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 medical positions in the NHS require mandatory participation or engagement with disabled people or families to improve understanding.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no specific medical positions for which participation or engagement with disabled people or families is mandated nationally as a condition of practice. Employers are responsible for ensuring that staff have the knowledge and skills required for their roles, and professional standards and training requirements for doctors are set by the General Medical Council and relevant royal colleges.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to counter genocide denial and historical revisionism relating to the 1995 Srebrenica genocide in its engagement with the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The UK remains unequivocal that there can be no place for genocide denial or glorification of war criminals. We continue to support international justice, accountability and respect for the judgments of international tribunals.
We are closely monitoring summonses to individuals associated with the Srebrenica Memorial Centre (SMC). The cause of this investigation is unclear, and authorities must comply with the rule of law and ensure transparent public communication. Our Embassy in Sarajevo have stated this position publicly and met with SMC colleagues to express solidarity.
The UK summoned the Serbian Chargé d'Affaires on 8 September in response to the commemorations surrounding the funeral of Ratko Mladic. The thoughts of the UK Government are with Mladić's victims and their families.
The UK remains firmly committed to promoting lasting reconciliation across the Western Balkans, including through our £11 million Official Development Assistance commitment to conflict prevention in BiH, Kosovo and Serbia, and partnership with SMC.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of reports that staff and associates of the Srebrenica Memorial Centre have been summoned for questioning by Republika Srpska police in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism, led by Professor Peter Fonagy, was published on 9 October, providing analysis and recommendations across a wide range of issues relating to the current provision of services in this area.
The Government issued an initial response on the day of publication, available at the link below, but we will set out the full action we are taking in response to the review recommendations in our new Mental Health Strategy to be published later this year, which will be relevant to the issues raised by the Hon Member:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-pledges-earlier-support-to-tackle-mental-health-crises
The Government remains fully committed to developing and publishing a revised cross-Government autism strategy in line with the Autism Act 2009. We will engage on the development of the revised autism strategy, including on whether the scope of the autism strategy should be extended to cover ADHD.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support Ukraine's counter-drone capabilities in response to increased Russian drone attacks on frontline urban centres such as Zaporizhzhia.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK is stepping up air defence supplies to Ukraine and defence industrial cooperation to help protect Ukraine's civilians, urban centres and critical national infrastructure.
At the 35th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on 18 June, the UK announced the delivery of more than 350 air defence missiles and radars. In addition to this, twenty remotely guided counter-drone turrets, acquired from Estonia, are set for delivery in 2026, which are designed specifically to defeat Shahed-style attack drones.
In addition, we continue to regularly deliver hundreds of UK produced Lightweight Multi-Role Missile (LMM) air defence missiles to Ukraine.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential economic impact of the closure of (a) Heathrow Airport, (b) Gatwick Airport, (c) Manchester Airport, (d) Stansted Airport, (e) Luton Airport and (f) Glasgow Airport for (i) one hour and (ii) one day.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No assessment has been made of the economic cost of the closure of airspace around a major airport or the closure of an airport.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the economic cost of the closure of airspace around a major airport for (a) one hour and (b) one day.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
No assessment has been made of the economic cost of the closure of airspace around a major airport or the closure of an airport.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with Ofcom about the UK's position on satellite spectrum rules prior to the International Telecommunication Union World Radiocommunication Conference 2027 and associated working party meetings.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the importance of satellite connectivity, including in rural areas, and is assessing the available technical evidence on EPFD limits and their potential implications for spectrum use, broadband connectivity and competition between providers.
The Department regularly engages with Ofcom on international spectrum matters, including EPFD studies being undertaken in ITU-R Working Party 4A and preparations for WRC-27. These discussions will help inform the UK's position in international negotiations on satellite spectrum.
The UK’s approach to discussions on all spectrum matters, including equivalent power flux density (EPFD) limits is evidence-based and informed by broader strategic objectives, including economic growth, innovation, connectivity, resilience and national security.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of updating equivalent power flux density limits on (a) satellite broadband connectivity in rural areas and (b) competition among providers of rural broadband services.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the importance of satellite connectivity, including in rural areas, and is assessing the available technical evidence on EPFD limits and their potential implications for spectrum use, broadband connectivity and competition between providers.
The Department regularly engages with Ofcom on international spectrum matters, including EPFD studies being undertaken in ITU-R Working Party 4A and preparations for WRC-27. These discussions will help inform the UK's position in international negotiations on satellite spectrum.
The UK’s approach to discussions on all spectrum matters, including equivalent power flux density (EPFD) limits is evidence-based and informed by broader strategic objectives, including economic growth, innovation, connectivity, resilience and national security.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what position her Department will take on the reform of equivalent power flux density limits at the October 2026 meeting of the International Telecommunication Union's Radiocommunication Sector's Working Party 4A.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the importance of satellite connectivity, including in rural areas, and is assessing the available technical evidence on EPFD limits and their potential implications for spectrum use, broadband connectivity and competition between providers.
The Department regularly engages with Ofcom on international spectrum matters, including EPFD studies being undertaken in ITU-R Working Party 4A and preparations for WRC-27. These discussions will help inform the UK's position in international negotiations on satellite spectrum.
The UK’s approach to discussions on all spectrum matters, including equivalent power flux density (EPFD) limits is evidence-based and informed by broader strategic objectives, including economic growth, innovation, connectivity, resilience and national security.
Asked by: Graeme Downie (Labour - Dunfermline and Dollar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the economic cost to the UK economy of the closure of a major UK airport for (a) one hour and (b) one day.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The recovery from the NATS disruption on 8 September is ongoing and it is therefore too soon to estimate the full economic cost to the UK economy. However, I am under no illusion that the economic cost of the recent incident is incredibly significant. Therefore, we need to learn the lessons from what has happened to ensure that we can minimise the chance of disruption of this kind happening again.
Following the disruption, on 9 September NATS agreed to undertake a rapid review, reporting to us by 16 September, setting out the cause of the incident and the actions taken in response. We have also asked the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to undertake an independent review of the incident, which is expected to report within six months.