Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2026 to Question 106994 on Veterans: Radiation Exposure, whether research on the effects of radiation on British servicemen held by the Technical Cooperation Programme of the Ministry of Defence is held in (a) this country and (b) another country; and by what body it is held.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Further to the answer provided to Question 106994, and recognising the gravity of this issue, the Department has been working to identify teams and bodies who may have, or may have had, an interest in this work. This may include entities which are now arms-length bodies.
As may be expected, the historical nature of these events is making it more challenging to locate, access and search information held in a variety of archives, both electronic and paper. In particular, it is unclear if records and archives relating to particular programmes or events include any material specifically relating to British Service personnel.
Officials are developing a more substantive overview of the situation. This will be included in the letter which was promised to Emma Lewell MP in response to Question 106994, and which will be copied to the hon. Member.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to financially support upland farmers in areas such as Exmoor.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is working with Dr Hilary Cottam to develop a place-based approach for what uplands communities need, co-designing solutions to specific problems.
The Government recently announced the extension of the Farming in Protected Landscape (FiPL) programme until March 2029. This supports farmers and land managers in England’s National Parks and National Landscapes, including upland farmers in Exmoor National Park, to deliver projects that achieve climate, nature, people and place outcomes.
The Sustainable Farming Incentive will be reformed to make it simpler and fairer. To ensure as many farmers as possible can benefit from SFI, we will begin by opening an initial window from June for small farms, and also those without existing Environmental Land Management agreements. This will be followed by a second window opening from September for all other farmers.
The Farming Roadmap and the government response to Baroness Batters’ Farming Profitability Review will be published later this year, setting out wider plans to boost profitability and long-term viability.
Information about agricultural scheme payments made to farmers and land managers in the Exmoor area can be found at the Find farm and land payment website.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent cases of online grooming by terrorists by educating people about the consequential danger to their wellbeing and the potential deprivation of their citizenship.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government takes the threat from online grooming by terrorist individuals and organisations seriously. Terrorist activity online and illegal radicalising content should have no place on the internet. However, the borderless nature of the internet means that the threat remains persistent.
The Home Office works to influence industry partners to increase action to tackle online content used to radicalise, recruit and incite terrorism by providing threat assessment, insight and support.
We also work with international to collaborate on tackling online radicalisation, and influence and align approaches where possible and respond to emerging threats.
Under the Online Safety Act, tech companies are accountable to Ofcom, the independent online safety regulator, to keep their users safe, and they need to have in place systems and processes to remove and limit the spread of illegal content, including terrorist material.
Through our Prevent programme, partners also deliver a range of activity from face-to-face workshops, online sessions, sessions at conferences, school assemblies etc around building resilience to extremist/terrorist narratives, online safety and the impact of terrorism.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what procurement process was followed for the agreement with Palantir Technologies for defence data analytics capabilities; and whether any Ministers and former officials with prior links to Palantir were involved at any stage of that process.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) let the Palantir Enterprise Agreement contract in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023. The contract was direct awarded under the justifications outlined in Section 41, Schedule 5.The Direct award justifications were as follows:
- Paragraph 6:
o The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract—
(a)due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and
(b)there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works.
- Paragraph 7:
o The public contract concerns the supply of goods, services or works by the existing supplier which are intended as an extension to, or partial replacement of, existing goods, services or works in circumstances where—
(a)a change in supplier would result in the contracting authority receiving goods, services or works that are different from, or incompatible with, the existing goods, services or works, and
(b)the difference or incompatibility would result in disproportionate technical difficulties in operation or maintenance.
The MOD can confirm that no Ministers and former officials with prior links to Palantir were involved at any stage of that process. The decision to award this contract was the Secretary of State for Defence’s.
The MOD conducts continuous conflict-of-interest assessments for all individuals involved in commercial activity of any manner.
The MOD conducts comprehensive due diligence upon the notification of any business appointments that may lead to concern. MOD holds a Business Appointments Policy under JSP 492 that outlines the processes and guidelines for assessing these situations. Should an appointment create a concern MOD can place conditions upon that individual that can include:
- Restricting the sharing of information
- Prohibition of lobbying for a set period of time
- Restrictions on advising on ongoing commercial activity
- Seeking clearance of ongoing commissions
The conditions and associated timeframes for them are set based upon the seniority of the individual involved and the nature of the appointment. MOD continues to work diligently to ensure this is appropriately managed and enforced.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department conducted a conflict‑of‑interest assessment prior to awarding recent defence contracts to Palantir Technologies.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) conducts continuous conflict-of-interest assessments for all individuals involved in commercial activity of any manner.
In addition, the MOD conducts comprehensive due diligence upon the notification of any business appointments that may lead to concern. MOD holds a Business Appointments Policy under JSP 492 that outlines the processes and guidelines for assessing these situations. Should an appointment create a concern the MOD can place conditions upon that individual that can include:
- Restricting the sharing of information
- Prohibition of lobbying for a set period of time
- Restrictions on advising on ongoing commercial activity
- Seeking clearance of ongoing commissions
The conditions and associated timeframes for them are set based upon the seniority of the individual involved and the nature of the appointment.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many projected jobs for each AI Growth Zone are (a) tied to building and construction of data centres, (b) permanent on-site operational jobs in data centres, (c) data-centre roles that can be done remotely either (i) within the UK or (ii) overseas and (d) other jobs that are expected to be created indirectly in the area.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Through AI Growth Zones (AIGZs), we aim to crowd-in tens of billions of pounds in private investment and drive growth, with AIGZs announced so far expected to create over 15,000 jobs.
AIGZs are designed to accelerate data‑centre build‑out and attract substantial private investment, creating construction roles, permanent operational jobs, and wider indirect employment through supply‑chain growth and skills pathways. Each AI Growth Zone will also receive £5 million to support local AI adoption and upskilling, helping ensure communities benefit directly from new opportunities.
Five AI Growth Zones have been designated to date, all expected to contribute to regional regeneration and the UK’s long‑term compute capacity. We do not make specific assumptions about the nature or geographical nature of jobs indirectly related to AI Growth Zones.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with the life sciences sector on the application of VAT on medicines supplied free-of-charge via EAMS and other compassionate access schemes.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology regularly engages with representatives of the life sciences sector. The issue of the application of VAT on medicines supplied free-of-charge via Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) and other compassionate access schemes has been raised with Ministers.
Application of VAT is determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the nature of the supply. This includes medicines or treatments provided for free under the EAMS.
In certain circumstances the giving of goods away for free can be outside the scope of VAT. Where the supply is within the scope of VAT a relief may apply, meaning the supply can be made VAT free.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support international nature restoration, following their report National security assessment on global ecosystems, published on 20 January.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The National security assessment on global ecosystems deepens our understanding of how biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation affect national and global stability. This analysis informs our engagement with international partners and supports collective action to address shared biodiversity challenges.
The UK is taking comprehensive action to strengthen resilience to environmental risks at home and overseas. This includes support for conflict prevention, climate adaptation, early warning systems and sustainable livelihoods, alongside targeted investments through International Climate Finance. The Government is investing £11.6 billion including £3 billion for nature, supporting tropical rainforests, marine habitats and indigenous communities. The Government is also backing innovative finance such as the eco.business Fund and the Land Degradation Neutrality Fund, which mobilise private sector investment to restore degraded land, enhance biodiversity and strengthen climate resilience globally.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage outdoors learning in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department believes all children and young people should have access to a broad and balanced curriculum and a variety of enrichment opportunities at school.
The value of nature for outdoor learning and for learners’ wellbeing is fundamental
to the department Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy and it is woven throughout initiatives such as the National Education Nature Park. Delivered by the Natural History Museum, it provides curriculum aligned resources and encourages children and young people to get outside and take action to improve the biodiversity of their school grounds. It also supports the development of physical and mental wellbeing through active, hands-on engagement with the natural world.
The value of outdoor learning is being recognised and promoted through our upcoming Enrichment Framework, which includes 'Nature, outdoors and adventure' as one of five categories that schools and colleges should seek to cover in a broad and well-rounded enrichment offer.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made by law enforcement on apprehending those responsible for the Legal Aid Agency cyber attack.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Since April 2025 there has been a net increase to the number of providers contracted to deliver legal aid services. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) publishes data about provider numbers as part of its official statistics (table 9.6). Data for the period April to December 2025 is scheduled for release on 26 March 2026.
The LAA also routinely publishes data about the volume and value of legal aid cases across all legal aid schemes as part of its official statistics. As above, data for the period April to December 2025 is scheduled for release on 26 March 2026.
As set out in my response to PQ 98862, since the serious criminal attack on the LAA’s digital services was identified we have worked closely with relevant law enforcement agencies and Police. As sensitive investigations remain ongoing it would not be appropriate to comment on the nature or detail of this engagement.