Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme is due to end.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

From 4 February 2025, individuals in the UK under a Ukraine visa scheme have been eligible to apply for the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, granting an additional 18 months’ permission to stay in the UK as well as access to work, benefits, healthcare, and education. The duration of permission is calculated from the date of application, meaning end dates will vary accordingly. Those granted permission in February 2025, for example, will have permission to stay in the UK until August 2026.

The Government recognises the importance of providing clarity and reassurance to Ukrainians living in the UK under the Ukraine visa schemes and is aware that many individuals and families are seeking certainty about their future once their leave under the UPE schemes expires. As such, the Government is actively considering the future of the Ukraine visa schemes and will provide further clarity as soon as it is in a position to do so.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to support the development of a public-facing data access tool to allow independent verification of water quality alerts issued by South West Water.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

It is important that the public have access to reliable information on storm overflow discharges. The Water (Special Measures) Act introduced a duty for water companies to publish data related to discharges from all emergency overflows within one hour of the discharge beginning. This matches the pre-existing duty for storm overflows, which was introduced on 01 January.

To support this, Water UK have launched a central hub that provides discharge data of every storm overflow in England on a single website.

As part of Price Review 2024 (PR24), which runs from 2025–2030, water companies will be delivering record levels of investment. This includes South West Water delivering £764 million of investment to reduce storm overflow spills and £55 million to install real-time monitors at high-priority sites.

Ofwat will hold water companies to account for the decisions set at the Price Review. Ofwat's claw back mechanism ensures that funding for schemes not delivered is returned to customers, by reducing bills.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to require South West Water to (a) reinstate collaboration with Surfers Against Sewage and (b) provide real-time data to the Safer Seas and Rivers Service.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

It is important that the public have access to reliable information on storm overflow discharges. The Water (Special Measures) Act introduced a duty for water companies to publish data related to discharges from all emergency overflows within one hour of the discharge beginning. This matches the pre-existing duty for storm overflows, which was introduced on 01 January.

To support this, Water UK have launched a central hub that provides discharge data of every storm overflow in England on a single website.

As part of Price Review 2024 (PR24), which runs from 2025–2030, water companies will be delivering record levels of investment. This includes South West Water delivering £764 million of investment to reduce storm overflow spills and £55 million to install real-time monitors at high-priority sites.

Ofwat will hold water companies to account for the decisions set at the Price Review. Ofwat's claw back mechanism ensures that funding for schemes not delivered is returned to customers, by reducing bills.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will require South West Water to publish (a) sites receiving investment under the storm overflow programme, (b) timelines for that investment and (c) expected outcomes at each location.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

It is important that the public have access to reliable information on storm overflow discharges. The Water (Special Measures) Act introduced a duty for water companies to publish data related to discharges from all emergency overflows within one hour of the discharge beginning. This matches the pre-existing duty for storm overflows, which was introduced on 01 January.

To support this, Water UK have launched a central hub that provides discharge data of every storm overflow in England on a single website.

As part of Price Review 2024 (PR24), which runs from 2025–2030, water companies will be delivering record levels of investment. This includes South West Water delivering £764 million of investment to reduce storm overflow spills and £55 million to install real-time monitors at high-priority sites.

Ofwat will hold water companies to account for the decisions set at the Price Review. Ofwat's claw back mechanism ensures that funding for schemes not delivered is returned to customers, by reducing bills.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of working with commercial suppliers whose senior leadership have expressed overt political affiliations on the reputation of NHS England.

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

Commercial contracts awarded by the Department, NHS England, or other National Health Service bodies are held with a company rather than individuals.

NHS bodies set their own policies on how to award contracts, but they must do so in line with the law, specifically the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and now the Procurement Act 2023 which came into force in February 2025, and central policy. The Government uses a standard selection questionnaire that requires suppliers to confirm they meet certain standards. Suppliers can be excluded for a variety of reasons, including where they are guilty of grave professional misconduct or where they have shown significant or persistent deficiencies in the performance under a prior public contract. Full guidance on the Procurement Specific Questionnaire, which replaces the standard selection questionnaire under the Public Contract Regulations, can be found on the Government Commercial Function’s Procurement Pathways website.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a list of (a) call-off contracts, (b) contract values and (c) delivery milestones awarded to Palantir Technologies under Crown Commercial Service frameworks since 2020.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) does not maintain a centralised list of all call-off contracts, values, or delivery milestones awarded to Palantir Technologies.

Details of individual call-off contracts, including contract values and delivery milestones, are publicly available on the Contracts Finder website: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk. Contracts Finder lists information on government contracts worth over £12,000 (including VAT), including those awarded by departments and agencies across the public sector.

It is the responsibility of the contracting authority to upload contract information to Contracts Finder.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has issued guidance on considering political neutrality when awarding government contracts.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Procurement Act 2023 requires contracting authorities to act, and to be seen to act, with integrity, and has introduced new requirements to identify and review any potential conflicts of interest in relation to a procurement.

Contracting Authorities must now prepare a conflict of interest assessment at key points in the procurement, including details of any actual or potential conflicts of interest and any steps they have taken to mitigate them.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Federated Data Platform’s architectural governance model includes constraints on cross-domain identity federation between (a) NHS instances and (b) other public sector deployments of (i) Foundry and (ii) Gotham.

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

Each local organisation operates its own instance of the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP), for which it is the data controller. These instances are designed to support local autonomy and governance, allowing organisations to opt into core products that enhance patient care delivery.

The architectural governance model of the FDP does not include provisions for cross-domain identity federation between National Health Service instances and other public sector deployments of Foundry or Gotham. Instead, the platform enables local organisations to connect and share information currently stored in separate systems, but only where there is a legal basis to do so. This ensures that data sharing is conducted within a safe and secure environment, respecting organisational boundaries and data protection obligations.

Further technical and governance details are outlined in the information governance framework for the FDP, which confirms that all data remains within United Kingdom sovereign zones and that access is restricted to authorised personnel. The information governance framework for the FDP is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/federated-data-platform-information-governance-framework/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) outputs and (b) intermediate artefacts generated via Foundry workflows are permitted to be retained by Palantir Technologies for the purpose of product refinement.

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

All products, outputs, and intermediate artefacts generated within the Federated Data Platform, funded by the National Health Service under the NHS Federated Data Platform Associated Services (FDP-AS) agreement, are the intellectual property of the NHS, and Palantir is not permitted to utilise these for their own purposes. Further information on the FDP-AS is available at the following link:

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/0f8a65b5-23a2-4294-abb1-a7fd8efb3ad0

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England has conducted data transfer impact assessments on (a) access, (b) processing and (c) codebase maintenance undertaken by overseas Palantir staff.

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

There is no overseas processing of data of any type by the Federated Data Platform (FDP) programme, and therefore transfer impact assessments are not required. This is laid out in the FDP Information Governance Framework, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/federated-data-platform-information-governance-framework/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) containerised services, (b) data pipelines and (c) Application Programming Interface integrations used within the Federated Data Platform are managed from (i) repositories and (ii) orchestration tools hosted outside the UK.

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

There is no overseas processing of data of any type by the Federated Data Platform (FDP) programme, and therefore transfer impact assessments are not required. This is laid out in the FDP Information Governance Framework, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/federated-data-platform-information-governance-framework/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) synthetic datasets, (b) model parameters, (c) algorithm weights and (d) derived feature maps generated using NHS training data have been (i) exported to and (ii) accessed from locations outside UK sovereign data zones.

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

There is no overseas processing of data of any type by the Federated Data Platform (FDP) programme, and this includes synthetic data and all functionalities. This is laid out in the FDP Information Governance Framework, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/federated-data-platform-information-governance-framework/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether pseudonymised NHS data processed within the Federated Data Platform is subject to remote (a) operability and (b) telemetry access by (i) engineers and (ii) DevOps teams located outside the UK.

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

There is no overseas processing of data of any type by the Federated Data Platform (FDP) programme, and this includes synthetic data and all functionalities. This is laid out in the FDP Information Governance Framework, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/federated-data-platform-information-governance-framework/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had deductions with Palantir Technologies Ltd on (a) profit-sharing arrangements and (b) access to derivative data linked to NHS research outputs.

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

NHS England has entered into a contract with Palantir, the NHS Federated Data Platform Associated Services (FDP-AS) contract, which is available at the following link:

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/0f8a65b5-23a2-4294-abb1-a7fd8efb3ad0

The FDP-AS Agreement does not include provision for profit sharing arrangements and Palantir does not have access or rights to any National Health Service data under the FDP-AS, beyond those as required to perform its function as a data processor under instruction by the NHS.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that pension schemes are encouraged to address long-term climate and biodiversity risks in their investment strategies.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

While the Department does not hold data on the proportion of UK pension fund assets allocated to climate solutions, we do require pension schemes to evaluate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, including climate change, in their investment strategies. Specifically, trustees of larger schemes are required to assess and report on climate-related risks and opportunities, including investments in climate solutions. This reporting is done in accordance with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations.

We will be considering whether to update sustainability reporting, following our review of the TCFD Regulations this year, and the outcomes to the two Government’s consultations currently underway on UK Sustainability Reporting Standards and our Transition Plans manifesto commitment. Measures outlined in these aims on improving transparency and accountability across the economy, helping investors—including pension schemes—understand how climate and nature-related issues affect their investment choices.

Measures outlined in The Pension Schemes Bill, concerning productive investment and consolidation of UK occupational workplace pension schemes, can significantly benefit social and environmental objectives by enabling larger, more efficient schemes to engage more effectively with companies on ESG issues, and to invest in a wider range of assets, including those focused on sustainability and long-term impact, such as, infrastructure, renewable energy, and other socially responsible projects.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to integrate climate and nature-related financial risk into legislative and regulatory reforms arising from the Pension Schemes Bill.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

While the Department does not hold data on the proportion of UK pension fund assets allocated to climate solutions, we do require pension schemes to evaluate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, including climate change, in their investment strategies. Specifically, trustees of larger schemes are required to assess and report on climate-related risks and opportunities, including investments in climate solutions. This reporting is done in accordance with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations.

We will be considering whether to update sustainability reporting, following our review of the TCFD Regulations this year, and the outcomes to the two Government’s consultations currently underway on UK Sustainability Reporting Standards and our Transition Plans manifesto commitment. Measures outlined in these aims on improving transparency and accountability across the economy, helping investors—including pension schemes—understand how climate and nature-related issues affect their investment choices.

Measures outlined in The Pension Schemes Bill, concerning productive investment and consolidation of UK occupational workplace pension schemes, can significantly benefit social and environmental objectives by enabling larger, more efficient schemes to engage more effectively with companies on ESG issues, and to invest in a wider range of assets, including those focused on sustainability and long-term impact, such as, infrastructure, renewable energy, and other socially responsible projects.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Pension Schemes Bill will include provisions to (a) support and (b) incentivise investment by pension funds in climate transition-related assets.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

While the Department does not hold data on the proportion of UK pension fund assets allocated to climate solutions, we do require pension schemes to evaluate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, including climate change, in their investment strategies. Specifically, trustees of larger schemes are required to assess and report on climate-related risks and opportunities, including investments in climate solutions. This reporting is done in accordance with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations.

We will be considering whether to update sustainability reporting, following our review of the TCFD Regulations this year, and the outcomes to the two Government’s consultations currently underway on UK Sustainability Reporting Standards and our Transition Plans manifesto commitment. Measures outlined in these aims on improving transparency and accountability across the economy, helping investors—including pension schemes—understand how climate and nature-related issues affect their investment choices.

Measures outlined in The Pension Schemes Bill, concerning productive investment and consolidation of UK occupational workplace pension schemes, can significantly benefit social and environmental objectives by enabling larger, more efficient schemes to engage more effectively with companies on ESG issues, and to invest in a wider range of assets, including those focused on sustainability and long-term impact, such as, infrastructure, renewable energy, and other socially responsible projects.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an estimate of the proportion of UK pension fund assets currently allocated to climate solutions.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

While the Department does not hold data on the proportion of UK pension fund assets allocated to climate solutions, we do require pension schemes to evaluate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, including climate change, in their investment strategies. Specifically, trustees of larger schemes are required to assess and report on climate-related risks and opportunities, including investments in climate solutions. This reporting is done in accordance with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations.

We will be considering whether to update sustainability reporting, following our review of the TCFD Regulations this year, and the outcomes to the two Government’s consultations currently underway on UK Sustainability Reporting Standards and our Transition Plans manifesto commitment. Measures outlined in these aims on improving transparency and accountability across the economy, helping investors—including pension schemes—understand how climate and nature-related issues affect their investment choices.

Measures outlined in The Pension Schemes Bill, concerning productive investment and consolidation of UK occupational workplace pension schemes, can significantly benefit social and environmental objectives by enabling larger, more efficient schemes to engage more effectively with companies on ESG issues, and to invest in a wider range of assets, including those focused on sustainability and long-term impact, such as, infrastructure, renewable energy, and other socially responsible projects.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS trusts have received (a) financial support and (b) incentive payments to enable uptake of the Federated Data Platform.

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

NHS England has procured and paid for licences to provide a Federated Data Platform instance for all trusts and integrated care boards for the full duration of the contract. This includes providing onboarding and implementation support and ongoing access to a National Centre of Excellence and user forums.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has issued guidance to help ensure that AI solutions trained on NHS datasets align with NHS principles.

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

Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions trained on National Health Service datasets must align with core NHS principles, including safety, fairness, transparency, and accountability. These principles are embedded in the NHS’s approach to digital innovation and data use.

To support this, NHS England utilises guidance developed by the NHS Transformation Directorate, which sets out expectations for the safe, lawful, and ethical use of AI in health and care settings. This includes ensuring that AI systems are explainable, that data is used responsibly, and that decisions remain under human oversight.

The guidance has been reviewed by the Health and Care Information Governance Working Group, including the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the National Data Guardian (NDG), and is publicly available on the NHS Transformation Directorate’s website:

https://transform.england.nhs.uk/information-governance/guidance/artificial-intelligence/

This framework helps ensure that AI innovations developed using NHS data are aligned with NHS values and are deployed in a way that benefits patients, supports clinicians, and maintains public trust.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the contract for the Federated Data Platform includes specifications for (a) which data export formats will be used, (b) the codebase handover and (c) what the final audit will include at the end of the contract period between the NHS and Palantir.

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

The contract for the Federated Data Platform and Associated Services (FDP-AS) includes provisions to ensure transparency, interoperability, and a smooth transition at the end of the contract period. These provisions are designed to mitigate vendor lock-in and support the National Health Service in maintaining control over its data and digital infrastructure. The FDP-AS agreement includes comprehensive audit and exit mechanisms. These provisions enable NHS England to conduct audits and reviews to support effective transition planning and ensure contractual compliance. The contract is available at the following link:

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/0f8a65b5-23a2-4294-abb1-a7fd8efb3ad0

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether any NHS trusts have opted out of participating in the Federated Data Platform; and what steps NHS England is taking to monitor trust participation.

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

The NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) began its national roll-out in April 2024, following a pilot phase that commenced in 2022. NHS England has invited all National Health Service trusts and integrated care boards (ICBs) to develop plans for how they will maximise the benefits of the FDP for their patients within the next two years

Uptake of the NHS FDP continues to grow. As of 31 March 2025, 108 NHS hospital trusts had signed up to the FDP, and 72 trusts are currently live and in delivery

To monitor participation and progress, NHS England publishes quarterly updates on uptake and the benefits being realised. This includes NHS trusts and ICBs that have signed up, metrics on operational improvements, such as reductions in inpatient and outpatient waitlists, and insights into product adoption and benefit realisation across use cases like elective recovery, care coordination, and crisis response. These updates are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/digitaltechnology/nhs-federated-data-platform/impact/fdp-uptake-and-benefits/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) encryption key management protocols and (b) physical hosting zones are in place to ensure NHS datasets remain (i) logically and (ii) geographically partitioned from Palantir’s multi-tenant infrastructure.

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

Access to National Health Service health and social care data within the Federated Data Platform (FDP) is tightly controlled. The FDP incorporates advanced Privacy Enhancing Technology (PET), which has been procured from a separate supplier to ensure independence and to mitigate any conflicts of interest.

It is a contractual requirement that personal data stored in the FDP and NHS PET cannot be accessed by its own personnel or contractors from outside the United Kingdom. In accordance with General Data Protection Regulation principles of transparency and accountability, NHS England has published details in the FDP Information Governance Framework. This framework is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/federated-data-platform-information-governance-framework/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) federated machine learning and (b) transfer learning techniques have been employed in the Federated Data Platform.

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

Neither federated machine learning nor transfer learning techniques are currently utilised within the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP).

The FDP is designed to support operational use cases such as elective recovery, care coordination, and discharge planning by enabling secure, real-time access to data across National Health Service organisations. While the platform supports advanced analytics and data integration, it does not currently employ federated or transfer learning methods as part of its architecture or functionality.

NHS England continues to monitor developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning to ensure that any future applications involving NHS data align with core NHS principles, including safety, fairness, and accountability.

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 that the NHS (a) retains the intellectual property in relation to the technical sovereignty for and (b) is not locked in to using the Federated Data Platform.

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

The National Health Service retains the intellectual property of solutions it funds or develops, including all associated data models, products, and analytical solutions of the NHS Federated Data Platform, and the background intellectual property remains the property of the respective party.

The contract for the FDP and Associated Services includes specific provisions to mitigate vendor lock-in and support transition to an alternative provider at the end of the contractual period. The contract is available at the following link:

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/0f8a65b5-23a2-4294-abb1-a7fd8efb3ad0

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has received representations from (a) Palantir Technologies Ltd and (b) its subsidiaries on combining data functions under a single NHS data contract.

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

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care met with representatives of Palantir on 4 June 2025. The meeting was to discuss the importance of the rollout of the Federated Data Platform, including progress towards having all trusts onboarded. The meeting did not discuss combining data functions under a single National Health Service data contract, and the Department has not received representation from Palantir or its subsidiaries on that topic.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England is taking to ensure that (a) access logs and (b) permissions related to NHS data processed on Palantir platforms are independently auditable.

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

The NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) is built with robust security and privacy controls to ensure that access to National Health Service data is tightly governed and independently auditable.

All user activity within the FDP environment is logged for auditing purposes. These logs are actively monitored by both Palantir’s UK security team and the NHS Cyber Security Operations Centre, to detect and respond to any malicious activity. Security logs are encrypted at rest and in transit, and stored on a secure Security Information and Event Management server accessible only to authorised personnel.

Access to data within the FDP is governed by strict controls, including the principle of least privilege and mandatory access control systems. Only authorised users are granted access for approved purposes, and all permissions are subject to audit and review. In addition to these technical safeguards, the FDP Associated Services contract includes audit provisions that allow NHS England to validate and confirm that contractual requirements are being met. These rights of audit are standard within NHS commercial agreements and provide assurance that the platform operates in accordance with NHS England’s expectations and legal obligations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the contract for the Federated Data Platform will require Palantir to publish an open standard data schema to enable interoperability with alternative platforms.

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

The contract for the Federated Data Platform and Associated Services (FDP AS) includes provisions to ensure interoperability and support for market development through the use of open standards.

As part of this, the platform is underpinned by the NHS Canonical Data Model (CDM), which provides a consistent and open data schema that all parties connecting to the FDP must use. This ensures that data can be shared and understood across different systems and platforms, supporting interoperability and reducing the risk of vendor lock-in.

To further support transparency and innovation, NHS England has taken steps to publish the CDM on GitHub. This enables developers and suppliers to understand the structure and semantics of the data used within the platform, and to build compatible solutions that can integrate with the FDP.

The publication of the CDM is part of a broader commitment to openness and technical sovereignty, ensuring that the National Health Service retains control over its data infrastructure and can transition to alternative providers if needed.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the compliance of Palantir Technologies Ltd with transparency obligations under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 prior to 2021.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The transparency obligations prior to 2021 would have been managed directly by the awarding department or contracting authority. Details of Government contracts awarded prior to 2021 above £10,000 in Central Government, and £25,000 in the wider public sector, should be published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has (a) issued guidance to and (b) held discussions with local authorities on the estimated end date of the Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

From 4 February 2025, individuals in the UK under a Ukraine visa scheme have been eligible to apply for the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) scheme, granting an additional 18 months’ permission to stay in the UK as well as access to work, benefits, healthcare, and education. The duration of permission is calculated from the date of application, meaning end dates will vary accordingly. Those granted permission in February 2025, for example, will have permission to stay in the UK until August 2026.

The Government recognises the importance of providing clarity and reassurance to Ukrainians living in the UK under the Ukraine visa schemes and is aware that many individuals and families are seeking certainty about their future once their leave under the UPE schemes expires. As such, the Government is actively considering the future of the Ukraine visa schemes and will provide further clarity as soon as it is in a position to do so.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of his Department's white paper entitled A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, published in March 2023, CP 815, on proprietary models trained on NHS data.

Answered by Feryal Clark

As set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use and our expert regulators are best placed to do so. Departments are working proactively with regulators to provide strategic direction and support them on their AI capability needs.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether any dedicated Asian hornet rapid response teams have been (a) disbanded and (b) downsized since 2023.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The response to Yellow-Legged Hornet (YLH) also known as Asian hornet is carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) National Bee Unit (NBU). The NBU do this as part of the overall programme of work that they deliver for Defra from the funding allocated to APHA. The NBU has been taking action against YLH since 2016 and has developed a fine-tuned effective response. They frequently find a nest within a day of an initial sighting being reported. Therefore, Defra has not established dedicated Asian hornet rapid response teams.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many full-time equivalent staff were assigned to the (a) identification and (b) removal of yellow-legged Asian hornet nests in (i) 2025, (ii) 2023 and (iii) 2022.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

There has been 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff assigned to nest destruction in 2022, 2023 and 2025. This means they were assigned to that role and available on call when needed.

There has been one FTE Senior Operational Lead dedicated to yellow-legged hornet since 2024 to manage the overall response.

No other staff are employed or allocated on a full-time basis to yellow-legged hornet The response is managed by redeploying staff from other business as usual delivery, based on outbreak demand.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department plans to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot of 9 June 2025.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

A response for both letters will be sent to the Hon Member shortly. I apologise for the delay.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department plans to respond to correspondence of 13 June 2025 from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member's correspondence. I issued a response to the hon. Member on 21 July.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department plans to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot of 3 June 2025.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

A response for both letters will be sent to the Hon Member shortly. I apologise for the delay.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of delays in Ukrainian Visa Extension Schemes applications on Ukrainians in the Newton Abbot constituency.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We recognise the importance of minimising any delays in the processing of UPE applications. The vast majority of Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme applications are being processed within Service Level Agreements. There may be applications which have varying levels of complexity which can cause a delay to an application. Applicants that apply before their previous permission expires will continue to have their conditions maintained under Section 3C of the Immigration Rules.

Information on visa processing times for applications made from within the UK can be found here: Visa processing times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether allocated funding to the Animal and Plant Health Agency for Asian hornet response operations has changed since 2023.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The response to Asian hornet also known as Yellow-Legged Hornet (YLH) is carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) National Bee Unit (NBU). The NBU do this as part of the overall programme of work that they deliver for Defra from the funding allocated to APHA. There isn’t a specific budget allocated to the response to YLH. Being part of APHA means the NBU can draw on further resources which allows them to take action on notifiable bee diseases, while continuing to provide an effective response to YLH.

In 2023 there was a large increase in the number of YLH nests found in GB and the NBU located and destroyed 72 nests in 56 locations. Further analyses during the winter of 2023 indicated that a few of the nests may have reached maturity and released queens which overwintered. Therefore in 2024 the NBU carried out spring trapping for YLH in 4 areas across the south of GB. Additional funds were allocated for the spring trapping work.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the drone attack on the vessel Conscience in international waters.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

His Majesty's Government officials were in touch with the Maltese Authorities regarding the incident and understand there were no casualties and that no British nationals were aboard this vessel. We continue to discuss with Israeli counterparts the urgent need for the Israeli government to permit the full and unhindered resumption of the flow of aid into Gaza. Israel has clear obligations under international humanitarian law to agree to and facilitate humanitarian aid. The unimpeded entry of assistance at scale to meet the enormous needs in Gaza must be restored immediately. As we've said, the most effective way to meet the desperate needs of the Gazan people at the speed and scale that is needed is via overland routes.

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 support people with bladder and bowel control conditions in Devon.

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

All providers in Devon are asked to follow the formulary within the services they provide. The formulary provides information on continence care, with further information available at the following two links:

https://southwest.devonformularyguidance.nhs.uk/formulary/chapters/18-continence

https://northeast.devonformularyguidance.nhs.uk/formulary/chapters/18-continence

As part of focused work in gynaecology, NHS Devon is in a project development phase to design and implement improved pathways for women with stress urinary incontinence and overactive bladder conditions.

Livewell Southwest provides a continence service, offering assessments to adults, those aged 17.5 years old and above, living in Plymouth, West Devon, and South Hams. Livewell provides a holistic continence assessment, including routine observations, bladder scans, and skin integrity checks, as well as reviewing past medical history, medication, mobility, carer support, and diet and fluid. They offer ongoing support and products for any bowel and/or bladder issues that are identified and may refer patients to specialist nurses for further support or district nurses for ongoing care.

Conservative advice is always given as first line management options during assessments, such as pelvic floor exercises for stress urinary incontinence, or bladder training and fluid intake advice for an overactive bladder. Livewell also liaises with general practices to request medication and to request ongoing referrals to secondary care specialists if needed. Livewell works closely with the other community teams. All patients are offered an annual reassessment.

For children and young people, there is a team of specialist children’s nurses and specialist nursery nurses who provide assessment, treatment, support, and advice for children and young people with bladder and/or bowel difficulties. They provide continence promotion, and healthy bladder and bowel advice for children with additional needs. They see and assess children who are eligible for continence products because of a learning or physical disability.

Devon has commissioned a paediatric integrated community nurse led bladder and bowel service for children and young people up to the age of 19 years old, to improve quality of life, to support effective self-management where appropriate, and to prevent chronic conditions developing and needing treatment or surgery in secondary care where possible.

Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize awarded to Mines Advisory Group

Neurodivergent children at school

Dame Annette Brooke

Independence of Healthwatch England

National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) grant

Scientific hearing on animal experiments

100th anniversary of Devon in Sight

Open Doors 2025

Naloxone

Motor neurone disease

Eating disorders and online harms

Plastic in chewing gum

Humanitarian situation in Gaza

Drug-resistant superbugs

Puppy smuggling bill

Closure of the Fleming Fund

100th anniversary of The Palace Hotel, Paignton

Support for local independent businesses, shops, markets and producers

Women’s sports

Impact of EU 90/180 day rule on UK citizens

Funding and support for SEND

Tribute to David Lawrie

Provision of trained Family Liaison Officers

Election of University of St Andrews academics to the British Academy

Food waste

Green House Climate Club campaign

Lothians Speak Their Name project

Joe's Day campaign

Statutory consultees for sustainable development

Carers and social care reform

Found: July 2025 4 _NC3 Mr Joshua Reynolds Pippa Heylings Susan Murray Rachel Gilmour Tom Gordon Martin Wrigley

Found: July 2025 2 _NC3 Mr Joshua Reynolds Pippa Heylings Susan Murray Rachel Gilmour Tom Gordon Martin Wrigley

Found: Susan Murray Andrew George Alex Brewer Claire Young Sarah Dyke Charlotte Cane Olly Glover Martin Wrigley

Found: Susan Murray Andrew George Alex Brewer Claire Young Sarah Dyke Charlotte Cane Olly Glover Martin Wrigley

Found: Susan Murray Andrew George Alex Brewer Claire Young Sarah Dyke Charlotte Cane Olly Glover Martin Wrigley

Found: Susan Murray Andrew George Alex Brewer Claire Young Sarah Dyke Charlotte Cane Olly Glover Martin Wrigley

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