Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 maintain and support astrophysics research projects at centres such as the research institute at Jodrell Bank Observatory.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is investing a record £86 billion in R&D between 2026/27 and 2029/30, with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) delivering £38.6 billion across the UK. UKRI’s “applicant-led” budgets will increase from £737 million this year to £815 million in 2026/27 and £866 million in 2029/30.
The Government recognises the central role that physics plays in driving economic growth, underpinning emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum and semiconductors, nuclear fusion and many others as well as sustaining the UK’s long-term scientific and industrial capability.
DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its final allocations are informed by consultation with the research community, as well as robust assessment of potential impacts on the UK’s scientific capability. Physics is well funded and there have been big increases for quantum and nuclear. The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), which is part of UKRI, is currently working with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its specific portfolio in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear (PPAN). No final spending decisions relating to STFC’s PPAN portfolio have been made, and the impacts of different modelled scenarios will be considered alongside feedback from the sector before taking any final decisions.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 impact of UK Research and Innovation research grant cuts on early career researchers in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is investing a record £86 billion in R&D between 2026/27 and 2029/30, with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) delivering £38.6 billion across the UK. UKRI’s “applicant-led” budgets will increase from £737 million this year to £815 million in 2026/27 and £866 million in 2029/30.
The Government recognises the central role that physics plays in driving economic growth, underpinning emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum and semiconductors, nuclear fusion and many others as well as sustaining the UK’s long-term scientific and industrial capability.
DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its final allocations are informed by consultation with the research community, as well as robust assessment of potential impacts on the UK’s scientific capability. Physics is well funded and there have been big increases for quantum and nuclear. The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), which is part of UKRI, is currently working with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its specific portfolio in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear (PPAN). No final spending decisions relating to STFC’s PPAN portfolio have been made, and the impacts of different modelled scenarios will be considered alongside feedback from the sector before taking any final decisions.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 impact of UK Research and Innovation provision on the future of UK research in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is investing a record £86 billion in R&D between 2026/27 and 2029/30, with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) delivering £38.6 billion across the UK. UKRI’s “applicant-led” budgets will increase from £737 million this year to £815 million in 2026/27 and £866 million in 2029/30.
The Government recognises the central role that physics plays in driving economic growth, underpinning emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum and semiconductors, nuclear fusion and many others as well as sustaining the UK’s long-term scientific and industrial capability.
DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its final allocations are informed by consultation with the research community, as well as robust assessment of potential impacts on the UK’s scientific capability. Physics is well funded and there have been big increases for quantum and nuclear. The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), which is part of UKRI, is currently working with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its specific portfolio in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear (PPAN). No final spending decisions relating to STFC’s PPAN portfolio have been made, and the impacts of different modelled scenarios will be considered alongside feedback from the sector before taking any final decisions.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department will confirm the funding allocations of the Road Investment Strategy 3.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) is due to be published later in March. It will confirm the funding and objectives for National Highways’ investment in the strategic road network over the five-year period from 2026/27 to 2030/31.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the National Highways' investigations into proposals to improve road safety at the Llynclys crossroads on the A483.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
National Highways has assessed the safety performance of the 6-mile section of the A483 between Oswestry and the Welsh Border, which includes the Llynclys Crossroads. Improvements to the route are being considered for delivery as part of the Safety National Programme within RIS3, which is due to be published later in March.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 ensure complex ophthalmology care is provided in a timely fashion.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have committed to ensuring that 92% of all patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment (RTT) by March 2029. Since the Government came into office, the waiting list for routine appointments, operations, and procedures in England has now been cut by 374,083, and RTT performance has improved by 2.6%. This is despite 33.3 million referrals onto the waiting list.
In ophthalmology, the national waiting list stands at 602,163 pathways, with 69.8% of those having waited 18 weeks or less. This marks a 3.7% improvement in RTT performance since the Government came into office.
We are committed to expanding the number of surgical hubs, which provide dedicated and protected elective capacity to drive improvement in six specialities, including ophthalmology. We are reducing missed appointments through enhanced two-way communication between hospitals and patients, supported by artificial intelligence prediction tools. We are also expanding the use of remote monitoring and patient-initiated follow up, where appropriate, to offer patients more flexibility over their care.
Improved IT connectivity between primary and secondary eye care services and the development of single points of access has also shown its ability to improve the referral and triage of patients and support more care being delivered in the community.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many assaults on staff in NHS A&E departments have been recorded each year since 2019.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 2025 NHS staff survey showed that 14.47% of staff experienced at least one incidence of violence in the last 12 months from patients and/or service users, their relatives, or other members of the public, compared to 14.38% in 2024, 13.88% in 2023, 14.82% in 2022, 14.57% in 2021, 14.90% in 2020, and 15.08% in 2019. Data taken from the NHS Staff Survey cannot, however, be used to identity whether an incident has occurred in a particular department.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NICE Guidance to prevent irreversible sight loss is being met for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued technology appraisal guidance recommending several medicines for use in the treatment of wet age-related macular generation. The National Health Service in England is legally required to fund medicines in line with NICE’s recommendations, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.
NICE has also published a clinical guideline that provides comprehensive guidance on best practice in the management of patients with this condition, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng82
NICE clinical guidelines are not mandatory, but NHS commissioners are expected to take them fully into account in ensuring that local services meet the needs of their populations.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support British nationals in Indonesia that are unable to travel home due to the conflict in the Middle East.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 16 March in response to Question 118590.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many planned cataract surgeries have been delayed in each of the past 12 months due to integrated care boards not having enough money in their financial-year budget to pay the private providers delivering the procedures.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold this data.
Integrated care boards have existing contractual powers to manage activity by providers, which were enhanced in 2025/26 with central support for setting and managing activity. Commissioners’ use of these powers support systems to live within their means and deploy better financial discipline than previous years where systems have overspent. As these powers are exercised by local systems, no national assessment has been made.
We expect the use of activity management provisions by local systems to support efforts achieving the goal of at least 65% of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks for treatment by March 2026 whilst living within financial budgets set for 2025/26.