their addictions can be effectively addressed, and aims to ensure access to consistent, high-quality treatment and care across the estate. Our Incentivised Substance Free Living units, now funded in 88 prisons, provide structured pathways to recovery using incentives and regular drug testing. We are also increasing access to mutual aid groups across the estate, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics anonymous, and have taken steps to review our drug testing regime as a whole to ensure it supports the best outcomes.

We are committed to ensuring that our staff in specialist roles have the skills they need, including our 54 Drug Strategy Leads in key prisons, who work to implement local drug strategies effectively. At prison group level, we have recruited 17 Drug and Alcohol Leads to support joint working with health commissioners across wider geographies. Alongside this, naloxone, a drug used for suspected opioid overdose, is now available in every prison, with over 10,000 prison staff trained in the emergency use of nasal naloxone. Naloxone training is also embedded into foundation training for all new prison officers, strengthening frontline capability to prevent harm.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has assessed the potential impact of prison overcrowding on staff safety.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Ministry of Justice research on crowding and violence in the adult closed estate in 2022 shows that prisoners in overcrowded cells are 19% more likely to be involved in an assault over a one-year period than those in cells that are not overcrowded.

The details of this report can be found here: The impact of overcrowding on assaults in closed adult public prisons - GOV.UK

As set out in the December 2024 10-Year Prison Capacity Strategy, we have committed to delivering an additional 14,000 prison places and aim to do so by 2031. We are investing £4.7 billion over the spending review period (2026/27 to 2029/30) towards the delivery of these additional prison places, and we have already delivered c.3,100 since taking office. Alongside increasing capacity at record rates, our Sentencing Act 2026 will place the prison population on a more sustainable footing and pave the way for further reforms.

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