Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57252 on Arms Length Bodies: Parliamentary Scrutiny, whether written Parliamentary Questions on the work of (a) public corporations and (b) private companies owned by the Government are expected to be answered by (i) the sponsoring minister or (ii) through correspondence from the Chief Executive of that body.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Written Parliamentary Questions about specific arm’s-length entities, including public corporations or government-owned companies, should be directed to the relevant sponsoring department. The arrangements for answering such questions are a matter for sponsoring departments to agree in consultation with individual arm’s length entities.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 62624 on Public Buildings: Concrete, which three Government Property Agency buildings have been found to have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Due to operational and security sensitivities, we do not disclose sites in which Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete is present.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 62283 on Cabinet Office: Pay, whether the Civil Service Statistics 2025 document will publish the annual wage costs of the EU relations secretariat.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Salary data for the Civil Service is published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics. This statistical bulletin presents mean and median salary data for Civil Service departments and their Executive Agencies overall. A detailed breakdown for the structure and associated payscales for the European Relations Secretariat is available as part of the Cabinet Office organogram of Staff Roles & Salaries on gov.uk.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information her Department holds on who the members are of the Royal Mint (a) sub-committee on the selection of themes and (b) advisory committee.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Royal Mint Advisory Committee (RMAC) is an advisory non-departmental public body that advises the Chancellor of the Exchequer (in her capacity as Master of the Royal Mint) and HM The King on matters of design with respect to circulating and commemorative coins. RMAC exists to promote numismatic (i.e. the study of coins) and – more broadly - medallic art in the UK, ensuring designs meet high standards of decency and good taste. Non-executive members of the Committee are unremunerated Crown appointments.

RMAC typically comprises four Royal Mint executive members, seven non-executive members including the current Chair, Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston, a representative from HM Treasury and experts in art, design, heraldry, typography, sculpture, history and numismatics. Currently the RMAC comprises of three non-executive members and nine executive members; more information can be found on the Royal Mint Museum's website: Royal Mint Advisory Committee.

RMAC’s Sub-Commitee on the Selection of Themes, chaired by Baroness Stuart, brings together at least two non-executive members of RMAC alongside a representative from HM Treasury and The Royal Mint to examine proposed themes for future commemorative and circulating coins, making recommendations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

HM Treasury is currently running a public appointments campaign to appoint four non-executive members to RMAC: a generalist, artist, art historian and lettering expert. Confirmation of these appointments will be made in the autumn.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department is (a) (i) represented on and (ii) consulted by and (b) able to veto the decisions of the Bank of England's Banknote Character Advisory Committee.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The roles and responsibilities for the production and issuance of banknotes are detailed in the Currency and Bank Notes Act 1954 and the 2025 Memorandum of Understanding on the financial relationship between HM Treasury and the Bank of England.

The Bank of England is responsible for all aspects of the design, production, and issuance of banknotes, including the selection of characters, design features, and security measures. The Bank of England is required to seek HM Treasury approval only for the introduction of new denominations, as set out in section 1(1) of the Currency and Bank Notes Act 1954 and Section 9C of the Memorandum of Understanding. The Bank of England may keep HM Treasury informed of developments on a non-statutory, informal basis, but there is no requirement for consultation with HM Treasury on matters of design or character selection.

As a consequence, HM Treasury is not represented on the Bank of England’s Banknote Character Advisory Committee.

The 2025 Memorandum of Understanding can be found here:

Financial relationship between HM Treasury and the Bank of England Memorandum of Understanding

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference page 26 of the National Security Strategy 2025, CP 1338, published on 24 June 2025, what his Department's planned timetable is the publication of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill; and what plans he has for (a) pre-legislative scrutiny and (b) consultation in relation to that Bill.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill was announced at the King’s Speech. It will be introduced in this session of Parliament, as soon as parliamentary time allows.

The previous government consulted on the majority of measures in 2022, which demonstrated significant support. We published a policy statement in April detailing our plans for the Bill.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 60479 on Deputy Prime Ministers: Official Residences, whether broadband is provided to the ministerial residence.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

We do not routinely set out what services are provided at official residences, as doing so might compromise their security.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2025 to Question HL7244 on Prime Minister: Staff, when the No10 Implementation Unit was disbanded; and whether it was replaced.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There has not been an Implementation Unit in 10 Downing Street for at least 15 years. It would not be appropriate to comment on the decision made by a previous government to disband the unit. This Government has established the Mission Delivery Unit.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 62083 on House of Lords Appointments Commission, for what reason the competition to recruit members of the House of Lords Appointments Commission is not listed on webpage on gov.uk entitled Apply for a public appointment.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The campaign to recruit up to two independent members to the House of Lords Appointments Commission was launched on 3 January 2025. The competition then closed on 5 February 2025. As such, it is no longer open to new applicants.

The advert can be found on the public appointments website: https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles/8519

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the (a) address and (b) building condition metric of central government buildings.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As has been longstanding practice under successive administrations, on security and operational grounds, details of specific central government building addresses and conditions are not published. However, The State of the Estate report containing the aggregated insights across government estate is laid before parliament on an annual basis.

The Cabinet Office is currently working on plans to publish aggregate building condition data and insights for the reporting period of FY2026/27.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has issued guidance to Ministers on attending office workplaces during periods of strike action.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

No such guidance has been issued by the Cabinet Office.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 25449 on Government Communication Service, what his Department's planned timetable is for publishing its review of the size of the Government Communications Service as part of Phase 2 of the Spending Review.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government Communications Service (GCS) regularly evaluates communications teams to ensure value for money and operational effectiveness. GCS is currently recruiting a Director of Government Communications who will lead the redesign of the service to ensure it reflects both the evolving communications landscape and government priorities.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54794 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, what the value of each annual payment is in cash terms.

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

We have published the full costs alongside the Treaty and provided further detail in the accompanying explanatory memorandum. These were laid in the House on the day of signature. The average cost per year in today's money is £101 million and the net present value of payments under the treaty is £3.4 billion.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 56762 on Chagos Islands: Sovereignty, for what reason the Chagos Islands deal will not be funded from the Official Development Assistance budget.

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

The treaty is an investment in UK national security, protecting the long-term security of the vital US-UK base. Payments for military bases do not qualify under UK's Official Development Assistance eligibility framework.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had had with Ofcom to discuss the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025 within Ofcom guidance.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

None.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on plans to implement the Supreme Court judgment in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025 within Ofcom guidance.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

None.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has set a deadline for Ofcom to implement the Supreme Court judgment in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025 within Ofcom guidance.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

No.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual operating costs are of the (a) RAF Envoy IV with registrations (i) G-ZAHS and (ii) G-ZABH, (b) VIP Voyager with registration ZZ336 and (c) Airbus A321-Neo with registration G-GBNI.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Envoy aircraft operating costs are currently £4.4 million per year, contracted through Centreline Av Ltd.

The operating costs of Voyager ZZ336 in its secondary role of VIP use are not separately recorded within the wider 27-Year AirTanker contract for the Voyager fleet's primary role of Air-to-Air Refuelling and military Air Transport.

The Airbus A321-Neo aircraft, registration G-GBNI is leased by the Cabinet Office not the Ministry of Defence.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54812 on Government Departments: media, what guidance is issued by the Government Communication Service on the procurement of external public relations companies.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) provides a framework agreement that enables contracting authorities to access suppliers who provide services in this area. As with any procurement through established framework agreements, CCS provides guidance to ensure any procurement is conducted in compliance with UK procurement regulations. Guidance can be found on the CCS webpage: https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/agreements/RM6125.

Individual contracting authorities are responsible for their own procurement processes under this framework agreement. Any campaign spending of £100,000 or more must go through the Government Communication Service’s advertising, marketing and communications (AMC) spend control process. Guidance is available at the following link: https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/guidance/marketing/delivering-government-campaigns/professional-assurance/

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2025 to Question 54789 on Government Hospitality: Wines, whether alcohol from the Government Wine Cellar has been consumed at any other event by (a) 10 and (b) 11 Downing Street since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Alcohol from the Government Wine Cellar was served at the following events by a) 10 and b) 11 Downing Street since 4 July 2024:

18 July 2024: Dinner for the President of France hosted by the Prime Minister at the European Political Meeting.

4 February 2025: Dinner for the Danish Prime Minister hosted by the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street.

14 May 2025: Reception for the Governors of the Economic Bank for Reconstruction and Development hosted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer at Lancaster House.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, Pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 39690 on Military Aircraft: Ministers, what is the definition of a task; and whether this involves a one-way or return journey.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

A task can include multiple legs between the point of departure and the final destination.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2025 to Question 62339 on Aviation, which Departments have used the Airbus A321-253NX with registration G-OATW.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Since assuming the registration G-OATW in October 2023, the aircraft has been chartered under various contracts with other government departments to support their official business. However, this data is not held by the Cabinet Office, as each department is responsible for its own contracting arrangements.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 62771 on Cabinet Office: Maray Restaurant, if he will publish that invoice.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

In line with the approach of successive administrations, Government Procurement Card spend data over £500 is declared in relevant transparency publications.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2025 to Question 62084 on Government Departments: Procurement, which public bodies have undertaken expenditure through framework RM6125 since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Information on individual contracts, including any agreed through a Crown Commercial Service framework, are publicly available on Contracts Finder at the following link: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk. Contracts Finder provides information about contracts worth over £12,000 (including VAT) with the government and its agencies.

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 185 of the report entitled Census 2021: General report for England and Wales, published on 21 June 2025, which local authorities had a confidence interval of (a) up to 5%, (b) up to 6% and (c) 6% or more.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th July is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the UK Statistics Authority and Cabinet Office response to the Devereux Review, published on 26 June 2025, what plans he has to publish a response to each recommendation of the Devereux Review.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The UK Statistics Authority and Cabinet Office response to the Devereux Review was published on 26 June. A further announcement was made on 7 July regarding the timeline for appointing new leadership to both the UK Statistics Authority and the Office for National Statistics.

While there are no plans to publish further responses, additional updates may be announced as and when deemed appropriate.

The Government welcomes the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee's inquiry into the UK Statistics Authority, launched earlier this year, and looks forward to engaging with the Committee.

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 patients who pursue non-NHS ADHD treatment are not disadvantaged in accessing (a) ongoing and (b) future NHS treatment.

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

The Department has not issued guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) or general practices (GPs) on supporting patients with private attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses to transition into National Health Service care.

It is the responsibility of the ICBs in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to ADHD services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

Shared care with the NHS refers to an arrangement whereby a specialist doctor formally transfers responsibility for all or some aspects of their patient’s care, such as prescription of medication, over to the patient’s GP.

The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates and sets standards for doctors in the United Kingdom, has made it clear that GPs cannot be compelled to enter into a shared care agreement. GPs may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds.

The GMC has issued guidance on prescribing and managing medicines, which helps GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors such as whether the proposed activity is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes the GP being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate.

If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician, and this applies to both NHS and private medical care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with NHS England on the adequacy of the consistency of shared care prescribing arrangements for ADHD medication in each Integrated Care Board.

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

The Department has not issued guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) or general practices (GPs) on supporting patients with private attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses to transition into National Health Service care.

It is the responsibility of the ICBs in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to ADHD services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

Shared care with the NHS refers to an arrangement whereby a specialist doctor formally transfers responsibility for all or some aspects of their patient’s care, such as prescription of medication, over to the patient’s GP.

The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates and sets standards for doctors in the United Kingdom, has made it clear that GPs cannot be compelled to enter into a shared care agreement. GPs may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds.

The GMC has issued guidance on prescribing and managing medicines, which helps GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors such as whether the proposed activity is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes the GP being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate.

If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician, and this applies to both NHS and private medical care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued to (a) ICBs and (b) GP practices on supporting patients with private ADHD diagnoses to transition into NHS care.

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

The Department has not issued guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) or general practices (GPs) on supporting patients with private attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses to transition into National Health Service care.

It is the responsibility of the ICBs in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to ADHD services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

Shared care with the NHS refers to an arrangement whereby a specialist doctor formally transfers responsibility for all or some aspects of their patient’s care, such as prescription of medication, over to the patient’s GP.

The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates and sets standards for doctors in the United Kingdom, has made it clear that GPs cannot be compelled to enter into a shared care agreement. GPs may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds.

The GMC has issued guidance on prescribing and managing medicines, which helps GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors such as whether the proposed activity is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes the GP being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate.

If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician, and this applies to both NHS and private medical care.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to prevent solvent companies from using Company Voluntary Arrangements to avoid meeting their (a) redundancy and (b) notice period obligations.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Company Voluntary Arrangements (“CVAs”) are a restructuring process for insolvent or contingently insolvent companies. To be eligible, a company must meet the insolvent test as assessed by an insolvency practitioner and the CVA must be agreed by a majority of creditors and shareholders.

Where redundancies are necessary as part of a CVA, the Government ensures employees have appropriate safeguards through employment rights’ legislation. Redundancy payments (within statutory limits) are guaranteed from the National Insurance Fund. The Redundancy Payments Service makes these payments directly to the employees and will seek to reclaim the money back from the company as a creditor.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has provided additional funding to government departments to compensate public bodies for the increase in employer National Insurance contributions for each year of the Spending Review 2025.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Autumn Budget 2024 the Government set aside funding to support the public sector with the additional cost of employer National Insurance Contributions. The Government then updated Parliament on allocations by department for 2025-26 (published alongside Main Estimates 2025-26).

Spending Review 2025 departmental settlements fully reflect these changes for 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29, with the Barnett formula applying in the usual way.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 53535 on Arms Length Bodies, if he will list those delivery options.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The options referred to in that response, including delivery options for decarbonisation, are being finalised. Further information will be announced in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much air passenger duty was paid for ministerial domestic travel on RAF-provided flights between 4 July 2024 and 31 March 2025.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The total amount of Air Passenger Duty paid for Ministers who travelled on the RAF Envoy, on domestic flights, between 4 July 2024 and 31 March 2025 is £1,950.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the document entitled Committee on Standards in Public Life 334th Meeting, Thursday 15 May 2025: Minutes, published on 30 June 2025, if he will place in the Library a copy of the research paper by José Pedro Lopes of the University of Manchester.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Committee on Standards in Public Life is an independent advisory body. It is a matter for the Committee to determine the information it publishes.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has received any correspondence from external organisations on the Ethics and Integrity Commission since 4 July 2024.

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

The Cabinet Office regularly receives correspondence on a range of policy issues, including on manifesto commitments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62332 on Civil Service: Redundancy, whether his Department has made an estimate of the potential number of exits under the Civil Service Compensation Scheme in each financial year until 2028-29.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Departments have been commissioned to provide information on their planned use of exits to inform the development of the Civil Service Strategic Workforce Plan, due to be published later this year.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will list the secretary to each Cabinet (a) committee and (b) sub-committee.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Secretariat works on behalf of the Cabinet Secretary to support Cabinet committees. Cabinet committees are supported by the Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat, the National Security Secretariat and the European and Global Issues Secretariat according to the Terms of Reference of the committee.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Universities have received emergency funding from the Government since 4 July 2024; and how much money has been provided as part of that process.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government has not provided emergency funding to any university since 4 July 2024.

Universities are independent from government and as such must continue to make the necessary financial decisions to ensure their long-term sustainability. If a university was at risk of failure, the department would work with the Office for Students (OfS) to ensure that students are protected, recognising the significant impact university closure would have on their future. The government reserves the right to intervene to protect students’ interests, if necessary.

While the sector is autonomous, we are committed to creating a secure future for our world-leading universities.

To support universities in stabilising their financial positions, the OfS will continue dedicating significant resources to ensuring the sector's financial sustainability. The department has appointed Professor Edward Peck as the substantive Chair of the OfS, where he will play a key role in strengthening this commitment, while also expanding opportunities in higher education (HE).

Additionally, we have made the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits by 3.1% (in line with inflation) from the 2025/26 academic year.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2025 to Question 48185 on Government: Policy, whether Mission Champions may have access to internal government papers.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Rt.Honorable Member to the response to PQ48185.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the document entitled Cabinet Office spend approvals: January to March 2025, published on 27 June 2025, what the purpose is of the Advertising, Marketing and Communications spending on Q4 mission activity; what (a) suppliers and (b) firms have been contracted to undertake this work; and what media channels will be used.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Q4 mission activity spend formed part of ongoing New Media Unit (NMU) work. The NMU utilises a wide range of digital and social media channels to reach target audiences.

The frameworks used for this spend were Campaign Solutions 2 (RM6125) and Media Services (RM6123).

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 186 of the Census 2021: General report for England and Wales, published on 21 June 2025, which local authorities had a response rate below 95%.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 9th July is attached.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how often the presumption of contact was disapplied in family court proceedings where (a) allegations and (b) findings of domestic abuse were present in the last 12 months; and whether her Department plans to publish data on how Domestic Abuse Protection Orders are being used to safeguard (i) survivors and (ii) children during ongoing family court contact disputes.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Data is not held centrally on how often the presumption of parental involvement is disapplied in family court proceedings under either a) or b). The relevant data could only be obtained by an analysis of individual case files at a disproportionate cost.

Domestic Abuse Protection Orders, known as DAPOs, can be made in ongoing family proceedings to protect victims from domestic abuse or the risk of domestic abuse. DAPOs are being tested in selected areas and will be subject to evaluation.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when her Department plans to publish its review of the presumption of parental contact in family courts; and whether that review will include consideration of disapplying the presumption in cases where domestic abuse has been evidenced.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Review into the Presumption of Parental Involvement is now complete. The Review and the Government’s response and next steps will be published shortly.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government plans to commission an independent review of training for (a) family court judges, (b) Cafcass officers and (c) expert witnesses on (i) coercive control, (ii) post-separation abuse and (iii) the misuse of legal processes by perpetrators.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government currently has no plans to commission an independent review of training for family court judges, Cafcass officers and expert witnesses.

The judiciary is independent of the Government; under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the Lady Chief Justice has statutory responsibility for the training of the judiciary of England and Wales. This is fulfilled on behalf of the Lady Chief Justice by the Judicial College.

Cafcass is an independent Arm’s Length Body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and is responsible for its own training. Cafcass Family Court Advisers complete mandatory domestic abuse training including on using Cafcass’ Child Impact Assessment Framework which has guidance and tools for assessing when domestic abuse is a feature of the child’s case, including when coercive control is present. Family Court Advisers are also trained to follow Cafcass’ Domestic Abuse Practice Policy which sets out the actions they must undertake when working with children and adults who have experienced domestic abuse

The annex to Practice Direction 25B outlines the standards an expert witness in children proceedings must adhere to. These include that they are appropriately qualified (where relevant), have sufficient experience of the issue on which they are to give evidence and undertake continuous professional development. It is at the courts’ discretion whether to give permission for the instruction of an expert; this decision is based on all of the information available to the court, including whether the expert has undertaken suitable training and qualifications.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the evaluation of the Pathfinder pilot family courts will be published in full prior to any national policy changes based on its findings.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government commissioned formal evaluation of the Pathfinder pilots in North Wales and Dorset in two parts. The first part was a process evaluation and financial analysis which was published in March 2025. The second part examines the experiences of children and families and will be published later this year.

The two evaluation reports are already informing policy and operational changes; and monitoring and evaluation of Pathfinder is ongoing. A feasibility study, to identify options for further impact and economic evaluation of Pathfinder, is underway and will be published later this year.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has issued guidance to civil servants on resigning if they disagree with government policy.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign Secretary has not issued guidance to staff on this matter. The Permanent Under-Secretaries did respond to a series of letters from a group of staff to the Foreign Secretary raising concerns about the UK's Middle East policy, however, setting out the many avenues and options available to staff who have concerns about the UK Government's policy, particularly in relation to the Civil Service Code.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the cost was of the summer reception at Lancaster House on 1 July 2025.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The total cost of the Foreign Secretary's Summer Reception on 1 July 2025 was £49,069.88.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will introduce a three month extension to the transition period for capital allowance rules for Double Cab Pick Ups.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Following recent case law from 2020, Double Cab Pick Ups with a payload of one tonne or more must be treated as cars for capital allowances purposes, in line with the Court of Appeal's judgement on the primary suitability of such vehicles.

The government recognised that this change will affect businesses, who need certainty and predictability. Which is why HMRC has put in place substantial transitional arrangements. These ensure that current owners, and those who purchased Double Cab Pick Ups before 1 April 2025 (for Corporation Tax) and 6 April 2025 for (Income Tax), and incur expenditure before 1 October 2025, are not impacted.

The purpose of the transition period was to provide certainty and allows businesses time to adapt. The government gave just under a year’s notice of the October 2025 deadline.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has issued guidance to senior members of the armed forces on speaking at (a) conferences and (b) panels where (i) Ministers and (ii) media are present since July 2024.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Ministry of Defence's guidance on contact with the media and public communication was last updated on 6 February 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the commencement of the socio-economic duty under the Equality Act 2010 on (a) school and (b) university admissions.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The government issued a call for evidence on equality law, which included commencing the socio-economic duty under the Equality Act 2010. This closed on 30 June 2025.

All mainstream state-funded schools are required to comply with relevant legislation and the statutory School Admissions Code. It is for a school’s admission authority to decide which oversubscription criteria to include in their arrangements. They must ensure that their arrangements will not disadvantage unfairly, either directly or indirectly, a child from a particular social or racial group, or a child with a disability or special educational needs.

We will support the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university, regardless of their background, where they live and their personal circumstances.

Gaps in access, completion and outcomes between disadvantaged students and others at university are unacceptably large and stubborn.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the (a) percentage and (b) cash term monetary change in average fees for his Department's nursery was in 2025-26 compared to 2024-25; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

There has been no increase in fees for the nursery based at King Charles Street during the period 2024-25 to 2025-26.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answers of 2 July 2025 and 11 July 2025 to Questions 62768 and 64918 on Pay: Publicity, whether he has considered releasing the (a) aggregate value of the payments made to and (b) the names of the six digital influencers hired for its campaign.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2^nd July 2025 to question 62768 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament) and the answer I gave on 11^th July to question 64918 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament).

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she plans to respond to the report entitled Review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender - Report 2: Barriers to research on sex and gender, published on 2 July 2025.

Answered by Nia Griffith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

On 19 March 2025 the Government published a report by Professor Alice Sullivan, following an independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender. This report was commissioned by the previous administration.

Professor Sullivan has subsequently self-published further research in this area relating to “barriers to research on sex and gender”.

The Office for Students (OfS) published regulatory advice on 19 June 2025, providing guidance to the higher education (HE) sector on how they should fulfil their free speech duties under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 (the Act) and examples of how providers should fulfil their duties.

On 26 June 2025, the Minister for Women and Equalities published a policy paper on the future of the Act, setting out further details following the announcement on 15 January 2025. This paper sets in detail the duties and powers the OfS will be granted, when a legislative vehicle is secured, in order to regulate HE providers in relation to fulfilment of their free speech duties, and to put in place a complaints scheme to decide on free speech complaints from staff, external speakers and members of registered HE providers.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 39690 on Military Aircraft: Ministers, how many tasks have there been relating to Ministers travelling on all RAF planes since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Since the 4 July 2024, there have been a total of 43 tasks completed in support of Ministers travel, across the RAF Command Support Air Transport fleets.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of local authorities’ (a) powers and (b) resources to enforce Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO) requiring dogs to be kept on leads in public parks; and what steps her Department is taking to support councils in (i) extending PSPO coverage where necessary and (ii) improving public (A) awareness and (B) enforcement to reduce dog-related incidents in shared green spaces.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police and local authorities with a range of flexible tools and powers, including Public Spaces Protection Orders, that they can use to tackle dog-related incidents in public spaces.

Appropriate use of the powers is a local decision for local authorities, police and other agencies. The Home Office regularly engages with police and local authority partners to discuss the effectiveness of the legislation.

We are making changes to some of the powers in the 2014 Act via the Crime and Policing Bill to ensure the powers – based on engagement with police and local authorities – are as effective as possible. These changes include increasing the upper limit for a fixed penalty notice for breach of a Public Spaces Protection Order from £100 to £500 to act as a stronger deterrent to anti-social behaviour, including dog-related incidents in public spaces.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the under-diagnosis of ADHD in girls; and what targets have been set for improving identification rates by 2026.

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

We recognise that diagnosis rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are lower in women and girls and lower than the best evidence on prevalence. This may reflect differences in how ADHD present in males and females, which may make ADHD more difficult to identify in women and girls.

ADHD assessments should be undertaken by appropriately skilled clinicians who consider several factors before coming to a clinical decision. Integrated care boards and health professionals should have due regard to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines when commissioning and providing health care services, including ADHD assessment services. NICE guidelines on ADHD set out considerations for clinicians when assessing for ADHD, including highlighting that ADHD may be under-recognised in women and girls.

NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is bringing together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June 2025, with the final report expected to be published later in the year, and we will carefully consider its recommendations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the feasibility of allowing general practitioners to initiate ADHD diagnostic referrals for school-age children.

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

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available the appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including decisions on local referral processes for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. General practitioner teams can already refer patients for an ADHD assessment, both for adults and school-age children, where this is clinically appropriate and indicated according to NICE guidelines.

NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is bringing together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June, with the final report expected to be published later in the year, and we will carefully consider its recommendations.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has considered extending eligibility for the Children’s Funeral Fund to include babies lost before 24 weeks’ gestation; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing financial support to parents arranging funerals for pregnancy losses occurring from 20 weeks onward.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Losing a baby is an unimaginably painful experience for any family. To help ease the financial burden during such a difficult time, the Children’s Funeral Fund for England provides support towards the cost of a funeral.

The Fund, established under the Social Fund (Children’s Funeral Fund for England) Regulations 2019, uses the definition of stillbirth set out in section 41 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953. This definition applies to babies lost after 24 weeks of pregnancy and is consistent with the Department for Work and Pensions Funeral Expenses Payment scheme.

The Department remains committed to regularly keeping the operation of the Children’s Funeral Fund under review to ensure it continues to meet the needs of bereaved families with compassion and care.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of serving teachers have completed continuous professional development specifically covering ADHD and dyslexia since 2020; and what plans she has to make such training compulsory.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The requested information on continuous professional development completed by teachers is not collected centrally.

The department is committed to improving support for all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other neurodiverse conditions.

From September 2025, the new initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF) will set out a minimum entitlement to training for all new teachers. The ITTECF contains significantly more content related to adaptive teaching and SEND which was tested with SEND educational experts to ensure new teachers are equipped to support pupils with a range of additional learning needs.

The department recognises that continuous improvement is essential and has committed to review the ITTECF in 2027 to ensure it continues to provide the best possible support. This review will include a focus on teaching pupils with SEND.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with Ofcom on the potential impact of the Supreme Court ruling in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers on the guidance it issues.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

None.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking through the Growth and Skills levy to introduce greater flexibility for blended and modular learning.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The growth and skills offer will introduce greater flexibility to employers and learners in England, creating routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries, aligned with the government’s industrial strategy.

Initially, the department will introduce new short courses in areas such as digital, artificial intelligence and engineering, funded through the growth and skills levy, to support Industrial Strategy sectors from April 2026, with more courses added as they are developed. The skills needs to be addressed by short courses will be informed by Skills England’s engagement with employers and key stakeholders.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans she has to support the development of local industrial strategies for financial and related professional services in Essex.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Greater Essex is part of the Devolution Priority Programme, which aims to see a new Mayoral Strategic Authority established by spring 2026. If a Mayoral Strategic Authority is established, it will need to develop a Local Growth Plan to provide a long-term strategic framework for growth in the region. Foundation Strategic Authorities and Local Authorities in non-devolution are also encouraged to set out a vision for growth in their area that builds on existing local economic strategies where possible. The Industrial Strategy Sector Plans for Financial Services and Professional and Business Services include measures to grow these sectors across the UK.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of new packaging regulations on the cost of producing draught and bottled beer; and whether those impacts were taken into account when setting beer duty rates.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government has worked closely with industry, including the brewing and hospitality sectors throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR). In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole.

Decisions on tax policy, including beer duty rates, are made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer at fiscal events. The Treasury welcomes representations from the beer and pub sectors in advance of the Budget.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities in Essex to deliver place-based foreign direct investment strategies in line with the Harrington Review recommendations.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) promotes investment across the UK. At the International Investment Summit, we announced a major overhaul of how DBT will implement the Harrington Review - strengthening the Office for Investment (OfI) and aligning government efforts under a single strategic delivery plan.

We have established an expanded OfI at the heart of government to reduce duplication, offer a clearer 'single door' for investors, and increase our influence on regulation and policy across HMG. We continue working with local partners, including Essex Council, to support and showcase investment opportunities aligned with industrial and infrastructure strategies to global investors.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to bring forward pilot zoning schemes to provide easier planning for commercial development in financial and professional service hubs in the East of England.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government recognises a local zonal approach where upfront planning permission is granted for certain types of commercial development can be a useful tool to attract new investment to specific places.

Local planning authorities already have the power to make Local Development Orders to do this, and the National Planning Policy Framework encourages them to use this tool.

Through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, we are also now giving mayors a similar power to make Mayoral Development Orders, enabling them to bring forward proactively new strategic sites for commercial development in their area.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Strategic Investment Opportunities Unit within the Office for Investment supports SMEs and scale-ups to access investment in (a) Basildon and Billericay constituency and (b) other areas outside major conurbations.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

As announced in the Infrastructure Strategy the new Strategic Investment Opportunities unit will identify, shape and deliver on strategic projects and programmes with significant scope for private capital and investor interest. These will be aligned to investor demand and matched to relevant institutional investors.

Attracting investors and capital is crucial to driving growth across the country, and will ultimately benefit SMEs in locations outside major conurbations, where aligned to investor demand.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the (a) UK Statistics Authority and (b) Office for National Statistics plan to respond to the second part of the Professor Sullivan report entitled Barriers to research on sex and gender, published on 2 July 2025.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 9th July is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of the attendees at the Plan for Change launch event on 5 December 2024 were invited by the Government.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

All invitations were sent by the Government.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, With reference to the publication entitled Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office - Ministers' Gifts - May 2025, published on 26 June 2025, what the meaning is of the entry returns pending for the Ceremonial Sword.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

When the Foreign Secretary receives a gift, he decides whether the gift will be retained by the department, or purchased by him personally. On this occasion, the Foreign Secretary has decided this gift will be retained by the department. The public data will reflect this outcome shortly.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of draught beer duty relief on the viability of pubs in (a) rural areas and (b) newly developed communities.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor’s draught rate cut at Autumn Budget 2024 applied to approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs.

Draught beer and cider now pay 13.9% less in duty than their packaged equivalents – a 50% increase on the previous draught discount of 9.2%. This took a penny of duty off a typical strength pint.

Draught beer and cider now pay 13.9% less in duty than their packaged equivalents – a 50% increase on the previous draught discount of 9.2%.

The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events. The Government welcomes representations from the beer and pub sectors in advance of the Budget.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2025 to Question 62990 on House of Lords Appointments Commission, what the Government’s policy is on the number of Non-Party Political Life Peers proposed by HOLAC who will be created each individual year of this Parliament.

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

The Prime Minister will continue to invite nominations from HOLAC, and future appointments will be announced in the usual way.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Number 10 has an operational Bloomberg terminal.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

HMT has Bloomberg terminals and subscriptions to support the provision of economic advice to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the timeliness of payments of compensation to the victims of infected blood.

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

The Government is committed to ensuring that all those eligible to receive compensation receive an award as quickly as possible. As of 15 July, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) has contacted 2,215 people to begin their claim for compensation, with 1,934 having started the claim process. 808 offers of compensation have been made, with a total value of over £602 million. 587 people have accepted their offer and received payment, with over £411 million paid in compensation. This means approximately 60% of infected people registered with a support scheme have been contacted to begin their claim.

For other groups, IBCA will continue their test and learn approach, bringing different people in at different stages to start their compensation claim. They set out further details of this in their community update on 21st July.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that new mothers experiencing (a) anxiety, (b) postnatal depression and (c) other difficulties after birth are routinely referred to local third-sector or community-based support services.

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

We recognise that supporting women’s mental health is a crucial aspect of care at all stages of pregnancy and post-partum.

General practitioners (GPs) can offer initial support for mild to moderate mental health problems including depression and anxiety. If a pregnant woman needs further support, a range of specialist mental health services have been made available to access during the perinatal period. For women with or at risk of more serious mental health problems, such as severe depression, who are planning a pregnancy, pregnant or have a baby up to two years old, specialist perinatal mental health services provide care in all 42 integrated care system areas of England. As of June 2025, Maternal Mental Health Services are now available across all areas of England. They are available for women experiencing mental health difficulties directly arising from, or related to, their maternity or neonatal experience, such as post-natal depression. Women can be referred to these services, which are often community-based, by any healthcare professional, including midwives, health visitors, GPs, hospital-based teams, mental health services and social workers. Self-referrals are accepted by some services.

Additionally, 165 Mother and Baby Unit beds have now been commissioned, with 153 currently operational. These units provide inpatient care to women who experience severe mental health difficulties during and after pregnancy, including postpartum psychosis. A mother could be admitted to a mother and baby unit for treatment of severe depression or an anxiety disorder.

NHS England guidance sets out that all women who have given birth should be offered a postnatal check-up with their GP after six to eight weeks. This check-up provides an important opportunity for women to be listened to by their GP in a discreet, supportive environment, and for women to be assessed and supported not just in their physical recovery post-birth but also their mental health. In line with the National Health Service guidance, during this appointment, GPs have a duty to ask every woman about her mental health, and to prioritise identifying and addressing serious mental health concerns such as severe depression. This means any woman needing extra mental health support can be referred to primary care mental health support including Talking Therapies or to a specialist perinatal mental health team, if appropriate.

On 17 July 2025, the Prime Minister also announced the launch of Diagnosis Connect, a new service that will better-connect patients to both local and national charities. This will ensure that patients are referred directly to trusted charities and support organisations as soon as they are diagnosed, providing personalised advice, information and guidance to help them manage their condition and feel more in control. This support will include physical and mental wellbeing in the perinatal period.

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 merits of introducing a duty to refer new mothers experiencing mental distress to appropriate local services.

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

We recognise that supporting women’s mental health is a crucial aspect of care at all stages of pregnancy and post-partum.

General practitioners (GPs) can offer initial support for mild to moderate mental health problems including depression and anxiety. If a pregnant woman needs further support, a range of specialist mental health services have been made available to access during the perinatal period. For women with or at risk of more serious mental health problems, such as severe depression, who are planning a pregnancy, pregnant or have a baby up to two years old, specialist perinatal mental health services provide care in all 42 integrated care system areas of England. As of June 2025, Maternal Mental Health Services are now available across all areas of England. They are available for women experiencing mental health difficulties directly arising from, or related to, their maternity or neonatal experience, such as post-natal depression. Women can be referred to these services, which are often community-based, by any healthcare professional, including midwives, health visitors, GPs, hospital-based teams, mental health services and social workers. Self-referrals are accepted by some services.

Additionally, 165 Mother and Baby Unit beds have now been commissioned, with 153 currently operational. These units provide inpatient care to women who experience severe mental health difficulties during and after pregnancy, including postpartum psychosis. A mother could be admitted to a mother and baby unit for treatment of severe depression or an anxiety disorder.

NHS England guidance sets out that all women who have given birth should be offered a postnatal check-up with their GP after six to eight weeks. This check-up provides an important opportunity for women to be listened to by their GP in a discreet, supportive environment, and for women to be assessed and supported not just in their physical recovery post-birth but also their mental health. In line with the National Health Service guidance, during this appointment, GPs have a duty to ask every woman about her mental health, and to prioritise identifying and addressing serious mental health concerns such as severe depression. This means any woman needing extra mental health support can be referred to primary care mental health support including Talking Therapies or to a specialist perinatal mental health team, if appropriate.

On 17 July 2025, the Prime Minister also announced the launch of Diagnosis Connect, a new service that will better-connect patients to both local and national charities. This will ensure that patients are referred directly to trusted charities and support organisations as soon as they are diagnosed, providing personalised advice, information and guidance to help them manage their condition and feel more in control. This support will include physical and mental wellbeing in the perinatal period.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 19 June 2025, on House of Lords Appointments, HCWS718, whether the Prime Minister has a target size for the number of sitting peers in the House of Lords.

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

As appointments are for life, the second chamber has become too big. The Government’s manifesto therefore included a commitment to introduce a retirement age for members of the House of Lords.

The Government intends to propose the establishment of a dedicated select committee in the House of Lords to look at how best to implement the manifesto commitments on a retirement age and participation requirement, following the passage of the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Ministry of Defence: Ministers’ Hospitality - May 2025, published on 26 June 2025, for what reason the Rt Hon Member for Liverpool Garston received lunches offered by Babcock on (a) 26 May, (b) 27 May and (c) 30 May 2025.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

To maximise the value of my time on overseas visits, I will sometimes join working lunches with industry to discuss their live export campaigns and priorities. The dates referenced cover a period where I was in New Zealand and Australia to further Defence priorities in the region.

I attended a working lunch with Babcock at their office in Auckland on 26 May to discuss a live export campaign to New Zealand.

I did not attend a lunch with Babcock on 27 May. This was a reporting error in my transparency returns.

I attended a working lunch with Babcock at their office in Perth, Australia on 30 May, to discuss their partnership with the Australian Submarine Delivery Agency.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has provided funding for intersectional climate action since July 2024.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We have provided funding to the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action and to the Equality Fund - both expanding support to grassroots women's rights organisations with Equality Fund grants focussed on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56739 on Strategic Defence Review, whether the embargoed defence review document was classified as (a) market-sensitive and (b) in scope of the UK Market Abuse Regulation.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) contains only strategic recommendations to Government. It does not contain any specific new contract details for any company. As the Government has now confirmed a number of times, at no point did stakeholders receive any commercially sensitive information ahead of publication. The SDR was not classified as market sensitive or in scope of the UK Market Abuse Regulation.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what guidance has been posted on the Government Legal Service intranet since July 2024.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Government Legal Service no longer exists and has been replaced by the Government Legal Profession (GLP).

The GLP produces guidance to assist government lawyers as they work closely with ministers, policy makers and other professionals.

Lawyers across government have an important role in helping the Government deliver its manifesto and run effective public services.

Since July 2024, the following guidance has been published on the GLP intranet:

17/10/2024
Working with Legislation - Westlaw Edge UK

11/2024
Attorney General’s Guidance on Legal Risk

02/2025
Knowledge Sharing Across the GLP
Legal Professional Privilege
Being an Effective Government lawyer

12/02/2025
Legal Professional Privilege Guidance - Sharing Advice Across the GLP

20/05/2025
New legal awareness slides on producing Statutory Instruments

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62087 on Lobbying, whether his Department plans to formally respond to the report.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government continues to keep transparency around lobbying under review, and we will factor into consideration the recommendations from PACAC's report as any policy reforms are considered. However, the report was conducted and published under the previous administration, and framed in the context of policy restraints imposed by that administration, therefore the Government will not be providing a full report response.

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Found: Wyrley and Penkridge) The following Members were members of the Committee during the inquiry: Mr Richard Holden

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Found: REPORT STAGE Friday 18 July 2025 2 _NC2 Mr Richard Holden .

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Found: REPORT STAGE Thursday 17 July 2025 2 _NC2 Mr Richard Holden .

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Found: REPORT STAGE Wednesday 16 July 2025 2 _NC2 Mr Richard Holden .

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Found: REPORT STAGE Tuesday 15 July 2025 2 _NC2 Mr Richard Holden .

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Found: State, from 2 August 2019 to 13 November 2023 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 49,819 70,969 10,000 60,000 Richard Holden

Found: State, from 2 August 2019 to 13 November 2023 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 49,819 70,969 10,000 60,000 Richard Holden

Found: State, from 2 August 2019 to 13 November 2023 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 49,819 70,969 10,000 60,000 Richard Holden

Found: State, from 2 August 2019 to 13 November 2023 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 49,819 70,969 10,000 60,000 Richard Holden