Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of roles are primarily land based for a) the whole Royal Navy and b) the Catering Services branch of the Royal Navy.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
It has not been possible to provide the answer within the timeframe given, I will write to the hon. Member as soon as practical and will place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps they are taking to increase the amount of UK made steel used in procurement contracts overseen by their Department.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
All steel procurements overseen by the Department are done so in full alignment and following the principles as set out in the Steel PPN 022. In addition to existing best practice policies, from the 1 September 2025 this required the Department to:
These additional policy measures are designed to increase the amount of UK Steel used in procurement contracts.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, over the period since its first commissioning, what proportion of days HMS Prince of Wales has been at sea.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
We do not comment on the detailed readiness or availability of individual units for operational security reasons.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times (a) hearings and (b) trials have delayed as a result of the the Witness Care Unit not informing witnesses of the trial date in each of the last three years.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The specific information requested regarding delays to hearings and trials is not held. However, data on trials that have been ineffective or vacated is published in the Criminal Courts Accredited Official Statistics. The latest available data including reasons for trial outcomes can be found in the ‘Trial Effectiveness at the Criminal Courts tool’ here: Criminal court statistics quarterly: October to December 2025 - GOV.UK.
Police Witness Care Units (WCUs) are integral to the criminal justice system which is reflected in their statutory obligations under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (the Victims’ Code). The Victims’ Code is clear that WCUs must inform victims of the time, date and location of any hearing. Right 8.1 sets out that WCUs must do this within 1 working day of them receiving the information from the court.
The Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 created a framework to monitor criminal justice agencies' compliance with the Victims' Code, including legislative duties for agencies to collect and share information on Code compliance. Alongside this, we are exploring digital and data improvements to strengthen data sharing cross the criminal justice system in order to streamline and improve victim experience.
This Government is committed to ensuring victims and witnesses have the information and support they need to navigate court proceedings. That is why we are consulting on a new Victims’ Code to ensure we get the foundations right for victims.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps they are taking to increase the amount of UK made steel used in procurement contracts overseen by their Department.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government wants to ensure that public procurement plays its full role in delivering the Industrial Strategy and fostering a resilient economy that supports British businesses and creates good jobs in communities across the country. UK-produced steel has a significant role to play in construction and infrastructure projects.
In June 2025 it published Procurement Policy Note 022 “Procuring Steel in Government Contracts”, which among other things requires departments and prime contractors to consult UK Steel’s Steel Catalogue.
In March 2026 Government published the Steel Strategy, and announced changes to protect the industries that matter most to our national security, including steel.
Departments will have to confirm for the first time whether prime contractors are using UK steel, or explain why not.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Animal research and testing non-technical summaries granted in 2025, October to December, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the number experiments on (a) beagles (b) non-human primates and (c) rabbits on progress towards the Government’s pledge to phase out animal testing.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
There is no impact from the number of experiments on (a) beagles (b) non-human primates and (c) rabbits on progress towards the Government’s alternatives strategy. This is because licences for the use of animals in scientific procedures may only be granted only where there is robust scientific justification, no validated nonanimal alternative exists, and use is fully compliant with the requirements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
This Government remains firmly committed to working towards the phasing out of animals in science. The strategy, ‘Replacing animals in science’, sets specific targets to reduce the use of dogs and non-human primates by 2030, while ensuring the UK continues to support safe and effective scientific and medical research.
The strategy is clear that while the longterm vision is to replace the use of animals in science wherever possible, some animal use remains necessary at present to develop and test new medicines, advance understanding of biology and disease, and to protect human and animal health and the environment. These activities are integral to the UK’s national health preparedness and resilience, including the ability to respond to emerging health threats. Progress towards the phasing out of animal use must therefore be scienceled and supported by reliable alternative methods.
Accordingly, the Home Office licensing regime is compatible with the strategy; it enables only tightly controlled animal use where it is scientifically justified and no suitable alternative exists.
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 his Department is taking to improve access to specialist care and support for people living with motor neurone disease in Slough.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England commissions the specialised elements of motor neurone disease (MND) care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. Within these specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure that patients can access a range of health professionals and specialised treatment and support, according to their needs. In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines a number of minimum service requirements for key specialties, including neuromuscular disorders like MND.
At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with MND, including the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit. The GIRFT Programme has produced a Further Faster handbook for neurology, which provides resources and best practice guidance to help support clinical teams go faster and further in reducing neurology waiting times, including for patients with MND.
Neurology waiting times are coming down. Between December 2024 and December 2025, the average waiting time for neurology services was reduced from 16.2 to 15.2 weeks. Additionally, 57% of patients referred were seen within 18 weeks, up from 54.2% at the same point last year. We are continuing efforts to improve this, recognising this is a challenged specialty.
Baroness Casey has set out that the Government must take immediate action on MND. Where someone has a severe, reasonably predictable, and life-limiting condition, it is essential that we provide rapid access to the support they need, and we will take forward immediate work to develop a fast-track process, or “passport”, that speeds up assessments and access to care for people diagnosed with MND. We will consider how best to safely implement a process that expedites assessments and gets people with MND the care and support they need more quickly.
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 recent steps he has taken to reduce diagnosis times for patients with motor neurone disease.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England commissions the specialised elements of motor neurone disease (MND) care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. Within these specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure that patients can access a range of health professionals and specialised treatment and support, according to their needs. In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines a number of minimum service requirements for key specialties, including neuromuscular disorders like MND.
At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with MND, including the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit. The GIRFT Programme has produced a Further Faster handbook for neurology, which provides resources and best practice guidance to help support clinical teams go faster and further in reducing neurology waiting times, including for patients with MND.
Neurology waiting times are coming down. Between December 2024 and December 2025, the average waiting time for neurology services was reduced from 16.2 to 15.2 weeks. Additionally, 57% of patients referred were seen within 18 weeks, up from 54.2% at the same point last year. We are continuing efforts to improve this, recognising this is a challenged specialty.
Baroness Casey has set out that the Government must take immediate action on MND. Where someone has a severe, reasonably predictable, and life-limiting condition, it is essential that we provide rapid access to the support they need, and we will take forward immediate work to develop a fast-track process, or “passport”, that speeds up assessments and access to care for people diagnosed with MND. We will consider how best to safely implement a process that expedites assessments and gets people with MND the care and support they need more quickly.
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, whether excess domestic energy derived from plug in solar will be able to be exported to the grid.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We expect most households to be able to consume the majority of electricity generated themselves.
However, any excess electricity generated from plug-in solar panels would be automatically exported to the grid.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had any discussions with Cabinet colleagues on transferring responsibility for animal testing and research to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Ministers of State in the Home Office and DSIT have actively engaged on transferring responsibility for animal testing and research to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Agreement has been reached that the portfolio under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act will remain in the Home Office for the foreseeable future.