Written questions by Morgan.

Whether the Government expects to conclude the community pharmacy agreement by the start of June 2026.

Awaiting answer.

What steps the Government is taking to strengthen the resilience of the UK's supply of medicines, beyond establishing the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund.

Awaiting answer.

Whether he plans to seek mutual recognition of batch testing for medicines manufacturing with the EU at the forthcoming UK-EU summit.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Iran war on the prices paid by community pharmacies to procure prescription medicines.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK’s health security pact with India on UK access to medicines exported from India.

Awaiting answer.

If he will work towards a mutual recognition agreement with India on medicines regulation by 2030.

The United Kingdom and India have a strong relationship on healthcare issues, as evidenced through the memorandum of understanding signed between the governments on a health and life sciences partnership. This partnership recognises medicine and medical devices regulation as a key area of mutual interest, and we will continue to work closely together to identify opportunities for collaboration and alignment where this is suitable.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to establish a clear and consistent definition of good quality mobile connectivity, beyond coverage alone.

The draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for Telecommunications, the Management of Radio Spectrum, and Postal Services sets out a priority for Ofcom to keep under review its definitions of what constitutes “good” 4G and 5G and the signal strength thresholds it uses to measure this, so that these definitions continue to reflect consumer and business expectations as user requirements and behaviours evolve.In parallel, the Government is undertaking a Mobile Market Review to assess the impact of technological, structural and financial market developments on investment in comprehensive high-quality mobile connectivity.As part of the call for evidence to inform the review, we are asking for detailed evidence on how the Government should think about, and define, ‘good’ mobile coverage in relation to the quality of service provided to consumers, businesses and the public sector and what steps could Government take to ensure operators are able to provide this. We will use these responses to further inform policy on this issue. The call for evidence was published on 10 February 2026 and closes 5 May 2026.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of more closely aligning spectrum policy with mobile coverage and connectivity objectives across the UK.

The government's ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. Our spectrum policy supports the industry achieve this.Spectrum is a strategic national asset and ensuring efficient use of spectrum is a priority for the government. A range of measures can support this including the adoption of innovative technologies, enhanced spectrum sharing and, in some cases, new spectrum allocations.Ofcom is responsible for spectrum management in the UK and its duties include balancing the needs of different spectrum users and encouraging the availability of mobile and other services throughout the UK.The government has no plans to publish a refreshed spectrum strategy currently. However, we frequently review our spectrum policy priorities, for example in the recent draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for Telecommunications, the Management of Radio Spectrum, and Postal Services.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities to develop in‑house digital and connectivity expertise, to improve the interpretation and use of mobile coverage and performance data.

The telecoms regulator, Ofcom, is responsible for reporting on network coverage and availability across the UK. This data should be presented in an accessible format for all types of user, including local authorities.Government believes Digital Champions can play a key role in advancing the digital connectivity agenda - and help local communities to realise the benefits advanced connectivity can bring. We encourage local and combined authorities to appoint them as dedicated officers where possible, to help improve the interpretation and use of mobile coverage and performance data.More details on the role that Digital Champions can play can be found on Digital Connectivity Portal. The Portal is an extensive online resource providing best practice guidance helping local authorities to facilitate digital infrastructure deployment. It can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/digital-strategy-and-leadership#digital-champion.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the adequacy of weight management support on patients required to lose weight to become eligible for joint replacement surgery.

The Department has made no specific assessment of the potential impact of body mass index (BMI) based restrictions on health inequalities.It is the responsibility of individual integrated care boards to determine policies for their local area, including that of the BMI threshold criteria for joint replacement surgery. As with all surgery, BMI should be considered as part of a holistic, personalised perioperative evaluation of the risks versus clinical need for joint replacement surgery of an individual patient. However, BMI should not be considered in isolation and in and of itself should not act as a barrier to surgery.While National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines are not mandatory, they do represent best practice and National Health Service organisations are expected to take them fully into account in ensuring that local services meet the needs of their populations.The NHS and local government provide a range of services to help people living with overweight and obesity to manage their weight, which may include individuals waiting for joint replacement surgery, where they meet other eligibility criteria. These range from multi-component behavioural programmes, such as the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme, to specialist services for those living with severe obesity and associated co-morbidities.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of BMI-based restriction on access to joint replacement surgery on health inequalities.

The Department has made no specific assessment of the potential impact of body mass index (BMI) based restrictions on health inequalities.It is the responsibility of individual integrated care boards to determine policies for their local area, including that of the BMI threshold criteria for joint replacement surgery. As with all surgery, BMI should be considered as part of a holistic, personalised perioperative evaluation of the risks versus clinical need for joint replacement surgery of an individual patient. However, BMI should not be considered in isolation and in and of itself should not act as a barrier to surgery.While National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines are not mandatory, they do represent best practice and National Health Service organisations are expected to take them fully into account in ensuring that local services meet the needs of their populations.The NHS and local government provide a range of services to help people living with overweight and obesity to manage their weight, which may include individuals waiting for joint replacement surgery, where they meet other eligibility criteria. These range from multi-component behavioural programmes, such as the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme, to specialist services for those living with severe obesity and associated co-morbidities.

What steps he is taking to ensure that ICBs adhere to NICE guidance on the use of BMI thresholds for referral for joint replacement surgery.

The Department has made no specific assessment of the potential impact of body mass index (BMI) based restrictions on health inequalities.It is the responsibility of individual integrated care boards to determine policies for their local area, including that of the BMI threshold criteria for joint replacement surgery. As with all surgery, BMI should be considered as part of a holistic, personalised perioperative evaluation of the risks versus clinical need for joint replacement surgery of an individual patient. However, BMI should not be considered in isolation and in and of itself should not act as a barrier to surgery.While National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines are not mandatory, they do represent best practice and National Health Service organisations are expected to take them fully into account in ensuring that local services meet the needs of their populations.The NHS and local government provide a range of services to help people living with overweight and obesity to manage their weight, which may include individuals waiting for joint replacement surgery, where they meet other eligibility criteria. These range from multi-component behavioural programmes, such as the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme, to specialist services for those living with severe obesity and associated co-morbidities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the potential impact of climate change-driven food inflation on food security.

Defra is taking action to reduce this impact and support the continued production and supply of food for UK citizens. For example, we are actively implementing the third National Adaptation Programme which sets out a range of measures to improve resilience and adaptation to climate change across the food supply and farming sector. Defra works across Government to improve understanding of the drivers of food prices and their impact on households. This includes analysis of food inflation trends, engagement with industry to improve transparency where possible, and close collaboration with HM Treasury, the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health and Social Care to mitigate cost pressures on consumers, particularly those most affected by the cost of living. Defra also works to reduce unnecessary regulatory costs that can feed through to consumer prices.

What assessment she has made of the opportunities presented by Great British Railways to improve access to rail‑side infrastructure for mobile connectivity, including by addressing historic barriers related to trackside deployment and in‑carriage signal penetration.

The Department provided funding to Network Rail as part of its 'open for business' initiative: to look at the suitability of using Network Rail's existing trackside infrastructure (including operational GSM-R masts and overhead line stanchions) for use by mobile network operators or private 5G providers; andto publish guidelines for the telecommunication industry wishing to use such infrastructure. Under Great British Railways, the Department expects this to continue. The Department has secured funding as part of the Spending Review to deploy low earth orbit satellite to improve on train Wi-Fi on our mainline trains, and we have also asked Network Rail to explore how passenger mobile connectivity can be improved through its upgrade from the existing system, GSM-R, to the Future Railway Mobile Communication System.

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to publish a refreshed spectrum strategy.

The government's ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. Our spectrum policy supports the industry achieve this.Spectrum is a strategic national asset and ensuring efficient use of spectrum is a priority for the government. A range of measures can support this including the adoption of innovative technologies, enhanced spectrum sharing and, in some cases, new spectrum allocations.Ofcom is responsible for spectrum management in the UK and its duties include balancing the needs of different spectrum users and encouraging the availability of mobile and other services throughout the UK.The government has no plans to publish a refreshed spectrum strategy currently. However, we frequently review our spectrum policy priorities, for example in the recent draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for Telecommunications, the Management of Radio Spectrum, and Postal Services.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of increasing heat risk to UK dairy farms on grazing land and silage production to feed livestock.

The Defra-funded Food, Farming & Natural Environment Climate Service led out of the Met Office has developed evidence on adaptation options which improve resilience of the agri-food sector, including cost and ease of implementation. These adaptation options include those which could be implemented in response to increasing heat risk to UK dairy farms such as using deep rooting and heat tolerant forage varieties. The Government needs long-term, nature-based solutions to manage the risks of extreme wet and dry weather. To support rural communities and farmers, the Government is funding actions to improve the environment, mitigate flood risk, and boost resilience, through Environmental Land Management schemes. Defra holds no data on potential impact of increasing heat risk to UK dairy farms on grazing land and silage production to feed livestock. However, Defra continues to work closely with the sector to monitor the production of grass and availability of silage as a feedstock. The UK Government must prepare a UK-wide Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) every five years under the Climate Change Act 2008. The third CCRA assessed the risks to and opportunities for agricultural productivity from extreme events and changing climatic conditions such as increased temperatures and heat. The next assessment, CCRA4, is due to be published in 2027.

Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department plans to support dairy farms in North Shropshire, who fall within the highest area for heat risk in the country and face escalating climate-related challenges.

The Defra-funded Food, Farming & Natural Environment Climate Service led out of the Met Office has developed evidence on adaptation options which improve resilience of the agri-food sector, including cost and ease of implementation. These adaptation options include those which could be implemented in response to increasing heat risk to UK dairy farms such as using deep rooting and heat tolerant forage varieties. The Government needs long-term, nature-based solutions to manage the risks of extreme wet and dry weather. To support rural communities and farmers, the Government is funding actions to improve the environment, mitigate flood risk, and boost resilience, through Environmental Land Management schemes. Defra holds no data on potential impact of increasing heat risk to UK dairy farms on grazing land and silage production to feed livestock. However, Defra continues to work closely with the sector to monitor the production of grass and availability of silage as a feedstock. The UK Government must prepare a UK-wide Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) every five years under the Climate Change Act 2008. The third CCRA assessed the risks to and opportunities for agricultural productivity from extreme events and changing climatic conditions such as increased temperatures and heat. The next assessment, CCRA4, is due to be published in 2027.

If he will publish the ten advice and guidance referral pathways selected by each integrated care board.

Currently there are no plans to publish a national dataset setting out the specialties selected by National Health Service providers at integrated care board level. This position is being kept under review.

Whether his Department holds guidance on histopathological examination of retained placenta to identify undiagnosed placenta accreta spectrum disorder.

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

If he will publish the referral network map for specialist centres for placenta accreta spectrum disorder.

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