Written questions by Pritchard.

Whether she plans to reduce the number of civil servants working for HM Treasury.

The department’s Spending Review settlement of a 10% real terms reduction to admin by 2028-29 means it will need to get smaller.

If he will commission research into the potential impact of the daily use of mobile phones on eye diseases and health-related conditions.

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is funding research into the possible health impacts of mobile phone use on health, although this has not focused on eye diseases. The NIHR Policy Research Programme has allocated approximately £2 million of funding to support the United Kingdom arm of the pan-European Cohort Study of Mobile Phone Use and Health. This international cohort study has been funded since 2014 and is investigating possible health effects from long-term use of mobile phones and other wireless technologies. Specific health effects being examined are brain and other tumours, heart disease, stroke, fertility, birth events, for instance low birth weight or preterm birth, neurodegenerative diseases, and mental health conditions. Previously, NIHR provided £1.5 million to the Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones, which has investigated whether children’s use of mobile phones might affect their cognitive or behavioural development.The NIHR welcomes research funding applications in any aspect of health and care, including the impact of mobile phone use on eye diseases.

If he will provide details of collaboration with the French Government on the UK nuclear deterrent.

The UK and France work closely together on a range of nuclear research and technology matters, including as part of the 2010 Teutates Treaty. Our deepening co-operation under the 2025 Northwood Declaration includes nuclear policy, capabilities and operations. Release of information relating to the UK’s nuclear deterrent and our collaboration with Allies on nuclear matters is considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account considerations regarding national security, defence and international relations.

If he will take steps to help improve the living accommodation for Armed Forces personnel located at Clive Baracks, Tern Hill in Shropshire.

Clive Barracks has been identified for closure under the Defence Estates Optimisation Portfolio, as such, work has been limited to routine and planned preventative maintenance. All troops accommodated at Clive Barracks will be relocated ahead of the closure of the site, in 2029. Service Family Accommodation (SFA): The Defence Housing Strategy sets out a vision for the future transformation of military homes; 90% of military homes will be upgraded, renewed or rebuilt, through a record £9 billion investment over a decade. The Armed Forces Bill will establish the new Defence Housing Service (DHS), which will put the needs of Forces and their families first. In Financial Year 2024-25, 121 Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties serving Clive Barracks received replacement UPVC doors and windows, and 52 SFA received replacement loft insulation and roofs. Single Living Accommodation (SLA): In 2025 the installation of 88 Self-Contained (single occupancy) pods with ensuite bathrooms, shared kitchen & utility rooms, was commissioned by the Army, with further works in progress to improve on-site ablutions, due for completion by the end of the Financial Year. No further improvement works are identified currently.

How many civil servants were dismissed from the Civil Service but not referred to the police for breaching the Official Secrets Act between 2005 and 2025.

This information is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office. Departments have delegated responsibility for decisions relating to dismissal of an employee. Civil Service statistics on the composition of the Civil Service workforce, including data on those leaving the Civil Service due to dismissals, are available on GOV.UK.

If his Department will publish a Modern Service Framework on kidney disease.

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.

Communities and Local Government, if he will meet with the Chief Executive of (a) Shropshire Council and (b) Telford & Wrekin Council to review the continuing use of Royal Mail postal services for democratic services and for elections where postal votes are permitted.

Officials in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government meet regularly with Royal Mail to discuss matters relating to elections including capacity, capability and contingency planning.We are aware of current concerns about Royal Mail deliveries in national and local press, and have been in contact with Royal Mail about these ahead of the upcoming local elections in May.As part of the usual engagement ahead of significant electoral events, Ministers and senior government officials have met with the Chief Executive and other senior representatives from Royal Mail and it is intended to do so again before of the May elections.

Whether he plans to introduce (a) ring-fenced and (b) targeted funding for research into age-related macular degeneration; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of such funding on long-term sight-loss prevention.

The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Research funds are not usually ringfenced into specific conditions and there is not a target for research funding into age-related macular degeneration. However, the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including age-related macular degeneration. Our approach to funding research is through open and fair competition and peer review to ensure that the highest-quality proposals, most likely to deliver real impact for patients, are funded without imposing financial targets or limits. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topicThe nature of research means it is difficult to provide a precise assessment on impact against specific conditions, although there have been times when it has responded to Government commitments to spend pre-specified amounts of money on research in particular areas. In the last five financial years the NIHR has awarded £26.2 million on eye research which has included £6.2 million on Age Related Macular Degeneration

Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the BBC on allowing licence fee payers to access the BBC app when overseas.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) meets regularly with representatives of the BBC on a range of matters.The BBC is operationally independent, and decisions on whether and how the BBC makes its content and services, such as its respective BBC apps, available to licence fee payers when abroad are therefore for the BBC to make independent of government.

If he will require members of intelligence agencies transferring to ministerial private offices to declare confidentially to those ministers the (i) fact that they have previously served in an intelligence agency and (ii) name of that intelligence agency.

As has been the policy of successive governments, the government does not comment on matters relating to the intelligence agencies.

Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward regeneration funding for rural market towns.

In September 2025 we announced the Local Regeneration Fund, which brings together the Levelling Up Fund, Towns Deals and Pathfinder Pilots into a single, flexible capital pot, responding to Local Authority feedback for less bureaucratic oversight and more local autonomy. This partnership approach empowers local authorities to allocate resources based on their own priorities, which will help rural councils. Decisions on how to manage these allocations rest with each authority’s Section 151 Officer or equivalent. In the small number of cases where projects are no longer viable, we expect projects to rescope their plans and use the funding for other initiatives in the same area that originally stood to benefit. Earlier this month, the Prime Minister confirmed that 40 further places will join the Pride in Place Programme. That means that nearly 300 communities will benefit from this transformational programme. Funding for the Pride in Place programme is going to communities with the greatest need: places that have been overlooked and stand to benefit most, including market towns.

Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to prioritise sight-loss conditions, including age-related macular degeneration, within (a) UK Research and Innovation's and (b) the Advanced Research and Invention Agency’s future biomedical research programmes.

The Medical Research Council (MRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), funds research into vision loss, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), through a range of schemes. This research spans discovery science and fundamental mechanistic understanding, through to new approaches for diagnosis and intervention. For example, MRC has committed over £4 million to Kings College University for a clinical trial to establish safety and efficacy of photoreceptor transplantation in retinal degeneration and AMD patients as a potential treatment of the condition.The Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) has maximum autonomy over its research and project choice, and allocation of funding to research projects and different sectors will be decided by those with relevant technical expertise. ARIA has made nearly £530 million in funding available across its first 10 programmes, which includes biomedical research.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she will take to detain sanctioned Russian ships passing through the English Channel.

Further action against Russia's shadow fleet is critical to increasing economic pressure on Russia's war machine. We are also clear on the need to crack down on the dangerous and illicit practises that are employed by these vessels to evade sanctions and international safety and environmental rules. The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office has worked closely with other departments to increase pressure across the entirety of shadow fleet operations, and we will continue to consider what further actions we can take, in accordance with the UN Convention Of the Law of the Sea.

What information his Department holds on the number of former (a) National Security Advisers and (b) Deputy National Security Advisers since 2005 who advise (i) Chinese registered companies and (ii) subsidiaries of Chinese companies registered outside of China.

Crown servants are subject to the Business Appointment Rules when accepting new appointments outside government after Crown service. For the most senior Crown servants, if an applicant has made an application for advice and the role is subsequently taken up, that advice will be published by the relevant body. Any advice provided to former National Security Advisers and Deputy National Security Advisers that was considered by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), prior to its closure on 13 October 2025, would have been published on ACOBA’s page on GOV.UK here From 13 October 2025, any advice provided to former National Security Advisers and Deputy National Security Advisers will have been considered by the Civil Service Commission, and would be published on its website here

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to protect whistleblowers who breach legislation relating to official secrets, including the Official Secrets Act 1989 and the National Security Act 2023, in order to protect the UK's national security.

The Government is not currently considering any legislative reform in this area as the existing frameworks provide appropriate protections for protecting national security. There are established channels for members of the security and intelligence services to raise concerns, which can then be investigated appropriately without compromising national security through unauthorised public disclosure.

If he will have discussions with the previous seven Cabinet Secretaries on information disclosed to them in diplomatic telegrams by overseas staff on the (a) personal use of UK diplomatic residences by Andrew Mountbatten Windsor when he was a UK Trade Envoy and (b) action taken following receipt of that information.

The Rt Hon Member will be aware that a related police investigation is underway, as per the statement of Thames Valley Police on 19th February. The Government stands ready to support the police in whatever way it can.

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to give the Intelligence and Security Committee the power to (a) summon witnesses and (b) sanction individuals in the event that any person from the security and intelligence services provides misleading information to that committee.

The Government values the independent and robust oversight which the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) provides. The Justice and Security Act 2013 (JSA2013) was designed to ensure the ISC has the necessary access to highly classified material while protecting national security. The Government remains confident current arrangements remain fit for purpose.

What information her Department holds on whether the Security Service was aware of (a) the illegal activities of Jeffrey Epstein, (b) his relationship with Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and (c) advice given by the Security Service to the Royal Household about these matters.

It has been the long-standing policy of successive governments not to comment on intelligence matters.

If he will introduce pre-confirmation hearings before relevant select committees for permanent secretary appointments for government departments.

There are no plans to introduce pre-appointment hearings for Permanent Secretary roles.

What steps he is taking to (a) increase the availability of aspirin and (b) normalise aspirin supply chains.

The Department is aware of a recent disruption to the supply of aspirin dispersible tablets and are working with suppliers to understand the causes and aid a return to normal supply as soon as possible. Supply issues have been addressed, and stock is regularly being made available for pharmacies to order.We are working with all partners in the supply chain, including manufacturers and United Kingdom distributors, to ensure maximum accessibility to pharmacies and hospitals irrespective of where they are in the country.The Department will continue to monitor the situation and expects supplies to return to normal over the coming weeks.