Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 reduce group B strep infections in newborn babies.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom uses the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ risk-based approach whereby those women identified as being at increased risk of having a baby affected by Group B streptococcus (GBS) are managed according to agreed clinical guidelines on the prevention of early on-set neonatal GBS infection.
To improve understanding, prevention, and treatment of GBS infection, the Department is supporting a trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. It aims to determine whether routine testing for GBS for all women, either in late pregnancy or on admission for labour with point of care testing, reduces early-onset neonatal sepsis compared to the current approach of risk-based screening.
The UK National Screening Committee (NSC) will review its recommendation considering the evidence from the trial, after the report is presented.
The UK NSC previously reviewed the evidence to screen for GBS at 35 to 37 weeks of pregnancy in 2017 and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the benefits of screening would outweigh the harms. This was because the test currently available cannot accurately distinguish between those mothers whose babies are at risk and those who are not. This means that many women would unnecessarily be offered antibiotics during labour, with the balance of harms and benefits from this approach being unknown.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent steps her Department has taken to help support businesses to (a) identify and (b) rectify cybersecurity issues.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government has written to Chairs and CEOs of the largest UK companies and asked them to better identify and protect themselves from cyber threats by making cyber a board-level priority by using the Cyber Governance Code, signing up to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Early Warning service, and requiring Cyber Essentials in supply chains. These actions are relevant to all businesses, who can also help protect themselves by using the wide range of free advice, training and tools available on the NCSC website, including the check your cyber security tool and the Cyber Action Toolkit for small businesses.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many officials were investigated under their Department's disciplinary processes in each of the last five years.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Desnz does not hold a centralised record of the number of officials who were investigated under the Department’s disciplinary processes.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to decouple gas and electricity prices.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is determined to increase the share of renewables on the system so that the electricity price is set by cheaper clean power sources rather than gas. Every wind turbine we switch on and solar panel we deploy helps push gas off as the price setter.
Government support, such as the Contracts for Difference scheme has been highly successful in driving investment in renewable electricity and our Clean Power 2030 Mission is focused on accelerating this transition to a renewable power system. This will help reduce reliance on gas and protect consumers from volatile fossil fuel prices.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with local councils on improving street cleanliness.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I have not had any recent discussions with local councils on street cleanliness.
My officials chair the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG), through which they engage with a wide range of interested parties such as local councils, National Farmers Union and others, to promote and disseminate good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping.
Local councils are responsible for keeping streets clear of litter and refuse. The Pride in Place Strategy sets out how Government will support local action by bringing forward statutory enforcement guidance on both littering and fly-tipping, modernising the code of practice that outlines the cleaning standards expected of local authorities, and refreshing best practice guidance on the powers available to local authorities to force land and building owners to clean up their premises.
This Government also remains focused on delivering a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers due to go live in October 2027. Single-use drinks containers are some of the UK’s most commonly littered items. It is expected that providing a financial incentive for people to return their drinks containers through the Deposit Return Scheme will drastically reduce the amount of litter.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many officials were investigated under their Department's disciplinary processes in each of the last five years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Over the past 5 years (between 1st October 2020 and 30th September 2025) there have been 38 occasions when Department for Transport central department’s employees have been investigated for alleged disciplinary offences. Please see the attached table.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many officials were investigated under their Department's disciplinary processes in each of the last five years.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DSIT was formed following machinery of government changes in 2023 which saw staff join the department from BEIS, DCMS and Cabinet Office. Consequently, data is only available from 2024 onwards. HR Casework data indicates the following number of disciplinary investigations in 2024 and 2025 respectively:
2024 – 4
2025 – 9
The data provided only relates to occasions where HR Casework Services (HRCW) were engaged for support. Investigations conducted where the investigations manager did not require support from HRCW will not be reflected in this data, and there is no central repository of these investigations. This data reflects core DSIT employees and not those employed by partner organisations including UKSA or BDUK.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has (a) made contingency plans and (b) undertaken cross-government exercises to respond to potential (i) significant deterioration in and (ii) complete loss of (A) satellite capability and (B) the operational use of space.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department for Science Innovation and Technology recently launched its Crisis Response Team to enable transition of responsibilities from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero following the Machinery of Government change that led to the formation of these Departments. The Department and the UK Space Agency has established an Emergency Response Framework (ERF) that sets out cross-Government responsibilities in the event of the whole range of potential catastrophic incidents that could be encountered in space. This Framework connects to the Departmental Crisis Response capability through an escalation process, dependent on the scale, depth and duration of an event. The ERF has been exercised and updated regularly, following several real-time incidents experienced this year including Space Weather events. The plans and processes will continue to be tested and reviewed in response to evolving threats and hazards in the sector.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to prepare the rail network for adverse weather in winter 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Department officials hold regular discussions with Network Rail and the industry to ensure severe weather preparedness plans are in place with clear mitigations to reduce the impacts of weather on the rail network. The industry’s winter preparedness regime begins in September each year.
Special trains and equipment are fully checked and any repairs carried out, while contingency plans are reviewed and agreed with train operators to keep passengers moving during adverse weather. Network Rail use detailed forecasts from weather experts, MetDesk, to formulate local action plans during adverse weather to minimise disruption to journeys. These forecasts cover not just the weather but how the conditions will impact on specific railway infrastructure such as the tracks, conductor rails, and overhead power lines.
A network of hundreds of monitoring stations also provides real-time weather data, enabling Network Rail to respond to conditions as they develop in real time. In extreme weather conditions, Network Rail and train operators prioritise getting passengers home safely over running the normal timetable. It also prioritises vital rail freight to ensure the supply of essential goods across the country and fuel to power stations.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on whether the United Arab Emirates has exported military equipment for use by the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are deeply concerned by the terrible violence across Sudan. We are aware of reports alleging different states' involvement in supplying weapons to the warring parties in Sudan, including those detailed in the UN Panel of Experts report. External provision of support to both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) only furthers the suffering of the people of Sudan. In our engagement with international partners, the UK continues to emphasise the need to prevent external actors from providing financial and / or military support to both the SAF and RSF and the importance of refraining from actions that prolong the conflict. Those who have influence with the parties must use it to bring them to the negotiating table, to seek a political resolution to the conflict in Sudan.