Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has plans to instruct Ofcom to conduct an impact assessment of the decision to designate end-to-end encryption as a risk factor in their Illegal Harms Codes of Practice and illegal content risk assessment guidance.

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

The Online Safety Act does not ban any service design, including end-to-end-encryption. Under the Act, providers must risk assess the design of their service. Ofcom can only recommend measures in codes of practice that are technically feasible. Separately, Ofcom has powers to direct companies to develop and deploy accredited and accurate technology to identify and remove child sexual abuse material on private communications, but only when all other measures have not adequately addressed the risk.

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 treat individuals with sensory processing sensitivity.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) to ensure that the providers they commission make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including for those experiencing sensory processing sensitivity. In October 2023, NHS England produced a sensory-friendly resource pack to support ICBs to develop sensory-friendly environments.

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 safety of nitrate compounds used to colour preserved meat pink.

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

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) considers the existing levels of nitrites in the United Kingdom to be sufficiently protective for consumers, and they remain important preservatives in a range of foods, which control a range of harmful micro-organisms. However, as with all additives, this remains under review.

The FSA has recently worked with industry across the United Kingdom to understand the levels used in processed meat, cheese, and fish products. This is in light of the recent changes in the European Union (EU). Currently, the UK’s position on the EU’s changes is being formulated, whilst ensuring foods remain safe.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to involve young cancer patients in discussions about clinical trial designs.

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

Patient and public involvement and engagement in research is an essential part of delivering world-class clinical trials, improving the accessibility of health and care studies, and increasing recruitment rates and retention of participants.

The Department-funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) expects patient and public involvement in the research it supports. Applicants for NIHR funding are required to set out plans for involving patients and the public in funding applications, which are assessed by funding committees. Patients and the public work with researchers to help shape aspects of the work, including what research is done, the research design, and how the results are shared.

The NIHR has operated the Participant in Research Experience Survey (PRES) since 2015/16, which aims to offer as many research participants as possible the chance to contribute their experiences of taking part in research. The PRES currently operates nationally across the NIHR Research Delivery Network portfolio, and is offered to all participants in eligible cancer studies, including young people.

On 4 February 2025, the Department relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify ways to improve outcomes and experiences for children and young people with cancer. The taskforce will be engaging with experts from across the sector, including clinicians, researchers, advocates, and young cancer patients with lived experience as part of its work.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with (a) his international counterparts and (b) regulators in (i) Germany and (ii) Romania on (A) Online Safety Act 2023 and (B) foreign interference in elections.

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

International collaboration is crucial in tackling the global threat of online harms. DSIT Ministers and officials meet regularly with international partners to discuss online safety, including foreign interference in elections. Tackling foreign interference is crucial to uphold our democratic values, and we are committed to promoting a free, open and secure internet. The latest list of DSIT ministerial meetings (July – September 2024) can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dsit-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-meetings-july-to-september-2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to improve clinical trial availability across different cancer types.

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

The Department is committed to maximising the United Kingdom’s potential to lead the world in clinical research, with the aim of ensuring that all patients, including those with different types of cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

The Department is working closely with the National Health Service, industry, academia, research regulators, and charities to make clinical research in the UK more efficient, more competitive, and more accessible. We expect these efforts to attract more commercial investment in clinical research and yield a broad and diverse portfolio of clinical trials in the UK, including clinical trials for cancer patients.

The Department-funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research and research infrastructure, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including clinical research across different cancer types. The NIHR also provides an online service called Be Part of Research, which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest. This makes it easier for people to find and take part in health and care research that is relevant to them.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether Ofcom has made an estimate of the reduction in fraud on in-scope platforms from the Illegal Content Codes of Practice.

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

The Online Safety Act gives user-to-user and search service providers new duties for tackling illegal fraud. These duties took effect on 17 March. Providers will need to conduct risk assessments and ensure they put in place systems and processes that proactively tackle fraud. Ofcom set out details about how providers can comply with their duties in its illegal harms codes of practice. Ofcom will keep the effectiveness of its codes under review and strengthen the codes as needed. The department is not aware of any specific estimate for fraud reduction by Ofcom.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has carried out an impact assessment for the decision to delay implementation of measures in the Online Safety Act 2023 on fraudulent advertising for Category One services.

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

Ofcom expects to publish the draft Codes of Practice on the remaining duties on categorised services by early 2026, later than it originally anticipated. The fraudulent advertising duties rely on these codes being in force. Separately, the illegal content duties are now in force and user-to-user services must have appropriate measures to protect users from user-generated fraud. The government has published an enactment impact assessment for the Online Safety Act but has not carried out an impact assessment specifically on the timing of the fraudulent advertising duties coming into effect.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department monitors (a) UK research and development capacity and (b) the impact of reductions in funding by university departments on that capacity.

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

Research England engages regularly with leaders at all research-intensive universities on a range of issues including R&D capacity. The government is concerned about the potential impact of cuts by universities on UK R&D capacity and is monitoring the situation.

We are determined to work with the sector to transition to sustainable research funding models, including by increasing research grant cost recovery as announced by UKRI last week. However, universities also need to take their own steps to ensure they are working as efficiently as possible and cost their research appropriately.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department is funding research into (a) sensory processing sensitivity and (b) mitigations for that sensitivity.

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

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) delivers a substantial portfolio of researcher-led projects and strategic investments, including research into sensory processing sensitivities, such as autism and ADHD. Research is funded by different Research Councils, including the Medical Research Council through its Neurosciences and Mental Health Board.

Additionally, the Department of Health and Social Care funds health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes proposals for research into a range of conditions, including sensory processing sensitivity, at https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure that Ofcom publishes details of (a) meetings and (b) correspondence with large social media companies.

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

Under the Online Safety Act Ofcom is the independent regulator for online safety in the UK. In order to carry out its regulatory functions, it is important that Ofcom maintains regular contact with regulated online services, including large social media companies. Ofcom publicly consults on its draft guidance and codes of practice, and many consultation responses are published on its website, including responses from some regulated services. Ofcom is accountable to Parliament and is required to publish an annual report and accounts. Ofcom is also in scope of the Freedom of Information Act.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of working days that were lost due to the effects of sickle cell disorder in the last 12 months.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Office for National Statistics publish annual statistics on sickness absence in the UK labour market, which includes the reasons for sickness absence. However, the reasons are not provided in this data at the level of detail of specific conditions, such as sickle cell disorder.

The latest statistics for sickness absence in the UK labour market can be found here: Sickness absence in the UK labour market - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to continue funding for PCARP Digital Pathways in the 2025-26 financial year.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

As part of the Primary Care Access and Recovery Plan for 2024/25, integrated care boards (ICBs) received non-recurrent funding to support the uptake of highly usable and accessible digital tools in practices. This funding is not separately available in 2025/26. ICBs are expected to continue funding digital tools for general practices from their core allocations, and to prioritise as necessary within those allocations, as part of delivering Government and planning priorities on general practice access, and to support the move from analogue to digital.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has reviewed Heathrow Airport's business continuity plans.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The UK aviation market operates predominantly in the private sector, therefore, it is the responsibility of industry to determine appropriate resilience plans and measures are put in place to minimise potential disruption.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the UK’s independent regulator for the aviation sector. The CAA conducts economic regulation at Heathrow, where they set licence conditions that the airports must abide by. The CAA oversee the development and agreement of these licences, and Heathrow submit resilience plans which form part of the licence conditions.

Government officials regularly engage with the sector on assurances of resilience plans, and they will continue to engage with industry to ensure that lessons are learnt.

Found: 1 HM Treasury, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Chi Onwurah MP Chair – Science, Innovation

Found: With best wishes, Chi Onwurah MP Chair – Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Found: Yours sincerely, Chi Onwurah MP Chair – Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Found: 100 Parliament Street London SW1A 2BQ E: enquiries@dcms.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/dcms Chi Onwurah

Found: UK Space Agency 1st Floor, Quad Two Rutherford Avenue Didcot OX11 0DF 19 March 2025 Chi Onwurah

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Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Chi Onwurah (Chair); Emily Darlington; Dr Allison Gardner; Steve

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The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is launching an inquiry into the role of science diplomacy and research and development (R&D) in supporting the UK Government’s growth missions, enhancing the UK’s international influence, and contributing to national security. Science diplomacy encompasses the political support for science in an international context, cross-border research collaborations, science advice for global policymaking, and public engagement activities.