Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme in North Shropshire constituency are able to access their pensions.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.

The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.

Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Capita prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. The same position was reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March.

Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,979 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April.

To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.

The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the role of battery storage in reducing the UK's reliance on international energy markets.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Batteries help balance the electricity system at lower cost and maximise the output from intermittent renewable generation, which helps reduce our reliance on gas and thus international energy markets.

As of March 2027, there is 7.2GW of grid-scale battery storage on the GB grid. S The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan set out an ambition for 23-27 GW of grid-scale batteries connected by 2030. We are therefore already making significant strides towards reducing our dependence on gas.

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 address regional differences in funding for patients trying to conceive through IVF, in the context of NICE guidelines on offering people under 40 up to three full cycles of IVF.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their local population.

On 31 March, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its updated fertility guideline, which recommends that women under 40 years old who meet the clinical eligibility criteria should be offered up to three full cycles of in vitro fertilisation.

We expect ICBs to consider and reflect the updated NICE fertility guideline in their commissioning decisions, and we are working with NHS England to support greater consistency in provision. 

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 merits of more closely aligning spectrum policy with mobile coverage and connectivity objectives across the UK.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The government's ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. Our spectrum policy supports the industry achieve this.

Spectrum is a strategic national asset and ensuring efficient use of spectrum is a priority for the government. A range of measures can support this including the adoption of innovative technologies, enhanced spectrum sharing and, in some cases, new spectrum allocations.

Ofcom is responsible for spectrum management in the UK and its duties include balancing the needs of different spectrum users and encouraging the availability of mobile and other services throughout the UK.

The government has no plans to publish a refreshed spectrum strategy currently. However, we frequently review our spectrum policy priorities, for example in the recent draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for Telecommunications, the Management of Radio Spectrum, and Postal Services.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to publish a refreshed spectrum strategy.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The government's ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. Our spectrum policy supports the industry achieve this.

Spectrum is a strategic national asset and ensuring efficient use of spectrum is a priority for the government. A range of measures can support this including the adoption of innovative technologies, enhanced spectrum sharing and, in some cases, new spectrum allocations.

Ofcom is responsible for spectrum management in the UK and its duties include balancing the needs of different spectrum users and encouraging the availability of mobile and other services throughout the UK.

The government has no plans to publish a refreshed spectrum strategy currently. However, we frequently review our spectrum policy priorities, for example in the recent draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for Telecommunications, the Management of Radio Spectrum, and Postal Services.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities to develop in‑house digital and connectivity expertise, to improve the interpretation and use of mobile coverage and performance data.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The telecoms regulator, Ofcom, is responsible for reporting on network coverage and availability across the UK. This data should be presented in an accessible format for all types of user, including local authorities.

Government believes Digital Champions can play a key role in advancing the digital connectivity agenda - and help local communities to realise the benefits advanced connectivity can bring. We encourage local and combined authorities to appoint them as dedicated officers where possible, to help improve the interpretation and use of mobile coverage and performance data.

More details on the role that Digital Champions can play can be found on Digital Connectivity Portal. The Portal is an extensive online resource providing best practice guidance helping local authorities to facilitate digital infrastructure deployment. It can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/digital-strategy-and-leadership#digital-champion.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to establish a clear and consistent definition of good quality mobile connectivity, beyond coverage alone.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for Telecommunications, the Management of Radio Spectrum, and Postal Services sets out a priority for Ofcom to keep under review its definitions of what constitutes “good” 4G and 5G and the signal strength thresholds it uses to measure this, so that these definitions continue to reflect consumer and business expectations as user requirements and behaviours evolve.

In parallel, the Government is undertaking a Mobile Market Review to assess the impact of technological, structural and financial market developments on investment in comprehensive high-quality mobile connectivity.

As part of the call for evidence to inform the review, we are asking for detailed evidence on how the Government should think about, and define, ‘good’ mobile coverage in relation to the quality of service provided to consumers, businesses and the public sector and what steps could Government take to ensure operators are able to provide this. We will use these responses to further inform policy on this issue. The call for evidence was published on 10 February 2026 and closes 5 May 2026.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the opportunities presented by Great British Railways to improve access to rail‑side infrastructure for mobile connectivity, including by addressing historic barriers related to trackside deployment and in‑carriage signal penetration.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department provided funding to Network Rail as part of its 'open for business' initiative:

• to look at the suitability of using Network Rail's existing trackside infrastructure (including operational GSM-R masts and overhead line stanchions) for use by mobile network operators or private 5G providers; and
• to publish guidelines for the telecommunication industry wishing to use such infrastructure. Under Great British Railways, the Department expects this to continue.

The Department has secured funding as part of the Spending Review to deploy low earth orbit satellite to improve on train Wi-Fi on our mainline trains, and we have also asked Network Rail to explore how passenger mobile connectivity can be improved through its upgrade from the existing system, GSM-R, to the Future Railway Mobile Communication System.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the ten advice and guidance referral pathways selected by each integrated care board.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Currently there are no plans to publish a national dataset setting out the specialties selected by National Health Service providers at integrated care board level. This position is being kept under review.

Performance of As You Like It by Shropshire Youth Theatre at Soulton Hall

Sir David Attenborough's 100th birthday

Cost of red diesel

British citizens' right to a family life with spouses in the UK

MS Awareness Week 2026

UK defence bonds

Introduction of reforms to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief

Food Bill

Ban trophy hunting imports

Use of swift bricks

100th anniversary of the birth of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough

Mountain rescue in Cumbria

Social care

Found: MP Helen Morgan raised this issue in Parliament citing “after 25 years of devolution, NHS England and