Written questions by Rankin.

What mechanisms are in place to monitor the consistency of Prevent duty implementation across higher education providers in England.

The situation in the Middle East is deeply troubling, and the escalating violence highlights the importance of universities’ Prevent duty responsibilities to safeguard students from radicalisation.To comply with the Prevent duty, universities must have effective policies in place and regularly assess risks; this may include updating their risk assessments to remain alert to any increased vulnerability among students, considering recent events.The Office for Students (OfS) monitors how higher education providers are complying with the Prevent duty and ensures that appropriate measures are in place to protect students from radicalisation. Current OfS monitoring shows that providers are broadly meeting their responsibilities.The department continues to work closely with the OfS to review compliance and support providers in maintaining high standards.

Whether her Department has had discussions with (a) University College London and (b) other higher education institutions on levels of student society support for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

As stated by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence on 1 March, Ayatollah Khamenei ran an oppressive and brutal regime, murdering thousands of his own citizens and exporting terror, including to Britain. It is horrifying to see his death mourned publicly in this country.We condemn all extremist intimidation, harassment and incitement to hatred in our universities. Where public mourning involves this sort of unacceptable behaviour, it should not be tolerated. The department’s Prevent Coordinators engage with universities on concerns relating to students’ union activity and student conduct, to ensure that the correct policies and procedures have been followed. Students’ Unions, where they are registered charities, are regulated by the Charity Commission for compliance with charity law, which assesses and manages them through its regulatory framework.

Whether the Office for Students has reviewed the adequacy of compliance procedures at students' unions following public statements praising Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

As stated by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence on 1 March, Ayatollah Khamenei ran an oppressive and brutal regime, murdering thousands of his own citizens and exporting terror, including to Britain. It is horrifying to see his death mourned publicly in this country.We condemn all extremist intimidation, harassment and incitement to hatred in our universities. Where public mourning involves this sort of unacceptable behaviour, it should not be tolerated. The department’s Prevent Coordinators engage with universities on concerns relating to students’ union activity and student conduct, to ensure that the correct policies and procedures have been followed. Students’ Unions, where they are registered charities, are regulated by the Charity Commission for compliance with charity law, which assesses and manages them through its regulatory framework.

Whether her Department has issued guidance to higher education institutions on the promotion of narratives in student societies linked to foreign political leadership.

As stated by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence on 1 March, Ayatollah Khamenei ran an oppressive and brutal regime, murdering thousands of his own citizens and exporting terror, including to Britain. It is horrifying to see his death mourned publicly in this country.We condemn all extremist intimidation, harassment and incitement to hatred in our universities. Where public mourning involves this sort of unacceptable behaviour, it should not be tolerated. The department’s Prevent Coordinators engage with universities on concerns relating to students’ union activity and student conduct, to ensure that the correct policies and procedures have been followed. Students’ Unions, where they are registered charities, are regulated by the Charity Commission for compliance with charity law, which assesses and manages them through its regulatory framework.

Whether her Department will examine whether the options chosen for the restoration and renewal programme have been developed in accordance with HM Treasury’s Green Book guidance.

Parliament is responsible for the Restoration and Renewal programme.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the National Catchment Data Platform will include citizen science data.

In the recent Water White Paper, the Government committed to strengthening regional water planning to enable a more holistic, coordinated approach to water environment and supply planning. A fundamental part of this is supporting catchment partnerships across England, which are civil society-led and bring together cross-sectoral stakeholders to address water system issues at a local level. The value of citizen science as a key tool for catchment partnerships is widely recognised, and as such the Environment Agency has published the first ever Citizen Science Technical Advisory Framework to support and guide stakeholders when utilising citizen science. This ensures consistency and quality across the board and helps to identify where citizen science information can be used to inform the design of statutory monitoring programmes. The Catchment Data Explorer brings together the evidence used in River Basin Management Plans, showing the status of our waters, the objectives we are working towards, and the reasons some places are not yet meeting them. Some of that evidence is already informed by citizen science, which add valuable local insight that helps build a fuller picture of what’s happening in our catchments. We are working closely with a wide range of partners to improve how we share data with each other, including to support catchment and regional planning reforms. As these collaborations grow, it will become easier to bring citizen generated evidence into our core decision making, helping us plan and manage the water environment in a more joined up and informed way.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to integrate citizen science with statutory monitoring within Regional Systems Planners to more effectively monitor the water environment.

In the recent Water White Paper, the Government committed to strengthening regional water planning to enable a more holistic, coordinated approach to water environment and supply planning. A fundamental part of this is supporting catchment partnerships across England, which are civil society-led and bring together cross-sectoral stakeholders to address water system issues at a local level. The value of citizen science as a key tool for catchment partnerships is widely recognised, and as such the Environment Agency has published the first ever Citizen Science Technical Advisory Framework to support and guide stakeholders when utilising citizen science. This ensures consistency and quality across the board and helps to identify where citizen science information can be used to inform the design of statutory monitoring programmes. The Catchment Data Explorer brings together the evidence used in River Basin Management Plans, showing the status of our waters, the objectives we are working towards, and the reasons some places are not yet meeting them. Some of that evidence is already informed by citizen science, which add valuable local insight that helps build a fuller picture of what’s happening in our catchments. We are working closely with a wide range of partners to improve how we share data with each other, including to support catchment and regional planning reforms. As these collaborations grow, it will become easier to bring citizen generated evidence into our core decision making, helping us plan and manage the water environment in a more joined up and informed way.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether citizen science will be embedded in the (a) Water Reform Bill and (b) Transition Plan.

In the recent Water White Paper, the Government committed to strengthening regional water planning to enable a more holistic, coordinated approach to water environment and supply planning. A fundamental part of this is supporting catchment partnerships across England, which are civil society-led and bring together cross-sectoral stakeholders to address water system issues at a local level. The value of citizen science as a key tool for catchment partnerships is widely recognised, and as such the Environment Agency has published the first ever Citizen Science Technical Advisory Framework to support and guide stakeholders when utilising citizen science. This ensures consistency and quality across the board and helps to identify where citizen science information can be used to inform the design of statutory monitoring programmes. The Catchment Data Explorer brings together the evidence used in River Basin Management Plans, showing the status of our waters, the objectives we are working towards, and the reasons some places are not yet meeting them. Some of that evidence is already informed by citizen science, which add valuable local insight that helps build a fuller picture of what’s happening in our catchments. We are working closely with a wide range of partners to improve how we share data with each other, including to support catchment and regional planning reforms. As these collaborations grow, it will become easier to bring citizen generated evidence into our core decision making, helping us plan and manage the water environment in a more joined up and informed way.

When he will publish the response to the consultation entitled Make Work Pay: trade union right of access, published on 23 October 2025.

Officials are in the process of reviewing the responses to the consultation, and the government will publish a formal response in due course.

With reference to the Adam Smith Institute's report entitled Knock, Knock: The Effects of the New Union Access Regime on SMEs, published on 6 February 2026, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of that report’s findings of the potential impact of the proposed trade union access on the level costs for SMEs; and if he will make it his policy to implement the mitigations recommended in the report, including raising the trade union access threshold to businesses with a minimum headcount of 250 employees.

My officials have considered the Adam Smith Institute’s report, alongside other relevant evidence, as part of the policy development process. Our consultation, Make Work Pay: trade union right of access, proposed an exemption for employers with fewer than 21 employees, with the aim of ensuring access is directed toward workplaces where recognition is most likely to be viable, while taking account of the practical implications for smaller employers.We are currently reviewing responses to the consultation and will set out the Government’s final approach in our formal response, which will be published in due course.

What information his Department holds on whether the First Minister of Scotland discussed reserved matters during his visit to Dublin in November 2025.

International affairs are reserved under the Scotland Act, and it is essential that the UK speaks with one voice overseas. FCDO guidance on the overseas activity of devolved government ministers only covers ministerial-level engagement. Accordingly, UK Government officials were not involved in this meeting, and, therefore, hold no information on it.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council has been reimbursed for security costs incurred during the visits of a) President Trump, b) President Macron and c) President Steinmeier.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 13 January in response to Question 104390.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of reimbursing Thames Valley Police Force for extra officer hours associated with state visits.

State visits, especially those by our closest allies, create opportunities to strengthen alliances, support trade and investment, encourage innovation, and research collaboration, and reinforce the United Kingdom’s global influence.While we do not comment on operational matters, we and the police have well-established arrangements to ensure state visits are managed safely and securely, while maintaining regular policing across communities.We continue to work closely with policing partners to ensure that eligible costs arising from nationally significant operations are recovered in line with established funding principles.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of vaping devices that (a) contain and (b) can be configured to contain more than the standard 2ml tank capacity through (i) interchangeable and (ii) modular components on public health.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will stop vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately branded, promoted, and advertised to children and provides the Government with new powers to restrict the packaging, device appearance, and display of vapes and other nicotine products to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine.On 8 October 2025, we launched a Call for Evidence which sought evidence on the size and shape of vapes, vape tanks, and the components of vaping products, including pods, puff-count capacity, and nicotine delivery.We are now reviewing the responses, and these will help inform decisions around our future regulatory approach once the Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been enacted.The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as part of their upcoming Circular Economy Growth Plan, will consider evidence across a range of interventions, including but not limited to the regulation of product features to support increased recyclability.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the absence of a statutory complaints scheme on enforcement of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.

The department is seeking a suitable legislative vehicle to amend and repeal elements of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 at the earliest opportunity, including in relation to the complaints scheme.The department cannot comment on what might or might not be considered for future legislation, but we will act to protect freedom of speech and academic freedom, and we are considering options.

How much their Department has spent on X and xAI since July 2024.

Paid advertising on X was suspended in April 2023 following a SAFE Framework assessment. X is currently used only for organic (non-paid) content to communicate policies and public services. No expenditure has been made by the Ministry of Justice with X since July 2024.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has visited an integrated retirement community.

Officials in MHCLG engage regularly with representatives from the sector. Ministerial meetings are published quarterly. The latest publication is available on gov.uk here.

How much their department spent on X and xAI since July 2024.

The department has spent £84 on X and £0 on xAI. The X spending is for a Premium subscription in order to use X Pro, a social media monitoring tool.

Whether any former Cabinet Ministers who are not former Prime Ministers retain access to the Government Car Service.

The Government Car Service (GCS) does not provide services to any former Cabinet Ministers.

Media and Sport, how much their department spent on X and xAI since July 2024.

Paid advertising on X was suspended in April 2023 following a SAFE Framework assessment. X is currently used only for organic (non-paid) content to communicate policies and public services.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has spent a total of £481 since July 2024 on an X Premium Plus subscription.