Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of financial support available to Registered Nursing Associates in England, employed by NHS Trusts, to become Registered Nurses.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Registered nursing associates (NAs) can become registered nurses through a two-year nursing associate apprenticeship degree, allowing people to earn a salary while gaining a nursing qualification.
NAs can also complete a shortened pre-registration nursing degree. For those taking this route, the NHS Learning Support Fund provides non-repayable support in the form of a training grant of up to £5,000 per academic year, in addition to tuition and maintenance loans. Further support is available for childcare, dual accommodation costs and travel, and students experiencing exceptional financial challenges can apply for an additional means-tested non-repayable grant.
The Government keeps the funding arrangements for healthcare courses under close review, balancing the support available to learners with the need to make best use of public funds.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture Media and Sport, how much money and staff time is dedicated to scenario planning and risk mitigation regarding loss-of-control events involving autonomous and multi-agent AI systems.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government conducts horizon-scanning, risk assessment and contingency planning to understand and manage a range of emerging risks from AI systems, including potential loss of control incidents. This work is undertaken across a number of departments and agencies as part of wider activities relating to national security, resilience and cyber security. We are in the process of expanding work related to loss of control and are therefore unable to provide specific financial and staffing figures at this time.
The Government is investing in capabilities to strengthen resilience, mitigations and response to AI loss of control incidents. In the Budget, we announced a £40 million investment into a new National Agentic Security Unit to develop new capabilities to detect, investigate and respond to agentic AI incidents, including loss of control incidents. We have also provided £120 million of extra funding for the AI Security Institute, whose research includes understanding loss of control risks and developing technical mitigations against them. Alongside this, we are amending the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill and committing to further secondary legislation to protect essential services from AI agent loss of control risks.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she expects statutory deadlines for the completion of McCloud remedy work in respect of the NHS Pension Scheme to be in place; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of further delays in establishing those deadlines on affected members.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Statement HCWS307 made on 2 September, which is available at the following link:
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2026-09-02/hcws307
The comprehensive audit of the NHS Pension Scheme’s administration is ongoing. Until it reports, it would be premature to give a view on when new statutory deadlines will be set or to assess the impact on members of further delays to the delivery of the McCloud remedy. The Department is working closely with the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) to ensure that it has the right resources to administer the NHS Pension Scheme including the delivery of McCloud. I will continue to keep the House updated on progress.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional resources have been allocated to the NHS Business Service Authority to deliver the McCloud remedy since publication of the independent review.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Statement HCWS307 made on 2 September, which is available at the following link:
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2026-09-02/hcws307
The comprehensive audit of the NHS Pension Scheme’s administration is ongoing. Until it reports, it would be premature to give a view on when new statutory deadlines will be set or to assess the impact on members of further delays to the delivery of the McCloud remedy. The Department is working closely with the NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) to ensure that it has the right resources to administer the NHS Pension Scheme including the delivery of McCloud. I will continue to keep the House updated on progress.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to prioritise access to specialist treatment for patients with rare cancers, such as lymphoma, in Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the respective answers provided on 18 September and 21 September in response to Questions 27027 and 27283.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the current regulatory framework for protecting vulnerable customers in the telecommunications sector from inappropriate upselling and mis-selling of telecommunications services.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Government wants to ensure that all telecoms consumers feel empowered and confident that they are getting a fair deal.
Ofcom requires all providers to comply with standards of transparency and fair treatment of customers and have policies in place to identify and support vulnerable consumers. Ofcom have also produced a best practice vulnerability guide, including expectations that providers offer a range of communication channels for customers to raise concerns or queries and that they implement specialist teams to support vulnerable customers. The Telecoms Consumer Charter, published February 2026, further commits providers to strengthen transparency measures to ensure that customers know exactly what they are paying for and why.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support mid-career and experienced unemployed professionals to transition into roles that match their existing skills, qualifications, and experience level.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is committed to delivering an employment support system that is personalised to individual needs. Jobseekers, including those with professional experience, can seek tailored and flexible support through Jobcentre Plus. Work Coaches offer personalised advice to help individuals secure roles that reflect their skills, qualifications and prior experience, alongside targeted job‑search support.
Where appropriate, Work Coaches also identify any skills gaps and signpost jobseekers to relevant training and provision, ensuring they are well‑placed to access suitable employment and progress in their careers.
Where those mid-career and experienced unemployed professional are aged 50 and over and in receipt of benefits, jobcentres provide additional dedicated support, including 50PLUS Champions, Additional Work Coach Time, a Midlife MOT as well as a digital Midlife MOT available to all.
From 1st October careers advice in England is being delivered through careers advisers within DWP for adults (and those who are under 18 and eligible). Careers Advice will continue to support anyone who is looking for work, who wants to get on in work, or who wants to change their career or retrain, regardless of whether they are claiming benefits. Careers information and advice is available via the ‘Get careers information and advice’ website www.nationalcareers.service.gov.uk. Qualified careers advisers also provide in-depth guidance to customers who face greater barriers to working or learning, including adults who have been unemployed or economically inactive for more than 12 months and those aged 50 and over who are unemployed or at demonstrable risk of unemployment.
As part of our development of the new Jobs and Careers Service, we are reforming employment support to make it more inclusive and better tailored to individual needs, including mid-career and experienced workers. As part of the service, we have launched new digital tools, known as ‘Work Hub’, which are available to all. Work Hub provides access to an online AI work assistant, a CV builder and new job search tool to support individuals transition into suitable roles.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to address the additional vulnerabilities of women and girls from religion or belief minority communities who face rights violations for both their faith or belief and their gender overseas.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains committed to championing freedom of religion or belief for all. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. The UK recognises that women and girls from religious or belief minority communities can suffer disproportionally because of both their gender and faith. That is why we continue to ensure our human rights policy work considers the multiple ways in which human rights interact. For example, the importance of addressing specific issues experienced by women and girls from religious or belief minority communities.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to prioritise covering UK promotion of Freedom of religion or belief in any upcoming Human Rights and Democracy report.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The next report on human rights will cover the period since the current Government came to office, including our work on Freedom of Religion or Belief.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what artificial intelligence services or tools are used by their department; and whether the department has a contract with each provider of those services.
Answered by Chris Ward
The Government is committed to adopting artificial intelligence in a way that is transparent, responsible and accountable to the public.
Information about algorithmic and AI tools used by government departments to support decisions that affect members of the public, or that have a significant influence on a decision-making process with public effect, is published through the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS). The ATRS has been mandatory for central government departments since 2024, and records are published on GOV.UK at www.gov.uk/algorithmic-transparency-records. In addition, departments may use other internal tools which do not fall within the scope of the Standard.
In addition, departments may use other internal tools which do not fall within the scope of the Standard. In line with public procurement transparency requirements, departments publish contractual information for AI services and tools on Contracts Finder and, where above the relevant threshold, on the Find a Tender Service.
AI services and tools are accessed across government through a range of commercial routes. Departments may contract directly with AI providers, access AI products via intermediated routes such as reseller arrangements where the contractual relationship sits with a partner rather than the underlying provider, or use AI capabilities delivered as features within existing enterprise software and platform contracts (for example productivity, or service management tools).
Departments remain responsible in all cases for ensuring compliance with procurement legislation, securing value for money, and publishing relevant contractual information in line with transparency requirements.
Cabinet Office's authorised enterprise level AI tool is Gemini. This is managed through the existing Google contract. Google Gemini has been enabled for staff to use in their official duties as part of the broader Google Workspace productivity suite.