Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of improvements in physics education on the development of new technologies and economic growth.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Physics education is the responsibility of the Department for Education.
The government recognises the importance of research, including physics, to economic growth and its contribution to the UK’s innovation capacity and industrial strategy.
This academic year, two thirds of the £1.3bn Strategic Priorities Grant to HE is to support the provision of high-cost subjects, including physics. From this, the Office for Students allocates £1,737 per student FTE to providers for physics students.
42% of UK Research and Innovation funded PhDs in 2024/25 were through the Science and Technology Facilities Council and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. UKRI will invest over £2bn in doctoral training this spending review period.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of bright vehicle headlights on people with (a) sensitive and (b) elderly retinas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Approved Halogen, Xenon and LED light sources have been permitted in road vehicle headlamps for many years; no UK specific assessment has been made of their effect on drivers' safety and visibility for vulnerable road users. Nevertheless, international regulations require more powerful headlamps to be fitted with an automatic washing system to reduce the risk of light being misdirected by dirt on the lens, and with an automatic levelling systems to allow the correction of headlamp aim when the vehicle is loaded.
We know headlamp glare is a real frustration for many drivers and is even discouraging some from driving at night and in the recent Road Safety Strategy we have committed to carrying out further focused research in this area. In advance of the next phase of work we are engaging with the College of Optometrists to better understand the issues and experiences their patients are raising with them.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of halogen and high-intensity headlights on driver safety and visibility for vulnerable road users.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Approved Halogen, Xenon and LED light sources have been permitted in road vehicle headlamps for many years; no UK specific assessment has been made of their effect on drivers' safety and visibility for vulnerable road users. Nevertheless, international regulations require more powerful headlamps to be fitted with an automatic washing system to reduce the risk of light being misdirected by dirt on the lens, and with an automatic levelling systems to allow the correction of headlamp aim when the vehicle is loaded.
We know headlamp glare is a real frustration for many drivers and is even discouraging some from driving at night and in the recent Road Safety Strategy we have committed to carrying out further focused research in this area. In advance of the next phase of work we are engaging with the College of Optometrists to better understand the issues and experiences their patients are raising with them.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to review regulations relating to motorcycle headlight brightness and beam alignment.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
There are detailed requirements that must be satisfied before vehicles can be sold or registered in the UK. The lighting system fitted to motorcycles is included in the pre-registration assessment which requires that headlamps are approved to internationally recognised standards to ensure that they are bright enough to light the road ahead but not so bright as to dazzle other road users. Headlamp operation and aim is also routinely checked as part of the annual MoT inspection.
No recent UK assessment has been made of the effectiveness of dipped motorcycle headlamps but in response to public concerns raised about glare from vehicle headlamps an international glare prevention taskforce has been established at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. UK officials and vehicle manufacturers’ representatives are actively involved in the work of the group which is reviewing existing requirements and looking at potential measures to reduce the occurrence of headlamp glare.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that motorcycle lighting systems do not cause glare for other road users.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
There are detailed requirements that must be satisfied before vehicles can be sold or registered in the UK. The lighting system fitted to motorcycles is included in the pre-registration assessment which requires that headlamps are approved to internationally recognised standards to ensure that they are bright enough to light the road ahead but not so bright as to dazzle other road users. Headlamp operation and aim is also routinely checked as part of the annual MoT inspection.
No recent UK assessment has been made of the effectiveness of dipped motorcycle headlamps but in response to public concerns raised about glare from vehicle headlamps an international glare prevention taskforce has been established at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. UK officials and vehicle manufacturers’ representatives are actively involved in the work of the group which is reviewing existing requirements and looking at potential measures to reduce the occurrence of headlamp glare.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of dip headlights on motorcycles in improving road safety.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
There are detailed requirements that must be satisfied before vehicles can be sold or registered in the UK. The lighting system fitted to motorcycles is included in the pre-registration assessment which requires that headlamps are approved to internationally recognised standards to ensure that they are bright enough to light the road ahead but not so bright as to dazzle other road users. Headlamp operation and aim is also routinely checked as part of the annual MoT inspection.
No recent UK assessment has been made of the effectiveness of dipped motorcycle headlamps but in response to public concerns raised about glare from vehicle headlamps an international glare prevention taskforce has been established at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. UK officials and vehicle manufacturers’ representatives are actively involved in the work of the group which is reviewing existing requirements and looking at potential measures to reduce the occurrence of headlamp glare.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure adequate numbers of qualified physics teachers in secondary schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government’s Plan for Change is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 new expert teachers across secondary and special schools and our colleges over the course of this Parliament.
In 2023/24, just 17% of the postgraduate initial teacher training target for physics trainees was met. In 2025/26, this increased to 78%, with 1,095 new entrants, reaching the highest number for physics since comparable statistics began in 2014/15.
We are continuing to support physics teacher recruitment with bursaries worth £29,000 and scholarships worth £31,000 tax free. We are also supporting retention alongside increased recruitment, with an offer of a targeted retention incentive, which has a value of up to £6,000 after tax for physics teachers in years 1-5 of their career who choose to work in the most disadvantaged schools. This comes on top of near 10% pay rises for all teachers and leaders in the last two years, and we continue to work with sector leaders to reduce workloads, improve wellbeing and increase flexible working.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential implications of modern military technologies, including drones, for the security of the Falkland Islands.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
As the Strategic Defence Review set out, a core role for Defence is the protection of the UK’s overseas territories, which includes maintaining a defensive military posture in the Falkland Islands. We review that posture regularly to ensure it reflects all relevant developments. I am confident that our current military presence in the region is appropriately scaled to ensure the security of the Islands.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the defence of the Falkland Islands reflects developments in long-range missile technology.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
As the Strategic Defence Review set out, a core role for Defence is the protection of the UK’s overseas territories, which includes maintaining a defensive military posture in the Falkland Islands. We review that posture regularly to ensure it reflects all relevant developments. I am confident that our current military presence in the region is appropriately scaled to ensure the security of the Islands.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of UK military capabilities to deter threats to the Falkland Islands.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
As the Strategic Defence Review set out, a core role for Defence is the protection of the UK’s overseas territories, which includes maintaining a defensive military posture in the Falkland Islands. We review that posture regularly to ensure it reflects all relevant developments. I am confident that our current military presence in the region is appropriately scaled to ensure the security of the Islands.