Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to prepare the UK for El Nino in 2027.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The current El Niño is now growing rapidly, with Met Office forecasts suggesting it is likely to be a very large event. A large El Niño increases the likelihood of elevated global mean temperatures in 2026, and particularly 2027, which is likely to exceed 2024 as the warmest year on record.
The Met Office continues to closely monitor the developing situation and will assess the potential impacts for the UK and other parts of the world as forecasts evolve. It is important to stress that El Niño is just one of a number of climate drivers that can influence weather patterns in Europe and the UK and any potential impacts will depend on how these drivers combine.
The Cabinet Office is the lead government department for severe weather, including severe storms, extreme heat and extreme cold, and it is responsible for coordinating both the preparations and response to these weather events. The COBR Directorate regularly reviews and exercises response plans for all severe weather risks and implements lessons learned from previous seasons. If severe weather is forecast, the COBR Directorate will convene the cross-Government Severe Weather Resilience Network to assess sector preparedness and raise any concerns or current issues that may impact response plans.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the recent usage of the Emergency Alert System on victims of domestic violence with concealed phones.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
Protecting women in abusive relationships is our highest priority. In order to protect those who may have hidden phones, both national tests of the Emergency Alerting capability have been accompanied by a wide-ranging proactive public communications campaign. This raised awareness of the system and recommended that women with hidden phones opt out of receiving Alerts and was delivered in partnership with organisations that represent these groups.
In a ‘live’ activation scenario such as this, such pre-planned public communications are not always possible. But please be assured that we are learning from each activation to ensure that the capability is being used in the most effective way and, where it is practicable, advance warning of alerts will be considered.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to a) reduce and b) support victims of scam texts from people pretending to be the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has worked with the National Cyber Security Centre and telecommunications partners to implement technical measures to reduce fraudulent text messages purporting to be from National Health Service organisations. NHS England has also issued guidance to organisations that promotes clear and consistent use of SMS to help patients recognise genuine NHS communications. Patients who receive a suspicious message are encouraged to follow the National Cyber Security Centre's guidance on spotting and reporting scam texts.
Additionally, any scam texts should be reported to Report Fraud, the national reporting service for fraud and cybercrime in the United Kingdom. They can be contacted by phone on 0300 123 2040, or on their website at the following link:
https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/reporting-a-fraud/
More generally, the Government works closely with industry, regulators, law enforcement, and consumer groups to close the vulnerabilities that criminals exploit and stop scams reaching people. On 5 November 2025, the Government launched the second Telecoms Fraud Charter to go further in identifying, preventing, and disrupting telecoms fraud. We are also working closely with Ofcom to stop more cases of number ‘spoofing’, where scammers impersonate UK numbers and trick people into thinking they’re speaking to banks, telephone companies, or other legitimate organisations. Further details are available at the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fraud-sector-charter-telecommunications
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of sanctions available against organisations that incur data breaches when systems are found to be inadequate, particularly where sensitive health information is involved.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the UK's data protection legislation independently of Government. Organisations processing special category data, including health information, must meet additional conditions and safeguards because of the sensitivity of that information. The ICO has powers to issue enforcement notices and substantial monetary penalties where organisations fail to comply with their obligations, including obligations relating to data security.
The Government keeps the effectiveness of the data protection framework under review and recently strengthened the ICO’s investigatory and enforcement powers through the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what metrics her Department uses to assess public trust in NHS digital services regarding the NHS Federated Data Platform.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The security and privacy of people’s health and social care data is paramount, and the strongest safeguards will be built into the Single Patient Record (SPR), through legislation, mandatory information standards, and contractual requirements on all relevant providers.
The Department and NHS England undertook extensive public engagement on the use of data in 2024/25 which showed strong support for the SPR, and engagement with public and stakeholders will continue.
There are no formal metrics for measuring trust in digital services, but we will continue to engage with patients, the public and other stakeholders to set out the benefits of these programmes, and reinforce awareness of the data and privacy safeguards in place.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what metrics the Department uses to assess public trust in NHS digital services regarding the future Single Patient Record.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The security and privacy of people’s health and social care data is paramount, and the strongest safeguards will be built into the Single Patient Record (SPR), through legislation, mandatory information standards, and contractual requirements on all relevant providers.
The Department and NHS England undertook extensive public engagement on the use of data in 2024/25 which showed strong support for the SPR, and engagement with public and stakeholders will continue.
There are no formal metrics for measuring trust in digital services, but we will continue to engage with patients, the public and other stakeholders to set out the benefits of these programmes, and reinforce awareness of the data and privacy safeguards in place.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of pharmacies needing to call GP practices to request a change in prescription due to unavailability of medications on a) staff workload and b) patient satisfaction.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 9 September to Question 23585.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had recent discussions with the Ataxia campaign.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis in the Department’s transparency data.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a) continued use of the FDP and b) implementation of the proposed Single Patient Record on public trust in NHS data governance.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The security and privacy of people’s health and social care data is paramount, and the strongest safeguards will be built into the Single Patient Record (SPR), through legislation, mandatory information standards, and contractual requirements on all relevant providers.
The Department and NHS England undertook extensive public engagement on the use of data in 2024/25 which showed strong support for the SPR, and engagement with public and stakeholders will continue.
There are no formal metrics for measuring trust in digital services, but we will continue to engage with patients, the public and other stakeholders to set out the benefits of these programmes, and reinforce awareness of the data and privacy safeguards in place.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how privacy-by-design principles will be mandatory requirements in the development of the proposed Single Patient Record.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The security and privacy of people’s health and social care data is paramount, and the strongest safeguards will be built into the Single Patient Record (SPR), through legislation, mandatory information standards, and contractual requirements on all relevant providers.
The Department and NHS England undertook extensive public engagement on the use of data in 2024/25 which showed strong support for the SPR, and engagement with public and stakeholders will continue.
There are no formal metrics for measuring trust in digital services, but we will continue to engage with patients, the public and other stakeholders to set out the benefits of these programmes, and reinforce awareness of the data and privacy safeguards in place.