Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether Victim Liaison Officers will make recommendations regarding victim safety prior to the early release of any prisoner convicted of (a) sexual offences, (b) child sexual offences and (c) domestic abuse-related offences under the Earned Progression Model; and whether those recommended safety measures will be fully implemented ahead of any such release.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Sections 35 to 45 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 provide eligible victims with statutory rights under the Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme, including the opportunity to make representations about licence conditions and to receive relevant information about an offender's release. These arrangements apply equally to releases under the Earned Progression Model. This includes eligible sexual, child sexual and domestic abuse-related offences where the victim falls within the scope of the Victim Contact Scheme.

In line with policy, there is engagement between the Probation Practitioner responsible for supervising the offender on licence and the Victim Liaison Officer, to ensure that victims' views on licence conditions are sought and considered prior to any release subject to licence. In cases involving eligible violent or sexual offences where an offender has received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, Victim Liaison Officers engage with victims regarding proposed licence conditions and any conditions they wish to request. These may include measures such as exclusion zones and non-contact conditions.

The role of the Victim Liaison Officer is to ensure that victims’ views and concerns are heard throughout the offender management process, including prior to release. Their role is to obtain and communicate victims’ views to the Probation Practitioner.

Victims are then informed of the outcome of decisions relating to licence conditions, including any agreed exclusion zones. Arrangements are made before release to ensure that approved licence conditions take effect from the point of release including implementing electronic monitoring or GPS exclusion zones. Where victim representations are not reflected in the final licence conditions, the reasons for the decision will be communicated to the victim. There is no formal appeal process for victims in relation to licence conditions, although concerns may be raised through existing HMPPS complaints procedures.

The Department keeps operational resource requirements under review and works closely with probation regions to ensure that statutory obligations to victims continue to be met, including those delivered through the Victim Contact Scheme.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether there is a requirement to ensure that a Victim Liaison Officer is formally consulted regarding victim safety and geographic exclusion zones prior to the early release of any prisoner convicted of (a) sexual offences, (b) child sexual offences and (c) domestic abuse-related offences.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Sections 35 to 45 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 provide eligible victims with statutory rights under the Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme, including the opportunity to make representations about licence conditions and to receive relevant information about an offender's release. These arrangements apply equally to releases under the Earned Progression Model. This includes eligible sexual, child sexual and domestic abuse-related offences where the victim falls within the scope of the Victim Contact Scheme.

In line with policy, there is engagement between the Probation Practitioner responsible for supervising the offender on licence and the Victim Liaison Officer, to ensure that victims' views on licence conditions are sought and considered prior to any release subject to licence. In cases involving eligible violent or sexual offences where an offender has received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, Victim Liaison Officers engage with victims regarding proposed licence conditions and any conditions they wish to request. These may include measures such as exclusion zones and non-contact conditions.

The role of the Victim Liaison Officer is to ensure that victims’ views and concerns are heard throughout the offender management process, including prior to release. Their role is to obtain and communicate victims’ views to the Probation Practitioner.

Victims are then informed of the outcome of decisions relating to licence conditions, including any agreed exclusion zones. Arrangements are made before release to ensure that approved licence conditions take effect from the point of release including implementing electronic monitoring or GPS exclusion zones. Where victim representations are not reflected in the final licence conditions, the reasons for the decision will be communicated to the victim. There is no formal appeal process for victims in relation to licence conditions, although concerns may be raised through existing HMPPS complaints procedures.

The Department keeps operational resource requirements under review and works closely with probation regions to ensure that statutory obligations to victims continue to be met, including those delivered through the Victim Contact Scheme.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what policy protocol is in place under the Earned Progression Model when a releasing authority declines to implement a safety or geographic exclusion zone recommendation made by a Victim Liaison Officer; and what the formal appeal or review mechanism is for a victim if such a recommendation is rejected.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Sections 35 to 45 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 provide eligible victims with statutory rights under the Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme, including the opportunity to make representations about licence conditions and to receive relevant information about an offender's release. These arrangements apply equally to releases under the Earned Progression Model. This includes eligible sexual, child sexual and domestic abuse-related offences where the victim falls within the scope of the Victim Contact Scheme.

In line with policy, there is engagement between the Probation Practitioner responsible for supervising the offender on licence and the Victim Liaison Officer, to ensure that victims' views on licence conditions are sought and considered prior to any release subject to licence. In cases involving eligible violent or sexual offences where an offender has received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, Victim Liaison Officers engage with victims regarding proposed licence conditions and any conditions they wish to request. These may include measures such as exclusion zones and non-contact conditions.

The role of the Victim Liaison Officer is to ensure that victims’ views and concerns are heard throughout the offender management process, including prior to release. Their role is to obtain and communicate victims’ views to the Probation Practitioner.

Victims are then informed of the outcome of decisions relating to licence conditions, including any agreed exclusion zones. Arrangements are made before release to ensure that approved licence conditions take effect from the point of release including implementing electronic monitoring or GPS exclusion zones. Where victim representations are not reflected in the final licence conditions, the reasons for the decision will be communicated to the victim. There is no formal appeal process for victims in relation to licence conditions, although concerns may be raised through existing HMPPS complaints procedures.

The Department keeps operational resource requirements under review and works closely with probation regions to ensure that statutory obligations to victims continue to be met, including those delivered through the Victim Contact Scheme.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department takes to verify that all protective licence conditions and GPS exclusion zones recommended by a Victim Liaison Officer are (a) fully active and (b) communicated to the victim before an offender is released under the intensive supervision stage of the Earned Progression Model.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Sections 35 to 45 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 provide eligible victims with statutory rights under the Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme, including the opportunity to make representations about licence conditions and to receive relevant information about an offender's release. These arrangements apply equally to releases under the Earned Progression Model. This includes eligible sexual, child sexual and domestic abuse-related offences where the victim falls within the scope of the Victim Contact Scheme.

In line with policy, there is engagement between the Probation Practitioner responsible for supervising the offender on licence and the Victim Liaison Officer, to ensure that victims' views on licence conditions are sought and considered prior to any release subject to licence. In cases involving eligible violent or sexual offences where an offender has received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, Victim Liaison Officers engage with victims regarding proposed licence conditions and any conditions they wish to request. These may include measures such as exclusion zones and non-contact conditions.

The role of the Victim Liaison Officer is to ensure that victims’ views and concerns are heard throughout the offender management process, including prior to release. Their role is to obtain and communicate victims’ views to the Probation Practitioner.

Victims are then informed of the outcome of decisions relating to licence conditions, including any agreed exclusion zones. Arrangements are made before release to ensure that approved licence conditions take effect from the point of release including implementing electronic monitoring or GPS exclusion zones. Where victim representations are not reflected in the final licence conditions, the reasons for the decision will be communicated to the victim. There is no formal appeal process for victims in relation to licence conditions, although concerns may be raised through existing HMPPS complaints procedures.

The Department keeps operational resource requirements under review and works closely with probation regions to ensure that statutory obligations to victims continue to be met, including those delivered through the Victim Contact Scheme.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the administrative and casework capacity of Victim Liaison Officers to manage the increased volume of statutory consultations required under the early release provisions of the Earned Progression Model.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Sections 35 to 45 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 provide eligible victims with statutory rights under the Probation Service Victim Contact Scheme, including the opportunity to make representations about licence conditions and to receive relevant information about an offender's release. These arrangements apply equally to releases under the Earned Progression Model. This includes eligible sexual, child sexual and domestic abuse-related offences where the victim falls within the scope of the Victim Contact Scheme.

In line with policy, there is engagement between the Probation Practitioner responsible for supervising the offender on licence and the Victim Liaison Officer, to ensure that victims' views on licence conditions are sought and considered prior to any release subject to licence. In cases involving eligible violent or sexual offences where an offender has received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, Victim Liaison Officers engage with victims regarding proposed licence conditions and any conditions they wish to request. These may include measures such as exclusion zones and non-contact conditions.

The role of the Victim Liaison Officer is to ensure that victims’ views and concerns are heard throughout the offender management process, including prior to release. Their role is to obtain and communicate victims’ views to the Probation Practitioner.

Victims are then informed of the outcome of decisions relating to licence conditions, including any agreed exclusion zones. Arrangements are made before release to ensure that approved licence conditions take effect from the point of release including implementing electronic monitoring or GPS exclusion zones. Where victim representations are not reflected in the final licence conditions, the reasons for the decision will be communicated to the victim. There is no formal appeal process for victims in relation to licence conditions, although concerns may be raised through existing HMPPS complaints procedures.

The Department keeps operational resource requirements under review and works closely with probation regions to ensure that statutory obligations to victims continue to be met, including those delivered through the Victim Contact Scheme.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timetable is for the implementation of the bovine Tuberculosis eradication strategy for England.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government is currently considering the proposals set out in the recommended bovine TB control strategy for England.

The department will continue to work closely with farmers, vets, scientists and industry partners to move swiftly from recommendations to implementation through a series of rolling three to five-year delivery plans.

The first delivery plan will be published in due course and will set out the first timetable for implementation of the strategy's recommendations.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department last reviewed the 2009 technical advice document on the labelling of produce originating from the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and whether she plans to update the guidance.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK aims to maintain high standards on the information provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. The UK expects food originating from Israeli settlements located in the territories occupied by Israel since 1967 to be accurately labelled to prevent consumers being misled. All food sold on the UK market, including imported food, must comply with food labelling rules.

Defra continues to consider food labelling issues of importance to consumers and businesses, including the provision of guidance, and will provide further updates as this work progresses.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the press release entitled Patients to benefit from faster access to medicines as UK moves away from animal testing in science, published on 12 August 2026, if he will provide a breakdown of that funding, including the (a) name of each project, (b) recipient organisation and (c) amount awarded to each project.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Innovate UK awarded funding to the following projects: VivoSphere CardioSafe Platform for Reproducible, Regulatory-Ready In Vitro Cardiotoxicity Screening (VivoSphere UK, £200,000); RITMO (BiomimX Srl, £199,991); a cardiovascular safety framework (University of Nottingham, £198,464); Integrated MPS-PBPK Platform for Non Animal Human PK Prediction (CN Bio Innovations, £180,980); chemically expanded hepatocytes for pharmacokinetic studies (University of Edinburgh, £194,563); Human Representative In Vitro Models for Ear Therapeutics (CamGene Therapeutics, £196,194); CANVAS (Biofoundry Energy, £197,092); a cardiovascular safety platform (InoCardia, £188,966); computational prediction of lipid nanoparticle pharmacokinetics (Nanograb, £199,390); and PKBridge (IOTeach, £197,500).

Found: of State for International Development and Africa King Charles Street London SW1A 2AH Sarah Champion

Found: Yours sincerely, Sarah Champion MP Chair of the International Development Committee

Found: for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs King Charles Street London SW1A 2AH Sarah Champion

Found: Yours sincerely, Sarah Champion MP Chair of the International Development Committee

Found: State for International Development and Africa King Charles Street London SW1A 2AH Sarah Champion

Found: Yours sincerely, Sarah Champion MP Chair of the International Development Committee

Found: Yours sincerely, Sarah Champion MP Chair, International Development Committee

Found: Security & Net Zero 55 Whitehall London SW1A 2HP 3 September 2026 Sarah Champion

Found: Merlin will occasionally require substitution by Ray Arrell, Director at Regen; • Sarah Champion MP