Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the value achieved through recent contract negotiations with Microsoft; and what assurances are in place regarding future pricing.

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

The government holds a number of contracts with resellers of Microsoft products, which includes Office tools, Copilot and Azure.

Value for money is typically assessed through the Department’s internal governance processes for awarding a new contract. The Department utilises the Strategic Partnership Arrangement 2024 (SPA24) MOU which was negotiated between Crown Commercial Services (CCS) and Microsoft. SPA24 provides discounts and favourable terms to UK public sector customers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that farmers are protected from the monopsony sugar beet processor.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the importance of sugar beet farmers and their vital contribution to UK sugar production. Also, that sugar beet itself, used in crop rotations, is beneficial to soil and crop health and allows arable farms a season of “rest” from cereal production.

We are committed to promoting fairness across the food supply chain. That includes seeing a price agreed for sugar beet that benefits both growers and processors, in the context of the global market.   There is a well-established process in place to agree the domestic sugar beet price; designed to be independent between both parties.

While this process has been effective over many years, we continue to keep it and the regulatory framework under review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to include education on suicide and suicide prevention as a mandatory topic within the national curriculum.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The statutory guidance relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education already applies to all schools, including academies and independent schools. The updated guidance, published on 15 July 2025, will be implemented in schools from September 2026. This can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.

The guidance strengthens content on mental health and wellbeing, and requires that all secondary schools should consider how to safely teach about suicide prevention.

We have been clear that schools should consult mental health professionals and put in place high quality, evidence-based staff training before addressing suicide directly with secondary aged pupils, to ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to do it safely.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to introduce requirements for veterinary practices to display in-clinic and online information about ownership beyond listings on the RCVS website.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra welcomes the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA’s) market investigation into veterinary services for household pets and continues to engage with the CMA throughout this process. The CMA’s responsibilities include enforcing the law against anti-competitive practices and investigating mergers that could reduce competition. The CMA are currently reviewing the results of the consultation on their Provisional Decision Report which includes introducing requirements for veterinary practices to be open about their ownership. Defra will be responding to the CMA’s final report following its publication in Spring 2026 and will be consulting on reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has (a) renewed and (b) upgraded digital services and software licensing contracts with Microsoft in the last 12 months.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice has not renewed or upgraded digital services and software licensing contracts with Microsoft in the preceding 12 months from 16 December 2025.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how their department can work with others across Government to ensure there are the right skills and workforce in place to support local authorities in developing careers in amenity horticulture and parks.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had recent discussions with the Competition and Markets Authority on the decision not to (a) require divestments and (b) impose penalties following its investigation into the veterinary sector.

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

The Competition and Markets Authority’s market investigation into veterinary services for household pets is on-going. The final report is expected early next year and will set out the actions the CMA has decided to take.

As the UK’s independent competition authority, the CMA is responsible for decisions relating to its investigations, including on remedies.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of veterinary market consolidation by large veterinary groups on client choice, pricing and local competition.

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

Responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues, including consolidation, falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as the UK’s independent competition authority.

The CMA is currently conducting a market investigation into veterinary services for household pets.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will consider commissioning a piece of work to review all the existing evidence on the return of funding for parks and green spaces to support central and local government in prioritising funding decisions on parks.

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

We commissioned Keep Britain Tidy to conduct a rapid evidence review on the returns on investment for parks funding, using a combination of up MHCLG programme budget and underspend from the Green Flag Award. There is substantial evidence outlining the investment benefits of parks and green spaces. However, no research to date has brought this evidence together, therefore MHCLG commissioned this research to assess the return on investment for every £1 of funding provided to parks to achieve these benefits.

Researchers conducted a literature review, followed by consulting experts within the parks sector to bring together evidence. The report finds cost savings from investing in parks by reducing healthcare costs, aiding climate change mitigation, boosting local business and reducing crime. For example, the report finds evidence of cost savings between £8.50 and £30.30 for every £1 invested in parks as a result of reducing healthcare costs.

The review also addresses the lack of up to date, reliable data. In highlighting this, the report makes a case for further, comparable research projects in this field to be undertaken. This lack of evidence is also a factor affecting the ability of the report to provide specific parks investment recommendations. The report highlights that in addressing these issues surrounding the available evidence, a clearer understanding of the return for every £1 invested in parks can be attained.

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 ensure that veterinary clients are able to make informed choices in a market where many practices trade under local-sounding names despite corporate ownership.

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

The CMA is currently conducting a market investigation into veterinary services for household pets. The final report is expected early next year and will set out the actions the CMA has decided to take.

As the UK’s independent competition authority, the CMA is responsible for decisions relating to its investigations, including on remedies.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of vertical integration within large veterinary groups, including ownership of pharmacies, laboratories, out-of-hours providers, crematoria and referral centres on market competition and consumer choice.

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

Responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues, including vertical integration, falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as the UK’s independent competition authority.

The CMA is currently conducting a market investigation into veterinary services for household pets.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much her Department has spent on software licences from Microsoft in the last 12 months; and what proportion this represents of her Department’s total technology spend.

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

DSIT spend of £3,044,084.14 for DSIT Microsoft Licences in the last 12 months. We have not provided the proportion of the total technology spend as it is not a separate reporting category within Annual Report and Accounts (ARA).

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what mechanisms are in place under the Strategic Partnership Arrangement 2024 with Microsoft to (a) monitor price changes for existing services and (b) assess the potential impact of prior purchasing decisions on the Government's ability to (i) switch providers and (ii) ensure the competitiveness of future contract awards.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Strategic Partnership Arrangement 2024 (SPA24) provides discounts and favourable terms to UK public sector customers. Contract prices are locked at the time of each authority's contract, for the duration of that contract. Any global price changes implemented by Microsoft during the life of the contract do not have an impact until an individual contract is renewed.

Under SPA24, Microsoft reports any global price changes to the Crown Commercial Service but again, these do not impact individual authority contracts until they are renewed. SPA24 includes governance in the form of both monthly meetings and confidential communications for Microsoft to share advance notice of price changes.

SPA24 is designed not to restrict the ability of public sector organisations to switch providers or ensure competitiveness because customers accessing Microsoft products through SPA24 are required to carry out a compliant procurement process and make their own assessment of value for money. There is no obligation on any public sector organisation to use Microsoft, or any of its specific offerings.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of spending on Microsoft software licenses and services between (a) 4 December 2024 and 5 December 2025 and (b) 4 December 2023 and 5 December 2024 was allocated to (i) new service implementations and (ii) renewal and maintenance of existing systems.

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

The following table shows the proportion of spending on Microsoft software licenses and services between 4 December 2024 and 5 December 2025, and between 4 December 2023 and 5 December 2024 that was allocated to new service implementations and renewal, and to the maintenance of existing systems:

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 8 December 2025 to Question 97022, how much and what proportion of his Department's expenditure on Microsoft Software licenses and services was allocated to (a) new service implementations and (b) renewal or maintenance of existing system; and how this compares to the previous year’s expenditure in each category.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The information requested is not held centrally.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2025 to Question 97021, what proportion of his Department's expenditure on Microsoft Software licenses and services was allocated to a) new service implementations and b) renewal or maintenance of existing system; and how this compares to the previous year’s expenditure in each category.

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

The Department does not hold this information in the format requested. We do not routinely capture or report expenditure on Microsoft software licences and services split between new service implementations and renewal or maintenance of existing systems. A year-on-year comparison is therefore not available.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with small and medium-sized enterprises on the potential impact of restrictive software licensing practices on their businesses.

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

Ministers regularly meet with businesses of all sizes.

Government is committed to delivering a competitive and prosperous digital economy. That is why we implemented the new digital markets regime on 1 January 2025. The Competition and Markets Authority now has bespoke powers to increase competition in digital markets.

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 December 2025 to Question 97018, what proportion of his Department expenditure on Microsoft Software licenses and services was allocated to (a) new service implementations and (b) renewal or maintenance of existing system; and how this compares to the previous year’s expenditure in each category.

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

The following table shows the information requested:

Source: Department of Health and Social Care

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