Written questions by Lewis.

If he will make it his policy to apply the principle of constructive dismissal, when applying the provisions of the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS), to veterans who resigned from the armed forces after being questioned about their sexual orientation and before they could be dismissed.

The LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS) was designed to address the broadest range of experiences possible to ensure the inclusion of, and a sense of closure for, all affected by the Ban. There are therefore two types of payment available under the FRS. Those who were dismissed or administratively discharged from Service because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity are able to apply for the Dismissed and Discharged Payment. Those who felt or experienced pressure to resign after being questioned, investigated or otherwise subject to other unacceptable experiences are able to apply instead for the Impact Payment. Applications for the Impact Payment are determined by the Independent Panel, which is able to consider all the available evidence, including the veteran's testimony, and award a payment based on the severity of the impact the applicant experienced.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to (a) ensure the funding of the BBC Monitoring service and (b) restore dedicated funding for BBC Monitoring by her Department.

As the Rt Hon Member was told in the response of 10 February 2025 to Question 28444, the Government does not provide any funding to BBC Monitoring. That remains a matter for the BBC itself.

With reference to his oral contribution in response to the Rt hon. Member for New Forest East during the Oral Statement of 22 May 2025 on Diego Garcia Military Base, Official Report, column 1291, if it remains his position that the most proximate and most potentially serious legal threat that could undermine the operations of the Diego Garcia military base is an adverse ruling by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

We have always been clear that, if a long-term deal was not reached, there was a risk of further litigation being brought rapidly which could have had serious implications for the operation of the military base on Diego Garcia. There are various avenues through which Mauritius could pursue a legally binding ruling, including under dispute provisions of treaties to which both States are parties or further arbitral proceedings against the UK under Annex VII of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea ("UNCLOS"). A ruling from such an arbitral tribunal would be legally binding on the parties to it.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the utility of the provisions of Article 298 of UNCLOS for protecting UK interests in a territorial dispute within the jurisdiction of the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea in respect of (a) the Falkland Islands, (b) Gibraltar and (c) any other British Overseas Territory.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 12 February 2026 in response to Question 109960.

If he will take steps to increase awareness of naloxone as an effective emergency treatment among (a) people at risk of opioid overdose and (b) people who may witness an opioid overdose.

Naloxone forms a key part of the Government’s plan to reduce drug‑related deaths, and we are committed to raising awareness of, and expanding access to, naloxone across the country.In 2024, the Government amended the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. This legislation enables more services and professionals to supply naloxone, which in turn makes it easier for people at risk, and those close to them, to access it. We are continuing to work with the other United Kingdom nations and front-line services to ensure naloxone reaches all those who need it.In addition to the changes made in 2024 to expand access, we recently launched a ten-week UK-wide public consultation on further legislative options to expand access to take-home and emergency use naloxone.Increasing awareness of naloxone, and ensuring frontline services are trained to use it, is vital to reducing deaths from opioid overdoses. Last year, the Department published guidance on the GOV.UK website that sets out essential practical information such as who can supply naloxone, the products available, how to use naloxone and other basic lifesaving tools, and the training required.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2026 to Question 110708, whether she plans to derogate from Article 298 of UNCLOS.

The UK already made a declaration pursuant to Article 298 of UNCLOS. This does not however affect our assessment on the risks to the UK-US base on Diego Garcia. I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer cited in his question.

What plans he has for financial support for patients required to travel very long distances to access (a) stem cell transplants, (b) CAR-T immunotherapy and (c) other specialist treatments; what recent assessment he has made of the financial impact on such patients of claiming reimbursement of substantial travel costs retrospectively under the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme; and if he will make it his policy to amend that scheme to allow payment in advance to patients having to undertake expensive journeys to and from treatment centres.

No such assessment has been made, and there are no current plans to amend the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS).It is already the case that where required and appropriate, advance payments may be made to patients on low incomes to allow them to attend their appointments. Further information can be found on the HTCS webpage, at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/healthcare-travel-costs-scheme-htcs/

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed reforms to Work Capability Assessments on severely immunocompromised people who are recovering from (a) stem cell transplants, (b) CAR-T immunotherapy and (c) other long-term conditions resulting from treatments; and if he make an assessment of the adequacy of (a) statutory sick pay and (B) time taken to access other potential state benefits for those patients.

The Pathways to Work Green Paper outlined our plan to end the link between capacity to work and additional financial support and the binary categorisation of claimants as “can or can’t work” by abolishing the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). Instead, any extra financial support for health conditions in Universal Credit (UC) will be assessed via a single assessment – the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment (in England and Wales) – and be based on the impact of disability on daily living, not on capacity to work. Due to its link with the PIP assessment, WCA abolition will not take place until after the Timms Review into PIP has reported. We are currently considering how the future system will operate and will provide further information in due course. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is designed to balance support for an individual when they are unable to work due to sickness or ill health, with the costs to employers of providing this support. The Government is strengthening SSP as part of our plan to Make Work Pay, ensuring the safety net of sick pay is available to those who need it most. We are doing this through the Employment Rights Act. From 6 April this year the changes we are making include: Removing the Lower Earnings Limit so more low-paid employees qualify.Removing the waiting period so SSP is paid from the first day of sickness. As a result, up to 1.3 million low-paid employees will become eligible for SSP. The removal of the three-day waiting period will mean that all employees receive at least £60 extra at the start of their sickness absence. According to the Government’s impact assessment, these changes will also increase the total amount of sick pay paid to employees by approximately £420 million per year. For PIP awards, we always aim to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence, including that from the claimant.  In most instances PIP awards can be backdated to the date of claim.  PIP waiting times have decreased since August 2021, with the latest statistics showing that the average end-to-end journey has reduced from 26 weeks in August 2021 to 16 weeks at the end of October 2025.

What the average national unit cost is to the NHS for a local anaesthetic transperineal prostate biopsy, used in prostate cancer detection; and how that cost is calculated.

The information requested is not held centrally. The cost of a local anaesthetic transperineal prostate biopsy can vary between National Health Service providers, depending on local commissioning arrangements, workforce models, and operational costs.

Whether the recent review by the UK National Screening Committee of evidence on prostate cancer screening considered the potential value for money of adopting (a) shorter and (b) simplified MRI protocols, including biparametric MRI, to reduce unit costs of prostate cancer screening in NHS settings.

The evidence considered by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is available in the consultation on their prostate cancer recommendation page at the following link:https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/prostate-cancer/The pathway considered the use of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging as per National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.It is important to note that cost effectiveness is only one of the criteria that the UK NSC uses to assess the case for screening. Benefits, harms, acceptability, feasibility, and test characteristics are all important.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make it her policy to pause the passage of the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill until after the (a) release and (b) full assessment of the Peter Mandelson files by the Intelligence and Security Committee.

The Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill is essential for the protection of the UK's national security. Timings will be announced in the usual way.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will provide the Intelligence and Security Committee with (a) correspondence and (b) a list of engagements between (i) Peter Mandelson, and (ii) other advisers to and (iii) representatives of (A) the British, (B) United States, and (C) Mauritian Governments concerning the future of the Chagos Islands, during the period in which Peter Mandelson served as British Ambassador to the United States.

I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12 February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and Oral Statement on the 23 February which set out an update on the Government's process. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament's instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

What procedures will apply to enable access by the Intelligence and Security Committee to such documentation necessary to fulfil the duties placed upon it n relation to dealings between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein.

I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and Oral Statement on the 23 February which set out an update on the Government's process for complying with the Humble Address motion. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she has had discussions with her United States counterpart the potential security implications of the existence of opt-outs in respect of (a) Diego Garcia and (b) the Chagos Islands under (i) Article 298 of UNCLOS, (ii) Article 428 of the International Telecommunication Union and (iii) the Commonwealth Reservation to the International Court of Justice on the future security of the Diego Garcia military base.

The Government's legal position regarding the British Indian Ocean Territory has been published and discussed at length in both Houses of Parliament. Our international partners are fully aware of our position and the security and operational implications. The agreement between the UK and Mauritius secures the US-UK base and operations on Diego Garcia.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Diego Garcia military base, whether an exemption will exist from the Africa Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone provisions of the Pelindaba Treaty after sovereignty of the Chagos Islands is transferred from the United Kingdom to Mauritius.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer provided on 6 January to Question 103253.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) she and (b) her immediate predecessor had discussions with their United States counterparts on the opt-out provisions applying to (i) Diego Garcia and (ii) the Chagos Islands as a whole as set out in (A) Article 298 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, (B) Article 48 of the Constitution of the International Telecommunication Union and (C) the Commonwealth Reservation to the International Court of Justice.

The Government's legal position regarding the British Indian Ocean Territory has been published and discussed at length in both Houses of Parliament. Our international partners are fully aware of our position and the security and operational implications. The agreement between the UK and Mauritius secures the US-UK base and operations on Diego Garcia.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Pelindaba Treaty, what discussions she has with the Secretary of State for Defence on the long-term potential capability of storing nuclear weapons on Diego Garcia.

I refer the Hon Member to the answers provided by the Ministry of Defence on 14 January in response to Question 103951, and on 5 December 2024 in response to Question 16455.

Whether the National Security Adviser (a) has briefed and (b) will brief the Intelligence and Security Committee on the sensitive security implications of the proposed new Chinese super-embassy in London.

The Government and the National Security Adviser maintain a regular and constructive dialogue with the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC) across the full range of national security and intelligence matters

What his policy is on the awarding of Government contracts to China for ready-fabricated steel; what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those contracts on the Government's environmental goals; and whether those factors are considered when awarding contracts for fabricated steel to be used in constructing (a) Net Zero Teeside and (b) other carbon capture and storage schemes.

Public procurement policy on steel is set out in Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 022 which encompasses different types of steel. Based on full Departmental returns that provided data to the Department for Business and Trade, including on the origin of steel, the Government's procurement data shows that in financial year 2024/25, only c.£29k worth of publicly procured steel was of Chinese origin, out of a total of c.£372m worth of publicly procured steel. Steel used in Net Zero Teesside (NZT) and other carbon capture and storage schemes falls outside of public procurement. NZT are using an open and transparent tendering process and will be awarding contracts based on capacity, capability and other factors. I have met with the project developer to express my concern about the reported potential use of Chinese steel in this project and we will continue to engage with the CCUS sector to promote the industry-led voluntary ambition of 50% UK local content across the value chain and we have confidence that NZT are on track to achieve more than 50% UK content.

What steps he has taken with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to ensure that NHS practitioners are informed of the vulnerability to suicidal ideation of veterans impacted by Lariam; and what steps veterans can take with his Department to help improve awareness within the NHS of the nature and effects of mefloquine toxicity.

Mefloquine is recommended as an effective anti-malarial by international health agencies, including the World Health Organisation. Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the National Health Service both follow National Institute for Care and Excellence guidelines on the prescription and management of side effects associated with mefloquine. The MOD is engaged with NHS England (NHSE) through the NHSE Armed Forces Clinical Reference Group. This group has recently reviewed the clinical management of the side effects associated with mefloquine. As symptoms can resemble acute psychiatric conditions, clinicians are advised to assess patients individually and are expected to take a full drug and alcohol history, including any previous mefloquine use. In England, Op COURAGE and Op RESTORE provide a broad range of specialist mental health, physical and wellbeing care services to veterans, with similar services available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. I would encourage any Veteran who is struggling with their mental health to self-refer or seek the support of their GP to access Op COURAGE, the Veterans' Mental Health and Wellbeing Service. The side effects that may be experienced whilst taking, or with a history of having taken mefloquine, will be treated according to the diagnosis; for example, if the patient is experiencing depressive symptoms, the treatment for depression will be instigated.