Written questions by Pritchard.

What discussions he has had with the International Atomic Energy Agency on (a) the safety of the Ostrovets nuclear plant in Belarus and (b) the potential impact of that nuclear plant on the safety of UK nationals living in Baltic States.

Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly in arrears.

If she will reform the Judicial Appointments Commission to ensure improved (a) transparency and (b) diversity in the appointments process.

The independent Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) has a statutory duty under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (CRA) to select candidates for judicial appointment solely on merit and to encourage diversity. Its processes are governed by the CRA and by the Judicial Appointments Regulations 2013. It keeps its selection processes under continual review to ensure they are transparent, fair, and attract talented candidates from a wide range of backgrounds. It publishes its annual report and accounts, independent reviews and appointments data is included in the annual judicial diversity statistics.The Government is strongly committed to achieving a judiciary which better represents the diversity of the population. In the most recent year for which statistics are available (2023/24), 53% of candidates recommended for appointments to become judicial office holders by the JAC were women and 16% from ethnic minorities, contributing to a more diverse judiciary. The Ministry of Justice, as a member of the Judicial Diversity Forum, works closely with the judiciary, the Judicial Appointments Commission, the Legal Services Board and the three largest legal professions on actions to improve judicial diversity. The Forum’s 2025 action plan (https://judicialappointments.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Judicial-Diversity-Forum-Priorities-and-Actions-for-2025-Final.pdf) which was published in February, sets out our shared priorities.Under the CRA, candidates for judicial office can complain to the JAC and subsequently to the independent Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman if they believe that their application for appointment has not been handled appropriately.

If she will have discussions with senior judges on maintaining political impartiality when making (a) professional and (b) personal comments in public.

Judges swear in the judicial oath to act "without fear or favour, affection or ill will". They are recognised and respected across the world for their independence, fairness and impartiality.It is for the senior judiciary to give guidance on the standards and behaviour expected of judges, and the judiciary revised its Guide to Judicial Conduct in 2023. The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office exists to deal with complaints about the personal conduct of judicial office holders.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) NGOs and (b) charities in receipt of funding from his Department that have issued legal proceedings against the Government.

There is no on-going litigation against the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (the Department) in respect of claims issued directly by NGOs or charities currently in receipt of funding from the Department.

If she will ask the Sentencing Council to increase custodial sentences for people convicted of procuring child abuse images.

The maximum sentences available for criminal offences are set by Parliament and, for possession of indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child, the maximum sentence is 5 years’ imprisonment. For distributing, making or taking indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of a child, the maximum sentence is 10 years’ imprisonment. The independent judiciary will determine the appropriate sentence in individual cases within the maximums set by Parliament, and in line with any relevant sentencing guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales. Sentencing guidelines provide courts with guidance on factors that should be considered, which may affect the sentence given. The relevant guideline for possessing, distributing, and producing indecent child images can be found here: Possession of indecent photograph of child/ Indecent photographs of children – Sentencing

If he will amend the (a) Military Aid to the Civil Powers (Emergency Powers) Act 1964 and (b) Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to ensure parliamentary oversight during national crises.

The Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) 2004 and the associated Regulations deliver a single framework for civil protection in the UK. While emergency regulations could be brought into force immediately during a crisis they must be presented to Parliament as soon as practicable after being made, ensuring parliamentary oversight. The Cabinet Office has a legal obligation to review the CCA every five years. The most recent review was published in March 2022 and concluded that the Act continues to achieve its stated objectives.The Ministry of Defence keeps all relevant legislation under review to ensure it remains fit for purpose and appropriate to the operational context, this includes the Emergency Powers Act 1964. Using the Emergency Powers Act requires Defence Council Order and considerable policy, legal and financial scrutiny including specific Ministerial approval.There are no current plans to amend either of these Acts.

How many (a) adults and (b) juveniles convicted of (i) downloading and (ii) procuring online child abuse images received suspended custodial sentences in the latest period for which figures are available.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of convictions at criminal courts in England and Wales in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics.Information on the number of suspended custodial sentences for adults and juveniles for the offence of possessing prohibited images of children is available within the published data. However, information on whether offenders were sentenced specifically for downloading or procuring child abuse images is not held by the Ministry of Justice, as this information is not recorded centrally in the Court Proceedings Database.

If he will have discussions with Cabinet colleagues on safeguarding civilian national infrastructure required for the (a) mobilisation and (b) deployment of the armed forces.

The Ministry of Defence has robust plans for mobilising and deploying the Armed Forces in response to events and crises, both at home and abroad. The Ministry of Defence works closely with other Government Departments, including the Cabinet Office, as well as the owners and operators of civilian national infrastructure, to ensure plans include safeguarding of vital sites and infrastructure.

If he will ask the Competition and Markets Authority to investigate the Joint Business Agreement between British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, American Airlines and Aer Lingus on the pricing model for transatlantic flights.

As the UK’s independent competition authority, the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) has discretion to investigate competition cases which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers to investigate and act if it finds that businesses are behaving anti-competitively in a market.

If he will establish a cross-Government expert group to help (a) innovate responses and (b) devise policy counter-measures to (i) non-traditional and (ii) hard-to-trace grey-zone activities of (A) malign state actors and (B) their proxies who are seeking to undermine UK national (1) economic and (2) security interests.

As set out in the Plan For Change, this Government’s first duty is to make the UK safer, more secure, and resilient against the growing and interconnected threats from state, state-linked and non-state actors. We are committed to working across Government, as well as with partners internationally and in the private sector and academia, to prevent harm; deter and disrupt threats; respond effectively to incidents; and recover swiftly. Work is already underway across Government to deliver this commitment, and requirements for any new structures or groupings will be kept under review, including in the context of the ongoing development of the National Security Strategy.

Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with the BBC on ensuring that the programmes it commissions reflect the views of people from across the UK.

As a public service broadcaster that matters hugely to public life, the BBC must be responsive to viewers and listeners and tell inclusive stories about the lives of all people, in all parts of the UK. Under the current Charter, the BBC has an obligation to ‘reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions’. The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the Government in determining how it meets that obligation, and it is for the independent regulator Ofcom to hold the BBC to account.As part of the next Charter Review, the Government will engage with the BBC and others to consider how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond. This will include discussions on a range of important issues and will start a national conversation to make sure the BBC truly represents and delivers for every person in this country

Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with media production companies on producing more content to promote positive male role models.

The Government recognises the important positive contribution made by our creative industries, including our public service broadcasters, in informing, educating, and entertaining audiences. However, editorial decisions are ultimately a matter for individual production companies.

Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with Ofcom on encouraging competition in broadcast news media.

The Department regularly engages with Ofcom on a range of issues including the importance of a competitive and diverse broadcasting sector. Ofcom has a statutory duty under the Communication Act 2003 to secure and maintain a sufficient plurality of providers of different TV and radio services. Ofcom also has a duty to review the operation of media ownership rules across TV, radio and press every three years. Ofcom published their latest review on 15 November 2024.

If he will have discussions with independent pharmacy owners on ensuring an equitable contract for community pharmacies.

The Government recognises that pharmacies are an integral part of the fabric of our communities. They provide an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.We have now concluded the most recent consultation on funding for 2024/25 and 2025/26, and have agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion. Community Pharmacy England represent all pharmacy contractors, including independents. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the NHS, over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows a first step in delivering stability for the future and a commitment to rebuilding the sector.

If she will commission research on (a) productivity, (b) sickness rates and (c) absenteeism in the (i) public and (ii) private sectors where employers offer mental health support (A) by phone, (B) online and (C) in-person through an employee assistance programme.

In January 2025, the department launched “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review of the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and promoting healthy and inclusive workplaces. The review is being led by the former Chair of John Lewis, Sir Charlie Mayfield. The recently published discovery report sets out that interventions such as employee assistance programmes are an area of focus for the review over the next few months. The discovery report calls for organisations providing employee assistance programmes to get in touch to share information and evidence about these programmes during the review’s engagement phase, which is ongoing until the end of May. The discovery report can be accessed here: Keep Britain Working Review: Discovery - GOV.UK The department has previously conducted research on self-reported employee sickness absence rates in 2021. The research can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Employee research Phase 1 and 2 - GOV.UK. The research did not explore whether respondents had access to mental health support through an employee assistance programme, or mode of access to this. The department has also previously published results from a survey which explored how employers manage mental health conditions within their organisation, although it did not collect data on productivity, sickness rates or absenteeism: Department for Work and Pensions Employer Survey 2022: research report - GOV.UK. The department has since commissioned further surveys of employers and employees about their experiences of managing health and wellbeing in the workplace, and the findings will be published later this year.

If he will consider linking pharmacy funding to (a) inflation and (b) the National Living Wage.

We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, and this enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.We have now agreed with Community Pharmacy England to increase the community pharmacy contractual framework to £3.073 billion from April 2025. This deal represents the largest uplift in funding of any part of the National Health Service, at over 19% across 2024/25 and 2025/26. This shows a first step in delivering stability for the future and a commitment to rebuilding the sector.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing Business Rates relief to nurseries.

The early years system has a central role to play in driving economic growth and breaking down barriers to opportunity, which is why the Government wants to make childcare more affordable and accessible. At the Budget in October, the Government committed to increasing spending on early years and family services to over £8 billion in 2025-26. This includes an additional £1.8 billion which will be paid to early years providers to continue the expansion of government-funded childcare and help more parents, particularly women, stay in and return to work. Business rates are a broad-based tax on the value of non-domestic properties including nurseries. To protect small businesses, the government announced at the Autumn Budget that it would freeze the small business multiplier for 2025-26. Taken together with Small Business Rates Relief, this intervention ensures that over a million properties will be protected from inflationary increases. In addition to this support, standalone nurseries are also eligible for charitable rate relief where they have a ‘charitable purpose’.

If she will increase the powers of local education authorities to take action against parents who threaten teaching staff over decisions taken under school disciplinary procedures.

No teacher should feel unsafe or face violence or abuse in the workplace. The department will always support teachers to ensure they can work in safe and calm classrooms. All school employers, including trusts, have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their employees.Schools should have their own clear processes in place for dealing with issues of bullying or harassment from parents. All incidences of bullying or harassment by a parent should be reported immediately to the designated lead and head teacher or governing body or proprietor.Should the incident constitute a potential criminal offence, it would be for the school to consider involving the police, having followed the advice contained in the ‘When to call the police’ guidance for schools and colleges by the National Police Chief’s Council, written in partnership with the department and Home Office.For staff who are experiencing bullying or harassment from any source, support is available from sources including Education Support, a charity supporting the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and education staff in schools, colleges and universities.

If she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on (a) domestic extremist threats and (b) other terror related threats against primary and secondary schools; and what assessment she has made of the potential measures of putting new measures in place to strengthen (i) entrances and (ii) perimeter boundaries in schools.

The Prevent duty safeguards children and young people from extremist ideologies to prevent them from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. The department publishes over 150 resources to support schools, parents and pupils in protecting children from extremism. These resources can be found at: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/.For any new school building the department recommends a security risk assessment is completed which will set out any necessary safeguarding and security requirements, where they are suitable.The department publishes comprehensive and well-established ‘Protective Security and Preparedness’ guidance which helps staff prepare for and respond to terrorist and other significant threats. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-security-and-preparedness-for-education-settings.The government will further strengthen the national security response through measures included in the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill. The Bill will require all education settings to take forward public protection procedures. This will establish a legal requirement which specifically relates to the response to a terrorist attack.

If she will ensure all schools have (a) lock down plans which all teaching staff are taught, (b) direct feed panic alarms to local police stations, (c) security bollards at the main entrances and exits and (d) two door interlocking systems.

This government is committed to ensuring that children, young people and adult learners are safe from terrorist incidents and attacks. This is why the department publishes comprehensive guidance alongside a range of high-quality resources to support education settings in their protective security, and their preparedness and response to incidents and attacks.The ‘Protective Security and Preparedness for education settings’ guidance, developed in collaboration with the National Counter-Terrorism Security Office, offers a comprehensive approach to enhancing safety and preparedness, ensuring that educational settings can provide a secure and supportive environment for learning. This includes planning for a number of different response options such as lockdown, evacuation and invacuation, communicating during an incident, having plans in place to respond effectively to different types of incidents and testing out those plans.