Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the care available to young people diagnosed with cancer in Slough.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department recognises that cancer in children and young people is different to cancer in adults, and should be treated as such, particularly in regard to treatment, diagnosis, and wider support.

The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster, so that more patients survive, including children, teenagers, and young adults (CTYA).

NHS England has published service specifications that set out the service standards required of all providers of CTYA cancer services. The requirements include ensuring that every patient has access to specialist care and reducing physical, emotional, and psychological morbidity arising from treatment for childhood cancer. The specifications are available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-b/b05/

The Department has also relaunched the Children and Young People’s Cancer Taskforce. Dame Caroline Dinenage and Professor Darren Hargrave have been appointed as its co-chairs, alongside Dr Sharna Shanmugavadivel as vice-chair. The taskforce will examine clinical and non-clinical ways to improve outcomes and patient experience for children and young people with cancer. This will feed into the Department’s wider work on the national cancer plan in England.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) accessibility and (b) ease of use of the delay repay systems used by each rail operator.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

My Department conducts a bi-annual delay repay compensation survey which includes questions about accessibility and the ease of use of the system. The next survey is taking place this year and the results will be published in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to support Slough Borough Council to reduce homelessness.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Homelessness levels are far too high which can have a devastating impact on those affected.

The Government is looking at these issues carefully and will develop a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness once and for all. This is why we have committed to a total spend of nearly £1billion in 25/26 for homelessness, a record level of funding.

In December, MHCLG announced that £633.2 million will be provided to councils in England through the Homelessness Prevention Grant 25/26, of which £2,538,151 has been allocated to Slough Borough Council. This funding represents an uplift of £1,184,119 for Slough compared with 24/25 allocations, an increase of 87.5%.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to increase the number of vision rehabilitation specialists in (a) Slough constituency and (b) Berkshire.

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

It is the responsibility of local authorities and the integrated care boards to commission therapy-led rehabilitation, reablement, and recovery services, including vision rehabilitation specialists, based on their assessment of local capacity and demand.

The Government understands the importance of having effective rehabilitation services available for people who need them, to assist in recovery and to return to their day-to-day activities. Intermediate care and reablement support services, including vision rehabilitation, can play a key role in providing alternatives to hospital admission, and improve patient outcomes by providing appropriate rehabilitation and reablement options following a hospital discharge.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question 28567 on Permitted Development Rights, what her planned timetable is for amending the existing permitted development rights on heat pumps.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Further announcements in respect of permitted development rights for air source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points will be made in the coming months.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has taken recent steps to improve the resilience of railways to landslips.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Network Rail, as the infrastructure manager of Britain’s railways, has the main responsibility for maintaining the integrity and safety of the rail network from landslips. To this end, Network Rail has allocated £2.8 billion during Control Period 7 (2024-2029) to be invested on activities and technology to improve system wide resilience to extreme weather and climate change, including landslips.  These activities include both preventative and reactive measures, including reinforcing embankments, enhancing drainage systems, stabilising slopes, and using remote sensing and real-time monitoring to predict and monitor slope movements to enable early intervention.  Network Rail has recently invested £33m to prevent landslips on the Browney Curvey near Durham, £25m on the Severn Estuary line and £3.5m on the Edinburgh to Glasgow line.  Network Rail has also developed a range of measures to enable it to anticipate and mitigate disruption to the rail network caused by extreme weather, which are contained in its Weather Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation Plan.  These build on the recommendations of the Mair-Slingo reports, which were commissioned following the Stonehaven derailment in August 2020.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has taken recent steps to improve the resilience of railways to extreme weather conditions.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport has plans in place and underway with industry to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of extreme weather caused by climate change on the railway.

Network Rail, and the wider rail industry, are working to improve our resilience to climate change impacts and more widely to disruptive events. Network Rail published its fourth adaptation report in December 2024 which provided a more detailed and updated climate risk assessment and associated adaptation action. For the first time, two train operating companies published reports under the adaptation reporting power, recognising that the risks posed by the changing climate will affect their operations and customers too. In addition, adaptation commitments are being progressed in train operating companies' business plans for the first time.

The Department is also planning to publish its finalised transport adaptation strategy which will set out priorities for adapting to climate change and help drive further engagement with industry.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has with Ofcom on Royal Mail's performance against their quality service targets.

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

Ministers and officials meet with Ofcom regularly to discuss a range of issues in relation to its role as the regulatory authority for the postal sector.

As an independent regulator, it is for Ofcom to decide how to respond should Royal Mail fail to meet its obligations. While the government does not have a role in Ofcom's regulatory decisions, in January, I met with representatives from Ofcom to discuss the proposed changes to the universal service obligation and the importance of Royal Mail's quality of service.

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 Ofcom on its decision to investigate Royal Mail on the quality of service performance targets.

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

Ministers and officials meet with Ofcom regularly to discuss a range of issues in relation to its role as the regulatory authority for the postal sector.

As an independent regulator, it is for Ofcom to decide how to respond should Royal Mail fail to meet its obligations. While the government does not have a role in Ofcom’s regulatory decisions, in January, I met with representatives from Ofcom to discuss the proposed changes to the universal service obligation and the importance of Royal Mail’s quality of service.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of water bill increases in the Thames Valley region on (a) consumers and (b) low income households.

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

Under the Conservatives, our sewage system crumbled. They irresponsibly let water companies divert customers’ money to line the pockets of their bosses and shareholders. The public are right to be angry after they have been left to pay the price of Conservative failure.

For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change. Whilst bills will therefore now need to rise to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and deliver cleaner waterways, we fully understand the financial pressures hardworking families are currently facing and are pushing the sector to ensure support is available for vulnerable customers who are struggling to pay their bills. The Government expects water companies to put robust support measures in place for customers to ensure that vulnerable customers across the country, including the Thames Valley, are supported.

Water companies have more than doubled the number of customers that will receive help with their bills through social tariffs, from 4% to 9% by 2030, and the Government is working with industry to keep current support schemes under review to ensure that customers are sufficiently supported.

Furthermore, the Government expects companies to hold themselves accountable for their commitment to end Water Poverty by 2030 and will work with the sector to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to this end.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps she has taken to help support Slough Borough Council to provide adequate temporary accommodation to people who are eligible.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Homelessness levels are far too high which can have a devastating impact on those affected. The Deputy Prime Minister is leading cross-government work to deliver the long-term solutions we need to get us back on track to ending all forms of homelessness. This includes chairing a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, bringing together ministers from across government to develop a long-term strategy.

As announced at the Budget, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (2024/25). This increased funding will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and prevent rough sleeping. This brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 2025/26, a record level of funding.

In December, MHCLG announced that £633.2 million will be provided to councils in England through the Homelessness Prevention Grant 25/26, of which £2,538,151 has been allocated to Slough Borough Council. This funding represents an uplift of £1,184,119 for Slough compared with 24/25 allocations, an increase of 87.5%.

MHCLG’s homelessness advice and support team continue to work closely with local authorities under the highest pressures, including to develop B&B elimination plans, to reduce households being placed in bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than six weeks.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Pakistan on freedom of expression in Pakistan.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is clear that the freedom to express views without censorship, intimidation or unnecessary restriction is a cornerstone of democracy. I raised the importance of upholding freedom of information when I met Pakistan's Human Rights Minister on 19 November 2024 and discussed the safety of Pakistani journalists in Parliament on 28 November 2024. The UK also runs the Chevening South Asia Journalism Fellowship to support South Asian journalists. The UK is committed to promoting human rights and democratic norms in Pakistan - a commitment I discussed with representatives from the UK-Pakistan diaspora on 18 February 2025. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to uphold the right to freedom of expression in accordance with international standards.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the adequacy of waiting times for talking therapies in (a) Slough, (b) Berkshire and (c) England.

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

The latest NHS Talking Therapies data for England show that as of December 2024, 91.2% of people completing treatment waited less than six weeks for their first appointment, against a target of 75%. Additionally, 98.4% of people completing treatment waited less than 18 weeks, against a target of 95%.

Waiting times data for NHS Talking Therapies are not held at constituency or county level but are available at integrated care board (ICB) level through the NHS Mental Health Dashboard, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-mental-health-dashboard/

Despite the challenging fiscal environment, the Government has chosen to prioritise the funding to deliver expansions of NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement & Support schemes, demonstrating our commitment to addressing the root cause of mental health issues and providing support for people with severe mental illness to contribute to the economy by remaining in or returning to work.

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 Integrated Care Boards about their policies to reduce delayed discharge from hospital where patients meet the criteria to (a) return home or (b) receive community care.

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

The Government is working to reduce delayed discharges, ensuring that people are not stuck in hospital beds when they are well enough to go home. We will tackle delayed discharges by improving local partnership working between the National Health Service and the social care system, making sure people get the right support to return home as soon as possible. To drive improvements, we will work with those systems experiencing the worst discharge delays, using senior experts from across local government and the NHS.

On 30 January 2025, the Government published a revised Better Care Fund policy framework for 2025/26. As part of this, the NHS and local authorities will be expected to make measurable improvements on delayed discharges.

My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and I continue to engage with key partners and meet regularly with NHS England to discuss discharge and urgent & emergency care performance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of mental health workers in England.

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

The National Health Service workforce has been overworked for years, leading to staff becoming burnt out and demoralised and, while there has been growth in the mental health workforce over recent years, more is needed. That is why, as part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future, we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce waiting times and provide faster treatment. We recognise that bringing in the staff needed will take time. We are working with NHS England on options to deliver this commitment.

More broadly, we have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS. This plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed, to move healthcare from the hospital to the community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. A central part of this will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities.

This summer we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again. We will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need, when they need it.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have been hospitalised as a result of weight loss drugs in each of the last five years.

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

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for ensuring medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion meet applicable standards of safety, quality, and efficacy. The MHRA rigorously assesses the available data, including from the Yellow Card scheme, and seeks advice from their independent advisory committee, the Commission on Human Medicines, where appropriate, to inform regulatory decisions.

Patient safety is our top priority, and no medicine would be approved unless it met our expected standards of safety, quality and effectiveness. Our role is to continually monitor the safety of medicines during their use, including GLP-1 receptor agonists (RAs). We have robust, safety monitoring and surveillance systems in place for all healthcare products.  When a safety issue is confirmed, we always act promptly to inform patients and healthcare professionals and take appropriate steps to mitigate any identified risk. New medicines, such as GLP-1 RAs, are more intensively monitored to ensure that any new safety issues are identified promptly.

It is important to note that a reaction reported to the Yellow Card scheme does not necessarily mean it has been caused by the medicine, only that the reporter had a suspicion it may have been. Underlying or concurrent illnesses may be responsible, or the events could be coincidental.

On the basis of the current evidence, the benefits of GLP-1 RAs outweigh the potential risks when used for the licensed indications. The decision to start, continue, or stop treatments should be made jointly by patients and their doctor, based on full consideration of the benefits and risks. We strongly encourage patients and healthcare professionals to continue reporting suspected side effects to GLP-1 RAs through our Yellow Card scheme.

From the point of licensing up to and including 31 January 2025, the MHRA has received 573 Yellow Card reports for GLP-1 RAs indicated for weight management, where the patient was reported to have been hospitalised.

As the use of the GLP-1 RAs increases, so have the number of Yellow Card reports associated with these medicines. Yellow Card reporting rates can be influenced by many factors, including the seriousness of the adverse drug reactions, their ease of recognition, and the extent of the use of a particular product. Reporting can also be stimulated by publicity and awareness of a product.

The majority of Yellow Card reports for these medicines concern gastrointestinal effects such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea, which are listed as recognised side effects within the product information for these products. These side effects were observed in the clinical trials for these products, with most events being mild to moderate in severity and of short duration. However, they can sometimes lead to more serious complications such as severe dehydration, resulting in hospitalisation.

Saxenda (liraglutide) and Wegovy (semaglutide) are both approved for weight management in adults with obesity, or for those who are overweight with at least one weight-related comorbidity, as well as in adolescents with obesity. Wegovy (semaglutide) is additionally indicated to reduce the risk of serious cardiovascular problems in adults. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is indicated for both type 2 diabetes and weight management in adults with obesity or overweight and at least one weight-related comorbidity. Ozempic (semaglutide) has been authorised for the treatment of insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults. Ozempic is not authorised for weight loss but is sometimes used off-label for that purpose.

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 adequacy of pre-pack administration procedures.

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

In 2021, the Government’s review of the effectiveness of the voluntary pre-pack sales in administration measures recognised that some improvements needed to be made. Regulations were subsequently made which provide for greater scrutiny to assure stakeholders that such sales are appropriate.

The regulations require connected parties to obtain an independent opinion on the purchase of a business and/or its assets where a pre-pack sale is proposed prior to its completion.

The Government keeps these regulations under regular review.

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 trusts on the rollout of (a) HIV and (b) hepatitis opt-out testing in A&E departments in (i) Slough constituency and (ii) Berkshire .

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Two hospitals within Berkshire, namely the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, and the Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, are involved in the second wave of the highly successful National Health Service emergency department blood borne viruses opt-out testing programme, and are planning to go live on 12 March 2025. Both will be testing for HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C.

We have extended the HIV opt-out testing scheme to approximately 90 hospitals based in extremely high and high prevalence areas to March 2026, with an additional £27 million investment. Decisions for offering opt-out HIV testing in emergency departments are based on HIV prevalence levels in local areas, in accordance with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s recommendations on HIV testing.

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 adequacy of the provision of Post Offices within (a) Slough and (b) Berkshire.

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

The Government protects the sustainability of the branch network by providing funding on the basis that the Post Office meets its minimum access criteria to ensure that, across the country, 99% of the population live within three miles of their nearest Post Office including those living in Slough and Berkshire. The Government works to ensure Post Office Limited maintains a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with published access criteria. Along with the annual £50 million subsidy, we are providing a further £37.5 million this year to safeguard services in the uncommercial parts of the network.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps he has taken to support high street businesses in Slough.

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

This government is committed to supporting businesses and communities that make our high streets, including those in Slough, successful.

This means addressing anti-social behaviour and crime, rolling out banking hubs, stamping out late payments, empowering communities to make the most of the vacant properties, strengthening the Post Office network, reforming the apprenticeship levy, and reforming business rates.

We will also use High Street Rental Auctions, to provide local authorities in England with a tool to tackle vacancy, promote minimum letting standards for commercial units and flexible rents.

DBT provides core funding for the Berkshire Growth Hub, which provides access to advice and support for local businesses. Slough council have also used UK Shared Prosperity Fund money to establish a new weekly market in Slough high street.

Our Small Business Strategy Command Paper, to be published in 2025, will set out this government’s intentions on supporting small businesses across key areas, including thriving high streets.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent steps her Department has taken to help prevent unlawful access refusals into business premises for customers who require a guide dog.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Equality Act 2010 provides strong protection to disabled people with guide dogs in a range of settings, including when accessing business premises. It is highly likely that access refusals will be unlawful and strong remedies are available to disabled people who have experienced this and wish to enforce the law.

A person who feels discriminated against may contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), a Government-funded helpline, which is the initial point of contact for anyone with discrimination concerns. The EASS provides free bespoke advice and in-depth support to individuals with discrimination concerns. It also supports individuals to resolve issues using alternative informal dispute resolution and can advise on next steps when someone feels discriminated against. The EASS can also advise people who wish to take their complaint further, and can be contacted through their website at www.equalityadvisoryservice.com, by telephone on 0808 800 0082 or text phone on 0808 800 0084.

Additionally, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has published guidance for businesses on their obligations under the 2010 Act - “Assistance dogs, a guide for all businesses” available at: www.equalityhumanrights.com/guidance/assistance-dogs-guide-businesses-and-service-providers

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 he has had with supermarkets on reducing food waste.

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

No recent discussions have taken place on the subject of food waste prevention between retailers and the Secretary of State.

This Government is committed to setting a clear roadmap to a circular economy – a future where our resources are used as efficiently and productively as possible for as long as possible, and waste is reduced. We are reviewing policies to address the challenges associated with tackling food waste in the supply chain and we are working with businesses, including supermarkets, to drive down food waste and make sure food is put on the plates of those in greatest need. This includes supporting surplus food redistribution to charities and programmes to help citizens reduce their food waste.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to reduce endometriosis diagnosis times in (a) Slough and (b) Berkshire.

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

Patients have been let down for too long whilst they wait for the care they need. At the end of December 2024, the Referral to Treatment (RTT) gynaecology waiting list, which includes those waiting for endometriosis treatment, stood at 586,013 across England, with 55.4% of patient pathways waiting within 18 weeks.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we have committed to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including those waiting for endometriosis treatment, wait no longer than 18 weeks from RTT by March 2029. We provided additional investment in the Autumn Budget that has enabled us to deliver an additional two million appointments as a First Step to achieving this, seven months ahead of schedule.

There are a range of efforts underway, nationally and in Slough and Berkshire, to reduce the time patients spend waiting for gynaecological care, as set out in the Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025.

For diagnostics, this includes innovative models that offer care closer to home and in the community, and piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres (CDC) for patients with post-menopausal bleeding. In Berkshire there are four CDCs delivering activity. We have committed to build up to five additional CDCs by March 2026.

We have also committed to increasing the relative funding available to support the gynaecology procedures with the largest waiting lists, including for certain endometriosis pathways, and reviewing support options from the independent sector.

NHS England is also improving pathways by rolling out a series of educational webinars for primary care staff, delivered jointly by the women’s health clinical lead and specialist consultants, to embed improved management. This will support better management in primary care and appropriate referrals to specialist consultants.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of endometriosis services in (a) Slough and (b) Berkshire.

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

Patients have been let down for too long whilst they wait for the care they need. At the end of December 2024, the Referral to Treatment (RTT) gynaecology waiting list, which includes those waiting for endometriosis treatment, stood at 586,013 across England, with 55.4% of patient pathways waiting within 18 weeks.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we have committed to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including those waiting for endometriosis treatment, wait no longer than 18 weeks from RTT by March 2029. We provided additional investment in the Autumn Budget that has enabled us to deliver an additional two million appointments as a First Step to achieving this, seven months ahead of schedule.

There are a range of efforts underway, nationally and in Slough and Berkshire, to reduce the time patients spend waiting for gynaecological care, as set out in the Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025.

For diagnostics, this includes innovative models that offer care closer to home and in the community, and piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres (CDC) for patients with post-menopausal bleeding. In Berkshire there are four CDCs delivering activity. We have committed to build up to five additional CDCs by March 2026.

We have also committed to increasing the relative funding available to support the gynaecology procedures with the largest waiting lists, including for certain endometriosis pathways, and reviewing support options from the independent sector.

NHS England is also improving pathways by rolling out a series of educational webinars for primary care staff, delivered jointly by the women’s health clinical lead and specialist consultants, to embed improved management. This will support better management in primary care and appropriate referrals to specialist consultants.

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 adequacy of transparency of pre-pack administration procedures.

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

Transparency is embedded within the regulatory requirements for pre-pack administration procedures. The administrator must give creditors a detailed explanation of why the pre-pack sale was the best outcome. This report is filed at Companies House and is also sent to the administrator’s regulatory body for monitoring and compliance. The Government’s review of administrator pre-pack reports in 2023 concluded there is a high level of compliance with the transparency requirements.

The Government keeps these requirements under regular review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of specialist school placements available within Slough.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

For too long the education and care system has not met the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve.

We recognise the vital role that special schools play in catering to those with the most complex needs. We also want more children and young people to receive the support they need to achieve and thrive in their local mainstream school, reducing the need for pupils to travel a long way to access a specialist placement. Many mainstream settings are committed to delivering specialist provision locally, including through resourced provision and special educational needs (SEN) units.

The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with SEND. If a local authority identifies a shortage of special school places, resulting in a significant number of pupils needing to travel a long way to access a placement, they should consider creating or expanding local provision to meet that need. The department’s officials in Regions Group will continue to work closely with Slough to provide support and advice to the local authority in meeting its statutory duty to provide sufficient places for pupils with SEND.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has now announced £740 million for high needs capital in 2025/26 to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. This new funding can be used to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children with SEND, or to create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs, as well as continuing to provide places to support pupils in special schools with the most complex needs. We will confirm local authority allocations to Slough for high needs capital funding in the spring.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with local authorities to ensure adequate educational provision for schoolchildren with an education, health and care plan.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

For too long the education and care system has not met the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve, particularly through long and difficult education, health and care (EHC) plan processes.

The department is working closely with experts on reform, including a strategic advisor for SEND who will play a key role in convening and engaging with the sector, including leaders, practitioners, children and families as we consider next steps.

The department has also listened to parents, local authority colleagues, and partners across education, health and social care and are considering carefully how to address and improve the experience of the EHC plan process for families and reflecting on what practice could or should be made consistent nationally.

We are committed to improving inclusivity and expertise in mainstream schools so that more children and young people can achieve and thrive in their local mainstream school, reducing the need for pupils to travel a long way to access a specialist placement.

The department will strengthen accountability on mainstream settings to be inclusive and support the mainstream workforce to increase their SEND expertise. Many mainstream settings are committed to delivering specialist provision locally including through resourced provision and special educational needs unit. Alongside this, we recognise the vital role that special schools play catering to children and young people with the most complex needs.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has now announced £740 million for high needs capital in 2025/26 to support children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision. This new funding can be used to adapt classrooms to be more accessible for children with SEND, create specialist facilities within mainstream schools that can deliver more intensive support adapted to suit the pupils’ needs, alongside continuing to provide places to support pupils.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress the Royal Navy has made on the (a) development and (b) deployment of autonomous maritime mine hunting technologies.

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

The Royal Navy has made significant progress in developing autonomous maritime mine hunting technologies, since the delivery of the WILTON mine hunting system in 2020.

WILTON has been assimilated into the wider Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) programme which is delivering a rolling programme of unmanned surface vessels and unmanned underwater vehicles for use by Royal Navy minewarfare specialists.

The mine hunting and sweeping systems being delivered through the MHC Programme, employ high technology sonars and sensors to improve the Royal Navy's ability to detect and dispose of modern mines quickly and autonomously. Autonomous mine hunting systems are in regular use, both in the UK and globally.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many cyber attacks were conducted by (a) China and (b) Chinese-sponsored actors against (i) Government and (ii) Government-affiliated systems in the last 12 months.

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

The UK Government does not comment upon operational security matters.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many cyber attacks were conducted by (a) Iran and (b) Iranian-sponsored actors against (i) Government and (ii) Government-affiliated systems in the last 12 months.

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

The UK Government does not comment upon operational security matters.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many cyber attacks were conducted by (a) Russia and (b) Russian-sponsored actors against (i) Government and (ii) Government-affiliated systems in the last 12 months.

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

The UK Government does not comment upon operational security matters.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has taken steps to record the number of access refusals to people accompanied by (a) guide and (b) assistant dogs from (i) businesses and (ii) services.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

I am replying to this parliamentary question as I have responsibility for the Disability Unit which has overall policy responsibility for assistance dogs.

The Disability Unit has not taken steps to record the number of access refusals of assistance dogs in businesses and services.

Assistance dog charities produce some figures on numbers of access refusals although these have not been independently verified.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) also provided written evidence to the Women and Equalities Select Committee in May 2024, which included data on the number of reports received by the EHRC and the Equality Advisory and Support Service related to assistance dogs.

It’s important to note that data is collected from individuals reporting incidents, therefore these figures may not accurately represent the real number of incidents.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of smart phone thefts in (a) Slough and (b) the Thames Valley region in each of the last five years.

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

Set against soaring levels of snatch thefts and pickpocketing, crimes which often involve theft of mobile phones and which for too long have been neglected and not been effectively tackled, the Home Secretary recently brought together police, the National Crime Agency, the Mayor of London, leading tech companies and others to drive more effective collaboration in breaking the business model of mobile phone thieves.

The Summit was hugely constructive, resulting in clear commitments from attendees to work together to tackle the scourge of mobile phone theft and the organised criminality driving it. This includes significantly boosting the sharing of data and intelligence to build a comprehensive picture of the problem, driving joint solutions. All parties will re-convene in three months’ time.

To aid police investigations and recovery of stolen goods, our Crime and Policing Bill includes a measure to give police the power to enter and search premises for stolen property which has been electronically geolocation tracked to those premises and it is not reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant without seriously prejudicing the entry and search purpose.

The Home Office does not hold data on mobile phone theft at the level requested. The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) provides national estimates of the number of victims of mobile phone theft in England and Wales, these data are not broken down to sub-national geographies. The latest CSEW estimates, in the year to March 2024, have been published by the Office for National Statistics can be found at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/focusonpropertycrimeappendixtables

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to help prevent smart phone theft.

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

Set against soaring levels of snatch thefts and pickpocketing, crimes which often involve theft of mobile phones and which for too long have been neglected and not been effectively tackled, the Home Secretary recently brought together police, the National Crime Agency, the Mayor of London, leading tech companies and others to drive more effective collaboration in breaking the business model of mobile phone thieves.

The Summit was hugely constructive, resulting in clear commitments from attendees to work together to tackle the scourge of mobile phone theft and the organised criminality driving it. This includes significantly boosting the sharing of data and intelligence to build a comprehensive picture of the problem, driving joint solutions. All parties will re-convene in three months’ time.

To aid police investigations and recovery of stolen goods, our Crime and Policing Bill includes a measure to give police the power to enter and search premises for stolen property which has been electronically geolocation tracked to those premises and it is not reasonably practicable to obtain a warrant without seriously prejudicing the entry and search purpose.

The Home Office does not hold data on mobile phone theft at the level requested. The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) provides national estimates of the number of victims of mobile phone theft in England and Wales, these data are not broken down to sub-national geographies. The latest CSEW estimates, in the year to March 2024, have been published by the Office for National Statistics can be found at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/focusonpropertycrimeappendixtables

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 increase access to sexual health services in Slough constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Local authorities in England, including Slough Borough Council, are funded through a ring-fenced public health grant (PHG) to commission comprehensive, open access sexual health services. Therefore, it is the responsibility of local authorities to decide on spending priorities based on the blend of service access that best suits the needs of their population.

For 2025/26, we are increasing funding through the PHG to £3.858 billion. This is a cash increase of £198 million compared to 2024/25, providing local authorities with an average 5.4% cash increase and 3.0% real terms increase. This represents a significant turning point for local health services, marking the biggest real-terms increase after nearly a decade of reduced spending between 2016 and 2024.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on increasing economic growth in Wales.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

Kickstarting economic growth is at the heart of our Plan for Change. Since coming into government, I have worked with UK and Welsh Government colleagues to drive over £1.5 billion in private investment from the likes of Eren Holding and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners into Wales, creating hundreds of jobs and laying the ground for thousands more.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of continually accrued student loan interest on students when they pause their studies due to unforeseen circumstances.

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

UK higher education creates opportunity, is an engine for growth in the economy, and supports local communities. The department is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university.

Student loans are subject to interest to ensure that those who can afford to do so contribute to the full cost of their degree.

Interest is charged from the first payment of the student loan is made until the loan has been repaid in full or cancelled, with interest added to the principal balance each month. Interest will continue to accrue even if a student suspends or withdraws from their course, including for students pausing their studies due to unforeseen circumstances. Borrowers will be liable to repay after leaving study only when earning over the relevant student loan repayment threshold.

After study, unlike commercial loans, student loans carry significant protections for borrowers. Regular student loan repayments are based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly income, not the interest rate or amount borrowed, and no repayments are made for earnings below the relevant student loan repayment threshold. Any outstanding debt, including interest built up, is written off at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to help improve the quality of maternity care in (a) Slough, (b) Berkshire and (c) England.

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

NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services has made good progress across England by rolling out of new maternal mental health services, Saving Babies Live Care Bundles and families are being engaged more through additional funding for Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships.

Improvement to Slough and East Berkshire maternity services include alignment with the three-year delivery plan which include but are not limited to: the recruitment of more midwives to significantly reduce vacancies and have minimal shortages by 2025; increased access to services through a new maternity hub in Crowthorne; piloting a perinatal pelvic health service that provides women with information about pelvic health risks, signs of pelvic floor dysfunction, and prevention strategies; the implementation of the MAMAs phone line, a triage service staffed by midwives with interpretation services; a Rapid Communication Aid being developed to assist in identifying patient needs in 30 languages; free midwife-led antenatal education classes in Urdu being launched, focusing on birth preparation for over 24 weeks gestation; a culturally competent genetics service being established to support informed decision-making for Close Relative Couples; and equity training for staff on mandatory update day.

The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust has focused on addressing inequalities by improving access to perinatal mental health services and antenatal and preconception information and promoting an increase in folic acid uptake.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve (a) maternity and (b) perinatal outcomes.

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

NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services is making good progress in rolling out new services to improve maternity and perinatal outcomes. All local areas have published Equity and Equality action plans setting out local action to tackle ethnic inequalities in maternal and neonatal outcomes; all 150 maternity and neonatal units in England are currently part of the Perinatal Culture and Leadership programme; there are important improvements to safety through version three of Saving Babies Live Care Bundle; and families are being engaged more through additional funding for Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships.

NHS England is also rolling out perinatal pelvic health services and maternal mental health services to reduce rates of perineal tears, provide additional mental health support and improve outcomes for women.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce gynaecology waiting lists.

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

At the end of December 2024, the referral to treatment (RTT) gynaecology waiting list stood at 586,013 across England, with 55.4% of patient pathways waiting within 18 weeks.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we have committed to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including those waiting for gynaecological care, wait no longer than 18 weeks from RTT by March 2029.  We provided additional investment in the Autumn Budget that has enabled us to deliver an additional two million appointments as a First Step to achieving this, seven months ahead of schedule.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the reform we will undertake to return to the 18-week standard, and ensure patients have the best possible experience while they wait. This includes commitments to offer patients care closer to home, in the community, including piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres for patients with unscheduled bleeding on hormone replacement therapy. We have also committed to increasing the relative funding available to support gynaecology procedures with the largest waiting lists and reviewing support options from the independent sector.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she had with local police forces on smartphone thefts.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to my response to UIN 33968 and 33969 on 7th March 2025.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to reduce waiting times for treatment for musculoskeletal conditions in (a) Slough, (b) Berkshire and (c) England.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Over 17 million people in England live with a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition.

The Government is delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England Getting It Right First Time MSK Community Delivery Programme, which will work directly with integrated care boards in England to further reduce MSK community waiting times, improve data, and enable referral pathways to wider support services.

On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, setting out funding to boost bone density scanning (DEXA) capacity, to support improvements in early diagnosis and bone health. This is expected to provide an estimated 29,000 extra scans per year once all are fully operational. DEXA scans are a vital component for the early diagnosis of osteoporosis.

The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care System (ICS), along with the Frimley ICS, which together cover the Berkshire area, is also working with all providers of MSK management to reduce waiting times and improve positive outcomes and experiences for patients requiring MSK care.

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 treatment times for musculoskeletal conditions in Slough.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Over 17 million people in England live with a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition.

The Government is delivering the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England Getting It Right First Time MSK Community Delivery Programme, which will work directly with integrated care boards in England to further reduce MSK community waiting times, improve data, and enable referral pathways to wider support services.

On 6 January 2025, NHS England published the new Elective Reform Plan, setting out funding to boost bone density scanning (DEXA) capacity, to support improvements in early diagnosis and bone health. This is expected to provide an estimated 29,000 extra scans per year once all are fully operational. DEXA scans are a vital component for the early diagnosis of osteoporosis.

The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care System (ICS), along with the Frimley ICS, which together cover the Berkshire area, is also working with all providers of MSK management to reduce waiting times and improve positive outcomes and experiences for patients requiring MSK care.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to increase the UK's explosive ordnance disposal capacity.

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

The Ministry of Defence has a world leading Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search (EOD&S) capability, providing critical support not just to military operations, but also to UK resilience and security through established arrangements in support of the Home Office.

Future force designs of the Royal Navy and British Army will be part of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) so it would be inappropriate to provide further detail until SDR decisions have been made.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We are committed to going further than ever before to deliver a cross-government transformative approach to tackling violence against women and girls, which will be underpinned by a new VAWG strategy later this year.

We are investing £13.1 million pounds next financial year (25/26) to set up a new National Policing Centre for VAWG and Public Protection to transform the police response to these devastating crimes. Alongside that, we have begun the roll-out of domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms as part of Raneem’s Law, and launched new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in selected police forces and courts.

We recently launched a package of six new measures to tackle stalking, including plans to give stalking victims the right to know the identity of online stalkers, following the formidable campaigning of Nicola Thorp.

Our Crime and Policing Bill will introduce a new criminal offence of spiking, new laws to tackle intimate image abuse, and stronger arrangements for the management of sex offenders.

These are just some of the crucial first steps we are taking as part of our unprecedented mission to halve VAWG in a decade.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Home Affairs on the prevention of femicide.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government has set out a mission to halve these crimes over the next decade. This is an ambitious aim that will require a transformative approach to the way we work together across Government through the safer streets mission.

We will be publishing a new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy later this year, which will cover all forms of violence and abuse which disproportionately impact women, including femicide.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) accessibility and (b) consistency of information on (i) rights and (ii) entitlements available to non-UK recruits.

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

There is a wide range of information and support available to non-UK recruits and Serving personnel on the Ministry of Defence website and intranet pages, from the single Services, the HIVE Information Centres, the Families Federations, Service Charities and on the Home Office website. This includes single Service guides and policy documents, briefings to personnel, articles in publications such as Welfare Matters and Soldier Magazine and information in:

• The Service Leavers Guide Service leavers' guide - GOV.UK
• Joint Service Publication 100: Defence Holistic Transition Policy Defence Holistic Transition Policy
• Discover My Benefits and the Families Hub Discover My Benefits
• The Home Office specific immigration rules for the Armed Forces and their families - the Appendix HM Armed Forces Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules Appendix HM Armed Forces - Guidance - GOV.UK.

Information is kept under review and updated to ensure it is clear, concise and reflects current policy and rules.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to non-UK armed forces personnel.

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

There is a wide range of information and support available to non-UK recruits and Serving personnel on the Ministry of Defence website and intranet pages, from the single Services, the HIVE Information Centres, the Families Federations, Service Charities and on the Home Office website. This includes single Service guides and policy documents, briefings to personnel, articles in publications such as Welfare Matters and Soldier Magazine and information in:

• The Service Leavers Guide Service leavers' guide - GOV.UK
• Joint Service Publication 100: Defence Holistic Transition Policy Defence Holistic Transition Policy
• Discover My Benefits and the Families Hub Discover My Benefits
• The Home Office specific immigration rules for the Armed Forces and their families - the Appendix HM Armed Forces Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules Appendix HM Armed Forces - Guidance - GOV.UK.

Information is kept under review and updated to ensure it is clear, concise and reflects current policy and rules.

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 the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the potential impact of untreated musculoskeletal conditions on levels of lost workdays.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Over 17 million people in England live with a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition, which are a leading cause of ill-health related economic inactivity, with 23.4 million working days lost across the United Kingdom in 2022 due to this. Improving health and work outcomes will help deliver the Government's missions to build a National Health Service fit for the future and kickstart economic growth.

The Get Britain Working white paper sets out the Government’s plans to reform employment, health, and skills support, to tackle rising economic inactivity levels. The white paper announced the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England Getting It Right First Time MSK Community Delivery Programme, which has been working directly with integrated care boards in England to reduce MSK community waiting times and enable referral pathways to wider support services.

As part of the mission led Government, regular cross Government collaboration takes place at both a ministerial and official level.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of suspected age misidentifications at the UK border in each of the last five years.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

There is no single age assessment technique, or combination of techniques, able to determine age with complete precision, but the Government continues to work to establish the best available processes and techniques to improve the accuracy of our age assessment results.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the accuracy of age determination processes at the UK border.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

There is no single age assessment technique, or combination of techniques, able to determine age with complete precision, but the Government continues to work to establish the best available processes and techniques to improve the accuracy of our age assessment results.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of Royal Air Force fighter pilots.

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

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continually assesses pilot numbers to appropriately resource the Combat Air Force and are comfortable with the number of Royal Air Force fighter pilots against extant Defence Tasks. The MOD has a range of governance measures in place to analyse UK Military Flying Training System throughput to ensure pilot numbers meet the demand for Defence both now and in the future.

The MOD will continue to provide quarterly statistics to the Hon Gentleman’s select committee on pilot training as agreed in the last Parliament.

Found: LONDON, SW1A 2HB Telephone: 020 7218 9000 E-mail: defencesecretary-group©mod .gov.uk Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Chair); Mr Calvin Bailey; Alex Baker;

Found: Furness; Baroness Kidron; Sir Julian Lewis; Edward Morello; Lord Sedwill; Lord Robathan; Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

Found: Baroness Kidron; Sir Julian Lewis; Mike Martin; Edward Morello; Lord Robathan; Lord Sedwill; Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi