Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any Freedom of Information requests concerning Palantir Technologies have been refused since 2023.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
All FOI requests are handled in accordance with the legislation, including the application of relevant exemptions where applicable.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the phase 5 rail resilience programme in the context of water levels in 2026.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We remain committed to concluding the works necessary on this route to mitigate the remaining risks identified in the Southwest Rail Resilience Programme.
Network Rail is commencing work on a drainage trial, removing water from a section of the cliffs between Parsons Tunnel and Teignmouth. This trial, along with further ground investigation work, will provide detailed data to inform consideration of a proposal for a long-term solution in due course.
Despite the intensity of recent weather, the railway was only closed during the storms themselves, and the impact on the area covered by Phase 5 of the Programme did not affect the availability of the line.
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, when the new dementia framework will be published.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The first ever Modern Service framework for Frailty and Dementia will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care. The commission is underway and phase one will report this year.
We intend to engage with a range of partners over the coming months to enable us to build a framework which is both ambitious and practical, to ensure we can improve system performance for people with dementia both now and in the future. We are working to develop the content as soon as possible and we will keep partners updated on progress and timings as this work unfolds.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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.
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, 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.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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.