theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of regional cancer survival outcomes; and what steps he is taking to reduce regional disparities. \p Ashley Dalton: We know that more needs to be done to reduce the disparities in cancer survival. We remain committed to making improvements across different cancer types and reducing disparities in cancer survival. Early cancer diagnosis is also a specific priority within the National Health Service’s wider Core20Plus5 approach to reducing healthcare inequalities.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how the Government will shift the focus from care from the hospital to care the community, which will make it easier for people to access cancer screening, diagnostic, and treatment services in their local areas, with more choice for people on how and where they access these services. Services will be backed by the latest technology to drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.

The forthcoming National Cancer Plan, which we will publish in the new year, will look at targeted improvements needed across different cancer types to reduce disparities in cancer survival. The plan will seek to ensure that high-quality care and treatment is available to all patients across the country, no matter where they live. This will build on the current national cancer audits, which are seeking to promote best practice and aim to reduce inequalities in access to or the quality of treatment.

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, seeking to improve every aspect of cancer care, to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer. Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years. To do this, we will focus on prevention, deliver targeted improvements, drive research and innovation, and ensure patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Jacob Collier:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) adequacy of the eligibility criteria for (i) free covid-19 vaccinations and (ii) access to covid-19 antiviral treatments for people with lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and (b) consistency of eligibility criteria used by general practices, community pharmacies and NHS 111 in England. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The primary aim of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme remains the prevention of serious illness, resulting in hospitalisations and deaths, arising from COVID-19.

The JCVI has advised that population immunity to COVID-19 has been increasing due to a combination of naturally acquired immunity following recovery from infection and vaccine-derived immunity. COVID-19 is now a relatively mild disease for most people, though it can still be unpleasant, with rates of hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 having reduced significantly since COVID-19 first emerged.

The focus of the JCVI’s advised programme has therefore moved towards targeted vaccination of the two groups who continue to be at higher risk of serious disease, including mortality. These are the oldest adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed. The Government has accepted the JCVI’s advice for autumn 2025 and in line with the advice, a COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to the following groups:

The COVID-19 chapter of the UK Health Security Agency Green Book on immunisation against infectious disease sets out guidance on the eligibility criteria above. This is signposted to all providers to ensure consistency. As for all vaccines, the JCVI keeps the evidence under regular review.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance that recommends several antivirals for the treatment of COVID-19, both in the community and for patients in hospital. This guidance sets out the eligibility criteria and ensures that patients who are at the highest risk of developing severe disease from COVID-19 have access to clinically- and cost-effective treatments.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) care and (b) support for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: We published the myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), final delivery plan on 22 July 2025. The plan focusses on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease, including those in the Surrey Heath constituency.

The ME/CFS final delivery plan includes an action for the Department and NHS England to explore whether a specialised service should be prescribed by my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for people with very severe ME/CFS across England. Officials from the Department have commenced discussions with NHS England on how best to take forward this action.

NHS England has also started its work on co-designing resources for systems to improve services for mild and moderate ME/CFS, including for patients in the Surrey Heath constituency. It will meet a group of key stakeholders to progress this in the coming weeks.

To support healthcare professionals in the diagnosis and management of ME/CFS, as set out in the final delivery plan, the Department has worked with NHS England to develop an e-learning programme on ME/CFS for healthcare professionals, with the aim of supporting staff to be able to provide better care and improve patient outcomes. All three sessions of the e-learning programme, with sessions one and two having universal access, whilst the third session is only available to healthcare professionals, are now available at the following link:

https://learninghub.nhs.uk/catalogue/mecfselearning?nodeId=7288
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to expand preventative health programmes in communities with high chronic-disease prevalence. \p Ashley Dalton: Our mission is to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between rich and poor, through the 10-Year Health Plan. Our 10-Year Health Plan sets out how a shift to prevention will deliver healthier, more prosperous lives for all, but particularly for those suffering the consequences of widening levels of health inequality. We are committed to taking action to tackle both the chronic diseases themselves and the modifiable risk factors that contribute to them, including:
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Sir Alec Shelbrooke:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department made an assessment of trends in the levels of current waiting times for cancer treatment in NHS Humber and North Yorkshire and NHS West Yorkshire sub-ICBs prior to funding decisions for the forthcoming National Cancer Plan. \p Ashley Dalton: Cancer patients are waiting too long for diagnosis and treatment on the National Health Service, including in Humber and North Yorkshire and NHS West Yorkshire. The Government is investing an extra £26 billion in the NHS and opening up community diagnostic centres at evening and weekends, to help diagnose cancer earlier.

We have also invested £70 million of funding into new radiotherapy treatment machines to replace older, less efficient machines. These new machines are currently being rolled out to trusts throughout the country. These newer machines will reduce treatment times, boost productivity, and allow more patients to be seen over the same period.

The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the 130,000 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease hospital admissions made each year. \p Ashley Dalton: Smoking is the number one preventable cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will be the biggest public health intervention since the indoor smoking ban in 2007 and will help deliver our ambition for a smoke-free United Kingdom.

Poor air quality can exacerbate COPD. To address this, the Department of Health and Social Care is working across the Government with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to tackle air pollution, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to fix housing and reduce damp and mould. Infections can also exacerbate COPD, so the National Health Service is running winter vaccine campaigns against respiratory infections including COVID-19, flu, and pneumococcal disease.

To enable faster diagnosis and earlier access to treatment, access to spirometry tests in community diagnostic centres (CDCs) is growing and will continue to do so as more sites come online. The first five months of 2025/26 saw an increase in CDC spirometry testing of approximately 2,000 tests per month more than in the previous year.

Pulmonary rehabilitation is a key intervention to improve the health of people with COPD and reduce pressure on NHS hospitals. NHS England has published commissioning standards for pulmonary rehabilitation, setting out the benchmarks that high-quality services should aim for. This includes reducing health inequalities and ensuring equitable access.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 52906 on Department of Health and Social Care: Permanent Secretaries, whether she has been employed under the terms of the model permanent secretary contract; for how long the fixed term period is; and whether she is classified as a (a) temporary or (b) permanent civil servant. \p Karin Smyth: The Department launched a fair and open competition to appoint a Permanent Secretary in January 2025. As a result of this process, Samantha Jones was found to be an appointable candidate for this role. However, during the recruitment process, it was announced that NHS England would be brought back into the Department. This significantly changed the scale and objectives required of this role. In light of these changes the Civil Service Commission agreed a three-year fixed term appointment by exception, on the Senior Civil Service Model contract.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled New DHSC Permanent Secretary Appointed, published on 22 April 2025, whether the new Permanent Secretary was appointed by (a) open and fair competition, (b) temporary appointment and (c) exception. \p Karin Smyth: The Department launched a fair and open competition to appoint a Permanent Secretary in January 2025. As a result of this process, Samantha Jones was found to be an appointable candidate for this role. However, during the recruitment process it was announced that NHS England would be brought back into the Department. This significantly changed the scale and objectives required of this role. In light of these changes the Civil Service Commission agreed a three-year fixed term appointment by exception, on the Senior Civil Service Model contract.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to (a) amend and (b) modernise the Lieutenancies Act 1997. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: There are no plans to amend or update the Lieutenancies Act 1997.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2025, to Question 74211, on Prime Minister: Recruitment, if he will list the information requested for appointments below SCS2. \p Anna Turley: I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 10 October 2025, Official Report, PQ 74211.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many FTE civil servants there were across Government in England by region in each year since 2010. \p Anna Turley: Information on the number of FTE civil servants by region is published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics. This information can be found at Table 10 of each of the annual publications data tables available at the link below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics#annual-statistics
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2025, to Question 84251, on Government Departments: Facilities Agreements, whether government departments are required to inform the Cabinet Office if they permit trade unions to spend facility time on trade union activities, or otherwise make changes to their policy on permitted facility time. \p Anna Turley: The existing Cabinet Office facility time framework, implemented under the previous administration and unchanged, does not require departments to inform the Cabinet Office if they permit paid time off to undertake activities, although this does require the agreement of their Secretary of State or Chief Executive. Departments do not need Cabinet Office approval to amend their own policies on the use of facility time.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2025, to Question 85508, on Permanent Secretaries: Redundancy Pay, whether the Cabinet Office holds a central list of which Permanent Secretaries have received severance payments since 4 July 2024. \p Anna Turley: Yes, the Cabinet Office holds a central list of Permanent Secretaries leavers who have received compensation payment since 4 July 2024.

Payments are published in departmental Annual Reports and Accounts for the financial years in which they were made.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's transparency data entitled Expenditure Over £25,000 - September 2025 (Cabinet Office Core), published on 30 October 2025, what works does the entry of Variable FM Expenditure - Client Requested workplace services via OCS Group UK Limited relate to. \p Anna Turley: The GPA procured this service on behalf of the occupying tenant, who has a requirement for staff to hold high security clearance. This cost is fully recovered from the occupying tenant, and is not funded by GPA or Cabinet Office budgets.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 26 September 2025, to Question 74202, Civil Service: Unpaid Work, how will the Cabinet Office determine the social class of an applicant to the intern scheme if their parents have divorced and re-married by the age of 14, and the applicant has two different blended families. \p Anna Turley: The specific measure we use to determine socio-economic background of an applicant for the Summer Internship Programme is the occupation of the ‘main household earner’ when the applicant was 14 years old. This is in line with the guidance from the ONS and Social Mobility Commission.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the IGR Secretariat Annual Report 2023-24, published on 5 November 2025, when will the report for 2024-25 be published. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The impartial IGR Secretariat intends to publish their 2024-25 Annual Report in the spring.
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Mr Joshua Reynolds:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps is the Government taking to review public sector cloud services procurement practices in light of the Competition and Markets Authority's finding that Microsoft and AWS hold approximately 70% market share between them; and will the Government publish guidance on competitive tendering to ensure value for money. \p Chris Ward: Further to the Competition and Markets Authority findings, the Crown Commercial Service, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Cabinet Office are exploring measures to strengthen value for money and promote supplier diversification.

Procurement guidance is kept under regular review, and we will consider issuing further guidance as needed to support value for money.
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Lorraine Beavers:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the new Community Help Partnerships will differ from the Changing Futures Programme. \p Josh Simons: The Government announced Community Help Partnerships (CHPs) at the Spending Review. Since then, we have been working closely with a wide range of stakeholders—including people with lived experience, the voluntary sector, and central and local government—to design a programme of preventative support for adults experiencing disadvantage.

This will build on learning from the Changing Futures’ crisis-focused programme. CHPs will go further in addressing systemic barriers to allow local services to provide better integrated, earlier preventative support. The Cabinet Office is working closely with MHCLG to coordinate the two programmes.

We are continuing to explore how to strengthen alignment with wider place-based public sector reform. Further details will be announced in due course.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish data on the most recent estimate of Christmas seasonal vacancies in the postal sector. \p Josh Simons: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question's of 21st November is attached.

Letter from the UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 174.8KB)
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2025, to Question 70524, on Civil Servants: media and public speaking, whether the guidance on civil servants speaking in public has been released, in whole or in part, in response to the Freedom of Information Act requests. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: I refer the Rt Hon Member to my answer on 21 November 2025 (PQ 91378).
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2025, to Question 85199 on Ministers: Redundancy Pay whether Ministers are required to personally sign the waiver. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: All ministers who are eligible for a severance payment are required to sign a waiver agreeing to forgo their entitlement to such a payment if, on leaving office, they have served in government for less than six months or if they leave as a result of a serious breach of the Ministerial Code. Through the waiver, ministers also commit to repaying their severance payment in the event that they are found to have seriously breached the Business Appointment Rules. Ministers also agree that if they are reappointed to government within three months of leaving office they will forgo their salary for the period overlapping with the severance payment period.

I can confirm that all ministers who are eligible for a severance payment have signed waivers.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of publishing the remuneration of direct ministerial appointments, who have a salary which is equivalent to (a) SCS1, (b) SCS2, (c) SCS3 and (d) above minimum pay scales for those grades. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments was published on gov.uk on 30 October 2025. Section 21 of this guidance states “For transparency purposes, all Direct Ministerial Appointments should be announced publicly, along with their Terms of Reference. This should generally be done at the time at which the appointment is made and include information such as the time commitment expected of the role, expected end date of the appointment and remuneration details, where such is incurred.”
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Calum Miller:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment the Investment Security Unit has made of the effectiveness of (a) the Planning Inspectorate and (b) Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project processes to safeguard against national security risks from investment by (i) inappropriate or (ii) hostile overseas sources. \p Dan Jarvis: The Investment Security Unit in the Cabinet Office is responsible for administering the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021, which provides robust investment screening powers for the Government to scrutinise and, where necessary, intervene in acquisitions which could present a risk to the UK’s national security. If required, the Government has the ability to impose conditions, block or unwind acquisitions.

The Government welcomes investment as part of our mission to boost growth, but only where it meets our regulatory requirements and does not compromise our national security. We will not hesitate to use our powers to protect national security where we identify concerns.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 91 of the Strategic Defence Review 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing legislation to ensure sufficient supply of (a) services, (b) access to critical national infrastructure and (c) resources for defence. \p Luke Pollard: We are reviewing which additional legal powers the Government might need across the range of Defence business as part of our work in developing the defence readiness legislation announced in the Strategic Defence Review.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled UK “building the factories of the future” as government launches next phase of new munitions and energetics factories, published on 19 November 2025, if he will list all contracts placed by his Department with Helsing since 5 July 2024. \p Luke Pollard: The Department is withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the US Los Alamos National nuclear laboratory and Lawrence Livermore national laboratory have played a role in the research, design or development of the British Astraea nuclear warhead. \p Luke Pollard: We are working with our U.S. counterparts in the U.S. Navy and National Nuclear Security Administration to ensure the UK replacement warhead remains compatible with the Trident missile. The Astraea warhead will be designed, developed, and manufactured in the UK. It will be housed in the Mk7 aeroshell, as will the U.S. W93 warhead, but the requirements, design and manufacture of the warheads are sovereign to each nation. This is consistent with our obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what has been the cost of implementation of the Anglo-French TEUTATES treaty since its inception in 2010; and whether French military personnel are based at AWE Aldermaston or AWE Burghfield as part of the treaty. \p Luke Pollard: I am withholding the cost of the Teutates programme as release would prejudice international relations.

No French personnel, civilian or military, are based at AWE’s Aldermaston or Burghfield sites as part of the programme.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what bi-lateral working groups have been created between AWE and the French counterparts on the development of the Astraea nuclear warhead. \p Luke Pollard: None. The Astraea nuclear warhead is sovereign to the United Kingdom.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his department has commissioned an assessment on the compliance of the British use of Epure with Article One of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. \p Luke Pollard: The United Kingdom’s use of the facilities at Epure, constructed under the Teutates programme, is fully compliant with our obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The Teutates Treaty (Cm 8289) reaffirms the rights and obligations of both the UK and France under the NPT.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to rule out the future (a) leasing and (b) purchase of electric vehicles manufactured by Chinese companies. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes the security of defence assets very seriously, and is working with other government departments to understand and mitigate any potential threats to national security from vehicles. Our policies and procedures take account of the potential threats from all types of vehicles, not just electric vehicles or those manufactured in China, and we are working across MOD to ensure risks are appropriately managed in accordance with the needs of different communities. We do not give details of restrictions and controls as to do so could benefit potential adversaries.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many electric vehicles (a) manufactured by Chinese companies and (b) containing Chinese-made critical components are in use across the defence estate. \p Luke Pollard: This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has a target date for the completion of Defence Reform. \p Luke Pollard: The Ministry of Defence does not have a single target date for the completion of Defence Reform. Implementation planning will begin in January 2026, and implementation will commence progressively as elements of the unified Defence Operating Model mature. Full implementation will continue throughout 2026 and beyond
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many U.K.-US working groups currently exist pursuant to the 1958 Mutual Defense Agreement on Atomic Energy Matters; what subjects do they cover; and what is the annual cost of servicing these working groups. \p Luke Pollard: There are 21 current UK-U.S. Joint Working Groups (JOWOGs), an information exchange arrangement with the U.S. under the Mutual Defense Agreement. The costs of participating in those JOWOGs is not held centrally in the format required and that information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of procuring Anduril's YFQ-44A collaborative combat aircraft. \p Luke Pollard: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 September 2025 to Question 76688.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of the decision to reduce the order of Type 45 destroyers from 12 ships to 6 on defence. \p Luke Pollard: The Type 45 destroyers have delivered world-class air defence capability to the Royal Navy since HMS DARING entered service in 2009, and they continue to play a critical role today. Their effectiveness has been demonstrated most recently by HMS DIAMOND during operations in the Red Sea in 2024, and by HMS as part of the global Operation HIGHMAST Carrier Strike Group, which is scheduled to return to the UK later this year.

The Ministry of Defence regularly reviews its force structure and capabilities to ensure they remain aligned with evolving threats and operational requirements. The decision on the number of Type 45 destroyers was based on the threat assessment and strategic priorities at the time, and these platforms continue to provide a highly capable air defence shield for the fleet.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what are the requirements of the Royal Navy's a) Stratus LO (Low Observable) and b) Stratus RS (Rapid Strike) programmes. \p Luke Pollard: The Royal Navy has a requirement called the Future Offensive Surface Weapon (FOSuW) which will provide a long range anti-ship strike weapon with land attack capabilities, compatible with the Mk41 Vertical Launch System (VLS). The FOSuW requirement will be met through the Future Cruise Anti-Ship Weapon (FCASW) programme, which comprises two concept solutions, STRATUS LO and STRATUS RS. The STRATUS LO concept is planned to be integrated onto the Type 26 frigate to meet the Royal Navy FoSUW requirement.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has he made in implementing the Land Ground Based Air Defence programme. \p Luke Pollard: On current plans, the Land Based Air Defence programme is scheduled to reach Initial Operating Capability for its Medium Range Air Defence capability in Q4 2026.

In response to Question 45060 the then Minister for Defence Procurement (Maria Eagle) stated that the programme is working towards Initial Operating Capability of Medium Range Air Defence for warfighting by July 2026. In fact, the programme is working towards Initial Operating Capability of Medium Range Air Defence for contingent operations in Q4 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many settlements for asbestos related disease his Department made in 2024/25. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: Settlements of asbestos related compensation claims brought against the Ministry of Defence for asbestos related disease are published annually. These are published the year after the relevant financial year (FY). For example, settled claims and compensation paid in FY2024-25 will be published in 2026. The link below provides the most up to date information relating to common law claims in FY2023-24 including asbestos related claims.

MOD common law compensation claims statistics 2023/24 - GOV.UK

Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, there were no initial injury/illness awards under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) for mesothelioma or any asbestos-related condition.

Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, there were 119 awards for mesothelioma or any asbestos related conditions under the War Pension Scheme (WPS).

Please note, numbers for AFCS include initial awards only. Asbestos conditions which were initially rejected but were subsequently awarded, following a reconsideration or appeal in this financial year, have not been counted due to the complexity of the data.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of planned redundancies of (a) scientists and (b) other staff at the Atomic Weapons Establishment on the (i) supply and (ii) maintenance of the UK’s nuclear deterrent. \p Luke Pollard: AWE notified the Ministry of Defence last year of its intent to conduct a reorganisation to strengthen the company as it embarks on the challenge of designing and manufacturing the next generation of the UK’s sovereign nuclear warhead.

The ongoing restructuring will not reduce the overall number of employees, as the company will continue to hire appropriately qualified skilled professionals, including scientists and engineers. This activity will ensure AWE has the right people with the right skillsets in place to deliver defence outputs, both now and in the future.

The precise nature of the reorganisation is an operational matter for AWE. AWE will work closely with the trade unions throughout the consultation period and are committed to approaching the process with fairness, care and respect for its employees.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many settlements for clinical negligence his Department made in 2024-25. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: Settlements of common law compensation claims for alleged Ministry of Defence clinical negligence are published annually. These are published the year after the relevant financial year (FY). For example, settled claims and compensation paid in FY 2024-25 will be published in 2026. The link below provides the most up to date information relating to common law claims in FY2023-24 including clinical negligence claims.

MOD common law compensation claims statistics 2023/24 - GOV.UK

Both the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) and War Pensions Scheme (WPS) are no-fault schemes to pay compensation for injuries, illness or death caused or made worse by service. Awards are granted for injuries/illnesses/deaths and not specific events within their service. Identifying if the claimant has stated their injuries/illnesses/deaths were suffered as a result of clinical negligence would not be possible to quantify, and would only be possible at a disproportionate cost as it would require a manual file search of every claim file.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps are being taken to improve housing provision for ex servicemen personnel. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: This is a Government that will always stand up for those who serve our country.

This Government is fully committed to ensuring that all veterans across the UK have access to the support they need on housing. That is why we have committed an additional £12 million to ensure the continuation of the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme.

Op FORTITUDE will also be extended, putting the service that has already supported over 1,000 veterans on a sustainable footing. These programmes will deliver three years of support services across the UK for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

The Defence Housing Strategy will turbocharge the development of surplus military land with Service families and veterans to receive priority access to homes on Ministry of Defence development land as part of new 'Forces First' approach.

I, and my predecessor also attend the Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping which brings together ministers from across Government to drive progress on the development of a cross-Government strategy to get back on track to ending homelessness. This group is designed to ensure we are working across Government, and in partnership with Local Authorities and Mayors, to tackle the root causes of homelessness.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to support good (a) mental and (b) physical health amongst retired veterans. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: This Government remains dedicated in recognising our veterans for their service and is fully committed to ensuring that veterans are able to access the care and support they need.

In England, NHS England provides Op COURAGE, which delivers a broad range of specialist mental health wellbeing care and support for service leavers, reservists, and veterans. Op RESTORE provides specialist care and support to veterans who have physical health problems as a result of their service. Separate provision is available for veterans living in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Earlier this year we launched VALOUR, a new national programme designed to make it easier for veterans across the UK to access support when it is needed. The £27 million VALOUR development funding programme will deliver VALOUR Recognised Centres across the country, which will help cohere service provision and ensure that veterans can meet and discuss their issues with others who understand their unique experiences, within their communities, to further enhance their wellbeing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress he has made on changing the relationship between the Office for Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committee. \p Louise Sandher-Jones: As Minister for Veterans and People I have responsibility for the Office for Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees, both of which report to me. This Government is steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that support to veterans is better cohered and coordinated including through the development of the VALOUR programme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to guarantee working-age people with a terminal illness a State Pension-level of income. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We have no such policy. Supporting people nearing the end of their life is important to the Government. The main way the Department does this is through the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL) which enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to Personal Independence Payment, Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit and Attendance Allowance.

The Department is committed to ensure that eligible claimants at the end of life have their claims processed as quickly as possible. Latest figures show that in Great Britain, new claims to PIP under the Special Rules are being cleared in 3 working days on average.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a requirement to ensure all venues have (a) toilets accessible to wheelchair users and (b) clear information that there are no accessible toilets for wheelchair users. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Under the Equality Act 2010, businesses that provide goods and services to the public are required not to discriminate against disabled people. The Act also places an anticipatory duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises/buildings and services so that disabled customers have the same access to goods and services and are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers. This duty is anticipatory, meaning that service providers are expected to foresee the requirements of disabled people and the reasonable adjustments that may have to be made for them. This includes the provision of disabled toilets and wheelchair access.

The Act recognises the need to strike a balance between the needs of disabled people and the interests of service providers. What is ‘reasonable’ will vary from one situation to another, depending on the circumstances of the case. This is because factors like the practicability of making the adjustment, the cost of the adjustment and the resources available to an organisation, will vary from one situation to another. In the event of a claim of disability discrimination, it will ultimately be for the courts to decide on a case-by-case basis, what reasonable adjustments should be made for a particular disabled service-user, taking into account all relevant circumstances of the case.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Ben Coleman:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people living with a (a) form of arthritis and (b) musculoskeletal condition are waiting for a decision on their Access to Work claim. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department does not hold data on the number of individuals living with (a) a form of arthritis or (b) a musculoskeletal condition who are currently awaiting a decision on their Access to Work claim. Health conditions are only identified once an application has been allocated for assessment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of HGV Skills Bootcamps in increasing (a) completion rates and (b) job placements compared with the apprenticeship route. \p Andrew Western: The government offers a range of skills training which can support the HGV sector, including apprenticeships and Skills Bootcamps.

Apprenticeships combine practical training in a job with study and have a minimum duration of eight months. Skills Bootcamps are available to both employed and unemployed learners and training takes up to 16 weeks to complete. It is therefore not possible to directly compare the two programmes.

The government publishes starts, completion and outcome figures for HGV Skills Bootcamps. The latest data is published here; Skills bootcamps starts, completions and outcomes, Financial year 2023-24 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK.

The latest published apprenticeship data can be found here; Apprenticeships, Academic year 2024/25 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-01)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of Access to Work decisions that have not aligned with Access to Work guidelines in the last 12 months. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We have interpreted “Access to Work decisions that have not aligned with Access to Work guidelines” as cases where a customer has challenged a decision and requested a reconsideration.

From November 2024 to October 2025:

Some overturned decisions will be due to customers providing additional information, rather than the decision not aligning with Access to Work guidelines. We do not hold data that identifies how many overturned decisions were specifically due to misalignment with the guidelines. The remaining 509 cases are still under consideration

Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.