Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the NHS Federated Data Platform contract with Palantir ahead of the 2027 break clause, in the context of reported concerns about undisclosed access to identifiable patient data and the disapplication of the National Data Opt-Out.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP) safely connects information from different systems across the National Health Service into a single, secure environment. This allows staff to co-ordinate care better to improve outcomes for patients.

The NHS FDP is delivering for the NHS, helping people get the care they need quicker and more efficiently. Since March 2024, more than 100,000 additional patients have been supported to undergo procedures in theatres partly by increasing theatre utilisation. Nearly 94,000 people have been supported on their cancer journey, with 7% seeing a reduction in the time it took to diagnose their cancer. There has been a 14% decrease in delays discharging patients staying in hospital for more than seven days, freeing up beds for those who need them most. NHS England publishes quarterly information on benefits realised from the FDP, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/digitaltechnology/nhs-federated-data-platform/impact/fdp-uptake-and-benefits/

As of the end of May 2026, 170 trusts have signed up for the NHS FDP including St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The supplier contract for the NHS FDP will be reviewed in line with standard contract management processes, and a decision will be made this year regarding the available extension provisions.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the environmental and animal welfare impacts of the breeding, release and shooting of game birds, and whether she plans to introduce a ban on these practices.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government has no plans to ban the breeding, release or shooting of gamebirds. However, gamebird shooting can have trade-offs with environmental, economic, and animal health and welfare outcomes and we want to ensure the highest standards of practice are consistently applied. To achieve this, Defra will work with stakeholders to explore wider measures, and this will begin with evidence gathering. Any proposed changes will be subject to public consultation.

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 access to treatments for pancreatic cancer and increase survival rates.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The National Cancer Plan includes further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including those with rare and less survivable cancers such as pancreatic cancer, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment. It will help ensure patients have access to the latest treatments and technology and will put the National Health Service at the forefront of global cancer care.

The plan sets out a major expansion in the use of genomics to support earlier diagnosis and more personalised treatment. By 2028, genomic data will be integrated into the unified genomic record, forming part of the Single Patient Record, enabling clinicians to start patients on the most effective treatment pathway faster.

To accelerate breakthroughs in cancer treatments, we will explore innovative procurement methods. This will aim to stimulate the development of new diagnostic tests, targeted therapies, and more effective treatments for rare cancers, ensuring that the NHS remains at the forefront of medical innovation.

Finally, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with vague and non-site-specific symptoms which do not clearly align to a tumour type. This includes symptoms of pancreatic cancer, which will support earlier diagnosis and better treatment options for patients with the disease.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the levels of the use of dogs at the MBR Acres facility in Cambridgeshire; and whether she plans to take steps to end the breeding and supply of dogs for scientific testing.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Pharmaceutical legislation requires that, before a medicine can be approved for testing in humans, it is tested in a rodent and non-rodent species under international guidelines. This may include dogs as an appropriate model. The number of Beagles bred is largely determined by the forecast needs of the pharmaceutical industry that require testing of medicines. The number of scientific procedures using animals, including dogs, is published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animals-in-science-regulation-unit#statistics.

The Home Office regulator assures compliance of all work licensed with the rigorous requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act. For every research proposal, Home Office inspectors assure that animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible, the number of animals are reduced to the minimum necessary to achieve the result sought, and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering.

This Government has made a commitment to the long-term goal of phasing out animal testing in science and research in all but exceptional circumstances. In November 2025, the Government published Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation, and uptake of alternative methods, backed by £75 million in funding. This includes plans to establish a UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods and a preclinical translational models hub, alongside specific commitments to reduce the number of dogs used in scientific procedures.

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 expand access to naloxone in communities.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

Naloxone forms a key part of the Government’s plan to reduce drug related deaths, and we are committed to expanding access to naloxone in communities across the country. The Government has already amended the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to expand access to naloxone by enabling more services and professionals to supply naloxone without needing a prescription.

In addition to the changes made in 2024, we recently published a United Kingdom wide public consultation which closed on 9 March, to seek views on further legislative options to expand access to take-home and emergency use naloxone. We are analysing the responses to this consultation, and we will be setting out the next steps soon.

One of the legislative proposals we have consulted on is to create a new route of supply by enabling publicly accessible naloxone for emergency use using a locked box model. This overdose prevention method could enable more local areas to have naloxone available at any time in high-risk public spaces such as high streets and near to nightlife venues, without needing a prescription or in person supply. We have also consulted on making further legislative changes to allow hostels, day centres, and outreach services for people experiencing homelessness to supply naloxone without a prescription.

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 help ensure the routine freezing of suitable brain tumour tissue samples to improve patient access to genomic testing, personalised treatments and research.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Department continues to engage with NHS England and wider stakeholders on improving access to high-quality pathology and genomics services, including those relevant to brain tumour patients.

NHS England and the Department will work with professional bodies, including the Royal College of Pathologists, to review tissue retention guidance. This work includes guidance on the consent of fresh-tissue freezing for all cancers, including for brain tumour patients. The Genomics Medicine Service has developed a Genomics Centre of Excellence for brain cancers to ensure access to whole genome sequencing (WGS) for brain tumour patients.

NHS England has made several wider commitments to address variation in the access and provision of pathology services, particularly histopathology and genomics across England, and has issued national guidance on sample handling, including for WGS of solid tumours. This guidance is intended to support consistent approaches to maintaining DNA quality, and support improved consistency and access to precision diagnostics across England, to improve personalised treatments and further support research.

In addition, standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the fresh freezing of tissue samples have already been developed across pathology networks in England. It is, however, the responsibility of individual pathology services to maintain their own SOPs for the fresh freezing of tissue samples. These protocols outline local capabilities and practices, including access and storage capacity.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to speed up the completion of building works at the Anglo Portuguese School of London; and if she will ensure that key facilities, including the play deck and kitchen, are completed before the start of the 2026–27 academic year.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department is aware of significant disruption for the Anglo Portuguese School of London and its pupils since the original contractor entered administration. A new contractor, Kier, was quickly appointed but identified various issues which needed to be addressed before works could continue. Progressing works at the school is a priority, but it is complex and has taken longer to resolve than we would ideally have liked.

To address the urgent need for additional facilities, the department authorised early construction work which commenced in June. The additional classroom space will be completed for September 2026. Construction of the play-deck will take longer as it involves essential fire protection work.

We are working at pace so the remaining school facilities, including the kitchen, can be delivered as quickly as possible.

Departmental officials will continue to push for a resolution. We would like to thank teachers and school leaders for their resilience and collaborative approach to delivering education during this time.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has analysed international examples of requiring intervening Intelligent Speed Assistance technology for high-risk and repeat speeding offenders.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department has not undertaken specific analysis of international approaches to require intervening Intelligent Speed Assistance technology for high‑risk or repeat speeding offenders. The Government keeps the motoring offences framework under review, but does not currently have any plans to introduce Intelligent Speed Assistance for those convicted of speeding offences. The Department will continue to consider emerging evidence on technologies to improve road safety.

The Department does not have a specific national definition of a high-risk repeat speeding offender. Sentencing in individual speeding cases is a matter for the courts, which assess the seriousness of the offence by reference to the speed recorded against the applicable speed limit and any relevant aggravating factors, including previous convictions.

The Department has not commissioned bespoke data from police forces specifically on repeat speeding offenders to inform policy development. Data on motoring offences, including speeding, is published annually by the Home Office in its “Police powers and procedures: Roads policing” statistical release.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has asked police forces to provide data on repeat speeding offenders to inform future road safety policy.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department has not undertaken specific analysis of international approaches to require intervening Intelligent Speed Assistance technology for high‑risk or repeat speeding offenders. The Government keeps the motoring offences framework under review, but does not currently have any plans to introduce Intelligent Speed Assistance for those convicted of speeding offences. The Department will continue to consider emerging evidence on technologies to improve road safety.

The Department does not have a specific national definition of a high-risk repeat speeding offender. Sentencing in individual speeding cases is a matter for the courts, which assess the seriousness of the offence by reference to the speed recorded against the applicable speed limit and any relevant aggravating factors, including previous convictions.

The Department has not commissioned bespoke data from police forces specifically on repeat speeding offenders to inform policy development. Data on motoring offences, including speeding, is published annually by the Home Office in its “Police powers and procedures: Roads policing” statistical release.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has a national definition of a high-risk repeat speeding offender.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department has not undertaken specific analysis of international approaches to require intervening Intelligent Speed Assistance technology for high‑risk or repeat speeding offenders. The Government keeps the motoring offences framework under review, but does not currently have any plans to introduce Intelligent Speed Assistance for those convicted of speeding offences. The Department will continue to consider emerging evidence on technologies to improve road safety.

The Department does not have a specific national definition of a high-risk repeat speeding offender. Sentencing in individual speeding cases is a matter for the courts, which assess the seriousness of the offence by reference to the speed recorded against the applicable speed limit and any relevant aggravating factors, including previous convictions.

The Department has not commissioned bespoke data from police forces specifically on repeat speeding offenders to inform policy development. Data on motoring offences, including speeding, is published annually by the Home Office in its “Police powers and procedures: Roads policing” statistical release.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review the use of generic service licences for animal experiments, granted without identification of the specific substance to be tested, and what steps she is taking to ensure that a robust harm-benefit analysis is undertaken before such licences are authorised.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

All project licence applications for the use of animals in scientific procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, including service licences, are reviewed by trained Home Office inspectors prior to being authorised. Licences may only be granted where there are no suitable alternatives to animal use and where the likely harms to animals are justified by the expected benefits, as determined through a harm-benefit analysis.

Regulatory studies under service licences use standardised methods to generate evidence required to support the safe development and use of medicines and other products, meaning the benefits of the work are clearly defined in advance. Where the specific substances are not all known at the point of licence application, applicants provide information on the overall categories of substances to be tested. Inspectors consider the scientific purpose of the proposed studies and the regulatory questions they are intended to address, enabling a robust harm-benefit analysis.

The Animals in Science Committee recently conducted a review of service licences using non-human primates, and the Government responded to these recommendations in June. The Committee will continue to undertake licence reviews to strengthen protections for animals in science. The themes for future reviews will be determined in due course.

Found: Current membership Emily Thornberry (Labour; Islington South and Finsbury) (Chair) Fleur Anderson (Labour

Found: Fleur Anderson: Okay.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Emily Thornberry (Chair); Fleur Anderson; Edward Morello.

The Committee is examining the UK Government’s approach to Syria following the collapse of the Assad Regime in December 2024 and the establishment of a transitional government. 

Submit Evidence (by 3 Sep 2026)

The National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence Review identify Russia as the most acute threat to the UK. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UK Government has focused its defence and foreign policy posture on visible and practical support for Ukraine. The Committee is launching an inquiry on Russia to consider the UK’s bilateral relationship and whether the UK’s long-term strategic approach to a post-conflict Russia is clearly defined.