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 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 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.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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.