Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to immigration laws on the level of recruitment of skilled science professionals from abroad.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government remains committed to attracting the best talent from around the world to the UK.
The Immigration White Paper makes clear the valuable contribution that high-skilled workers make to our science and technology sectors. It also set-out our ambition to increase the number of very high skilled individuals coming here through high-talent routes like the Global Talent and High Potential Individual visas, alongside faster routes for bringing people to the UK who have the right skills and experience to supercharge UK growth in strategic industries.
DSIT is working closely with the Home Office to implement these commitments.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if the Government will allocate Ministerial responsibility for science centres to a specific Department.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The UK’s Science and Discovery Centres have an important role in engaging the public with science and technology and in inspiring young people, particularly those from underrepresented groups, their primary role is as visitor centres focussed on the role of science in the UK’s culture. DSIT will engage with DCMS to discuss how government’s relationship with these important institutions can best be supported going forward.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered introducing multi-year NHS funding for the health elements of children's palliative care.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Palliative care services, including for children, are included in the list of services that integrated care boards (ICBs) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. ICBs are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.
The Department and NHS England are looking at how to improve the access, quality and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10 Year Health Plan. The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that the future state of services reduce variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of harmonising gambling tax rates on the horseracing industry.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government consultation on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three current taxes that cover remote (including online) gambling into one closed on 21 July 2025. Responses are now being analysed and a response to the consultation will be published at Autumn Budget 2025.
If any changes are made to gambling duties at a future Budget following the consultation, they will be accompanied by a Tax Information and Impact Note which will set out the expected impacts.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take further steps to support children's hospices with their energy costs.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
While most palliative care and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including children’s hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end of life and their loved ones.
Most children’s hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing NHS services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between integrated care board (ICB) areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.
We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We know that many hospices have chosen to use this funding on energy efficiency measures, such as boiler upgrades or solar panel installation, to reduce energy costs and improve efficiency in the longer term.
We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that women in the armed forces are equipped with appropriate (a) uniforms and (b) equipment.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is continually seeking to ensure all women in our Armed Forces are equipped with appropriate clothing, including uniforms, and equipment.
Following the House of Commons Defence Sub-Committee on Women in the Armed Forces report, "Protecting Those Who Protect Us: Women in the Armed Forces from Recruitment to Civilian Life" published on 25 July 2021, the MOD responded by starting work on improving the experience for women in the Armed Forces, and a branch of that was through updating clothing.
Women’s uniform and equipment is now regularly reviewed and discussed at a Defence-level working group to ensure the equal provision of safe and suitable clothing and equipment to all Service personnel to allow them to deliver their operational outputs and effects.
So far, suppliers have developed more than 85 samples across 38 key clothing items to ensure the female fit meets the requirement. New items now available to women include sports bras, Mess Dress trousers and under-body armour combat shirts.
The Tactical Ballistic Plate project will deliver hard armour plates in a range of different sizes, ensuring greater comfort and integration for all users across Defence. Successful Human Factors Integration trials have been completed across a diverse cohort, that included female representation.
Narrow-fit Scalable Tactical Vest STV are now in service, which provides improved fit and comfort for all personnel, with special measuring available for those who measure outside of the 12 sizes available.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that women in the armed forces are equipped with appropriate (a) uniforms and (b) equipment.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is continually seeking to ensure all women in our Armed Forces are equipped with appropriate clothing, including uniforms, and equipment.
Following the House of Commons Defence Sub-Committee on Women in the Armed Forces report, "Protecting Those Who Protect Us: Women in the Armed Forces from Recruitment to Civilian Life" published on 25 July 2021, the MOD responded by starting work on improving the experience for women in the Armed Forces, and a branch of that was through updating clothing.
Women’s uniform and equipment is now regularly reviewed and discussed at a Defence-level working group to ensure the equal provision of safe and suitable clothing and equipment to all Service personnel to allow them to deliver their operational outputs and effects.
So far, suppliers have developed more than 85 samples across 38 key clothing items to ensure the female fit meets the requirement. New items now available to women include sports bras, Mess Dress trousers and under-body armour combat shirts.
The Tactical Ballistic Plate project will deliver hard armour plates in a range of different sizes, ensuring greater comfort and integration for all users across Defence. Successful Human Factors Integration trials have been completed across a diverse cohort, that included female representation.
Narrow-fit Scalable Tactical Vest STV are now in service, which provides improved fit and comfort for all personnel, with special measuring available for those who measure outside of the 12 sizes available.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to encourage businesses to employ people with autism.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In the plan to Make Work Pay (October 2024), government committed to raising awareness of all forms of neurodiversity in the workplace. This includes autism.
In January 2025, DWP launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and
experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work.
The panel have reviewed the workplace barriers neurodivergent people encounter in getting into or remaining in employment and will be making their recommendations later this autumn.
The work of the expert panel will also be shared with the Keep Britain Working Review on healthy and inclusive workplaces, being led by Sir Charlie Mayfield.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the effective prosecution of people who commit spiking.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Administering a substance to a person without their consent – commonly known as ‘spiking’ – is a serious criminal offence. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is committed to prosecuting spiking cases effectively where they are referred to us by the police. We have seen a 40% increase in the number of spiking related offences the CPS have charged between 2022/23 to 2024/25.
The CPS has undertaken work to improve prosecutions for violence against women and girls (VAWG), which can include spiking. Through initiatives such as the National Operating Model for Adult Rape and the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan with policing, the CPS is embedding a suspect-focused approach to VAWG offending. This means that prosecutors examine the behaviour and actions of the suspect before, during, and after the alleged assault. Spiking may form part of a wider pattern of predatory behaviour, and identifying this is key to building a strong prosecution case.
The CPS is also promoting closer collaboration between prosecutors and police to ensure that key aspects of the evidence-gathering process – such as a forensic strategy – are agreed at an early stage in the investigation.
This Government is proposing to introduce an updated offence of spiking through the Crime and Policing Bill. This would streamline the legislative framework – which is currently spread across several provisions in the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 – and support prosecutors in identifying the most appropriate charge.
We recognise spiking is an under-reported crime, and strongly encourage anyone who has been a victim of this offence to report it to the police.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to help tackle animal beatings in Cambridgeshire.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Enforcement of animal welfare standards is primarily delivered through the powers available under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which makes it an offence to cause any animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for its welfare.
The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 amended the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to increase the sentences available to our courts for the most serious cases of animal cruelty. Anyone who is cruel to an animal face being sent to prison for up to five years, or receiving an unlimited fine, or both.
Local authorities have powers under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to intervene where an animal is suspected to be suffering on any land, public or private.