Written questions by Champion.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2025 to Question 35265 on Animal Experiments, what steps he plans to take to (a) monitor and (b) report on progress made against the commitments set out in the planned strategy.

The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year. Regarding the monitoring and reporting on progress on commitments made, the plan will include arrangements for governance of delivery.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the potential merits of continuing funding for the Blue Belt international marine conservation programme beyond 2025.

UK Government Ministers meet regularly through the Overseas Territories Ministerial Group to discuss key priorities, the last was held on 5 March. Territory Governments, Ministers from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs discussed Overseas Territories environmental priorities during the annual Joint Ministerial Council (November 2024) where a commitment to the continuation of the Blue Belt Programme was provided in the Joint Communique. The UK Government remains committed to supporting the Blue Belt Programme, which underpins global ocean protection ambition. Future funding for the Programme remains subject to ongoing spending review considerations.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2025 to Question 29896 on Sexual Offences: Crown Court, whether she plans to engage with victims and survivors in the evaluation of the pilot scheme.

Since May 2024, the Ministry of Justice has been running a one-year pilot to enable victims of rape and sexual offences, whose cases were heard at the Crown Court, to request a copy of the judge’s sentencing remarks free of charge.An assessment of the pilot is underway. This includes collecting applicant survey feedback, shared by victims or by those applying on their behalf. The results of the assessment will be published, and presented at victims’ sector groups, after the pilot has ended in May 2025. In this way victims’ voices will be at the heart of the pilot’s evaluation and any consequent decisions.Surveys were sent to applicants, who gave consent to being contacted for survey purposes, asking for their views, and this information will inform the final assessment of the pilot.

With reference to the report by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel entitled Protecting Children and Responding the Child Sexual Abuse within the Family Environment, published in November 2024, what steps she is taking in the context of the findings of that report on child sexual abuse in private family law proceedings.

Child sexual abuse is among the most vile and damaging of crimes, which is why at the King’s Speech we committed to restricting parental responsibility for perpetrators sentenced for child sex offences. The Government is focused on delivering meaningful change for victims impacted by these horrendous crimes, including within the Family Court.The Panel’s report highlighted specific recommendations for the President of the Family Division and Cafcass to consider in relation to the Family Court and the Government will respond fully to the Panel’s report and its recommendations in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to tackle the use of products created through illegal deforestation in supply chains.

We recognise the need to take action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation, and we will set out our approach to addressing this in due course.

Whether his Department plans to (a) formally recognise accredited school-based counsellors as part of the children’s mental health workforce and (b) integrate those counsellors into (i) NHS and (ii) education-based mental health services.

As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we will introduce access to a specialist mental health professional in every school, through expanding NHS-funded mental health support teams, so that every young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. We are working with our colleagues at NHS England and the Department for Education to consider options to deliver this commitment.Department for Education guidance encourages mental health support teams to work with other existing professionals, such as school or college-based counsellors, educational psychologists, school nurses, pastoral care, educational welfare officers, voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations, local authority provision, primary care, and NHS children and young people’s mental health services.It is important for schools to have the freedom to decide what support to offer to pupils based on their needs, drawing on an evidence base of effective practice. This support can include counselling, which can be an effective part of a whole school approach. However, counselling is not suitable for all needs and many pupils also benefit from other in-school support, including from trained pastoral staff and educational psychologists.In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again. We will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2025 to Question 30101 on Israel: Hamas, which partners are reporting and monitoring aid losses; and whether their assessments will be published.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) maintains regular communication with the UN, like-minded donors, and our other partners to understand the risk of aid losses and share approaches to mitigation. We consistently communicate our expectation that losses are reported to us proactively, in line with our signed agreements - with which they comply fully. The FCDO's Fraud Investigations Team ensures robust investigations take place where loss is identified, and works with our partners to understand ongoing risks and learn lessons from all cases. Individual investigation reports and outcomes are confidential, but details of total losses, along with details of any loss over £300,000, are published in the FCDO's Annual Report and Accounts.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to set (a) clear objectives, (b) measurable milestones and (c) interim targets to phase out animal testing.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year, which will set out clear objectives and measurable milestones. Any work to phase out animal testing must be science-led, in lock step with partners, so we will not be setting interim targets or arbitrary timelines for reducing their use.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2025 to Question 29896 on Sexual Offences: Crown Court, what plans her Department has to evaluate the pilot scheme for victims of rape and sexual offences.

Since May 2024, the Ministry of Justice has been running a one-year pilot to enable victims of rape and sexual offences, whose cases were heard at the Crown Court, to request a copy of the judge’s sentencing remarks free of charge. An assessment of the pilot is underway, and the results will be published after the pilot has ended in May 2025. This will explore application volumes, costs of provision, and any feedback from the courts on the process. It will also include applicant survey feedback, shared by victims or by those applying on their behalf.

Whether the term child practitioner is used exclusively to refer to Children and Young People's Wellbeing Practitioners.

Children and Young People’s Wellbeing Practitioners assess and support children and young people with mental health problems, improving their access to therapies. They play a key role in signposting children and young people to appropriate mental health and community services and referring those with more complex problems to the right mental health support.The term child practitioner is an education term, used for support within education services. It is not recognised by the central NHS Workforce Team as a National Health Service job title, although it may be used colloquially in some local situations.

Whether he has made an assessment of steel supply chain exposure to Uyghur forced labour in the production of wind turbines.

The Government is committed to tackling the issue of forced labour in supply chains and is taking robust action. Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 places a requirement on businesses with a turnover of £36m or more to publish an annual modern slavery statement, setting out the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chain.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 27227 on Shellfish: Animal Welfare, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of including all animals recognised as sentient beings in the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 27227, no policy decisions about these animals in relation to the Animal Welfare Act (2006) have been made whilst the evidence-base is being built.

Innovation and Technology, whether the forthcoming strategy on phasing out animal testing will include all areas of science and regulatory testing, including chemicals, medicines, and cosmetics; and if he will publish a list of the specific areas under review.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods in basic, applied, translational and regulatory research and testing later this year. It will cover the whole range of uses of animals in science, including chemicals, medicines and cosmetics; each sector is at a different stage in its journey to applying alternative methods, which the strategy will take into account.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of purchasing wind turbines from Chinese manufacturers on the UK steel industry.

The UK steel industry has a long-term future under this Government. This month we launched the Plan for Steel Consultation, to look at the long-term issues facing the industry. This includes assessing how domestic steel producers could fulfil more UK demand for steel in downstream industries. Britain is open for business, and this Government has committed up to £2.5 billion to the future of steel to protect our industrial heartlands, maintain jobs, and drive growth as part of our Plan for Change

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) importing wind turbine components from China and (b) the ability of the UK to produce wind turbine components from domestically made steel on national security.

The protection and security of the energy sector is a priority of this Government. We have a range of effective measures in place which give the Government powers to balance an open investment environment to facilitate growth with protecting the parts of our economy that are the most sensitive to national security. The UK steel industry has a long-term future under this Government. This month we launched the Plan for Steel Consultation, to look at the long-term issues facing the industry. This includes assessing how domestic steel producers could fulfil more UK demand for steel in downstream industries. Britain is open for business, and this Government has committed up to £2.5 billion to the future of steel to protect our industrial heartlands, maintain jobs, and drive growth as part of our Plan for Change.

What steps he plans to take to (a) return cervical cancer screening rates to pre-2020 levels and (b) meet cervical cancer screening targets.

To support improving the access and uptake of the NHS Cervical Screening Programme, the National Health Service has a series of initiatives underway, including:- developing a digital-first approach to cervical screening invitations and reminders, including using the Cervical Screening Management System (CSMS) to create opportunities to communicate with the population differently;- introducing a revised invitation correspondence, and subsequent reminder letter, in 2025/26, that is sent to 24.5 year olds to specifically highlight the need to attend a cervical screening even if they have had the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination, and to raise awareness of the HPV vaccine catch-up offer for those up to 25 years old;- using CSMS to enable an opt-in process for transgender and non-binary peoples’ screening invitations to ensure that no-one eligible misses out on the opportunity to be invited and participate;- expanding the range of accessible public information materials across all screening programmes, and continuing to highlight the importance of screening within our regular equalities-focused communications and engagement;- developing an agile cervical screening workforce that can respond to fluctuations in demand through workforce planning, accounting for potential future changes to screening offers, which is being directed by the UK National Screening Committee;- identifying low-cost/no-cost opportunities to communicate the NHS’s aim to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040, highlighting the value of cervical screening and the HPV vaccination as fundamental to achieving this goal.The UK National Screening Committee is also considering the benefits of introducing self-sampling for cervical screening non-attenders.

What steps he plans to take to return HPV vaccination rates to pre-2020 levels.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works closely with several organisations to develop resources to raise awareness of the human papilloma virus (HPV). The UKHSA also publishes annual statistics, which are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/human-papillomavirus-hpv-vaccine-coverage-estimates-in-england-2022-to-2023/human-papillomavirus-hpv-vaccination-coverage-in-adolescents-in-england-2022-to-2023These publications support local National Health Service teams in developing plans to improve uptake and reduce inequalities for the HPV universal programme. The UKHSA produces several HPV resources, which are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hpv-vaccination-programmeThe NHS Commissioned School Aged Immunisation Service providers have robust catch-up plans in place for the adolescent HPV vaccination programme. To support increased access and uptake of the HPV vaccination to school aged children, NHS England continues to work with all key stakeholders at a regional level to strengthen local initiatives and encourage innovative models to approach the robust delivery of school aged vaccinations. Further information on the NHS’ ambition to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2023/11/nhs-sets-ambition-to-eliminate-cervical-cancer-by-2040/

What assessment he has made of the potential risk of microplastic pollution to human health; and what practices he has in place to continuously evaluate the growing body of research on this topic.

The UK Health Security Agency is carrying out research to understand if there are potential health risks from exposure to micro and nano plastics through inhalational and oral routes, as part of the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Exposures and Health. In addition, the potential impact of microplastic materials on human health has been assessed by the UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment. The most recent statement was published in 2024 and is available at the following link: https://cot.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024-02/Microplastics%20inhalation%20final%20draft%20statement%20Acc%20V%20SO.pdf.Under the 2022/23 UK REACH Work Programme, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs initiated a research proposal to investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. The evidence project has reviewed their emissions, and the risks they pose both to human health and the environment. It also included a socio-economic assessment. This project is expected to report in early 2025. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Welsh and Scottish Governments will consider its findings once complete.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help prevent microplastics entering nature from washing machines.

The Government is concerned about the possible risks to public health and wildlife from microplastics which enter the environment from the atmosphere and road runoff and from washing machines. Previous collaborative work with the water industry found that microplastic from clothing and textiles make up a small proportion (around 1%) of the total microplastics found within wastewater treatment works. We are continuing to investigate microplastics and the risks they may have to public health and to the environment. Defra is working with water companies to investigate microplastics detected during wastewater treatment and their potential to enter the receiving aquatic environment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the progress of industry and businesses in developing cost-effective microplastic filter solutions for washing machines.

Defra officials gratefully received information which the honourable member kindly provided in her recent letter to me. The information was reported by a washing machine filter technology group describing solutions to tackling microplastics and microfibres as a product of washing textiles and clothing. Officials are currently assessing the details. The Government is concerned about the risks microplastics in our water environment may pose to public health and to the environment. Defra is working with water companies to investigate microplastics detected during wastewater treatment and their potential to enter the receiving aquatic environment.