Gavin Williamson

A response will be issued in due course.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of 13th January is attached.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of 13th January is attached.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of 13th January is attached.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of 13th January is attached.

The High Risk Vendor process is not one that the Department for Business and Trade is responsible for.

We welcome Fujitsu’s acknowledgement of their moral obligation to contribute to the cost of the Horizon scandal. Fujitsu have also announced they will voluntarily not bid for new contracts unless requested by Government. The contract with Fujitsu to supply the Post Office Limited’s IT system is time limited - we are working with the Post Office and Fujitsu to ensure the transition is as soon as practically possible.

In 2023, the UK and Algeria established a Trade Taskforce, a forum for the two countries to discuss how we can strengthen our trade and investment relationship on a regular basis, which may include formal trade agreements. The Taskforce had its inaugural meeting earlier this year, and there was a strong willingness to drive trade between the two countries. There are, presently, no plans for the UK to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement with Algeria.

We do not currently have plans to require solar and battery projects to be covered by decommissioning bonds.

Solar farms are normally temporary structures and planning conditions can be used to ensure that the installations are removed when no longer in use and the land is restored to its previous use. Solar panels can be decommissioned relatively easily and cheaply. It is a legal requirement for any company that imports, manufactures or rebrands solar products to join a ‘Producer Compliance Scheme’, which then ensures their legal obligations are met, most significantly for the collection and recycling of old PV panels.

The Government is determined to eradicate forced labour in global supply chains, including in the manufacture of solar panels.

Legislation and guidance are already in place to help businesses take action against modern slavery. However, we are working across government to see where we can go further, keeping all potential policy options under review.

We are monitoring closely the industry-led supply chain assurance scheme, the Solar Stewardship Initiative. Further information on the actions needed to develop supply chains that are resilient and free from forced labour will be set out in the Solar Roadmap, to be published in Spring 2025.

All Ministerial travel is subject to an assessment of the value of the engagement against a number of factors, including the mode of travel.

Track 1 projects are expected to be funded through a mixture of levy and exchequer funding. We expect levy funded projects to become operational from late 2028. The exact split of levy and exchequer funding across Track 1 will be determined in due course and is subject to further negotiation, consultation, and statutory processes. DESNZ will consider potential impacts on energy bills as part of the statutory processes for drawing down on any other new or existing levies that may further support CCUS Track-1.

Track 1 projects are expected to be funded through a mixture of levy and exchequer funding. We expect levy funded projects to become operational from late 2028. The exact split of levy and exchequer funding across Track 1 will be determined in due course and is subject to further negotiation, consultation, and statutory processes. DESNZ will consider potential impacts on energy bills as part of the statutory processes for drawing down on any other new or existing levies that may further support CCUS Track-1.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has not awarded any contracts to Public Digital.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology does not hold information on the rationale for Bloom Procurement Services awarding the contract to Public Digital on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

During a review of the records held at The National Archives concerning the murder of Martha Giles, a record was found to contain the personal data of several individuals who are assumed to still be living. Consequently, in accordance with the 100-year principle that is set out in the Guide to Archiving Personal Data, the record in question will be kept closed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the assumed lifetime of the youngest individual identified (2055).

Higher education providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees under the fee cap.

In deciding whether or not to increase fees, providers will want to ensure that they can continue to deliver courses which are fit for purpose and help students achieve their ambitions. For continuing students, this will depend on providers’ individual contracts with students, and they will wish to make their own legal assessment of this.

The department plans to publish an assessment of impacts, including on equality, of the planned tuition fee and student finance changes shortly.

An estimate of costs associated with the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech Act) 2023 was provided in the Impact Assessment published with the Act.

The Act was paused to consider options for its future, including repeal, and no final decision has been made on this. One of the reasons for pausing the Act was to consider the burden on higher education providers before making a final decision, and the department is currently engaging with stakeholders on this. The department will undertake all required impact assessments before making a final decision.

An estimate of costs associated with the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech Act) 2023 was provided in the Impact Assessment published with the Act.

The Act was paused to consider options for its future, including repeal, and no final decision has been made on this. One of the reasons for pausing the Act was to consider the burden on higher education providers before making a final decision, and the department is currently engaging with stakeholders on this. The department will undertake all required impact assessments before making a final decision.

The Department ran a call for evidence from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). The following factors were considered: reduction in payload per journey, increased waste, and increased vehicle mileage. Information received did not provide any compelling evidence for permitting a weight limit exemption specifically for VCMs on the grounds of mileage.

This is not a change to the policy on weights for VCMs but a decision to continue with the existing policy that a temporary exemption will come to an end in 2028.

This government is carefully reviewing the position it has inherited on HS2 and wider rail infrastructure and will set out detailed plans in due course.

These will include our plans for HS2 Phase 2b safeguarding and a disposal programme for land and property acquired for HS2 that is no longer required.

There are currently 43 properties in the village of Hopton, Staffordshire owned by the Secretary of State for Transport; these properties were acquired on behalf of the Government by HS2 Ltd.

Individual properties and claimants can have multiple active claims at any given time so data in the form requested is not available.

Individual properties and claimants can have multiple active claims at any given time so data in the form requested is not available.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes working closely with local providers to achieve a balance of quality, effectiveness and value for money that ensures that people who draw on care have a choice of appropriate and high-quality care services in their local area.

To ensure high standards of care, local authorities are assessed by the Care Quality Commission in how well they are delivering their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014.

The Government recognises challenges facing adult social care and is taking action to improve the system and enable more people to live independently for longer. While local authorities are best placed to plan and deliver care and support that meet the current and future needs of their populations, we are supporting them to deliver high quality and person-centred care.

In 2025/26, to enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, we made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities, which included an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant. We are providing £172 million across this and the last financial year, for around 15,000 home adaptations.

We will support commissioners and care providers to adopt preventative care technologies by introducing new national standards and trusted guidance. To support efficiency and the delivery of care, we are also developing a new national data infrastructure for adult social care to lay the foundations for near real-time visibility of information across health and care services.

We have also launched the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, chaired by Baroness Casey, to lead a national conversation and consider how to best create a fair and affordable adult social care system.

The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report in due course.

Everyone who has been harmed from sodium valproate has our deepest sympathies.

The National Disease Registration Service in NHS England, which collects and quality assures data about people with congenital anomalies and rare diseases across the whole of England, is assessing the feasibility and reliability of better ascertainment of foetal sodium valproate syndrome by linking data in the congenital anomaly register to primary care prescription data. Further information on the National Disease Registration Service is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs

The information requested is not held centrally.

Everyone who has been harmed from sodium valproate has our deepest sympathies. The Department does not collect information about the numbers of people harmed by sodium valproate in pregnancy.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has received 1,169 United Kingdom spontaneous suspected adverse drug reaction reports for sodium valproate related to use during pregnancy, from the initial licensing of the medicine up to 24 June 2025. The majority of reports relate to birth defects or developmental delays in the child.

These are well documented risks for women taking sodium valproate during pregnancy, and as such sodium valproate must not be prescribed to women under the age of 55 years old who are able to have children, unless two specialists independently consider and document that there is no other effective or tolerated treatment, and the patient fulfils the conditions of a Pregnancy Prevention Programme.

The UK is committed to supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We support the Peace Agreement signed in Washington in June and the Declaration of Principles signed in Doha in July. The Minister for Africa discussed next steps with the US Secretary of State on 21 July and the Qatari Minister of State on 25 July. Continued clashes on the ground highlight the need for sustained peace efforts. On 14 July, the Foreign Secretary spoke with President Tshisekedi, and on 9 July with President Kagame, urging full implementation of the Washington Peace Agreement. The Minister for Africa reinforced this message on 22 July during discussions with the UN Permanent Representatives of Rwanda and DRC. We remain in close contact with regional partners, particularly Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and Togo, and support efforts towards peace by the African Union (AU) and East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC). The Minister for Africa discussed the conflict with the Ugandan Prime Minister in July and President in April; the British High Commissioner also spoke with the President in July. Highlighting the potential of regional economic integration, on 5 June, the UK convened DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and investors to discuss the Ruzizi III hydropower project.

The UK is committed to supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We support the Peace Agreement signed in Washington in June and the Declaration of Principles signed in Doha in July. The Minister for Africa discussed next steps with the US Secretary of State on 21 July and the Qatari Minister of State on 25 July. Continued clashes on the ground highlight the need for sustained peace efforts. On 14 July, the Foreign Secretary spoke with President Tshisekedi, and on 9 July with President Kagame, urging full implementation of the Washington Peace Agreement. The Minister for Africa reinforced this message on 22 July during discussions with the UN Permanent Representatives of Rwanda and DRC. We remain in close contact with regional partners, particularly Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and Togo, and support efforts towards peace by the African Union (AU) and East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC). The Minister for Africa discussed the conflict with the Ugandan Prime Minister in July and President in April; the British High Commissioner also spoke with the President in July. Highlighting the potential of regional economic integration, on 5 June, the UK convened DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and investors to discuss the Ruzizi III hydropower project.

The UK is committed to supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We support the Peace Agreement signed in Washington in June and the Declaration of Principles signed in Doha in July. The Minister for Africa discussed next steps with the US Secretary of State on 21 July and the Qatari Minister of State on 25 July. Continued clashes on the ground highlight the need for sustained peace efforts. On 14 July, the Foreign Secretary spoke with President Tshisekedi, and on 9 July with President Kagame, urging full implementation of the Washington Peace Agreement. The Minister for Africa reinforced this message on 22 July during discussions with the UN Permanent Representatives of Rwanda and DRC. We remain in close contact with regional partners, particularly Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and Togo, and support efforts towards peace by the African Union (AU) and East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC). The Minister for Africa discussed the conflict with the Ugandan Prime Minister in July and President in April; the British High Commissioner also spoke with the President in July. Highlighting the potential of regional economic integration, on 5 June, the UK convened DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and investors to discuss the Ruzizi III hydropower project.

The UK is committed to supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We support the Peace Agreement signed in Washington in June and the Declaration of Principles signed in Doha in July. The Minister for Africa discussed next steps with the US Secretary of State on 21 July and the Qatari Minister of State on 25 July. Continued clashes on the ground highlight the need for sustained peace efforts. On 14 July, the Foreign Secretary spoke with President Tshisekedi, and on 9 July with President Kagame, urging full implementation of the Washington Peace Agreement. The Minister for Africa reinforced this message on 22 July during discussions with the UN Permanent Representatives of Rwanda and DRC. We remain in close contact with regional partners, particularly Uganda, Burundi, Kenya and Togo, and support efforts towards peace by the African Union (AU) and East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC). The Minister for Africa discussed the conflict with the Ugandan Prime Minister in July and President in April; the British High Commissioner also spoke with the President in July. Highlighting the potential of regional economic integration, on 5 June, the UK convened DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and investors to discuss the Ruzizi III hydropower project.

The UK regularly engages with the United Nations, including through our Embassy in Kinshasa, our High Commission in Kigali, and our Mission to the United Nations in New York, to discuss the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), including plans for the gradual, responsible and sustainable withdrawal of the mission and the transition of responsibilities to Congolese authorities. The Government of DRC has been clear that further MONUSCO withdrawal phases will only be implemented when conditions on the ground permit.

On 23 July, our High Commissioner in Rwanda discussed MONUSCO with the UN Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia. On 22 July, the UK's Special Envoy for the Great Lakes met with the UN officials to discuss MONUSCO. On 17 July, the UK participated in an International Contact Group for the Great Lakes Region meeting with Special Representative of the Secretary General Bintou Keita and MONUSCO Force Commander Lt. General Ulisses Gomes.