Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to ensure small and mid-sized quoted companies (a) invest in and (b) are listed in the UK.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The UK’s capital markets play a key role in delivering on the government’s growth mission. We have already delivered an ambitious set of reforms to make it easier for firms to start, scale, list and stay on UK markets, and capital markets are a core pillar of the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, launched at Mansion House.

The UK is also a hub for growth capital, with UK growth markets providing funding to growing companies from across the world. Over the last 10 years, over half of all capital raised on European growth markets was raised on AIM.

The government maintains a range of targeted tax reliefs for growth market shares, supporting capital raising for listed businesses, and investors in those shares. This supports growth in the broader UK economy.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress has the Future of TV Distribution Stakeholder Forum made.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Future of TV Distribution Stakeholder Forum met 6 times times over the course of one year, to identify key issues, build the evidence base, and explore policy options. The Stakeholder Forum was supported by three working groups covering the TV sector, infrastructure, and audiences. The first meeting took place in November 2024 and the final meeting in December 2025. No further meetings of the forum are planned.

The future of TV distribution project has entered the next phase reviewing evidence produced by the forum and other stakeholders. Stakeholder Forum papers, as well as the minutes of the Forum, will be published in due course on GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of switching off digital terrestrial television on levels of digital and social exclusion among older people, disabled people, those on low incomes and people in rural areas; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing specific mitigation measures to protect those groups in the event of such a switch off, including financial support, connectivity support or alternative provision of free to air television services.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government recognises the vital role television plays in the lives of people across the UK and the impact that the discontinuation of digital terrestrial television may have on those at risk of digital and social exclusion, including those with low incomes and in fuel poverty.

The future of digital terrestrial television is secured in legislation until at least 2034. In considering the availability of services beyond this point, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the voluntary sector, and industry to ensure all aspects of digital inclusion are considered at every stage of the decision making process.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the (a) one-off and (b) ongoing costs to households, including those with low incomes and in fuel poverty, of a switch-off of the digital terrestrial television network, including (i) new set-top boxes, (ii) new televisions, (iii) broadband subscriptions and (iv) any installation/IT support for vulnerable households.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government recognises the vital role television plays in the lives of people across the UK and the impact that the discontinuation of digital terrestrial television may have on those at risk of digital and social exclusion, including those with low incomes and in fuel poverty.

The future of digital terrestrial television is secured in legislation until at least 2034. In considering the availability of services beyond this point, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the voluntary sector, and industry to ensure all aspects of digital inclusion are considered at every stage of the decision making process.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the human rights situation in Nicaragua.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 15 September 2025 in response to Question 74711.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to (a) include Tourette syndrome in neurodevelopmental strategy work and (b) mandate Integrated Care Boards to establish diagnostic and treatment pathways similar to those for autism and epilepsy.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are no current plans to produce a Neurodevelopmental Strategy. On 23 January 2026, we published our response to the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee’s report, Time to deliver: The Autism Act 2009 and the new autism strategy. We welcomed the committee’s report, and are carefully considering its recommendations, as well as our approach to developing a new national autism strategy, and we will set out a position in due course.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for assessing local population need and for commissioning appropriate diagnostic and treatment pathways for neurological conditions, including Tourette syndrome. While the Department has not undertaken a national assessment of provision across ICBs, we recognise the concerns raised about variation in diagnosis and support. To help address this, NHS England’s Getting it Right First Time programme is working with ICBs to develop clear, consistent diagnostic and treatment pathways.

NHS England’s Learning Hub hosts an e-learning module, Understanding Tourette’s Syndrome, which was produced by Tourette’s Action. It aims to improve understanding of the condition, its co-occurring features, and the impact it has on individuals, as well as to dispel misconceptions that surround it and other tic disorders.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on suspected neurological conditions, which includes recommendations on treatment for tics and involuntary movements in adults and children. The guidance can be found via the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to ensure that Integrated Care Boards provide clear diagnostic and treatment pathways for children and adults with Tourette syndrome.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are no current plans to produce a Neurodevelopmental Strategy. On 23 January 2026, we published our response to the House of Lords Autism Act 2009 Inquiry Committee’s report, Time to deliver: The Autism Act 2009 and the new autism strategy. We welcomed the committee’s report, and are carefully considering its recommendations, as well as our approach to developing a new national autism strategy, and we will set out a position in due course.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for assessing local population need and for commissioning appropriate diagnostic and treatment pathways for neurological conditions, including Tourette syndrome. While the Department has not undertaken a national assessment of provision across ICBs, we recognise the concerns raised about variation in diagnosis and support. To help address this, NHS England’s Getting it Right First Time programme is working with ICBs to develop clear, consistent diagnostic and treatment pathways.

NHS England’s Learning Hub hosts an e-learning module, Understanding Tourette’s Syndrome, which was produced by Tourette’s Action. It aims to improve understanding of the condition, its co-occurring features, and the impact it has on individuals, as well as to dispel misconceptions that surround it and other tic disorders.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on suspected neurological conditions, which includes recommendations on treatment for tics and involuntary movements in adults and children. The guidance can be found via the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127/

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what comparative assessment he has made of the resilience of a broadcast-based digital terrestrial television platform with an internet-only service during (a) widespread power outages, (b) cyber incidents, and (c) other emergencies; and what contingency plans would maintain universal access to public service broadcasting during such events.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Government understands the importance of everyone being able to access information in times of national emergency. Both television and radio play a vital role in providing such access for a range of different emergency scenarios, including scenarios where other communications may be disrupted.

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications in a range of scenarios including a national power outage and cyber attacks.

The Government, led by DCMS, is looking into the future of TV distribution and is considering a range of relevant factors, including the future resilience requirements for broadcast networks. It is important that audiences continue to receive consistent levels of service regardless of how they receive their television, and ensuring that this can happen will be a priority for the project.

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 improve (a) diagnostic and (b) treatment pathways for Tourette syndrome in areas of England that do not have a dedicated service.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for assessing local population need and for commissioning appropriate diagnostic and treatment pathways for neurological conditions, including Tourette syndrome. While the Department has not undertaken a national assessment of provision across ICBs, we recognise the concerns raised about variation in diagnosis and support. To help address this, NHS England’s Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) programme is working with ICBs to develop clear, consistent diagnostic and treatment pathways.

NHS England’s Learning Hub hosts an e-learning module, Understanding Tourette’s Syndrome, which was produced by Tourette’s Action. It aims to improve understanding of the condition, its co-occurring features, and the impact it has on individuals, and dispel misconceptions that surround it and other tic disorders.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on suspected neurological conditions, which includes recommendations on treatment for tics and involuntary movements in adults and children. The guidance can be found via the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help improve Tourette syndrome services in every region.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for assessing local population need and for commissioning appropriate diagnostic and treatment pathways for neurological conditions, including Tourette syndrome. While the Department has not undertaken a national assessment of provision across ICBs, we recognise the concerns raised about variation in diagnosis and support. To help address this, NHS England’s Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) programme is working with ICBs to develop clear, consistent diagnostic and treatment pathways.

NHS England’s Learning Hub hosts an e-learning module, Understanding Tourette’s Syndrome, which was produced by Tourette’s Action. It aims to improve understanding of the condition, its co-occurring features, and the impact it has on individuals, and dispel misconceptions that surround it and other tic disorders.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on suspected neurological conditions, which includes recommendations on treatment for tics and involuntary movements in adults and children. The guidance can be found via the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127/

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the United States’ Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act; and whether he plans to introduce similar legislation.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government is committed to tackling forced labour in UK and global supply chains and ensuring that UK businesses are not complicit in human rights abuses. Import bans are one of a range of tools that could be used to tackle forced labour in global supply chains. The review launched in the Trade Strategy 2025 into the UK’s approach to responsible business conduct will consider policy options to complement responsible business practices; this includes import bans. The Government continues to engage with international partners, including the US, to support our shared goal of combatting forced labour in supply chains.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will develop a transnational repression framework to enable the police to recognise and tackle transnational repression.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Defending Democracy Taskforce’s review into transnational repression (TNR), which concluded in May 2025, has found that the UK already has appropriate tools and system‑wide safeguards in place to robustly counter this threat. The review also sets a clear strategic direction which is improving the Government’s response to TNR.

The review found that the Police have mature mechanisms to detect, assess and respond to threats from foreign states, with the ability to escalate potential TNR cases to Counter Terrorism Policing specialists. Building on the findings of the review, we have since strengthened our response further by rolling out training across all 45 territorial police forces, including upskilling of 999 call handlers, to improve frontline identification and response to state-directed threats.

We will continue working with the police to strengthen awareness, confidence and capability, while keeping our response proportionate, effective and focused on protecting those most at risk. Anyone who believes they are a victim of state-directed activity should report incidents or suspicious activity to the police via 101, at a local police station, or 999 in emergencies.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of F-35As that need to be procured to undertake training for the wider UK F-35 fleet and perform the tactical nuclear delivery mission.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The United Kingdom is purchasing at least 12 F-35A aircraft. The aircraft will allow the UK to participate in NATO's Dual Capable Aircraft (DCA) nuclear mission. The nuclear weapons allocated to the NATO DCA nuclear mission are United States (US) nuclear weapons and the US retains control and custody over them.

NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept states that the strategic nuclear forces of the Alliance, particularly those of the US, are the supreme guarantee of the security of the Alliance.

The Government has no plans to expand the UK nuclear deterrent beyond our existing submarine-based system but continues to keep its nuclear posture under constant review in light of the international security environment and the actions of potential adversaries.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of the announcement that 12 F-35As will be bought, beyond the £1.1 billion already announced, once weapons, simulators, and infrastructure are taken into account.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The whole-life cost estimate of £57 billion includes procurement and sustainment of 138 F-35 aircraft to 2069, including technical infrastructure, weapons integration, and aircraft upgrades. The procurement of 12 F-35A rather than 12 F-35B as part of the next procurement package is expected to deliver a saving of up to 25% in initial procurement costs per aircraft for the taxpayer.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK will join France in calling for the resignation of UN special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories Ms. Francesca Albanese.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Along with several other countries, we have raised concerns about a series of comments made by the Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Ministers have raised these concerns directly with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the UK has asked that the comments of the Special Rapporteur be urgently investigated against the Code of Conduct for her post, and for action to be taken to restore the confidence of the international community in the independence and objectivity of this important role.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with industry stakeholders on mitigating the impact of delays to the Defence Investment Plan on investment planning.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Secretary of State for Defence and other Defence Ministers engage routinely and regularly with a wide range of industry stakeholders through established forums, bilateral meetings, and routine commercial engagement on a broad number of topics.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of barriers to transport faced by disabled people across the UK on disabled people; and what steps are being taken to deliver transport equity for disabled people.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government recognises that more needs to be done to ensure transport is accessible to all, and we are committed to delivering change as part of our broader mission to break down barriers to opportunity. We want to see passenger transport services that are more inclusive and enable disabled people to travel safely, confidently and with dignity.

Our Bus Services Act 2025 includes a comprehensive package of measures to address some of the barriers faced by disabled people when using local transport. Through the Act, we are helping authorities to provide safer and more accessible bus stations and stops; mandating more streamlined disability training for bus drivers and frontline staff and requiring local authorities to regularly review the accessibility of their bus networks through the development and publishing of a Bus Network Accessibility Plan.

We also know disabled passengers often face barriers when travelling by rail and we are committed to improving this experience. That is why we published the Department’s roadmap to an accessible railway. It sets out what we are doing now to improve the day-to-day travelling experience for disabled passengers in the lead up to Great British Railways being established. The Railways Bill will also establish a Passenger Watchdog to protect the rights of disabled passengers by monitoring service delivery, investigating persistent issues, setting minimum standards and advocating for improvements. We are also continuing to install accessible routes at stations through our Access for All programme.

We are also committed to developing an Accessible Travel Charter. The Charter is a commitment to a shared vision for accessible travel. It will set out what disabled travellers can expect from their journeys, share best practice across organisations and create consistency in end-to-end journeys for disabled travellers.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment the Department has made of the potential impact of the Motability Scheme in supporting the automotive sector in the North East.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Motability Operations announced plans to support the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy. The number of British made vehicles purchased by the Scheme will reach 25% by 2030, with an ambition of 50% of vehicles registered on the Scheme being made in the UK by 2035. The government welcomes these announcements. This will support domestic vehicle manufacturing, ensuring well-paid jobs across the UK. The Department will continue to engage with Motability Operations and industry stakeholders to assess the potential impact on regional automotive manufacturing, including in the North East as Motability delivers on its plans.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Motability Scheme in supporting the work to meet ZEV mandate targets.

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

Motability Operations, which delivers the Motability Scheme, has the largest fleet in the country and has an important role in ensuring an equitable transition to zero emission vehicles. Electric vehicles (EVs) are available through the Motability Scheme, with over 105,000 EVs on the Scheme and over 99,000 charge points installed to date:  https://www.mo.co.uk/our-impact/.

Trade union de-recognition at GB Railfreight

Eating disorder services

Proscription of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

Buying community energy locally

Found: This is evident through Luke Akehurst describing having to choose between a step-free office or one

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Clive Efford (Chair); Luke Akehurst; Alex Ballinger; Sarah Bool;