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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether coastal resilience funding will be made available for the restoration and protection of Teignmouth pier.

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

Whilst Defra recognises the importance of Teignmouth Pier to the town and visitors alike, the department understands the pier is privately owned and therefore the responsibility to maintain it rests with the owners. The Environment Agency (EA) met with the owners of the pier in 2022 to explain this situation.

Flood Defence Grant in Aid is focused on the repair of flood defences. The EA and Teignbridge District Council are working closely to secure government funding to replace the timber groynes along the beach at Teignmouth and refurbishment of the seawall around the pier to maintain protection to the community.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether pubs that are (a) derelict or (b) under are eligible to access and use the new hospitality support fund.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

We are currently finalising plans for the new grants scheme ahead of its launch in April. Its primary purpose is to support hospitality businesses to improve their long‑term viability, including through diversification. The fund will also aim to improve productivity through innovation and to help those furthest from the labour market move into hospitality roles.

Eligibility criteria are still being developed. Any organisation that meets those criteria will be able to apply for support once the scheme opens, which will determine whether pubs that are derelict or currently not trading are eligible.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2025 to Question 104268 on Blue Badge Scheme: EU Countries, if he will hold discussions with his EU counterparts at the next UK–EU summit on EU recognition of the UK-issued Blue Badges for disabled drivers.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The majority of EU Member States already recognise Blue Badges. In 2025, the UK agreed further mutual recognition with France and agreed in the 2025 strategic bilateral framework with Spain to work to sign an arrangement to ensure mutual recognition of parking permits and Blue Badges for Disabled people. The Department for Transport will continue to engage bilaterally with Member States where they don't recognise Blue Badges.

Further information on Blue Badge recognition can be found here: Using a Blue Badge in Europe - GOV.UK.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January to Question 103976 on Boris Johnson and Peter Thiel, what searches he conducted to determine whether there is any (a) physical and (b) other form of record of a meeting between the then Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Boris Johnson, and Mr Peter Thiel on 28 August 2019; which repositories and systems he searched (including but not limited to Private Office diaries, visitor logs, security access records, phone logs, ministerial red boxes, briefing packs, email archives, and officials’ notebooks); and which directorates or teams he consulted; what search terms and date ranges he used.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

All of the records of former Prime Ministers are held by the Cabinet Office Public Records and Archives unit. The unit searched both physical and digital records. The physical record of the meeting is brief, simply noting the timing of the meeting, and that it was a private meeting. No other details have been found.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 103976 on Boris Johnson and Peter Thiel, if he will publish the physical record.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

All of the records of former Prime Ministers are held by the Cabinet Office Public Records and Archives unit. The unit searched both physical and digital records. The physical record of the meeting is brief, simply noting the timing of the meeting, and that it was a private meeting. No other details have been found.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what kinds of heritage and restoration funding can be made available for the repair and protection of Teignbridge pier in Newton Abbot Constituency.

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

This Government recognises the importance of local heritage assets such as the Victorian Teignbridge Pier. On the 21st of January, the Secretary of State announced a new £1.2bn Arts Everywhere package. The package includes nearly £200 million for heritage protecting and preserving heritage buildings across the country:

• £60 million for at risk heritage which provides grants towards repairs and conservation of historic buildings.

• £41 million for the Heritage Revival Fund which helps communities to take control of and look after local heritage and bring buildings back into public use.

Further details regarding the application process and eligibility, for both funds, will be announced in due course.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund offers grants between £10,000 and £10 million to projects that connect people and communities to the UK’s heritage. This could include covering repair work as part of a wider project.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made on the Code of Practice consultation.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I wish to assure the hon. Member that this government is determined to drive up standards in the private parking sector.

The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 places a duty on the Government to prepare a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities.

A consultation document outlining proposals to raise standard across the private parking industry was published on 11 July 2025.

All responses are now being analysed and the government will publish a response in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the GP partnership model on delivering continuity of care.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise that the general practice (GP) partnership model has many strengths, including its role in supporting continuity of care. GP partnerships often have deep local knowledge and long-standing relationships with their registered patient populations, which can strengthen relational continuity. The GP Partnership Review from 2019 found that the stability of the partnership model supports and enables continuity of care.

The Government values continuity of care in GPs, which is associated with better health outcomes and fewer accident and emergency attendances. That is why we have committed to bringing back the family doctor.

We are investing an additional £1.1 billion in GPs, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025/26, the biggest cash increase in over a decade. This investment will help build capacity in GPs, improving both continuity of care and access for patients.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to retain the GP partnership model.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We remain committed to the general practice (GP) partnership model and recognise its many strengths, including efficiency, innovation, and continuity of care. GP partnerships deliver high-quality care to patients all over the country. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, where the GP partnership model is working well, it should continue.

We also recognise that increasingly fewer GPs are going into partnership, and that the partnership model is not the only model currently delivering GPs. GPs can and do choose to organise themselves in different ways, many of which cite evidence of good outcomes in terms of staff engagement and patient experience.

Alongside the partnership model, the 10-Year Health Plan commits to introducing two new contracts enabling GPs to work over larger geographies, with the aim of supporting the neighbourhood health model, providing resilience and allowing economies of scale, thereby securing the sustainability of GPs into the future.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will submit details of new AI-enabled IT systems to be procured for the proposed National Police Service for select committee scrutiny.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

We will be establishing a programme of work with policing to deliver the National Police Service. The immediate priorities are to develop the legislation to bring about the new police force; and to deliver the integration of existing capabilities and systems in phase 1, such as National IT, Commercial, Forensics and National Police Air Service. These will form the initial functions of the National Police Service. Parliament and its select committees will be able to scrutinise the development of the National Police Service and its systems in the usual way

We recently announced over £115 million over the next three years to support the rapid and responsible development, testing and rollout of AI tools across all 43 police forces in England and Wales. This will be spearheaded by the creation of Police.AI, a new National Centre for AI in Policing. Police.AI will support forces to adopt AI tools and software by testing and assuring AI models, helping with scaling implementation, and providing public facing transparency through a registry of AI tools in use by policing.

The Home Office are now working closely with the NPCC AI portfolio to establish Police.AI. This includes recruiting its staff and securing a host organisation. Police.AI will transition into the National Police Service when it is appropriate to do so.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to integrate climate change projections and increased storm frequency into long-term planning for transport and coastal defence infrastructure in Newton Abbot constituency.

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

The Department for Transport has plans in place and underway with industry to adapt to and mitigate the risks of extreme weather caused by climate change. In 2024, the rail industry agreed a set of climate scenarios. This will harmonise data and methods and will help the industry develop consistent approaches to assess physical risks.

Network Rail is undertaking a programme of adaptation pathways across the network, including in Wales and Western region, which covers the Newton Abbot constituency, to develop a long-term strategic adaptation plan and identify priority areas for further adaptation investment. This approach will help identify those parts of the network which may require transformational change to enable safe and reliable services to continue in the future. Network Rail has also produced regional weather resilience and climate change adaptation plans (WRCCA). These explain Network Rail’s understanding of how weather and climate change can affect infrastructure at a more targeted, local level. This work is already informing discussions for future funding periods.

In addition, the Department has requested its train operating companies, including Great Western Railway, South Western Railway and CrossCountry, to produce their own WRCCA strategies due at the end of January 2026 and these will add further detail to our understanding of regional risks.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what process of commercial bidding in IT systems will be required to tender within the new national police service.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Any commercial bidding for IT systems for the National Police Service will follow standard Government procurement processes governed by the Procurement Act 2023.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the mean, medium and mode waiting times are for processing Homes for Ukraine visas; and how many of those visas take more than three weeks to issue.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

UKVI are currently assessing Homes for Ukraine visas within the published processing times. Information on visa processing times can be found at Visa processing times - GOV.UK

Average processing times do not form part of any current transparency data for Home for Ukraine applications and are not published.

A range of processing data including case outcomes on Ukraine visa applications, can be found at: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK and Migration transparency data - GOV.UK

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to the Skilled Worker route for Indefinite Leave to Remain on people already legally resident in the UK; and whether she plans to introduce transitional protections for people in the UK under the existing five‑year settlement pathway.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The earned settlement model, proposed in ‘A Fairer Pathway to Settlement’, is currently subject to a public consultation, running until 12 February 2026.

The Immigration White Paper included a commitment to consult on these changes. The changes involve significant reforms to the settlement pathway, and it is right that we consult to assess their impact on affected groups.

The consultation includes questions intended to seek respondents’ views on the impacts of the proposed model and also seeks views on whether there should be transitional arrangements for those already on a pathway to settlement.

Details of the final earned settlement scheme will be finalised once the consultation has closed and the responses analysed.

The final model will be subject to economic and equality impact assessments, which we have committed to publish in due course.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department (a) maintains and (b) plans to maintain a register of AI systems across government.

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

The Government Digital Service is implementing the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS), which provides a standardised way for departments and arm’s length bodies to publish information about algorithmic tools they use that significantly influence decisions or interact with the public. ATRS records are published in a central repository on GOV.UK, and more records are being added regularly as part of a phased mandatory rollout across government, providing a cross‑government mechanism to maintain and expand transparency over these systems.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2025 to Question 84973 on Car-Hill formula, when he plans to publish the conclusions of that review.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The review of the Carr-Hill formula has been commissioned through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and commenced in October 2025. The first phase of the review is expected to conclude in March 2026. Subject to ministerial decision, further work would subsequently be undertaken to technically develop and model any proposed changes to the formula.

The review will be published in due course by the NIHR. Members of Parliament will also be updated once the review findings are available.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to bring forwards an alternative to the Audit Reform and Corporate Governance Bill.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK is a world leader in audit quality and corporate governance. We will bolster this further by launching a consultation to modernise, simplify and streamline the UK's corporate reporting framework, with the ambition to make the UK's reporting regime the most proportionate in the world. We also intend to legislate to put the Financial Reporting Council on a proper statutory footing when parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if her Department will meet with Network Rail to discuss funding for the final phase of the South West Resilience Programme in the context of storm Ingrid.

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

Departmental officials meet with Network Rail regularly to discuss and review investment proposals across the Western route. While the cliffs at Teignmouth were not affected by storms Ingrid and Chandra, officials are monitoring progress with the drainage and ground investigations work we have funded so far on Phase 5 of the South West Rail Resilience Programme, which will inform options for a longer-term solution. The investment made to date in storm resilience around Dawlish after storms in 2014 has significantly improved resilience in this area and held up well despite the frequency of recent storms and their intensity. Nevertheless, Network Rail will continue to plan for similar events and pursue actions to keep the railway running reliably.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the recent damage to the Dawlish sea wall and related coastal infrastructure in Devon caused by Storm Ingrid and other severe weather events; and what plans her Department has to support long-term coastal resilience improvements for that infrastructure.

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

The £165 million of investment into storm resilience around Dawlish after storms in 2014 has significantly improved resilience in this area. Despite the frequency of recent storms and their intensity, the works done since 2014 held up well and there were only two areas of damage, one a low wall between the coastal path and the railway, and the other a small breach some distance from the line, both of which have been made safe. The railway was not closed for long other than during the storms themselves, and held up remarkably well, a tribute to the works done since 2014. Nevertheless, Network Rail will continue to plan for similar events and pursue actions to keep the railway running reliably.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what process her Department uses for (a) approving and (b) being consulted on pilot deployments of AI-enabled policing tools that integrate sensitive personal data; and what criteria are used to assess such proposals.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Through Home Office funding to the NPCC AI portfolio we have produced and published detailed guidance on responsible use of AI, via the NPCC AI Playbook and Covenant. Building AI-enabled tools and systems | College of Policing. The NPCC AI lead, Alex Murray, has also worked with the College of Policing to produce Authorised Professional Practice in this area and a ‘Responsible AI’ checklist.

It is the responsibility of Chief Constables to decide what tools they deploy within their force. All Chief Constables have signed up to the Covenant, which establishes core principles for the transparent, responsible and accountable use of AI and generative technologies in UK policing. Forces should pay due regard to these principles when implementing AI tools in force.

Further to this, as a part of the Police Reform White Paper, the UK Government is announced the establishment of Police.AI, a new national centre for AI in policing focused on helping forces adopt AI tools responsibly and the set up of a new National Data Integration and Exploitation Service (NDIES).

Police.AI will ensure that operationally independent Chief Constables have the evidence and resources they need to ensure the AI they are using has proven benefits, is backed by robust evidence and is maximising accuracy whilst minimising bias. We are also creating a public-facing registry of AI deployments in policing, setting out what each tool does, why it is used, the risks identified, and how these risks are being mitigated, encouraging careful reflection on the merits and risks of each tool.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role her Department has in (a) overseeing and (b) advising on pilot deployments of novel AI systems that process sensitive personal data in policing.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Through Home Office funding to the NPCC AI portfolio we have produced and published detailed guidance on responsible use of AI, via the NPCC AI Playbook and Covenant. Building AI-enabled tools and systems | College of Policing. The NPCC AI lead, Alex Murray, has also worked with the College of Policing to produce Authorised Professional Practice in this area and a ‘Responsible AI’ checklist.

It is the responsibility of Chief Constables to decide what tools they deploy within their force. All Chief Constables have signed up to the Covenant, which establishes core principles for the transparent, responsible and accountable use of AI and generative technologies in UK policing. Forces should pay due regard to these principles when implementing AI tools in force.

Further to this, as a part of the Police Reform White Paper, the UK Government is announced the establishment of Police.AI, a new national centre for AI in policing focused on helping forces adopt AI tools responsibly and the set up of a new National Data Integration and Exploitation Service (NDIES).

Police.AI will ensure that operationally independent Chief Constables have the evidence and resources they need to ensure the AI they are using has proven benefits, is backed by robust evidence and is maximising accuracy whilst minimising bias. We are also creating a public-facing registry of AI deployments in policing, setting out what each tool does, why it is used, the risks identified, and how these risks are being mitigated, encouraging careful reflection on the merits and risks of each tool.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Department for Education on assessing the potential impact of reducing assistive technology support during higher education on disabled people’s employment outcomes.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Work and Pensions maintains regular dialogue with the Department for Education (DfE) to ensure disabled students are supported as they transition into the labour market. Assistive and accessible technology (ATech) is key to enabling independence, greater inclusion, and participation for disabled people. While this technology is already creating opportunities, this government believes there is potential to do much more.

The Access to Work Scheme has been operating in Great Britain since June 1994 and provides grant funding to disabled people, as well as those with a health condition. The grant supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. The grant cap was increased in April 2024 to £69,920. To further support sustainable employment, the DWP is also investing in the “Connect to Work” initiative, which is expected to support around 100,000 disabled people and those with health conditions in 2026/2027.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what procurement process was followed for the agreement with Palantir Technologies for defence data analytics capabilities; and whether any Ministers and former officials with prior links to Palantir were involved at any stage of that process.

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

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) let the Palantir Enterprise Agreement contract in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023. The contract was direct awarded under the justifications outlined in Section 41, Schedule 5.The Direct award justifications were as follows:

- Paragraph 6:

o The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract—

(a)due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and

(b)there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works.

- Paragraph 7:

o The public contract concerns the supply of goods, services or works by the existing supplier which are intended as an extension to, or partial replacement of, existing goods, services or works in circumstances where—

(a)a change in supplier would result in the contracting authority receiving goods, services or works that are different from, or incompatible with, the existing goods, services or works, and

(b)the difference or incompatibility would result in disproportionate technical difficulties in operation or maintenance.

The MOD can confirm that no Ministers and former officials with prior links to Palantir were involved at any stage of that process. The decision to award this contract was the Secretary of State for Defence’s.

The MOD conducts continuous conflict-of-interest assessments for all individuals involved in commercial activity of any manner.

The MOD conducts comprehensive due diligence upon the notification of any business appointments that may lead to concern. MOD holds a Business Appointments Policy under JSP 492 that outlines the processes and guidelines for assessing these situations. Should an appointment create a concern MOD can place conditions upon that individual that can include:

- Restricting the sharing of information

- Prohibition of lobbying for a set period of time

- Restrictions on advising on ongoing commercial activity

- Seeking clearance of ongoing commissions

The conditions and associated timeframes for them are set based upon the seniority of the individual involved and the nature of the appointment. MOD continues to work diligently to ensure this is appropriately managed and enforced.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department conducted a conflict‑of‑interest assessment prior to awarding recent defence contracts to Palantir Technologies.

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

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) conducts continuous conflict-of-interest assessments for all individuals involved in commercial activity of any manner.

In addition, the MOD conducts comprehensive due diligence upon the notification of any business appointments that may lead to concern. MOD holds a Business Appointments Policy under JSP 492 that outlines the processes and guidelines for assessing these situations. Should an appointment create a concern the MOD can place conditions upon that individual that can include:

- Restricting the sharing of information

- Prohibition of lobbying for a set period of time

- Restrictions on advising on ongoing commercial activity

- Seeking clearance of ongoing commissions

The conditions and associated timeframes for them are set based upon the seniority of the individual involved and the nature of the appointment.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what standards her Department sets for the ethical and technical assurance of AI systems used in law enforcement.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Although ethical decisions around AI are the responsibility of individual Chief Constables and heads of law enforcement agencies, the Home Office is taking steps to ensure these decisions are evidence-based and transparent.

The Covenant for Using Artificial Intelligence in Policing provides a high-level framework for AI adoption by police forces. It sets out clear principles for the development and deployment of AI in policing, including lawfulness, fairness, transparency, explainability, accountability and robustness. These principles operate alongside existing statutory obligations, including the Equality Act 2010 and data protection legislation, and are supported by published guidance from the College of Policing and local governance and ethics arrangements within forces. We expect all law enforcement agencies to work within the current laws.

In January 2026 the Police Reform White Paper set out plans to establish a new national centre for AI in policing which will be tasked with accelerating the rapid and responsible adoption of AI across forces. It will centralise the development, testing and evaluation of AI tools, support consistent application of assurance standards before deployment, and promote transparency through a public-facing registry of police AI use. It will move into the National Police Service.

In addition, the Home Office launched a public consultation last year on a new legal framework for law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies. The consultation sought views on when and how these technologies should be used and what safeguards and oversight are needed. The consultation has now closed, and the responses received will inform the scope and content of future legal changes.

International Women's Day 2026 and women’s inclusion in placemaking

Cardiac risk in the young

90th anniversary of the Spitfire

Conduct of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

Recognition of Ukrainian driving licences

Dual nationals without British passports

Girlguiding Bristol and South Gloucestershire

1st Ram Hill Scout Group

Palantir and the NHS

Support for the UK-Ukraine Trauma and Recovery Collaborative

UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons

Thatcham level crossing

Local Government

Radiotherapy in the National Cancer Plan

Refugee homelessness and the asylum move-on period

Removal of statutory consultee status from Sport England

Review of the student loan system

Role of the House of Lords in scrutinising legislation

Public toilet provision

Found: Science, Innovation and Technology Committee member present: Martin Wrigley.

Found: Science, Innovation and Technology Committee member present: Martin Wrigley.

Found: Science, Innovation and Technology Committee member present: Martin Wrigley.

Found: Dame Chi Onwurah (Chair); Kit Malthouse; Dr Lauren Sullivan; Adam Thompson; Freddie van Mierlo; Martin Wrigley

Found: Dame Chi Onwurah (Chair); Kit Malthouse; Dr Lauren Sullivan; Adam Thompson; Freddie van Mierlo; Martin Wrigley