Written questions by Twigg.

Whether any money has been diverted away from Op Kindred's budget to other budgets in the MOD during the past 12 months.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the levels of sewage inflow into the River Mersey.

Awaiting answer.

How many UK based Start-up businesses have contacted his Department in the past 12 months seeking to inquire on or bid for defence related work.

Awaiting answer.

What is the requirement for consultant radiologists in the the NHS as of 1 June 2026 and what number were employed.

Awaiting answer.

How many GPs there were in Widnes each year since 2020.

Awaiting answer.

What is the current wait time for cancer patients, from GP referral to being seen by a specialist in the Widnes and Halewood constituency.

Awaiting answer.

What the average waiting time is for patients to receive results from a CT scan at each acute hospital Trust in England as at 1 June 2026.

Awaiting answer.

How many (a) CT Scanners and (b) MRI scanners were in NHS hospitals on (i) 1 April 2015, (ii) 1 April 2020 and (iii) April 2026.

Awaiting answer.

What has been the average time delay for Avanti West Coast trains in each of the five years up to and including 2025.

Awaiting answer.

How many Avanti West Coast trains have been delayed between Liverpool and London each of the five years up to and including 2025.

Awaiting answer.

How many documents an SME has to complete before being considered eligible to bid for contracts with his Department.

Awaiting answer.

How many times faults have occurred on Evero trains operating on the West Coast Main line since their introduction.

Awaiting answer.

How many train delays have there been each year since 2020 caused by trains hitting animals on the track.

Awaiting answer.

Whether data for Death Benefit nominations was migrated successfully from paper systems to the online Civil Service Pension Scheme system run by Capita.

The data for Death Benefit Nominations (DBNs) was successfully migrated from the previous administrator (MyCSP) Compendia solution to the current Hartlink system managed by the current administrator, Capita. While the vast majority of records were digital, any legacy exceptions originally held on paper were maintained as scanned images within the Electronic Document Management system; these images were also fully transitioned to Capita alongside all other member documentation. Although a functional issue with Capita’s online pension portal at the point of go-live briefly prevented DBNs from displaying correctly to users, this technical matter has been resolved. Members are now able to view their existing nominations through the online system, with the full functionality to amend, delete, or add new nominations as required.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capacity of (a) energy suppliers and (b) the National Grid to provide power for the cooling systems for proposed new AI data centres.

The Department’s energy and emissions projections include growth in power demand from computing services such as data centres. However, to ensure a comprehensive view of the energy system, the methodology projects at a broader sector level, not disaggregating specific estimates for data centres. The Capacity Market ensures supply meets demand. It operates by securing most of the required capacity four years in advance, with additional capacity secured one year ahead based on updated forecasts. This approach ensures Great Britain meets the Reliability Standard, which balances cost and reliability to maintain adequate electricity security.

Which Minister signed off the decision to award the Civil Service Pensions contract to Capita.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The then Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, Jeremy Quin MP, had overall responsibility for Civil Service workforce matters at the time and confirmed that the Cabinet Office should proceed to award the contract to Capita. This was further subject to the Cabinet Office’s controls process for which the then Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office, Alex Burghart MP, had oversight.The contract awarded in November 2023 followed a standardised rigorous procurement process with an open and transparent evaluation process, centred on the core criteria of quality, cost, and social value.The Cabinet Office did not approach any other government department as part of the procurement exercise, past performance is covered in the selection stage of the procurement and, as no concerns were raised at this stage, Capita progressed through to the next stage.While Capita is not currently covering the costs associated with the deployment of the surge team, they remain responsible for any additional expenses incurred, such as the use of contractors. Furthermore, any further service failures by Capita will attract financial penalties, which will reduce the overall cost of the contract. The contract includes key performance indicators that, if not met, include financial penalties. These have already been applied in respect of Capita’s performance in December. The Cabinet Office will continue to use all available commercial levers to hold Capita to account and ensure they deliver the contractual service levels.

Whether officials in his Department had discussions with MOD officials on the suitability of Capita to run government contracts prior to the award of the Civil Service pensions contract.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The then Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, Jeremy Quin MP, had overall responsibility for Civil Service workforce matters at the time and confirmed that the Cabinet Office should proceed to award the contract to Capita. This was further subject to the Cabinet Office’s controls process for which the then Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office, Alex Burghart MP, had oversight.The contract awarded in November 2023 followed a standardised rigorous procurement process with an open and transparent evaluation process, centred on the core criteria of quality, cost, and social value.The Cabinet Office did not approach any other government department as part of the procurement exercise, past performance is covered in the selection stage of the procurement and, as no concerns were raised at this stage, Capita progressed through to the next stage.While Capita is not currently covering the costs associated with the deployment of the surge team, they remain responsible for any additional expenses incurred, such as the use of contractors. Furthermore, any further service failures by Capita will attract financial penalties, which will reduce the overall cost of the contract. The contract includes key performance indicators that, if not met, include financial penalties. These have already been applied in respect of Capita’s performance in December. The Cabinet Office will continue to use all available commercial levers to hold Capita to account and ensure they deliver the contractual service levels.

Who will pay the costs of resolving issues related to the administration of the Civil Service Pension scheme by Capita.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The then Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, Jeremy Quin MP, had overall responsibility for Civil Service workforce matters at the time and confirmed that the Cabinet Office should proceed to award the contract to Capita. This was further subject to the Cabinet Office’s controls process for which the then Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office, Alex Burghart MP, had oversight.The contract awarded in November 2023 followed a standardised rigorous procurement process with an open and transparent evaluation process, centred on the core criteria of quality, cost, and social value.The Cabinet Office did not approach any other government department as part of the procurement exercise, past performance is covered in the selection stage of the procurement and, as no concerns were raised at this stage, Capita progressed through to the next stage.While Capita is not currently covering the costs associated with the deployment of the surge team, they remain responsible for any additional expenses incurred, such as the use of contractors. Furthermore, any further service failures by Capita will attract financial penalties, which will reduce the overall cost of the contract. The contract includes key performance indicators that, if not met, include financial penalties. These have already been applied in respect of Capita’s performance in December. The Cabinet Office will continue to use all available commercial levers to hold Capita to account and ensure they deliver the contractual service levels.

When she plans to respond to Question 101725 tabled by the hon. Member for Widnes and Halewood on 2 January 2026.

The Hon Member received a response to PQ 101725 on 4th February 2026.

When he plans to respond to Question 106941 tabled by the hon. Member for Widnes and Halewood on 20 January 2026.

A response has been issued here.