Written questions by McVey.

With reference to his Department's Pandemic Preparedness Strategy: building our capabilities, published on 25 March 2026, what type of pathogens the strategy is concerned with.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to his Department's Pandemic Preparedness Strategy: building our capabilities, published on 25 March 2026, how the word pandemic is defined.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her Department's policies of the increasing percentage of funding for the World Health Organization coming from (a) specified and (b) non-State donor funding.

The UK recognises the importance of flexible and predictable funding for the World Health Organization (WHO). That is why we prioritise fully flexible funding to ensure the organisation's ability to set independent priorities and respond to emerging global health risks. While specified and non State funding remains part of WHO's financing mix, its reporting shows that the share of flexible funding has increased in recent years. The UK continues to advocate for a balanced funding model to strengthen WHO's effectiveness, independence, and accountability. Member States have also agreed reforms to assessed contributions to increase the amount of flexible funding available.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the increasing percentage of funding for the World Health Organization coming from (a) specified and (b) non-State donor funding.

The Department remains committed to ensuring investments in World Health Organization (WHO) and other multilateral health initiatives deliver strong value for money. Flexible funding supports WHO to direct resources to greatest need and Member States-agreed priorities, improving efficiency and independence whereas specified, or earmarked, funding constrains effectiveness and fragments delivery. The United Kingdom remains one of WHO’s most significant donors and the top provider of flexible funding.WHO gets the largest proportion of its funding from Member States. WHO’s reporting shows that the share of flexible funding has increased in recent years. The Department’s contribution to WHO consists of the annual mandatory membership fee, which is fully flexible and based on gross national income. WHO funding is available to view publicly on their programme budget portal, with further information available at the following two links:https://www.who.int/about/accountability/budget/programme-budget-digital-platform-2026-2027https://open.who.int/2024-25/homeWHO priorities are agreed by all Member States, including the UK through the negotiation of a general programme of work and programme budgets. Then donors, including Member States and others, fund those agreed priorities. WHO’s General Programme of Work 2025 to 2028 was agreed by Member States at the World Health Assembly in 2024.WHO engagement with the private sector is guided by WHO’s Framework for Engagement with Non-state Actors which was negotiated and agreed by WHO Member States, including the UK, in 2016. The framework seeks to ensure WHO’s engagement with non-state actors, including the private sector, are managed transparently and supports implementation of the organisation’s policies and recommendations as decided by Member States through the governing bodies. It is publicly available to view on WHO’s website, or at the following link:https://apps.who.int/gb/bd/PDF/Framework_Engagement_non-State_Actors.pdf

Whether his Department has undertaken analysis of the number of jobs that will be created by the Peak Cluster project.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Of the jobs created by the Peak Cluster project, how may of these will be a) permanent, b) temporary, c) local and d) UK jobs.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What the estimated carbon emissions are from the full Peak Cluster project.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

How much cement will be used to build the Peak Cluster project, including the pipeline, onshore storage facility, pipeline to the sea, in-sea storage facility and any other associated construction work.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

How much carbon dioxide the Peak Cluster project will store each year.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

How many people will be directly employed by the Peak Cluster project and what will those jobs be made up of.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

If he will publish any of the pre-clinical data, study reports or assessments made by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) that the MHRA’s Chief Safety Officer relied upon when quoted in a GB News online article, dated 27 March 2026, that the available evidence does not support an association between COVID-19 vaccination and an increased risk of cancer.

The GB News article in question, dated 27 March 2026, does not appear to reference any specific pre-clinical data, safety reports, or assessments. As part of its statutory functions, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for continuously monitoring all medicines, including vaccines, post-authorisation to ensure their benefits continue to outweigh any risks. This continuous, proactive safety surveillance draws upon a wide range of sources of safety data, including analysis of large healthcare datasets, review of international safety data, emerging research, data provided by academia, Yellow Card reports, and ongoing review by independent scientific experts.There are currently no plans to publish any additional pre-clinical data, study reports, or assessments, beyond what is routinely published. For suspected side effects being reported for medicines and vaccines, the MHRA publishes Yellow card data which can be accessed at the following link:https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/idapsThe MHRA also published a summary of Yellow Card reporting, which can be accessed at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-reactions/coronavirus-vaccine-summary-of-yellow-card-reporting

What is the projected cost of the Peak Cluster project.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What is the breakdown of where the funding for the peak cluster project will come from.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What consideration he has given to the importing of CO2 from international sources for the Peak Cluster project.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

If he will publish the most recent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) pharmacovigilance assessment or signal evaluation report that specifically addresses potential cancer/neoplasm signals in relation to COVID-19 vaccines.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has not performed a signal assessment of ‘potential cancer/neoplasm’ in relation to COVID-19 vaccines authorised for use in the United Kingdom as there have not been any signals of this nature. The MHRA keeps emerging safety information under close review and will take appropriate actions should any new safety concerns be confirmed, communicating to healthcare professionals and the public as appropriate.

If he will publish full citations for the peer-reviewed population-level studies from the UK, France, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden mentioned by the MHRA’s Chief Safety Officer in the quote that appeared on GB News online, dated 27 March 2026.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) considers a wide range of safety data as part of post-authorisation safety monitoring. One source of this data is academic literature. References for the studies mentioned by the MHRA’s Chief Safety Officer in the article in question, namely for France and for Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, are available, respectively, at the following two links:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12679329/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39935358/Whilst there have been no United Kingdom based, population wide studies performed that investigate COVID-19 vaccines and cancer incidence rates specifically, the MHRA’s Chief Safety Officer was referencing a population-based study reviewing COVID-19 vaccine uptake in individuals with haematological malignancy, as well as a population-based study reviewing COVID-19 vaccine efficacy in patients with cancer. These studies are accessible, respectively, via the following links:https://www.ejcancer.com/article/S0959-8049(23)00059-X/fulltexthttps://europepmc.org/article/MED/35617989Neither of these studies identified any adverse safety signals, and both suggest vaccination is in the interest of individuals with cancer.

What scientific evidence is the Government using to underpin the implementation of the 2018 Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) and what evidence is the Government using that the 2018 NPM will lead to healthier choices, as defined by the Government, being made by consumers.

The Government has committed to updating the standards behind the restrictions on advertising ‘less healthy’ food or drink.The advertising and promotions restrictions currently rely on the outdated Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) 2004/05. The new NPM has been updated in line with the latest dietary advice from the United Kingdom’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, particularly in relation to free sugar and fibre. The Government published the new NPM on 27 January. Applying it to the restrictions will strengthen these policies by bringing more products of concern for children’s health into scope.On 25 March, we launched a 12-week consultation on the proposed application of the new NPM to the advertising and promotions restrictions. A consultation-stage impact assessment of the direct costs to businesses and intended health outcomes was published alongside. Evidence shows that children’s food preferences and consumption can be influenced by advertising and that the shopping environment can encourage impulse purchasing of ‘less healthy’ food and drinks products. The impact assessment indicates that if the calorie reductions from applying the new NPM to the advertising and promotions restrictions are achieved, it could reduce cases of childhood obesity by over 110,000 and adult obesity by almost 520,000.We will use evidence from the consultation to inform final policy decisions and the final impact assessment which, subject to the outcome of the consultation, would be published prior to amending the advertising and promotions restrictions legislation.

Whether his Department holds information on how many Care Quality Commission inspections of (a) hospitals, (b) nursing and care homes, (c) GP practices, (d) dentists, (e) hospitals and (f) local authorities took place (i) in person and (ii) remotely in each of the last three years.

The table attached shows how many Care Quality Commission inspections of hospitals, dental practices, general practices, nursing and residential care homes, and local authorities took place from 2023 to the year to date in 2026. The data cannot accurately be broken down by ‘in person’ or ‘remotely’ so figures may combine both types of regulatory activity.

If the Government will introduce secondary legislation building on section 95 of the Health and Care Act 2022 to mandate the disclosure of payments made by the medicines and medical devices industries to the healthcare sector.

The Government recognises the importance of transparency and public trust in the health system. In line with Recommendation 8b of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, the Government consulted in 2023 on proposals to improve transparency of payments made by the medicines and medical devices industries to the healthcare sector.Following consideration of the consultation responses, the Government has decided to implement guidance, rather than introduce secondary legislation under section 95 of the Health and Care Act 2022, in the first instance. The forthcoming guidance, which is expected to be published this year, will set out how and where payment information should be disclosed to ensure it is publicly accessible. Legislation remains an option for the future.

Where data on payments made by the medicines and medical devices industries to the healthcare sector will be published, following the publication of the Government’s forthcoming guidance on payment disclosure for industry.

The Government recognises the importance of transparency and public trust in the health system. In line with Recommendation 8b of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, the Government consulted in 2023 on proposals to improve transparency of payments made by the medicines and medical devices industries to the healthcare sector.Following consideration of the consultation responses, the Government has decided to implement guidance, rather than introduce secondary legislation under section 95 of the Health and Care Act 2022, in the first instance. The forthcoming guidance, which is expected to be published this year, will set out how and where payment information should be disclosed to ensure it is publicly accessible. Legislation remains an option for the future.