Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions (a) his Department and (b) Ofcom have had with international counterparts on international satellite regulations to increase the availability of satellite broadband in the UK.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As set out in the Industrial Strategy, which closely aligns to the objectives of the UK Space Strategy and C-LEO programme, DSIT is committed to ensuring appropriate spectrum availability to support Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT), including satellite broadband.
DSIT will continue working closely with Ofcom and international counterparts ahead of the World Radio Conference 2027, as well as collaborating with Ofcom domestically to promote efficient, innovative spectrum allocation and regulation that supports the development and deployment of ACT.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on improvements to international satellite regulations to support the objectives of the (a) UK Space Strategy and (b) C-LEO programme.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As set out in the Industrial Strategy, which closely aligns to the objectives of the UK Space Strategy and C-LEO programme, DSIT is committed to ensuring appropriate spectrum availability to support Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACT), including satellite broadband.
DSIT will continue working closely with Ofcom and international counterparts ahead of the World Radio Conference 2027, as well as collaborating with Ofcom domestically to promote efficient, innovative spectrum allocation and regulation that supports the development and deployment of ACT.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of equivalent power flux-density regulations on (a) rural connectivity and (b) the competitiveness of UK satellite broadband services.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In preparation for WRC-2027, Government officials are working with Ofcom and spectrum users to develop UK positions that reflect our national priorities, including enhancing rural connectivity, ensuring a resilient telecommunications sector, and supporting an international spectrum framework that enables the UK space and advanced connectivity technologies industries to thrive globally.
DSIT Officials also engage with Ofcom on spectrum regulatory issues under discussion at the ITU, including Equivalent Power Flux Density limits, to help shape outcomes that align with the UK’s strategic interests.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of amending regulations on international satellites on (a) Scottish rural communities and (b) digital resilience.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In preparation for WRC-2027, Government officials are working with Ofcom and spectrum users to develop UK positions that reflect our national priorities, including enhancing rural connectivity, ensuring a resilient telecommunications sector, and supporting an international spectrum framework that enables the UK space and advanced connectivity technologies industries to thrive globally.
DSIT Officials also engage with Ofcom on spectrum regulatory issues under discussion at the ITU, including Equivalent Power Flux Density limits, to help shape outcomes that align with the UK’s strategic interests.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on satellite regulations, in the context of the forthcoming World Radiocommunication Conference 2027.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In preparation for WRC-2027, Government officials are working with Ofcom and spectrum users to develop UK positions that reflect our national priorities, including enhancing rural connectivity, ensuring a resilient telecommunications sector, and supporting an international spectrum framework that enables the UK space and advanced connectivity technologies industries to thrive globally.
DSIT Officials also engage with Ofcom on spectrum regulatory issues under discussion at the ITU, including Equivalent Power Flux Density limits, to help shape outcomes that align with the UK’s strategic interests.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, published in June 2025, what progress he has made with Cabinet colleagues on the development of Defence Growth Deals.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
At the Spending Review, the Chancellor announced that there will be Defence Growth Deals launched across the UK. Further details will be provided in the forthcoming Defence Industrial Strategy.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people with Hepatitis B had received an interim payment of compensation from the Infected Blood Compensation Authority by 30 June 2025.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The delivery of the Infected Blood Interim Compensation Payments is the responsibility of the four existing Infected Blood Support Schemes (IBSS). Interim Payments have been made to people infected with HIV and/or Hepatitis C as a result of infected blood and their bereaved partners. People infected with Hepatitis B are not eligible to apply to IBSS and are therefore not eligible for interim payments.
However, the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, which is being delivered by the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA), has broader eligibility criteria than the current Infected Blood Support Schemes. People who are or were infected with a chronic case of Hepatitis B are eligible for compensation under the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, including compensation for past financial loss and care costs.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people with Hepatitis B were waiting for an interim payment of compensation from the Infected Blood Compensation Authority on 30 June 2025.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The delivery of the Infected Blood Interim Compensation Payments is the responsibility of the four existing Infected Blood Support Schemes (IBSS). Interim Payments have been made to people infected with HIV and/or Hepatitis C as a result of infected blood and their bereaved partners. People infected with Hepatitis B are not eligible to apply to IBSS and are therefore not eligible for interim payments.
However, the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, which is being delivered by the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA), has broader eligibility criteria than the current Infected Blood Support Schemes. People who are or were infected with a chronic case of Hepatitis B are eligible for compensation under the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, including compensation for past financial loss and care costs.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on compensation for people impacted by infected blood and also by variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
In his 2022 Compensation Framework Study, Sir Robert Francis recommended that variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) was not included in the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme. He noted that “this is a rare disease for which there is a separate compensation scheme. It is unlikely, therefore, that a separate category is justified in this scheme. However, many of the infected have been warned there is a risk of their having vCJD. Assuming that risk, insofar as it exists, is shared by all who have received blood or blood products in the relevant period, there is no special case for taking it into account in this scheme."
Chapter 5 of the Infected Blood Inquiry’s May 2024 Report examines the Government response to vCJD.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what methods the NHS uses to sterilise equipment to help prevent vCJD contamination; how long these methods have been used for; and what assessment he has made on the effectiveness of these methods.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service in England employs a stratified approach, combining extended autoclaving, enhanced washing, prion specific chemicals, and the destruction of high-risk instruments. The Health Technical Memorandum 01-01: Management and decontamination of surgical instruments (medical devices) used in acute care, published in 2013 and owned by the Department, outlines the decontamination practices and the various ways to sterilise reusable medical devices used in acute care in England. This technical memorandum is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/decontamination-of-surgical-instruments-htm-01-01/
The Advisory Committee for Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) issued new guidance to the NHS in April 1998 in response to the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) outbreak, to improve decontamination practices. Its guidance is reviewed and updated to ensure it remains accurate, effective, and compliant with current scientific evidence, and was last updated in November 2021. The ACDP’s guidance is available at the following link:
Since decontamination measures were put in place, there have been no confirmed cases of vCJD via surgical instruments in England.