Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the impact assessment conducted on the closure of ATR Winchester.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 March 2026 to Question 116321, which remains extant.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made for the adequacy of waiting times for driving licence renewal where there are no limiting factors.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to process all applications as quickly as possible. There are no delays in applications for a driving licence where there is no medical condition involved.
The DVLA’s target for driving licence applications is to dispatch 95 per cent within three working days for straightforward online applications and 90 per cent within ten working days for straightforward paper applications.
In the current financial year, the DVLA has achieved 100 per cent for online applications and 99.9 per cent for paper applications.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that AI-based mental health tools do not replace access to human-delivered psychological support where this is clinically appropriate.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is clear that artificial intelligence (AI) based tools must not replace access to human‑delivered psychological support where this is clinically appropriate.
Digital and AI tools can be used to support mental health services and those in need of those services, for example by helping with administrative tasks, triage, or appointment management, and these benefits can enable clinicians to spend more time delivering direct care. However, decisions about treatment and care must always be clinically led and based on individual patient need.
Publicly available AI applications that are not deployed by the National Health Service, such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini, are not regulated as medical technologies and may offer incorrect or harmful information. People experiencing mental health difficulties are strongly encouraged to seek support from qualified professionals through NHS services or trusted charities.
Spending across mental health services, both specialised commissioning and ICB combined, and including learning disability, autism, and dementia, is planned to increase to £20.616 billion in 2025/26, compared to £18.988 billion in 2024/25. Specific funding has also been allocated to expand mental health support in schools to 100% of institutions by 2029/30.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role AI-based mental health tools are expected to have within NHS mental health services.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is clear that artificial intelligence (AI) based mental health tools are intended to support and complement, not replace, National Health Service mental health services.
Within NHS mental health services, AI based tools are expected to play a supporting role, for example by helping with administrative tasks such as appointment management, triage support, and updating clinical records, enabling clinicians to spend more time delivering direct, person‑centred care. AI may also support evidence‑based digital interventions, such as digitally enabled therapies, where these are clinically appropriate and have been properly evaluated.
The Government is clear that AI based tools must not replace access to trained mental health professionals, particularly for people experiencing acute distress. Publicly available AI applications that are not deployed by the NHS, such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini, are not regulated as medical technologies and may offer incorrect or harmful information, and people experiencing mental health difficulties are strongly encouraged to seek support from qualified professionals through NHS services or trusted charities.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of AI on graduate job opportunities.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is committed to growth, and a key pillar of this is ensuring that everyone, including graduates, have access to good, meaningful work.
As part of our ongoing assessment of labour market trends, we note that job vacancies have declined from 1.3 million in 2022 to 726,000 as the economy continues to adjust post‑pandemic. While some have suggested that increased adoption of AI may be contributing to this fall, current evidence is mixed and does not yet establish a clear causal link. Most forecasters continue to project that artificial intelligence will lead to a net increase in employment overall, though its impacts will vary across industries and occupations.
To ensure graduates and the wider workforce can benefit from these opportunities, the Government has established the AI and Future of Work Unit to monitor emerging trends and coordinate policy responses across departments. We are investing in practical AI skills training for adults and expanding partnerships to upskill 10 million workers. Our Youth Guarantee is working to ensure that all young people have access to education, training or help to find a job or apprenticeship, including graduates, and backed by an addition £820 million at the autumn budget.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the level of decrease in graduate job levels due to artificial intelligence.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is committed to growth, and a key pillar of this is ensuring that everyone, including graduates, have access to good, meaningful work.
As part of our ongoing assessment of labour market trends, we note that job vacancies have declined from 1.3 million in 2022 to 726,000 as the economy continues to adjust post‑pandemic. While some have suggested that increased adoption of AI may be contributing to this fall, current evidence is mixed and does not yet establish a clear causal link. Most forecasters continue to project that artificial intelligence will lead to a net increase in employment overall, though its impacts will vary across industries and occupations.
To ensure graduates and the wider workforce can benefit from these opportunities, the Government has established the AI and Future of Work Unit to monitor emerging trends and coordinate policy responses across departments. We are investing in practical AI skills training for adults and expanding partnerships to upskill 10 million workers. Our Youth Guarantee is working to ensure that all young people have access to education, training or help to find a job or apprenticeship, including graduates, and backed by an addition £820 million at the autumn budget.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
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 improve accessibility to tofersen.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises how important it is that patients with motor neurone disease are able to benefit from access to new clinically and cost-effective treatments. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently evaluating tofersen, a new licensed treatment for SOD-1 motor neurone disease, and the company is expected to make an evidence submission to support the appraisal in early June 2026.
NHS England will explore whether an interim commercial agreement could be supported through the Innovative Medicines Fund should NICE issue a positive draft recommendation for tofersen. This would enable eligible patients to benefit from the treatment several months earlier than would otherwise be the case.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the current waiting times for the Housing Ombudsman.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The average waiting time for a case to be determined by the Housing Ombudsman in 2025/26 was 7.2 months.
The Ombudsman is currently consulting on their 2026/27 Business Plan, which proposes a series of measures to reduce waiting times for tenants.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department is taking to help prevent films that have had their audiovisual material created by generative AI applications from claiming the AVEC and IFTC tax credits.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Details on the eligibility criteria for the Audio Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC) and Independent Film Tax Credit (IFTC) can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-audio-visual-expenditure-credits-for-corporation-tax.
The Government continues to monitor the use of AI in film production and keeps the tax system under constant review.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether a film can qualify for the AVEC and IFTC tax credits if all other eligible criteria is met but all the images and audio were created by AI.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Details on the eligibility criteria for the Audio Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC) and Independent Film Tax Credit (IFTC) can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-audio-visual-expenditure-credits-for-corporation-tax.
The Government continues to monitor the use of AI in film production and keeps the tax system under constant review.