Mark Pritchard

Anglican chaplains, as part of the Royal Army Chaplaincy Department, have been involved with training and providing ongoing to support to approximately 200 Ukrainian chaplains over the last 3 years.

The Bishop to the Armed Forces and the former Archbishop of Canterbury have met with Ukrainian chaplains and prayed with them. The former Archbishop also visited Ukraine on several occasions to see the work of the local church and to offer his personal support to humanitarian aid efforts, families displaced by the ongoing conflict, and to meet with civilians who have been directly impacted by the violence in Ukraine.

In a paper for the February 2025 sitting of the General Synod of the Church of England, the Liturgical Commission wrote:

“The Nicene Creed is one of the most significant, universally recognized and definitively authoritative statements of Christian faith, originating from the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD and later expanded at the First Council of Constantinople in 381 AD. It encapsulates the trinitarian shape of Christian believing, provides a comprehensive summary of the faith of the Church, and has been a central part of Christian worship for centuries”.

In its paper the Commission reminded the Church of England of the historic position of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed in its worship, commended its frequent recitation in worship, and remarked on its helpfulness as a didactic aid. The paper can be found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2025-01/gs-misc-1408-the-use-of-the-nicene-creed.pdf

The Church of England has produced resources to mark the 1700th anniversary. The publication 'We Believe: Exploring the Nicene Creed', is a series of 24 reflections on the words of the Nicene Creed, which will also be available on the Church of England’s daily devotional app, Everyday Faith, from the day after Trinity Sunday. Each reflection explores a portion of the Creed through the lens of a short Bible passage and a simple reflection, accompanied by a treasury of prayers. These reflections will form a centrepiece of the Church of England’s contribution to this year’s celebrations, as well as providing a lasting resource for Christian education and formation.

More information is available here: https://www.chpublishing.co.uk/books/9781781405154/we-believe-single-copy

The Ecclesiastical Law Society is hosting a conference in Chichester in June on ‘Nicaea Received: 1700 Years of Canons, Councils and Ecumenism’, which will be attended by the Archbishop of York and will feature speakers that include His All Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

As part of its regular series of events and lectures, Westminster Abbey is hosting a symposium in November on the Council of Nicaea and its influence.

The security of Parliament and its Members is a priority for the Commission, and it expects everyone in the parliamentary community, including Members, Members’ staff and House Administration staff, to support this aim and manage sensitive information appropriately. As the Commission and parliamentary authorities have repeatedly made clear, unauthorised disclosure of confidential security advice can pose a direct risk to the security of those we are trying to protect.

The House of Commons Commission has not discussed sanctions on Members who share security advice. However, unauthorised disclosures may also amount to a breach of the Code of Conduct for Members, in which case it would be for the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards or the Committee on Standards to consider penalties on a case-by-case basis.

House Administration staff who make an unauthorised disclosure would be subject to disciplinary action as set out in the House of Commons staff handbook.

Staff employed by Members are not the direct responsibility of the Commission, as they are employed by their Member. However, the Commission would call upon the Member to set standards for conduct and behaviour, and to determine disciplinary action where appropriate. Unauthorised disclosure of confidential information by their staff could be considered gross misconduct.

Beyond formal sanctions, the Parliamentary Authorities engage extensively with Members, their staff and House Administration staff to ensure they understand the crucial role they have to play in the security of the parliamentary community, including information security.

We recognise that strong role models can be key in inspiring others, and in challenging harmful stereotypes.

My officials work closely with male business leaders and campaigners to help make the case that steps to improve equality benefit everyone. They also support work going on across government aimed at tackling gendered stereotypes.

In addition to this work, the Department of Health and Social Care is developing a Men's Health Strategy to address the leading health issues that affect men. The strategy will be part of the government's 10 Year Health Plan.

The Church Commissioners provide funding to pay for the dean and two canons as part of cathedral staff and have a Cathedral Sustainability Fund to which all cathedrals can apply. The role and funding of cathedral choirs is a matter for the dean and chapter of each cathedral, however during the pandemic the Church Commissioners made £1million available, match funded by the Cathedral Music Trust, to retain the skills of musicians throughout. As many will have experienced during the special events like the Coronation and over Christmas, cathedral music and the choral tradition in our churches is a unique part of the English cultural life.

A conference was held at Leicester Cathedral on November 14th 2024 organised by the Association of English Cathedrals and Cathedral Music Trust, which discussed many of the issues facing music in our cathedrals and explored ways forward. The Bishop of St Albans and the Bishop of Southwark have also raised the impact on cathedral choir schools of recent NI and VAT policy announcements, with Ministers in the House of Lords.

In Lichfield Diocese, the cathedral supports many good initiatives, and the choir is thriving. More information can be found about their activities here: https://www.lichfield-cathedral.org/worship-music/music-share

The House of Commons Administration is aware of the risks, and carefully considers hardware procurements, and any security implications of using Chinese manufactured IT hardware on the parliamentary estate. We work with government departments to ensure that we work in line with the latest advice and guidance. The procurement of much of Parliament’s IT hardware (i.e. laptops, printers, tablets and accessories) is managed by a UK-based company called XMA.

The Rt Hon Member will be aware that a related police investigation is underway, as per the statement of Thames Valley Police on 19th February. The Government stands ready to support the police in whatever way it can.

The Government values the independent and robust oversight which the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) provides. The Justice and Security Act 2013 (JSA2013) was designed to ensure the ISC has the necessary access to highly classified material while protecting national security. The Government remains confident current arrangements remain fit for purpose.

The Government Security Group (GSG) is part of the Cabinet Office and is the centre of the Government Security Function. GSG is responsible for the oversight and coordination of protective security within all central government departments, their agencies, and arm’s length bodies.

GSG works with stakeholders across government to mitigate risks posed to government security from a range of threats, including espionage, and is constantly seeking to develop and strengthen measures to improve its risk mitigation capability.

There are no plans to introduce pre-appointment hearings for Permanent Secretary roles.

The Prime Minister values the independent and robust oversight which the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) provides. Following discussions with the Committee, the Cabinet Office is conducting a review of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Prime Minister and the Committee. Any changes made to the MOU would need to be agreed by both the Prime Minister and the ISC.

While we cannot comment on ongoing incidents and operational matters, we continuously monitor any potential UK impact and will activate our cyber incident management structures as required.

The UK’s approach to mitigating cyber risks facing telecoms providers in the UK is set out in law by the Telecommunications Security Act (TSA) and the associated Code of Practice. UK telecommunications operators should remain vigilant to cyber threats and are encouraged to take action by meeting the requirements of the Act, even ahead of full implementation.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make a vital contribution to economic growth and are a valuable source of technical innovation in defence. This is recognised in the Defence Industrial Strategy Statement of Intent, as well as the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) Social Value policies.

The MOD has also announced the launch of an SME Support Centre to provide SMEs with better access to the defence supply chain and has committed to set direct SME spending targets, ensuring that thousands of small businesses in the UK, including those in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, will benefit from the decision to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.

The new National Procurement Policy Statement requires contracting authorities to maximise their spend with SMEs and VCSEs, ensuring thousands of businesses across the country have greater opportunities to win public contracts. This approach actively drives local economic growth, creates jobs and fosters innovation in places right across the country including in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

The Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) 2004 and the associated Regulations deliver a single framework for civil protection in the UK. While emergency regulations could be brought into force immediately during a crisis they must be presented to Parliament as soon as practicable after being made, ensuring parliamentary oversight. The Cabinet Office has a legal obligation to review the CCA every five years. The most recent review was published in March 2022 and concluded that the Act continues to achieve its stated objectives.

The Ministry of Defence keeps all relevant legislation under review to ensure it remains fit for purpose and appropriate to the operational context, this includes the Emergency Powers Act 1964. Using the Emergency Powers Act requires Defence Council Order and considerable policy, legal and financial scrutiny including specific Ministerial approval.

There are no current plans to amend either of these Acts.

As set out in the Plan For Change, this Government’s first duty is to make the UK safer, more secure, and resilient against the growing and interconnected threats from state, state-linked and non-state actors. We are committed to working across Government, as well as with partners internationally and in the private sector and academia, to prevent harm; deter and disrupt threats; respond effectively to incidents; and recover swiftly.

Work is already underway across Government to deliver this commitment, and requirements for any new structures or groupings will be kept under review, including in the context of the ongoing development of the National Security Strategy.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 21st March is attached.

Both the UK and the EU allow for visa-free short-term travel in line with their respective arrangements for third country nationals. The UK allows EU citizens short-term visa-free travel for up to six months. Meanwhile, the Schengen Borders Code allows for certain third country nationals to travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; this is standard for third countries travelling to the EU. The UK Government will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals.

Most office-based civil servants are expected to spend 60% of their working time in the office, setting a consistent balance across the Civil Service. Departments, as individual employers, are responsible for any other measures.

I apologise to the Rt. Hon. Member for the delayed response to his question of 6 December.

The Online Safety Act, brought forward by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, introduced the false communications offence. This offence captures communications where the individual knows the information to be false and sends it intending to cause harm, without reasonable excuse.

Further legislative proposals on online media usage would fall within the remit of the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology.

It is a long-standing convention that the Government notifies the House of Commons of significant military action, either before or after the event, and where appropriate, makes time for a debate on that action. In the event that the House of Commons is unable to meet or conduct its business, the Government is committed to restoring the functioning of democratic institutions at the earliest opportunity. Even in emergency scenarios it is vital that Government decisions are scrutinised appropriately.

The Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) 2004 and the associated Regulations deliver a single framework for civil protection in the UK. The legislation is deliberately broad ranging and sets out the requirements to consider all emergencies that threaten serious damage to human welfare in the UK; the environment of a place in the UK; or war, or terrorism, which threatens serious damage to the security of the UK.

The Government keeps this legislation under review. The Cabinet Office has a legal obligation to review the CCA every five years. The most recent review was published in March 2022 and concluded that the Act continues to achieve its stated objectives. It did set out recommendations to strengthen the system and its planning which are being considered as part of the Resilience Review.

Cosmetics products must comply with some of the strongest safety standards in the world before they can be placed on the GB market. Government works with local enforcement authorities to take effective action when products are identified that do not meet these safety requirements, ensuring unsafe items are removed from sale.

Government has introduced the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, which explicitly recognises the role of online marketplaces to ensure consumers are protected from unsafe products. We intend to use the powers in the Bill to introduce requirements on e-commerce models to help prevent the sale of unsafe products online.

Local authority trading standards services oversee numerous pieces of legislation, including consumer protection, product safety, weights and measures, food standards, animal health and welfare, environmental protection, estates and lettings, and age-restricted products such as alcohol and tobacco, among other legislative responsibilities.

The Department of Business and Trade is responsible for the consumer protection function. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 updated and strengthened civil enforcement powers for public designated enforcers, including the ability for trading standards services to apply to the court for an enforcement order with a monetary penalty of up to 10% of turnover.

The government produces estimates of the levels of employee and self-employed jobs by industry sector on a quarterly basis (Mar, Jun, September and Dec). Data on the number of jobs by industry sector in December 2024 will be published on 20^th March 2025.

UK product safety legislation requires manufacturers or importers placing products on the UK market, including e-bikes and e-scooters, to ensure those products are safe. Regulators have powers to require that unsafe products are removed from sale.

We will introduce a new Bill to ensure the product safety framework keeps pace with modern technology, digital business models and international supply chains. This will better protect consumers and support business growth.