Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase the provision of TMS for depression.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the situation of women, girls and ethnic and religious minorities in Iran following the protests that began in December 2025; and what steps her Department is taking to prioritise women’s and minority rights in its policy and engagement on Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The human rights situation in Iran, including for women, girls and minorities, has long been unacceptable. As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 13 January: it takes huge bravery to protest and to speak out in the face of this oppression - especially for women who continue to endure severe repression in their daily lives. We led the call for a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council during the protests, and supported the continuation of the mandate of the Independent Fact-Finding Mission - to investigate human rights violations on grounds of gender, ethnicity, religion, or belief - and for the Mission to conduct an urgent investigation into human rights violations perpetrated during the protests. We will continue to work with international partners to hold Iran accountable for its repression of women and girls, and minorities.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will commit to expanding targeted sanctions against Iranian officials and security force commanders responsible for killings, torture and internet shutdowns during the recent protests; and if she will publish the human‑rights criteria used for future designations.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 26 February in response to Question 114342. Further to this, I add that the UK seeks to mitigate any unintended negative impacts of sanctions, including on humanitarian delivery. The UK does not sanction food or medicines, and UN and UK sanctions provide for a range of humanitarian exceptions and licensing grounds.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the humanitarian impact of UK sanctions on Iran; and what steps she is taking to ensure that sanctions are focused on human‑rights violators and security organs and do not unduly harm the general population.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 26 February in response to Question 114342. Further to this, I add that the UK seeks to mitigate any unintended negative impacts of sanctions, including on humanitarian delivery. The UK does not sanction food or medicines, and UN and UK sanctions provide for a range of humanitarian exceptions and licensing grounds.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding her Department provides to support secure internet access, circumvention technologies and independent Persian‑language media for people in Iran; and whether she plans to increase that funding in the context of recent internet shutdowns and disinformation campaigns.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 23 January, the UK supported UN Human Rights Council resolution SS39/1 calling on Iran to immediately restore full internet access and telecommunications services, and in February, we spoke out as part of the Freedom Online Coalition for the Iranian people's rights to access the Internet.
The BBC is operationally and editorially independent, but BBC Persian continues to play a crucial role in ensuring impartial, accurate news is reaching the Iranian people. Despite a tough fiscal situation, we have continued to back the World Service, providing an uplift of £32.6 million this year alone, taking our total funding to £137 million.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to protect Iranian dissidents, journalists and human‑rights defenders resident in the UK from surveillance, harassment and threats linked to the Iranian state.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Home Office works closely with other Government departments as well as relevant agencies and law enforcement to protect those identified as being at risk. We will continue to use all appropriate tools at our disposal to protect the UK and its people against any threats from the Iranian state. Any attempt by a foreign state to intimidate, harass or harm individuals in the UK, including Iranian dissidents, journalists and human-rights defenders, will be thoroughly investigated.
The National Security Act 2023 strengthens our powers to counter transnational repression and provides the security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to deter, detect, and disrupt modern-day state threats. Last year, I announced a robust package of measures to tackle state threats from Iran. This included placing Iran on the Enhanced Tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS). I also announced new training for all frontline police officers on state threats; further sanctions against Iranian-linked criminal groups; an independent review of the parts of our counter-terrorism framework which could be applied to state threats; continued support to the Jewish community; and strengthened enforcement of our immigration measures to protect the UK from Iranian interference.
Finally, the National Protective Security Authority and Counter Terrorism Policing will continue to provide protective security advice and support to individuals and organisations threatened by the Iranian regime and its criminal proxies, including Persian language media organisations.
Anyone who thinks they might be a victim should report incidents or suspicious activity to the Police via 101, a local police station, or 999 in emergencies.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to introduce an expedited visa and scholarship scheme for at‑risk Iranian activists, journalists and human‑rights defenders seeking sanctuary and study in the UK.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office is monitoring the situation in Iran and the impacts it will have.
The UK has not introduced a bespoke visa route in response to the conflict. Existing visa routes remain available and Iranian nationals who wish to come to the UK can apply to do so via these routes.
Any application for a UK visa will be assessed against the requirements of the Immigration Rules. We advise people to consider the most appropriate visa route for their own circumstances.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
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 potential impact of the recent recall of Aptamil and SMA on NHS infant‑formula supply; and what discussions his Department has had with UK manufacturers on that recall.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the recent recalls of specific batches of infant formula due to the possible presence of the cereulide toxin, the Food Standards Agency has led the incident response, engaging directly with the manufacturers concerned and coordinating public notifications and recall activity across the United Kingdom. The Department and the UK Health Security Agency have participated in these crisis management arrangements to ensure all relevant health partners are engaged.
In respect of National Health Service supply, the Department’s National Supply Disruption Response team has been actively engaged throughout in assessing and mitigating any potential impacts on infant formula availability in healthcare settings. The Department has not experienced any supply shortages and there remain alternative suitable products available.
For the specialist amino acid formula SMA Alfamino, Nestlé prioritised supply for the most clinically vulnerable babies, while alternative suppliers, including Danone and Reckitt, had adequate stock to support any temporary shortfall. As of 16 February, Nestle’s supply of Alfamino recovered and they are now able to meet prescription demand at normal demand levels.
The Department remains in ongoing contact with both Nestlé and Danone, as well as other formula manufacturers who supply the UK. This engagement includes monitoring supply positions, ensuring continuity of provision in hospitals and community settings, and supporting industry efforts to stabilise stock levels as recall actions progress.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to assess the safety of dams and reservoirs given potential climate impacts, including monitoring and standards; and whether her Department has emergency preparedness for dams and reservoirs.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Reservoir safety in England is regulated under the Reservoirs Act 1975 for which the Environment Agency (EA) is the Enforcement Authority. Reservoir owners and operators are required to employ specialist civil engineers to build, supervise, inspect, and maintain their reservoirs to strict standards
Defra and the EA are leading a Reservoir Safety Reform Programme, which proposes updates to the safety regulation of reservoirs. This programme is based on recommendations from the Independent Reservoir Safety Review Report.
Further work with reservoir owners since the review includes developing on-site emergency flood plans for raised reservoirs, new guidance issued based on the available evidence of the impact of climate change on dams and reservoirs, and producing an updated research strategy for dam safety, with climate change a core theme.
Further work on safety management practices is in development, ensuring our reservoirs are safe and resilient in a changing climate.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
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 potential impact of poor air quality in (a) ambient air and (b) indoor air on different age groups of people in England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
Poor air quality is a major public health risk in the United Kingdom. An estimated 29,000 to 43,000 deaths were attributable to long-term exposure to ambient air pollution in the UK in 2019 among adults aged 30 years old and over.
Indoor residential exposure to damp and mould was associated with approximately 5,000 cases of asthma and 8,500 lower respiratory infections among children, those who are aged between zero to 14 years old, and adults, those who are aged between 15 to 49 years old, in England in 2019.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) contributed to a report by the Royal College of Physicians in 2025. This contained data on new cases of mortality, myocardial infarction, asthma, lung cancer, and other conditions, attributable to a range of air pollutants in 2019 and predicted for 2040, among children, those over 30 years old, over 60 years old, and at all ages. The report is available at the following link:
The Department’s 10-Year Health Plan sets out how the Government will act to reduce the health harms of air pollution. This includes action to reduce harm from ambient air pollution and tackling poor indoor air by improving the standard of rented homes with relation to damp and mould.