Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of self-sampling on reaching under-screened populations for cervical cancer; and what estimate he has made of the uptake of (a) in-clinic and (b) at-home self-sampling options.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan for England: Fit for the Future, restates the National Health Service’s aim to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 through improved uptake of cervical screening and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. Delivering the plan and making progress towards committed targets is a key priority for NHS England, working with the Department, providers, and wider health system partners.
As part of this, NHS England is transforming its approach to cervical screening for under-screened women. From early 2026, they will be offered a home testing kit, starting with those who are the most overdue for screening. This will help tackle deeply entrenched barriers that keep some away from life-saving screening.
National and international evidence suggests that offering the option of HPV self-testing in under-screened groups could help overcome some of the barriers to taking part in cervical screening, leading to improved participation, and ultimately preventing more cervical cancers and associated deaths.
The equality impact assessment on the introduction of human papilloma virus (HPV) self-sampling for the under-screened population in the NHS Cervical Screening Programme can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cervical-screening-hpv-self-sampling-impact-assessments
The self-testing kits, which detect HPV, allow people to carry out this testing in the privacy and convenience of their own homes.
Self-testing specifically targets those groups consistently missing vital appointments, with younger people, ethnic minority communities facing cultural hurdles, people with a disability, and LGBT+ people all set to benefit. Those who are HPV positive on their self-test will need to be followed up with a clinician for a cervical screening test, so it is acknowledged that not all barriers to attendance will be removed with the implementation of self-testing.
Therefore, it is anticipated that there will be an increase in participation from groups that are under screened. NHS England will monitor and evaluate the impact of this programme.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with organisations impacted by the delay in the publication of the EHRC Code of Practice on single-sex spaces.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations provides guidance on all protected characteristics, not solely sex and gender reassignment. This is a legally complex document which will have an impact on service providers up and down the country. We are working at pace to review it with the care it deserves.
We have set out our expectation for service providers to follow the law as clarified by the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers ruling and seek specialist legal advice where necessary.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support the removal of sexualised deepfake content from X.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Sexually manipulated images of women and children are despicable and abhorrent. The government is clear that no one should have to go through the ordeal of seeing intimate images of themselves online. There are no excuses not to act, and services must deal with this urgently.
Sharing, or threatening to share a deepfake intimate image without consent is a criminal offence. The government has made it a priority offence under the Online Safety Act, meaning services need to take proactive steps to tackle this content. Ofcom has robust enforcement powers to use where providers are not complying with their duties.
This week we havesigned the commencement order to urgently bring powers to criminalise the creation of intimate images without consent into force.
Ofcom has confirmed that they have opened a formal investigation into X and have the government’s full backing to take necessary enforcement action.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Minister for Women and Equalities on the promotion of LGBTQ+ rights.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Across our global diplomatic network, missions collaborate with local partners to challenge discriminatory laws and policies that enable violence and discrimination against LGBT+ people, and to mark key moments including Pride, but there is no central recording of each of these activities.
In multilateral settings, the UK engages likeminded partners in the Equal Rights Coalition, the UN LGBTI Core Group, and the Council of Europe to champion the universality of human rights, and to promote global action to end violence, persecution, and discrimination.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Ministers and officials also collaborate with other government departments, including the Office for Equality and Opportunity, to align domestic and international efforts to advance human rights and equality for LGBT+ people, ensuring everyone can live with dignity and without fear of violence and persecution.
We continually keep the impact of all FCDO policies and UK-funded programmes under review to ensure they are achieving their objectives, and providing value for money.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the rights of women and girls.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the responses given on 20 January to the identical set of questions received from the Member for South Cambridgeshire on 12 January (UINs 105089 to 105096).
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans her Department to demonstrate leadership on Women, Peace and Security in the programme of the UK's UN Security Council Presidency.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of our plans for the UK's Presidency of the UN Security Council will be set out in the usual way in due course. In the interim, I refer the Hon Member to the Foreign Secretary's speech on 24 November 2025 confirming the importance that this Government attaches to the Women, Peace and Security agenda, which is available at this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/twenty-five-years-of-women-peace-and-security
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 the effectiveness of her Department’s measures to ensure that nutrition objectives are integrated within women and girls’ programmes; and how the Child Nutrition Fund and the Resilience and Adaptation Fund are aligned with her Department's gender policy frameworks.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 18 November 2025 to Question 89032, which outlines the work the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF) and Resilience and Adaptation Fund (RAF) are doing to address malnutrition of women and girls. As laid out in the 2025 Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) paper entitled 'Healthy Women, Children and Newborns: A Coordinated Approach to Ending Preventable Deaths', all of our programmes in this area are assessed for effectiveness. The CNF and RAF are both tracked by gender and nutrition-sensitive internal markers, therefore contributing to the FCDO's commitment to ensuring nutrition investments deliver for women and girls.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to protect women and girls online.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Tackling violence against women and girls in all its forms, including online, is a top priority for this government.
Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must proactively tackle illegal content, much of which disproportionately affects women and girls, including harassment, stalking and intimate image abuse. Services are also required to protect children from illegal and harmful content, including abusive and hateful misogyny and pornography.
On 25 November 2025, Ofcom published industry guidance on making platforms safer for women and girls. We expect companies to introduce these recommended measures without delay.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will include Women, Peace and Security as a core theme of the UK's Presidency of the UN Security Council.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Details of our plans for the UK's Presidency of the UN Security Council will be set out in the usual way in due course. In the interim, I refer the Hon Member to the Foreign Secretary's speech on 24 November 2025 confirming the importance that this Government attaches to the Women, Peace and Security agenda, which is available at this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/twenty-five-years-of-women-peace-and-security
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
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 potential impact of the monetisation and algorithmic amplification of misogynistic and sexually degrading content on social media platforms on young people’s attitudes towards women, relationships and self-worth.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government will do everything in our power to keep women and children safe online.
Under the Online Safety Act, services are required to protect children from both illegal and harmful content, including violent, abusive or hateful misogynistic content. Services are also required to adjust algorithms for children, so that they do not encourage harmful content, leading to safer feeds.
We expect companies to introduce, without delay, the recommended measures in Ofcom’s industry guidance on making platforms safer for women and girls including deprioritising harmful content in recommender algorithms and de‑monetising content which promotes misogynistic abuse and sexual violence.