Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made in establishing Regional Health Innovation Zones as part of the Life Sciences Sector Plan.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Work to establish Regional Health Innovation Zones is ongoing. Given the cross-cutting nature of the policy, spanning health, research, local government, and economic systems, significant engagement and careful policy design are essential before any Regional Health Innovation Zones can be formally established.
Officials have conducted substantial internal engagement across Government departments and with NHS England to build out the conceptual model and ensure it is aligned with wider strategic priorities. Substantial engagement with local government, National Health Service systems, and industry will happen in due course.
Asked by: Chris Coghlan (Liberal Democrat - Dorking and Horley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what urgent steps she will take to protect national security further to her Department's publication entitled National security assessment on global ecosystems, updated on 2 February 2026.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
On 20 January, the Government published the Nature Security Assessment which examined the potential impacts that may arise from global biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. The assessment reinforces the importance of protecting nature as a foundation of the UK’s security, prosperity and resilience. In response, the Government is already taking action to address the risks identified, including significant investment in nature and forests at home and overseas. This includes meeting the International Climate Finance (ICF) 3 spending target of at least £11.6 billion over the period 2021 to 2026.
The Government recognises that food security is national security and is investing £11.8 billion this Parliament to support sustainable domestic farming, alongside action to strengthen supply chain resilience. These measures sit alongside wider domestic action to restore nature, including record levels of tree planting, peatland restoration, improved water quality and stronger protection of the marine environment, forming part of the UK’s broader approach to reducing the security risks associated with biodiversity loss.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of increased adoption of AI tools on employment levels in the banking sector; and what steps they are taking to support skills development and the long-term resilience of the financial services labour market.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises that increased adoption of AI in financial services, including banking, has the potential to change the nature of some roles while supporting productivity growth, innovation and improved consumer outcomes. Financial services is already a leading adopter of AI in the UK and will play a key role in delivering the Government’s ambition to have the fastest AI adoption rate in the G7.
The Government is working closely with industry and regulators to better understand the implications of AI adoption, including for the workforce. To support skills development and long-term labour market resilience, we have commissioned work through the Financial Services Skills Commission on how the skills system can support effective adoption of AI and other disruptive technologies. This sits alongside the Government’s wider ambition to equip up to 10 million people with AI skills, helping workers adapt as roles evolve and ensuring the financial services labour market remains competitive and resilient.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking in response to the Joint Intelligence Committee’s Nature Security Assessment to address the national security risks arising from accelerating biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, including risks to the UK’s food and water security, public health and supply chain resilience.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Nature Security Assessment is a cross-government strategic analysis that brings together scientific evidence, policy analysis and national security expertise to inform long-term resilience and security planning. In response to the risks it identifies, the UK is already taking action to strengthen food, water, public health and supply chain resilience, including through major investment in nature at home and abroad. The UK is meeting the International Climate Finance (ICF) 3 spending target of at least £11.6 billion over 2021 to 2026, supporting nature protection and sustainable agriculture globally. Domestically, the UK has a resilient food system and is investing £11.8 billion this Parliament to support sustainable farming, alongside action to strengthen critical supply chains through the Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy. These measures sit alongside wider domestic action to restore and protect nature, including record levels of tree planting, peatland restoration, improved water quality and stronger protection for the marine environment.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made with enacting Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS).
In December 2024 we made changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to support increased delivery of SuDS. The NPPF now requires all development to utilise SuDS where they could have drainage impacts. These systems should be appropriate to the nature and scale of the proposed development.
We consulted on a revised version of the NPPF, with new policies on local plans and national decision making, including flood risk and SuDS, and are now in the process of considering next steps.
Better delivery of SuDS may be achieved by continuing to improve the current planning policy-based approach and looking at ways of improving the approach to adoption and maintenance, rather than commencing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to increase the domestic production of silicon computer chips; and if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for national security of current levels of domestic computer chip production.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises that computer chips are vital to our economy, critical sectors, and national security. However, the complexity and variety of semiconductors make it impossible for any one country to achieve supply chain autonomy.
Through the Industrial Strategy, we are taking targeted action to support the UK semiconductor sector where we have internationally recognised strengths to promote growth, enhance national security, and strengthen supply chain resilience.
Given the global nature of supply chains, the UK works closely with international partners, both bilaterally and through multilateral fora, to ensure the UK has access to the critical chips it requires.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the length of short term Farm Business Tenancies beyond two years.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the benefits that longer term tenancies can provide in delivering food security and environmental goals. In the recently published Land Use Framework the Government committed to working with landowners, including members of the National Estate for Nature, to test, implement and encourage wide uptake of longer-term tenancy agreements. Industry guidance on long term tenancies was published on 16 March to support landlords, tenants and their advisers think through the main considerations involved in agreeing a long-term farm business tenancy.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of supporting the restoration of plantations on ancient woodland sites.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has committed to restoring plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) back to semi-natural woodland habitat. There are approximately 365,000 hectares (ha) of ancient woodland in England of which approximately 150,000 ha are under plantation. Forestry England has committed to restoring all 42,814 ha of their PAWS to ancient, semi-natural woodland. Restoration work has been carried out on over 20,000 ha of PAWS in the last ten years with over 16,000 ha now having a canopy that is predominantly native.
Defra has improved the support for PAWS restoration on private land through the Higher Tier of the Countryside Stewardship scheme. This includes additional payments for restoration. In its first three years, the Countryside Stewardship grant ‘Manage and restore plantations on ancient woodland sites’ has been taken up across 2,100 hectares of PAWS. The Government is also supporting the establishment of new woodlands both for nature recovery and to produce timber.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK/Indonesia Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership on Critical Minerals, published on 29 November 2024, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) the British Embassy in Jakarta have had with the Government of Indonesia on the potential impact of nickel mining in North Maluku on the threat to the survival of the uncontacted Hongana Manyawa indigenous people.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK and Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a Strategic Partnership on Critical Minerals on 29 November 2024. The MoU provides a framework for cooperation on resilient, responsible, and sustainable critical minerals' supply chains. This partnership was further enhanced through the Climate, Nature and Energy Pillar of the Strategic Partnership, launched by the Prime Minister and the President of Indonesia in January, reinforcing both governments' commitment to cooperation on responsible and sustainable critical minerals development.
Under this MoU, our Embassy in Jakarta continues to engage Indonesian partners, including the Government, through policy dialogue and technical cooperation to encourage alignment with international standards on responsible mining, including the protection of Indigenous Peoples, like the Hongana Manyawa in North Maluku, and local communities.
Asked by: Pippa Heylings (Liberal Democrat - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to increase the number of chalk streams designated as (a) Sites of Special Scientific Interest or (b) Special Areas of Conservation.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Chalk streams are an incredible source of national pride. As one of Britain’s most nature- rich habitats, they support some of our rarest wildlife.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are notified by Natural England (NE) under section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, where land is judged to be of special interest for its wildlife or geology. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is notified as part of that process
Decisions on whether to notify additional stretches of chalk stream as SSSIs are made by NE, based on its expert judgement of the best available scientific evidence, and in line with published SSSI selection guidelines.
Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are designated under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. The Secretary of State must designate sites on the basis of relevant scientific information and by applying the prescribed selection criteria, as published by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
At present, eight chalk streams have additional protection through SSSI and/or SAC designation; any further designations would proceed only where the scientific evidence shows the selection criteria are met.