Written questions by Jones.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the poly-criminality of wildlife crime offenders.

Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.Along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit to help tackle these crimes.The National Wildlife Crime Unit provides intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to forces and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime including providing training to police officers.The Unit has a far-reaching impact, assisting in detecting high-profile and high-value crimes globally including serious organised crime and money laundering. This includes disrupting a number of organised crime groups.Wildlife crimes that are non-notifiable can still be investigated by Police as Chief Constables have operational independence.

If she will hold discussions with the police on the potential merits of providing training to police officers on wildlife legislation.

Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.Along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit to help tackle these crimes.The National Wildlife Crime Unit provides intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to forces and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime including providing training to police officers.The Unit has a far-reaching impact, assisting in detecting high-profile and high-value crimes globally including serious organised crime and money laundering. This includes disrupting a number of organised crime groups.Wildlife crimes that are non-notifiable can still be investigated by Police as Chief Constables have operational independence.

What steps she is taking to increase support for police working on wildlife crime.

Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.Along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit to help tackle these crimes.The National Wildlife Crime Unit provides intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to forces and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime including providing training to police officers.The Unit has a far-reaching impact, assisting in detecting high-profile and high-value crimes globally including serious organised crime and money laundering. This includes disrupting a number of organised crime groups.Wildlife crimes that are non-notifiable can still be investigated by Police as Chief Constables have operational independence.

What discussions she has had with police forces on improving the harmonisation of record-keeping on animal-related crime between forces.

Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.Along with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Home Office directly funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit to help tackle these crimes.The National Wildlife Crime Unit provides intelligence, analysis and investigative assistance to forces and other law enforcement agencies across the UK to support them in investigating wildlife crime including providing training to police officers.The Unit has a far-reaching impact, assisting in detecting high-profile and high-value crimes globally including serious organised crime and money laundering. This includes disrupting a number of organised crime groups.Wildlife crimes that are non-notifiable can still be investigated by Police as Chief Constables have operational independence.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of facilitating the creation of a silicon photonics pilot line.

The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy recognises the opportunity to capitalise on our strength in photonics, chip design, and advanced technologies. To deliver this, DSIT is considering infrastructure needs as recommended by the Royal Academy of Engineering’s quantum infrastructure review. The UK already has strengths in photonics including Scotland’s photonics cluster, supported by centres like the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre and the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics. UK universities, such as Southampton and Cambridge, contribute to European photonics pilot lines with DSIT funding. The DSIT-funded Innovation and Knowledge Centre at Cornerstone focuses on commercial translation of silicon photonics research.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support the creation of new pilot lines for photonics.

The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy recognises the opportunity to capitalise on our strength in photonics, chip design, and advanced technologies. To deliver this, DSIT is considering infrastructure needs as recommended by the Royal Academy of Engineering’s quantum infrastructure review. The UK already has strengths in photonics including Scotland’s photonics cluster, supported by centres like the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre and the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics. UK universities, such as Southampton and Cambridge, contribute to European photonics pilot lines with DSIT funding. The DSIT-funded Innovation and Knowledge Centre at Cornerstone focuses on commercial translation of silicon photonics research.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to give wildlife crime notifiable status.

Wildlife crime can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife should face the full force of the law.There are no plans currently to make all wildlife crimes notifiable. Any non-notifiable wildlife crime reported to police can be investigated as Chief Constables have operational independence to tackle the crimes that matter most to their communities.

What plans his Department has to prioritise research into the early detection of pancreatic cancer.

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Cancer is one of the largest areas of spend at over £141.6 million in 2024/25, reflecting its high priority.These investments are pivotal to informing efforts to improve cancer prevention, treatment and outcomes. An example of this investment is research led by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Imperial College London on breath tests for early detection of cancer, including pancreatic cancer. Further information on the breath tests is available at the following link:https://imperialbrc.nihr.ac.uk/2023/06/05/imperial-led-uk-cancer-breath-tests-reach-final-stages/The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including pancreatic cancer research. The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how the National Health Service will improve diagnosis and outcomes for cancer patients in England.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Laos on the disappearance of Sombath Somphone.

The UK continues to raise the case of Sombath Somphone's disappearance with the Lao authorities, both bilaterally and through multilateral fora such as the UN Human Rights Council. Most recently, on 3 September 2025, the previous Minister for the Indo-Pacific raised the case with the Laos Deputy Foreign Minister during the UK-Laos Political Dialogue. This followed up on her visit to Laos in April, where she also raised the issue. The UK remains committed to supporting human rights in Laos and will continue to raise this case.

Whether his Department is taking steps to develop a modern service framework for neurological conditions other than dementia; and whether he plans to consult (a) the MS Society and (b) people with neurological conditions on future policy decisions.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out the development of a new series of service frameworks to accelerate progress in conditions where there is potential for rapid improvements in the quality of care and productivity. The first wave of modern service frameworks will be published in 2026 and, following this, the 10-Year Health Plan allows for service frameworks to be developed for other conditions, including neurological conditions.We will continue to work closely with neurological charities like the MS Society, as this work progresses.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the EU-UK SPS agreement on (a) the Government's commitment to improve animal welfare and (b) the Government's forthcoming animal welfare strategy.

The agreement will cover SPS standards and controls and also wider agrifood rules related to food labelling, organics, and key marketing standards and compositional standards. The EU has accepted there will need to be a number of areas where we need to retain our own rules. The details of these are subject to negotiation, but we have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards, support public health, and support the use of new and innovative technologies. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement with the EU on enforcement of the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024.

The agreement will cover SPS standards and controls and also wider agrifood rules related to food labelling, organics, and key marketing standards and compositional standards. The EU has accepted there will need to be a number of areas where we need to retain our own rules. The details of these are subject to negotiation, but we have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards, support public health, and support the use of new and innovative technologies. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will request that the UK is able to diverge from the EU in relation to animal welfare standards in the dynamic alignment requirement of the EU-UK Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.

The agreement will cover SPS standards and controls and also wider agrifood rules related to food labelling, organics, and key marketing standards and compositional standards. The EU has accepted there will need to be a number of areas where we need to retain our own rules. The details of these are subject to negotiation, but we have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards, support public health, and support the use of new and innovative technologies. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

With reference to the MS Society’s report entitled A Different Path: Rethinking MS hospital care, published in September 2025, what steps he is taking to increase staffing levels in (a) neurology, (b) multiple sclerosis nursing and (c) allied health professions in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. To support this, the Department and NHS England will be engaging with key stakeholders to ensure that the particular needs of different patient groups and relevant health professionals are reflected in this work.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent diplomatic steps his Department has taken in the context of deaths among (a) political and (b) religious prisoners in Nicaragua.

The UK remains deeply concerned about the relentless deterioration of human rights in Nicaragua, including reports of the deaths of political and religious prisoners. We continue to raise concerns over arbitrary detentions and restrictions on freedom of religion, including at the UN Human Rights Council on 28 February, and at the Organisation of the American States General Assembly on 25 June. We will continue to urge the Nicaraguan authorities to restore democratic freedoms through our engagements in-country and with their Embassy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for publication of the animal welfare strategy.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

What matters he plans to consult on in relation to the regulations required under Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill.

Under Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill, the Secretary of State will be able to set conditions for when an NDA can still be validly entered into in the case of relevant harassment and discrimination. ('excepted NDA'). Regulations can also be made to specify who workers with excepted NDAs can speak to, for which purposes and/or in which circumstances. Finally, they can also be made to expand the types of individuals the legislation applies to beyond the standard definitions of "employee" and "worker" in the Employment Rights Act 1996.The Government will consult on the regulations in respect of these powers.

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to require that any confidentiality clause within an (a) employment and (b) settlement agreement (i) cannot be (A) requested and (B) required by an employer and (ii) may only be included at the request of the complainant.

Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill will void any provision in an agreement, such as a contract of employment or settlement agreement, between a worker and their employer that prevents a worker from speaking out about relevant harassment or discrimination.The Government intends to consult on the regulations that will set out the criteria for when an NDA can still be validly entered into in the case of relevant harassment and discrimination. The regulations are aimed at shifting the balance of power away from employers who misuse NDAs.

Whether he plans to include non-disparagement clauses within the definition of contractual duties of confidentiality in Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill.

Clause 22A of the Employment Rights Bill will void any provision in an agreement, such as a contract of employment or settlement agreement, between a worker and their employer that prevents a worker from speaking out about relevant harassment or discrimination.Where an agreement includes a non-disparagement clause, this would be void in so far as it limits a worker's ability to speak out about relevant harassment, discrimination or their employer's response to it.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) respond to threats to religious freedom for Christian and other minority faith communities in Iraq.

The UK is committed to championing freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all. On 8 July, the Government publicly set out its approach to FoRB, providing a framework for UK engagement, including for countries navigating the impact of conflict, both past and present, such as Iraq.In July 2025, the Minister for Human Rights and the UK Special Envoy for FoRB met with Mir Hazem Tahsin Beg, the Prince of the Yazidis. We also raise threats to minority faith communities into regular engagements with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and in multilateral fora. For example, at Iraq's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council in June, we recommended that Iraq upholds the right for minorities to freely practice their religion or belief, without fear of persecution.