Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
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 outcomes for invasive lobular breast cancer patients.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Lobular breast cancer impacts many lives. According to Cancer Research UK, lobular is the second most common breast cancer in the UK.
We are backing world-leading AI trials to improve diagnostic capacity and early detection. On 4 February 2025, the Department of Health and Social Care announced that nearly 700,000 women across the country will take part in a world-leading Early Detection using Information Technology in Health, or EDITH, trial backed by £11 million of government support via National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NHS in England will also monitor the emerging evidence from the Breast Risk Adaptive Imaging for Density, or BRAID, trial, which aims to determine whether additional imaging with one of several types of scans, is helpful in diagnosing breast cancer in women with dense breast tissue. This will target screening programmes at women who are at greater risk of cancer.
The Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) are committed to continuing to support the development of fundable research proposals and help drive a stronger collective understanding of the biology behind lobular breast cancer, as well as effective treatment and management of this disease. In order to further stimulate research in this area, the NIHR launched a highlight notice in late 2025, encouraging applications across its research programmes and training.
Under our National Cancer Plan for England, we will take action to raise awareness locally, improve pathways and offer better treatments to ensure more patients survive and live well with cancer than ever before, including for lobular breast cancer.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the use of animal testing in sepsis research.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
On 11th November 2025 the government published “Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods” which outlines the steps we will take to achieve this. (Replacing animals in science strategy - GOV.UK)
Sepsis is a complex and multifaceted condition, and its study presents significant scientific challenges. We will consider sepsis during the development of our areas of research interest list to determine the best path forward for new model development that drives scientific innovation, supports improved therapy development, and reduces reliance on animals.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
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 reports that recent criminal regulations introduced by the Taliban impose harsher punishments on women and minority groups; and what representations the UK Government has made to international partners regarding the protection of the rights and safety of women and girls.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement issued by the Foreign Secretary on this matter on 26 February, where she said: "I am appalled by continuing restrictions imposed on women and girls in Afghanistan. The Taliban's new criminal procedure code legitimises domestic violence and targets women and minorities. These oppressive measures must be rescinded. The rights of all Afghans must be protected." The UK is working closely with international partners on the issue, including through our chairmanship of the G7+ group of countries, and engagement through the UN and the Human Rights Council.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the level of underspend, or projected underspend, in the first year of the Warm Homes Local Grant and Warm Homes Social Fund; how many local authorities have submitted expenditure data to date; and whether the Department has modelled the full-year underspend based on these partial returns.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) and the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) schemes began delivery in April 2025.
Both schemes were oversubscribed demonstrating the high ambition of local authorities and social housing providers. We continue to see strong demand in both schemes.
To maximise delivery, where potential underspend has been identified it has been reallocated to high performing projects to ensure that grant funding is used by the end of the financial year.
Across both schemes, the final in-year spend can only be confirmed following robust financial management assessments. Financial reporting for the schemes will be available as part of DESNZ’s published annual accounts.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 19 March to question 120937, if she will respond to the original question as it relates to the fishing industry.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is actively monitoring the impact of diesel price changes on the fishing sector. The Government has raised industry concerns about red diesel prices, including price transparency, with the Competition and Markets Authority and we are committed to ensuring that this market functions fairly. The fishing sector can continue to access Marine Voyages Relief reducing the cost of their fuel by allowing them to partially claim back fuel duty.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of diesel price levels on the sustainability of the fishing industry.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is actively monitoring the impact of diesel price changes on our fishing sector. The Government has raised industry concerns about red diesel prices, including price transparency, with the Competition and Markets Authority and we are committed to ensuring that this market functions fairly.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to provide support to the fishing industry with changing diesel prices.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Fuel markets are governed by competition and consumer protection law, overseen by the Competition Market Authority (CMA). The Government and the CMA are closely monitoring petrol and diesel prices in light of instability in the Middle East, and the Chancellor and Secretary of State recently met with fuel retailers to set out a clear message: drivers must get a fair deal at the pump. We are also engaging regularly with refiners, importers and distributors to ensure any emerging risks are identified and managed promptly. The UK benefits from strong and diverse security of energy supplies, and there are no issues with fuel supply.
This government has also introduced the Fuel Finder scheme, which will increase price transparency so drivers can compare prices to find the best deal and incentivise greater competition.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Middle East conflict on the cost of heating oil for domestic users.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is closely monitoring heating oil supply and price in light of instability in the Middle East. International kerosene prices are >75% higher than they were before the conflict and this is putting pressure on heating oil prices.
The Secretary of State has written to the industry reminding heating oil distributors of their commitments under the UKIFDA Code of Practice, including the need for fair, transparent and justifiable pricing. Ministers have also spoken with the Competition and Markets Authority, who have announced they are reviewing evidence of potential unfair practices and anti-competitive behaviour.
We are keeping under review whether any further support or action is needed to protect consumers.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2025 to Question 96735, how many of the HSE inspections carried out in Scotland in 2024-25 took place (a) on farms and (b) in social care settings.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
In the year 2024/ 2025, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out 1,444 inspections in Scotland.
Seven of these took place on farms (not including premises predominately involved in forestry or aquaculture); and eleven took place in social care settings.
These figures are based on raw live data and can be subject to change due to updates to historical cases. Therefore these figures may differ to the figures published in HSE’s Annual Reports.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases were awaiting Work Capability Assessment reassessments as of 31 January 2026 in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not held because data is not held at individual country level.