Written questions by Onwurah.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of reductions in Official Development Assistance on lives (a) saved and (b) at risk in (i) low- and (ii) middle-income countries due to (A) malaria and (B) other global health diseases.

Following the recent Spending Review, decisions on the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget are being finalised through consultation and impact assessments. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is committed to ensuring every pound delivers maximum impact. Global Health is a top priority reflecting the UK's commitment to strengthening health systems, tackling global health threats, and promoting equitable access to vaccines and treatments. As part of this, the UK's new £1.25 billion investment in Gavi from 2026 to 2030 will support Gavi's goal to immunise up to 500 million children, save 8 to 9 million lives, and generate over $100 billion in economic benefits.

Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the targeting of Iranian scientists by the IDF on British (a) science and (b) scientists.

Science, innovation and technology are inherently international. The UK continues to work closely with international partners to harness the power of science and tech for global benefit.We remain focused on ensuring stability in the Middle East. It is crucial that we now de-escalate the situation, stabilise the region, and get all parties back around the table to negotiate.We have taken all necessary measures to protect UK interests, UK personnel, and to work with our allies to protect their interests as well. We urge all British Nationals, including scientists, to register their presence and monitor FCDO Travel Advice.

Innovation and Technology, which Government departments work with Meta to (a) identify and (b) remove misinformation.

DSIT is responsible for the government’s relationship with social media platforms, and leads HMG’s domestic mis- and disinformation policy while working closely with other departments. The Online Safety Act’s duties address mis- and disinformation where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children, and are now enforceable by Ofcom. DSIT engages with platforms and may refer content which is assessed as likely to violate terms of service and which sits within an agreed national security / public safety remit. Platforms then decide what action to take: government cannot compel platforms to remove legal content.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the placement of sanctions on Bezalel Smotrich on (a) Pearson Engineering Limited and (b) other UK-based companies that are (i) owned and (ii) partially controlled by the Israeli Government Companies Authority.

Our sanctions are carefully designed to minimise unintended consequences within the UK and globally. The sanctions on Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir apply to them in their personal capacities, and not to their ministries, departments or businesses owned or partially owned by the State of Israel.

What plans she has to review (a) the rate of police pay and (b) the adequacy of technical and mental health support provided to police officers.

The Government has received the Police Remuneration Review Body's (PRRB) report for this year, and we are carefully considering the recommendations before providing a response in due course. The Government is still awaiting the report of the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) with respect to Chief Officers.The Government accepted the Review Bodies’ headline recommendation in 2024 of a 4.75% consolidated pay increase.Chief Officers have a duty of care to manage their workforce effectively, including ensuring the wellbeing of all their officers and staff. This Government has been clear that the health and wellbeing of our police workforce is a priority, and we are committed to making improvements in wellbeing support for officers and staff.All officers receive pre-deployment mental health training and through the Police Covenant, all forces now meet the Occupational Health (OH) foundation level standards. Measures are also in place to ensure forces continually develop and improve their OH standards.We continue to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS), which supports forces in identifying areas of greatest mental health risk, building resilience, and providing timely support. This includes initiatives such as the 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Support Line pilot, designed to offer urgent assistance to officers and staff when they need it the most.

Innovation and Technology, what definition his Department uses for sovereign AI in the AI opportunities action plan.

The Government defines sovereign AI as the UK's ability to access, influence or control the development and deployment of critical capabilities to protect our national interests and unlock economic growth. This encompasses strengthening domestic capacity and capabilities, working in close partnership with the private sector and maintaining positive international collaboration.

Communities and Local Government, what role the Artificial Intelligence Directorate plays in supporting the digital transformation of local government services.

MHCLG’s Artificial Intelligence Directorate supports local government to harness the power of artificial intelligence, data analytics and other digital innovations so that their services are more responsive to the needs of their communities, provide better value for money and are secure. The directorate includes the Local Digital team, which has been working with local government since 2018 to improve digital transformation and cyber resilience across local government.My officials are working closely with local government and key partners across government on this work including with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure the continuation of UK research in the higher education sector.

The government is protecting record levels R&D investment, allocating £20.4bn across departments in 2025/26. DSIT’s overall R&D budget will be £13.9bn in 2025/26, including £8.8bn for UKRI to support talent, infrastructure, and innovation. This funding ensures the continuation of research in higher education and supports key priorities such as building R&I talent, fostering student startups, and maintaining Quality-Related (QR) funding, which was around £2bn in 2024/25.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure that the right to object to targeted online advertising is upheld under consent-or-pay models; and whether his Department plans to provide updated guidance on this issue in the context of the Information Commissioner’s Office’s guidance on consent-or-pay.

The Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) guidance on this matter states that pay and consent models can be implemented in accordance with the data protection legislation, so long as websites ensure that consent to targeted advertising is fully informed and freely given. The guidance sets out a framework of factors that are important to consider when assessing whether a “consent or pay” model meets the required standard of consent.The Government will continue to engage with businesses, the ICO and other stakeholders to monitor operation of these models.

Innovation and Technology, when he plans to complete the integration of the Government Gateway with the gov.uk one login system.

Government Gateway is a separate, existing authentication and identity service for cross-government digital services and is managed by HMRC. There are no plans to integrate Government Gateway with GOV.UK One Login, but in time services that use Government Gateway will move over to using GOV.UK One Login instead.GOV.UK One Login is the government’s sign-in and identity verification solution, enabling users to create an account, log in, and prove their identity to access government services. Our plan is to onboard all central government services during this Parliament, including those currently accessed through Government Gateway.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions (a) he has and (b) his officials have had with trade unions on the digitalisation of government.

I recently met Prospect Union to discuss our plans for digitising government. My officials met with representatives from the Trade Union Congress (TUC) several times to discuss the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government, both before and after publication. Myself and my officials in DSIT continue to explore opportunities for trade union engagement on emerging technologies and public sector digital transformation.

What assessment he has made of the capacity of local health committees to respond promptly to local clinical trial requests.

Clinical trial requests are responded to by the Health Research Authority (HRA). The Department routinely monitors the performance of Research Ethics Committee approval timelines delivered by the HRA to ensure these meet targets for clinical trial approvals.Currently, 100% of HRA ethics reviews are completed by committees within the legal timeframe of 60 days. The median review time is consistently less than 40 days, and there is special provision for expedited reviews of urgent studies, such as were seen as part of regulators’ response to COVID-19, with approval being issued within days.Additionally, the HRA and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency are broadly delivering combined reviews for clinical trials within the 60-day target, and backlogs have been cleared since September 2023.The Department is committed to turbocharging clinical research and delivering better patient care, to make the United Kingdom a world-leading destination for clinical research. We are working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of medicines and therapies of the future.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of levels of access to internships and work placements by people from different socio-economic backgrounds.

Our Opportunity Mission will break down the barriers to opportunity for everyone, regardless of their socio-economic background. This means ensuring that everyone can access training opportunities, including internships and work placements, that support them to thrive in work and in life.That is why the Government is following through with our manifesto commitment for two weeks’ worth of work experience for all pupils in secondary school and has recently invested £18m in supported internships for those with SEND. We are embedding work placements within T Levels and we’ve also announced funding for 40,000 industry placements as part of the Construction Skills Package

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her polices of recent trends in levels of capital provision by US venture capital firms in (a) UK and (b) other markets.

Venture capital (VC) investment from around the world is important to the UK economy, and US investors continue to play a significant role. In Q1 2025, UK innovation businesses raised over £3bn – this is an 8% increase on the same period last year and the highest Q1 total since 2022. The UK ranks third globally for VC investment and has raised more than France, Germany, and Spain combined so far this year.The Government is taking action to continue attracting international VC investment, including from the US, through the investor relationship work of the Office for Investment and by partnering with industry on international capital roadshows. We are also reviewing how to accelerate the growth of the UK’s domestic VC ecosystem through the public finance institution landscape review.In addition, the Government recognises the value in growing the UK’s domestic VC investment market and it is taking steps to support this, including through the British Growth Partnership (BGP). This is a commercially driven investment vehicle designed to attract UK pension fund and other institutional capital into venture capital funds and innovative businesses. Last September, the Chancellor also announced an extension of the UK’s generous venture capital tax reliefs, the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the Venture Capital Trust scheme which - alongside the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme - offer generous tax reliefs in return for investing in UK business.

Innovation and Technology, how Innovate UK's Tech Readiness Levels relate to investment readiness.

Whilst some UKRI councils use Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) to determine funding eligibility, Innovate UK takes a more flexible approach, as there is no standardised way of applying them across sectors or non-technological projects. Innovate UK instead uses categories determined by subsidy control regulations: fundamental research, feasibility studies, industrial research, or experimental development. Innovate UK’s programmes support businesses to develop new products and services, which enhances their ability to secure investment. An example of this is the Investor Partnerships programme, which provides grant funding with aligned equity investment. Through this model, £1.44bn of private sector leverage has been achieved from £100m in grant awards.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has had made of the effectiveness of the distribution of funding for research and development across different regions.

I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 11th April to Question UIN 43862.

What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on levels of upfront visa costs for researchers.

Home Office officials and ministers consult widely with their counterparts across government on all aspects of the immigration system.

How many people that have received negative asylum decisions have subsequently become homeless in Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West constituency in the last 12 months.

The information requested is not centrally held, and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 39835 on Social Media: Regulation, whether (a) his Department and (b) Ofcom has made an assessment of the impact of designating end-to-end encryption as a risk factor in the (i) Illegal Harms Codes of Practice and (ii) illegal content risk assessment guidance on regulated businesses' willingness to offer end-to-end encryption to users in the UK.

Ofcom is responsible for assessing the possible implications of its codes of practice and guidance under the Online Safety Act (OSA).As previously noted, the OSA does not ban any service design and the European Conventions of Human Rights (ECHR) requires all UK public bodies, including Ofcom, to act in a way that complies with ECHR rights. Companies are legal persons having rights afforded by the ECHR.DSIT will carry out a Post Implementation Review to assess the effectiveness of the legislation, including how the OSA has addressed harmful online content while protecting UK users’ rights.

Innovation and Technology, how much the Government spends on countering disinformation; and in which Departments this money is spent.

A number of departments, including DSIT, Home Office and the FCDO, work together to address risks to the UK from disinformation. Activities include analysis and policy work to reduce the spread and impact of disinformation online.We do not share our total spend on information threats publicly because of the risks inherent in revealing the scale of our efforts to adversaries. Components of this spend include £3m invested in media literacy by DSIT to drive critical engagement with online content (2022-24) and £25.5m invested by FCDO in building societal resilience to Russian interference in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (FY24-25).