Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of energy efficiency standards in private rented homes in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government is looking to raise minimum energy efficiency standards across the private rented sector to deliver warmer, cheaper to heat homes. Government has published its response to the consultation on minimum energy efficiency standards in the domestic private rented sector on 21 January 2026. The Government Response is accompanied by the Department’s Impact Assessment which includes a regional breakdown of private rented sector properties and the estimated impact of the policy.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2026 to question 105582 on Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Decommissioning, what programme does the replacement of Pinzgauer fall under.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The long-term replacement for the Pinzgauer vehicle is being considered within the Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) segment of the Land Mobility Programme. The programme is being considered as part of the Defence Investment Plan.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 48156 on Skynet, when the build of the Skynet 6A satellite transitioned into the testing and validation phase.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Skynet 6 Programme continues to progress to meet Defence’s satellite communication needs. Following build and preparatory activity, the Skynet 6A satellite transitioned into the testing and validation phase in November 2025.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop a long-term strategy alongside medical professionals to ensure sustainable funding for obesity services, including prevention, behavioural and psychological programmes, and alongside clinical treatments.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service and local government provide a range of obesity services, from universal prevention initiatives to targeted interventions, including behaviour change programmes, digital tools and apps, and specialist services for people living with severe obesity and related conditions. These services support individuals at every stage to achieve and maintain a healthier weight.
Commissioning and funding decisions for obesity services are made locally by local authorities and NHS organisations in line with assessed population needs and available budgets. The Department works with these partners and NHS England to provide national policy direction, to support effective and sustainable service models and to introduce digital behavioural programmes.
NHS England is supporting integrated care boards (ICBs) to deliver a phased roll‑out of tirzepatide for the treatment of obesity. They have provided funding and guidance to ICBs and established a national wraparound support service for patients receiving these treatments, covering diet, physical activity, and behaviour change.
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England, we are taking decisive action on the obesity crisis, including restricting junk food advertising to children, and setting healthy sales reporting and targets for large food businesses.
Whilst we recognise that prevention will always be better than a cure, we also need to support those already living with obesity. We have committed to doubling the number of people able to access the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme and to expand access to the newest obesity medicines.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what research or analysis is being carried out to understand the factors contributing to the increasing demand for mental health services, including factors other than overdiagnosis and diagnostic practices.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research into mental health via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Through the NIHR, the Department is investigating a wide range of factors that contribute to the increase in mental health prevalence across England, including social, environmental, demographic, and biological factors. The Department also funds several population surveys that measure the national prevalence of mental health disorders.
The Department recently launched an independent review led by Professor Peter Fonagy into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism. This review will examine the evidence on rising demand for mental health, autism, and ADHD services so people receive the right support at the right time and in the right place. The review will produce a short report setting out conclusions and recommendations for responding to the rising need, both within the Government and across the health system and wider public services.
Asked by: Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of NHS funding is allocated to mental health care.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2025/26, total forecast mental health spend is £15.6 billion, which works out at 8.71% of the recurrent National Health Service baseline of £179.4 billion. This was set out in a Written Ministerial Statement by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 27 March 2025.
As the Medium-Term Planning Framework makes clear, we need a new approach for mental health to drive down waits, improve the quality of care, and increase the productivity of mental health services.
Funding is a key part of this. We have set out that over the next three years, integrated care boards will be required to meet the mental health investment standard by protecting mental health spending in real terms. In other words, rising in line with inflation from 2026/27.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the use of fax machines by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has instructed National Health Service trusts to stop using fax machines for anything other than business continuity. The trust has informed NHS England that they currently only use fax machines for administrative tasks.
NHS England will be meeting with the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to work with them on their decommissioning plans. As such, there is currently no date set for when fax machines will be phased out.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding has been allocated to cancer care infrastructure in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency in the next three financial years.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Improving cancer services, including diagnostic capacity and treatment infrastructure, is a priority for the Government.
The Government is committed to meeting all three National Health Service cancer waiting time standards across England. We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the NHS to meet demand through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners. As of December 2025, community diagnostic centres are now delivering additional tests and checks on 170 sites across the country.
The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will set out further details as to how patients across England, including in Buckingham and Bletchley, will benefit from improved diagnostic services and cancer care infrastructure.
Funding for cancer pathways is multi-layered. The integrated care board uses the core Government allocation to commission services from providers, including cancer-related activity. Specialised commissioning directs funding towards specialist areas of healthcare, such as paediatric oncology and chemotherapy.
The East of England Cancer Alliance has been allocated approximately £16 million of revenue funds for 2026/27 which will support targeted programmes of work. The process to allocate these funds is currently live. System priorities have been identified and funding requests have been submitted for consideration.
Asked by: Gareth Davies (Conservative - Grantham and Bourne)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the expected return on the investment from the British Business Bank into Kraken Technologies.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There is no specific target for returns from individual investments, which vary widely. Hence the British Business Bank has made no estimate of the expected return on its investment in Kraken Technologies. The Bank invests on a portfolio basis. In aggregate, its investments are expected to generate a financial return greater than the Government’s risk‑adjusted cost of capital after covering running costs.
In the year ended 31 March 2025, the Bank reported a profit of £144 million and a five‑year average adjusted return on capital employed of 4.2% against a target of 0.9%.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to (a) review and (b) update the Harbour, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
At present there are no plans to review or update the Harbour, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847. Whilst the Department for Transport continues to ensure that the UK’s maritime legislation is fit for purpose, there has been no pressing need identified to warrant parliamentary time to review this Act.