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, 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 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 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.
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 No10; 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 is published through the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS), available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that the Government's policy on children online safety is integrated throughout all departments.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
DSIT works routinely with many other departments to ensure that child online safety is embedded in their work. Examples include with DCMS and DfE to support safe offline spaces and activities for children, access to high-quality programming and content, and a modern curriculum that helps young people understand the law, social media and how to engage critically online, and with Home Office given the critical overlap with Violence Against Women and Girls and Child Sexual Abuse Material policy.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to upgrade homes to make them cheaper to heat in Harpenden and Berkhamsted.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government provides grant support for low‑income households worth £4.4 billion up to 2030 through the Warm Homes: Local Grant and the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, funding measures such as insulation, heat pumps, solar, and batteries.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) is a universal grant offer of up to £7.500 for low carbon heating such as heat pumps, with a recent uplift to up to £9,000 for properties heated by oil or LPG in response to the Middle East situation.
We’ve also committed to offering new low-interest loans backed by an initial £2 billion of Government support, raising minimum standards in the rented sectors to ‘C’, and implementing the new Future Homes Standard to ensure new-build homes are fitted with solar, heat pumps, and high levels of insulation as standard.
These policies are part of the Government’s wider £15 billion Warm Homes Plan, which represents the biggest public investment in home upgrades in British history.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her department has made on the usage of Artificial Intelligence in schools by a) students and b) teachers.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
The department continuously monitors the emerging implications of artificial intelligence (AI) on education, including its use by pupils and teachers.
AI can have a transformative effect on education, supporting every child and young person to achieve and thrive in a rapidly evolving digital world, and enabling teachers do their jobs more efficiently, but only when it is implemented safely. Earlier this year, we announced our updated Generative AI Safety Standards, which aim to make AI for education safe by design.
AI and other digital technologies should enhance, but never replace, the human spark of learning. It is most effective when its use is overseen by a digitally confident workforce, and in instances when it can genuinely improve the learning experience.
Our published policy position on generative AI is evidence-based and sets out expectations for schools and colleges on safe, responsible and ethical use.