Written questions by Wrigley.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question 63915 on Digital Technology: Proof of Identity, for what reason the Government has now taken such steps.

The Government has announced plans for a new national digital identity credential to be available to UK citizens and legal residents aged 16 and over. This will make it easier for people to securely access the services they are entitled to, where they want to, while also helping to prevent illegal working and deter illegal migration. Employers will be required to conduct digital right to work checks using the new digital ID by the end of this parliament.We recognise the importance of both cybersecurity and privacy. We will consult and engage on the practical operation of the scheme, and the data structures underpinning it, as it is developed. The data for the digital ID scheme will be federated, as doing so is good practice for things like this. That means most data will stay where it is already safely stored, such as in HM Passport Office or other government departments, and only joined up if and when needed.Following the Machinery of Government changes of 23/10/2025 policy responsibility now sits with the Cabinet Office.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement on the number of cross-border transfers of livestock since 2020.

We have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Area which will slash costs and remove red tape. The removal of the need for Export Health Certification would save trading businesses up to £200 per consignment each time goods are sent.Later we will start the detailed negotiations on the SPS agreement, as well as the other commitments from our summit in May.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of launching a compensation scheme for passengers without seat reservations who did not get a seat on a train.

There are currently no plans to introduce compensation for passengers unable to find a seat.The walk-up nature of the railway in Great Britain supports full access to rail services, but at busy times could mean seating is not guaranteed. Some train operators offer seat reservations up to two hours before the departure of a train.If a passenger holds a First-Class ticket and no First-Class seats are available, they are entitled to a refund of the difference between the fare paid and that of the appropriate Standard Class fare.

When her Department plans to respond to the correspondence of 5 August 2025 from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot, case reference MW09483.

The Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum responded on 17 September 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2025 to Question 73088, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for replies to MP Correspondance.

We are aware of previous technical issues on our UC regional MP hotlines. Since the introduction of a single UC national MP hotline this issue has now been resolved.We have also seen a significant increase in correspondence coming into the Department over the last 6 months. To reduce timescales in responding to MP correspondence, we are in the process of putting additional resources into our complaints and correspondence teams.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2025 to Question 73088 on Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services, what assessment she made of the potential impact of the DWP MP Hotline not answering casework calls.

We are aware of previous technical issues on our UC regional MP hotlines. Since the introduction of a single UC national MP hotline this issue has now been resolved.We have also seen a significant increase in correspondence coming into the Department over the last 6 months. To reduce timescales in responding to MP correspondence, we are in the process of putting additional resources into our complaints and correspondence teams.

If he will award medals to the crew of the HMS Diamond for their work during the period of November 2023 and July 2024.

Medallic recognition for the operational activity undertaken by HMS Diamond during the period November 2023 and July 2024, is under consideration by the Ministry of Defence in accordance with the existing process.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2025 to Question 68534 on Members: Correspondence, when she plans to reply to the enquiry with case reference MW07790.

I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to written question 75770. I apologise for the delay.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of a 10% commission charge on the sale of park homes on park home owners.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 69040 on 24 July 2025.

Communities and Local Government, if he will publish a consultation on (a) reducing and (b) abolishing the 10% commission charge on the sale of park homes.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 69040 on 24 July 2025.

What guidance was in use in 2019 on keeping written records of meetings between Ministers and external stakeholders.

Guidance for the Management of Private Office Information and Records is published on www.gov.uk. The guidance was last updated in December 2023. Previous versions are available on the website of The National Archives.

Whether the then Prime Minister met Peter Thiel between July 2019 and September 2022.

Details of official meetings held in a ministerial capacity with external organisations or individuals are declared quarterly on GOV.UK. This includes the meetings of the former Prime Minister.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress her Department has made on the roll-out of badger TB vaccination programmes.

Significant progress has been made in rolling out badger vaccination as part of our strategy to eradicate bovine TB. Large-scale vaccination is being delivered by Animal and Plant Health Agency field teams, alongside a farming community-led initiative in East Sussex, demonstrating that vaccination is practical at scale, including in areas where culling has previously taken place. In 2024, over 4,000 badgers were vaccinated across England, the highest annual total to date. Further work includes a new project led by the National Farmers’ Union which is now underway in Cornwall to explore scalable and cost-effective approaches to vaccination delivery, and the establishment of a new badger vaccination field force from next year to further accelerate rollout in areas where bovine TB incidence remains high and is worsening. Work on a comprehensive new bovine TB strategy is progressing at pace, and together with these measures, will help drive down disease rates, protect farmers’ livelihoods, and support our commitment to end the badger cull by the end of this Parliament.

Whether she plans to consult businesses on firearm licencing.

The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation, published on 13 February this year, included a commitment to having a consultation specifically on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns.When launched we will welcome and carefully consider all the views put forward, including those from businesses.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2025 to Question 73442 on Deposit Return Schemes: Newton Abbot, if she will make it her policy to ensure that remote collection points are available in villages without a (a) supermarket, (b) grocery store, (c) convenience store and (d) newsagent.

The scheme administrator, UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd. (UK DMO), is responsible for ensuring there is a comprehensive network of return points so that consumers can easily return their containers, including in rural areas. Other types of organisations that sell in-scope drinks containers – including hospitality venues, food-to-go stores, schools, hospitals, gyms, sports centres and community centres – although not mandated to host a return point, can apply to operate one voluntarily. This has been popular in other international DRSs as organisations see the benefit of increased footfall. UK DMO will undertake regular reviews of the return point network to consider the number, location and accessibility of return points.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the programme of engagements was for President Isaac Herzog during his visit to the UK in September 2025.

President Herzog came to the UK on a private visit, but his programme included meeting the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary on Wednesday 10 September.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of radiotherapy services to patients in Devon.

We will improve National Health Service waiting time performance, so patients are diagnosed faster and have quicker access to the treatments they require, including radiotherapy. However, we do recognise that there is much more to be done to ensure that this is the reality for all patients across the country, including Devon.Radiotherapy is vital in cancer care, and it remains a key priority for the Government to reduce radiotherapy waiting times and provide the highest quality of treatment available. This is why the Government has invested £70 million of central funding on 28 new LINAC radiotherapy machines across the country to replace older, less efficient radiotherapy machines. The new machines were allocated across England and funding was allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England developed. These criteria focused on the age of the machine being replaced, the proportion of older machines in use within the trust, and the trust’s performance on radiotherapy. The University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, the local provider for cancer services in Devon, has been awarded funding for a replacement machine.The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will ensure all patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.

If she will take steps to improve radiotherapy services in Devon.

We will improve National Health Service waiting time performance, so patients are diagnosed faster and have quicker access to the treatments they require, including radiotherapy. However, we do recognise that there is much more to be done to ensure that this is the reality for all patients across the country, including Devon.Radiotherapy is vital in cancer care, and it remains a key priority for the Government to reduce radiotherapy waiting times and provide the highest quality of treatment available. This is why the Government has invested £70 million of central funding on 28 new LINAC radiotherapy machines across the country to replace older, less efficient radiotherapy machines. The new machines were allocated across England and funding was allocated to trusts using criteria that NHS England developed. These criteria focused on the age of the machine being replaced, the proportion of older machines in use within the trust, and the trust’s performance on radiotherapy. The University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, the local provider for cancer services in Devon, has been awarded funding for a replacement machine.The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will ensure all patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of digital exclusion on (a) elderly and (b) disabled people who do not have a reliable internet connection.

Those who don’t have access to, or cannot use digital technologies, including older people and disabled people, are likely to pay more for certain transactions, have worse health outcomes, and find it more difficult to manage their finances. Knock-on effects of digital exclusion can include difficulty accessing essential services and isolation from their community.That’s why in February, we published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan which outlines the first five actions we are taking over the next year on digital inclusion. One of these actions was to launch the £9.5mn Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund to support and expand local community initiatives to get people online, which we did in August. All funded projects will support at least one of the focus demographic groups, which include older and disabled people.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of digital exclusion on elderly people.

Those who don’t have access to, or cannot use digital technologies, including older people and disabled people, are likely to pay more for certain transactions, have worse health outcomes, and find it more difficult to manage their finances. Knock-on effects of digital exclusion can include difficulty accessing essential services and isolation from their community.That’s why in February, we published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan which outlines the first five actions we are taking over the next year on digital inclusion. One of these actions was to launch the £9.5mn Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund to support and expand local community initiatives to get people online, which we did in August. All funded projects will support at least one of the focus demographic groups, which include older and disabled people.