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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what financial support the Government is providing for the redevelopment of Manchester United's Old Trafford ground.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

There is no direct financial support committed for the redevelopment of Old Trafford football ground. Greater Manchester Combined Authority will receive around £630 million per annum through their integrated settlement from the start of the 2025-26 financial year.

This will give the Mayor and Combined Authority much greater freedom and funding flexibility to drive forward the local economy and deliver growth. This may include support for priority regeneration schemes such as the redevelopment of Old Trafford stadium.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Church of England on the protection of Cathedral buildings as heritage assets.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

None.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support the domestic critical minerals industry.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

A secure supply of critical minerals is vital for the UK’s economic growth and security, industrial strategy, and clean energy transition. Government will work hand in hand with industry to publish a new Critical Minerals Strategy this year. The Critical Minerals Strategy will help secure our supply chains for the long term and drive forward the green industries of the future.

Government is considering policy options to secure our critical mineral supply chains and will be engaging closely with industry to realise our potential for producing critical minerals domestically. I am pleased to see the National Wealth Fund’s recognition of our domestic critical minerals industry’s growth potential, as demonstrated by their recent £28.6m equity investment into the Cornish Metals South Crofty tin mine.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the lithium (a) extraction and (b) processing industry.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

DBT regularly engages with the lithium extraction and processing industry. I will visit Cornwall this Spring to see first-hand the progress that the UK’s leading extractive and processing projects have made. Government has supported growing the lithium value chain through the National Wealth Fund’s £24m investment in Cornish Lithium.

Domestic production of lithium will be increasingly important as demand for resilient and responsible sources of critical minerals grows. Government will work closely with industry to publish a new Critical Minerals Strategy this year. This will secure our supply chains for the long term and refine our approach to maximising domestic production.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Microsoft has recently raised its prices to Government for Office 365.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) established a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) known as the Strategic Partnership Arrangement 2024 (SPA24) with Microsoft, which commenced on 1 November 2024. This arrangement provides enhanced value and discounted pricing for public sector organisations.

A reduction of approximately 6% in Microsoft 365 licence pricing took place in February 2025 as part of a wider price adjustment for Commercial Cloud Services.

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 implications for his policies of Microsoft's increase in prices for Office 365.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade has not conducted a formal assessment on Microsoft's price increase for Office 365.

Microsoft cites the addition of advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities as the main reason for higher prices. Digital technologies, including AI, are an important way to improve business efficiency. We are exploring ways to boost uptake through the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce, Technology Adoption Review, and AI Opportunities Action Plan. We also provide a range of other support for small businesses, from the Business Support Service to local Growth Hubs.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the membership of the Technology Advisory Board has changed since June 2023.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to Question UIN 30994 answered on 24 February 2025.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions his Department has had with trade unions on the digitalisation of Government.

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

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology regularly discusses workforce matters with trade unions.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help support growth in the video game industry.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recently announced £5.5 million funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) for 2025/26, which will provide grants to early-stage studios to develop new intellectual property and deliver the graduate talent development programmes Tranzfuser and Dundee Development (DunDev).

Video games companies can also benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit, and access support from the Create Growth Programme and the UK Global Screen Fund.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Gingerbread report entitled Child maintenance: research on the experiences and impact on separated families published on 25 November 2024, whether her Department is working with charities and others with expertise in domestic abuse to embed trauma-informed principles into the operation of the Child Maintenance Service.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) takes the issue of domestic abuse extremely seriously and is committed to ensuring that victims of abuse get the help and support they need to use the service safely.

Incorporating views and feedback from external stakeholders with experience of domestic abuse, CMS has updated and refreshed its Domestic Abuse training which includes awareness of a Trauma Informed Approach. All CMS caseworkers have received training to help identify abuse, support vulnerable customers, and provide signposting. A Domestic Abuse Plan is in place to support caseworkers in having these conversations. Domestic Abuse training will continue to be reviewed regularly and developed with the support of stakeholders, including Gingerbread, as we develop policies and processes that support victim-survivors of domestic abuse.

Additionally, there is work underway around the Trauma-Informed Approach across the Department, and CMS will, of course, be part of this work. This includes a dedicated programme that will integrate the six key pillars of the approach as defined by the Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (December 2022).

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to publish a written response to the recommendations of the independent report entitled What works to attract and retain people into R&D careers, published on 10 February 2025.

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

The Government does not typically publish responses to independent research reports. The recommendations made by the Behavioural Insights Team in this report will be considered as part of the Department’s ongoing policy development to support our ambitions for the UK’s R&D workforce and to drive national and regional growth through R&D.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to help ensure that tax incentives for science and technology are used to promote innovation.

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

Research and development (R&D) tax reliefs are vital to economic growth, and will support an estimated £56 billion of business R&D expenditure a year by 2029-30.

In the Corporate Tax Roadmap, the Government committed to strengthening the administration of the reliefs by continuing to improve guidance, establishing an expert advisory panel, and publishing a consultation on widening the use of advance clearances. An R&D disclosure facility was launched at the end of 2024.

HMT is the lead department for taxation policy including R&D tax reliefs. The Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have regular discussions on a range of issues.

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

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

Found: 100 Parliament Street London SW1A 2BQ E: Secretary.State@dsit.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/dsit Chi Onwurah

Found: SW1A 2BQ E: Secretary.State@dsit.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/dsit 26th February 2025 The Rt Hon Chi Onwurah

Found: Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for AI and Digital Government) 100 Parliament Street Chi Onwurah

Found: OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Chi Onwurah MP Chair Science, Innovation and Technology Committee House of

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

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

Found: Science, Innovation and Technology Committee member present: Chi Onwurah.

Found: Science, Innovation and Technology Committee member present: Chi Onwurah.

Found: Science, Innovation and Technology Committee member present: Chi Onwurah.