Written questions by Osborne.

How many defendants elected trial by jury in either-way cases in each of the last a) three years and b) five years.

The Ministry of Justice published data on those electing for jury trials in either-way cases covering periods from 2014 up to the first quarter of 2023. This information is published in the Criminal Courts Statistics release in Table_AC10: Criminal court statistics quarterly: January to March 2023 - GOV.UK At present, around 15% of either-way receipts into the Crown Court have an unknown reason for sending recorded in HMCTS reporting systems. Work is underway to reduce this rate of unknowns so that robust data can be published in future releases.

What assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of (a) respiratory disease and (b) the number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions (i) in Chatham and Aylesford constituency and (ii) nationally; and what steps he is taking to ensure respiratory health is prioritised nationally.

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.Data is available for emergency finished admission episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. Data for Chatham and Aylesford is shown in the table.Activity in English National Health Service Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sectorWestminster Parliamentary Constituency of Residence (Office for National Statistics)2024/25 (August 2024 to March 2025)2025/26 (April 2025 to November 2025, provisional)Chatham and Aylesford840530England608,449423,588Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England Available data on trends in respiratory conditions is available at the Department of Health and Social Care Fingertips website. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency, but is available at regional, county, unitary authority and integrated care board level. Information for Kent is available at the following link:https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/Respiratory#page/1/gid/1/pat/15/ati/502/are/E10000016/iid/40701/age/163/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1The Government has committed to delivering three big shifts that our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country. Through our community diagnostic centres (CDCs), we are building capacity for respiratory testing and enabling people to get diagnosed closer to home. 101 CDCs across the country now offer out of hours services, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around busy working lives. This is alongside action being taken to expand capacity and improve the quality of pulmonary rehabilitation services to support patients living with respiratory conditions.

Whether the Department is aware of (a) any loss and (b) compromise of personal data held by the Pension Protection Fund affecting pension scheme members; and whether communications requesting updates to beneficiary information are part of routine administration rather than a response to any such incident.

The Pension Protection Fund’s recent communications to members about nominating beneficiaries relates to the introduction of its new online beneficiary nomination service, which allows members to nominate or update their beneficiary details directly via the member website. It is a service that’s designed to make the bereavement process faster and more efficient and is not in response to any loss or compromise of members’ personal data.

Whether apprentices who commenced a Level 7 apprenticeship before 1 January 2026 will continue to have government funding protected through to completion under the apprenticeship funding rules; what guidance he has issued to providers and employers to ensure this protection is applied; and what arrangements exist where a provider discontinues a programme or must transfer apprentices to an alternative provider.

Level 7 apprentices, that started prior to 1 January 2026, will be funded through to completion. As with funding for all apprenticeships, this is subject to employer and training provider compliance with the apprenticeship funding rules and the apprenticeship employer and provider agreements. Apprentices concerned about ongoing training provision should contact customer.help@service.education.gov.uk.

What data his Department holds on the number of patients waiting to start treatment with Medway NHS Foundation Trust in (a) July 2024 and (b) December 2025.

The latest publication was on 15 January 2026 for November 2025 data. Data for December will be published on 12 February 2026.At the start of July 2024, the number of pathways on the referral-to-treatment waiting list for the same trust was 43,820.As of the latest published data for the end of November 2025, the number of pathways on the waiting list at the same trust was 37,104. The waiting list at Medway has therefore reduced by 6,716, or by 15.3%.Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are committed to putting patients first by ensuring that they are seen on time and that they have the best possible experience of care. Since the Government came into office, the waiting list for routine appointments, operations and procedures in England has now been cut by 312,369. This is despite 30.1 million referrals onto the waiting list.Data on elective performance is published monthly, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/

What data his Department holds on the number of patients waiting to start treatment with Maidstone and Tunbridge NHS Foundation Trust in (a) July 2024 and (b) December 2025.

At the start of July 2024, the number of pathways on the referral-to-treatment waiting list at the Maidstone and Tunbridge NHS Foundation Trust was 44,761.As of the latest published data for the end of November 2025, the number of pathways was 49,595. Published data is available at the following link:https://data.england.nhs.uk/dashboard/rttData for December 2025 will be published on 12 February 2026.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reclassifying Ketamine from a Class B to Class A drug.

Ketamine is a dangerous substance, which can cause irreversible bladder damage and in some cases death. Ministers are concerned about the harms ketamine causes and on 16 October 2025 the Department for Health and Social Care launched a campaign to alert young people to its dangers.In January 2025 the Government asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to provide an updated harms assessment of ketamine, advice on reducing those harms and whether ketamine should be moved from Class B to Class A within the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.The ACMD carried out a public call for evidence in August 2025, and we expect to receive its report soon. We will then carefully consider its recommendations.

What steps her Department is taking with schools to help reduce the number of minors being treated for drug use, including in Medway.

Schools and colleges have a critical role to play in protecting children and keeping them safe. Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE), available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2, is the statutory guidance that all schools and colleges must have when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.The statutory curriculum for health education requires all pupils in state-maintained schools to be taught the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and the associated risks to physical and mental wellbeing, including smoking, alcohol use and drug-taking.By the end of secondary school, pupils should know the facts about which drugs are illegal, the risks of taking illegal drugs, including the increased risk of potent synthetic drugs being added to illegal drugs, the risks of illicit vapes containing drugs, illicit drugs and counterfeit medicines, and the potential health harms, including the link to poor mental health.This complements content about substances within the national curriculum for science.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the UK’s chemical and materials science and engineering sectors have access to the infrastructure necessary to support the transition to a circular economy and green growth.

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. This systemic change, with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure, builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and a more resilient economy. The Government convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help map that transition; we will soon publish a Circular Economy Growth Plan that sets out how government will deliver a more circular and more prosperous economy. The Plan will set out the biggest opportunities to support growth in sectors right across the economy, including chemicals and plastics, as well as: agri-food; built environment; electrical and electronic equipment; textiles; and transport. It will consider critical enablers such including skills and infrastructure. Defra, in collaboration with experts across Government, industry, academia and relevant non-governmental organisations, will assess what further interventions may be needed across the chemical and materials science and engineering sectors, including any interventions on skills and infrastructure.We have noted the report Jobs and skills for a circular economy: a cross-sector perspective from the chemical and materials science and engineering communities, by the Institution of Chemical Engineers, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. The report reflects our emphasis on skills development and the chemicals and plastics sector to support the transition towards a circular economy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to help support the upskilling of the chemical and materials science and engineering workforce to enable the delivery of a circular economy and green growth.

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. This systemic change, with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure, builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and a more resilient economy. The Government convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help map that transition; we will soon publish a Circular Economy Growth Plan that sets out how government will deliver a more circular and more prosperous economy. The Plan will set out the biggest opportunities to support growth in sectors right across the economy, including chemicals and plastics, as well as: agri-food; built environment; electrical and electronic equipment; textiles; and transport. It will consider critical enablers such including skills and infrastructure. Defra, in collaboration with experts across Government, industry, academia and relevant non-governmental organisations, will assess what further interventions may be needed across the chemical and materials science and engineering sectors, including any interventions on skills and infrastructure.We have noted the report Jobs and skills for a circular economy: a cross-sector perspective from the chemical and materials science and engineering communities, by the Institution of Chemical Engineers, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. The report reflects our emphasis on skills development and the chemicals and plastics sector to support the transition towards a circular economy.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy is aligned with the Critical Minerals Strategy and the Circular Economy Growth Plan.

We are ensuring our upcoming plan for industrial decarbonisation aligns with the Critical Minerals Strategy and the Circular Economy Growth Plan through joint working across government and coordinated policy development. This approach aims to strengthen supply chain resilience and embeds resource efficiency into policy design, helping industry decarbonise while supporting sustainable growth.

Food and Rural Affairs, what consideration her Department has given to the report Jobs and skills for a circular economy: a cross-sector perspective from the chemical and materials science and engineering communities, published by the Institution of Chemical Engineers, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, and the Royal Society of Chemistry; and how that report is informing efforts to ensure the UK has the chemical and materials science and engineering skills required to maximise the opportunities of the circular economy and green growth.

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. This systemic change, with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure, builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and a more resilient economy. The Government convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help map that transition; we will soon publish a Circular Economy Growth Plan that sets out how government will deliver a more circular and more prosperous economy. The Plan will set out the biggest opportunities to support growth in sectors right across the economy, including chemicals and plastics, as well as: agri-food; built environment; electrical and electronic equipment; textiles; and transport. It will consider critical enablers such including skills and infrastructure. Defra, in collaboration with experts across Government, industry, academia and relevant non-governmental organisations, will assess what further interventions may be needed across the chemical and materials science and engineering sectors, including any interventions on skills and infrastructure.We have noted the report Jobs and skills for a circular economy: a cross-sector perspective from the chemical and materials science and engineering communities, by the Institution of Chemical Engineers, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, and the Royal Society of Chemistry. The report reflects our emphasis on skills development and the chemicals and plastics sector to support the transition towards a circular economy.

What steps she plans to take to help ensure the UK is an attractive destination for cryptoasset capital.

The government recognises the transformative potential of digital assets and blockchain technologies to drive economic growth in the UK and increase efficiencies across financial markets. That is why the government is bringing in legislation to establish a new financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets. This will support growth in the UK by giving cryptoasset firms the regulatory certainty needed to invest here, and to help drive innovation in our financial services sector.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of simplifying tax-compliant investment structures for cryptoassets in innovative finance ISAs to include all cryptoassets; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on levels of involuntary non-compliance among retail investors.

The government recognises the transformative potential for digital assets and blockchain technologies to drive economic growth in the UK and increase efficiencies across financial markets. That is why the government is bringing in legislation to establish a new financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets. This will support growth in the UK by giving cryptoasset firms the regulatory certainty needed to invest here, and to help drive innovation in our financial services sector. A draft consultation on legislation that enables the inclusion of cETNs in the IFISA is out now and will come int force in April 2026. While there are currently no plans to include all cryptoassets in IFISAs, any future consideration would take account of market maturity, stability, and the suitability of providing targeted tax reliefs alongside the new regulatory regime.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of introducing clearer regulatory and tax frameworks for cryptoasset investment on a) high-skilled job creation and b) assets under management.

The government recognises the transformative potential for digital assets and blockchain technologies to drive economic growth in the UK and increase efficiencies across financial markets. That is why the government is bringing in legislation to establish a new financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets. This will support growth in the UK by giving cryptoasset firms the regulatory certainty needed to invest here, and to help drive innovation in our financial services sector. The government also keeps the tax framework for cryptoassets under review.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support the development of Quantum Computing, including research at Universities.

The Government’s Digital and Technologies Sector Plan outlined £670 million of investment to accelerate the development and adoption of quantum computing through our quantum computing mission. It also backed our flagship National Quantum Computing Centre with a 10-year budget, providing them with long term certainty to expand activity and demonstrating Government’s commitment to the sector.In 2024 we launched five quantum technology hubs, including a dedicated hub for quantum computing based at the University of Oxford. This brings together researchers from universities across Great Britain with industry partners, collaborating to progress quantum computing research and develop a skilled workforce.

What steps her Department is taking to manage risks associated with the SS Richard Montgomery in the Thames Estuary.

My Department is progressing a project to reduce the height of the three masts on the SS Richard Montgomery, which will reduce stress on the wreck. This project is currently in the process of procuring a salvage contractor to deliver this work and expects to have this contract in place in 2026.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the destruction of (a) textiles and (b) footwear.

The Government has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to support us in developing proposals to transition to a Circular Economy. As we develop those proposals, we will assess what further interventions may be needed across the textiles sector, including any interventions on environmental impact labelling and banning the destruction of textiles and footwear.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing environmental impact labelling for all textile goods in the UK.

The Government has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to support us in developing proposals to transition to a Circular Economy. As we develop those proposals, we will assess what further interventions may be needed across the textiles sector, including any interventions on environmental impact labelling and banning the destruction of textiles and footwear.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the value of the pound since the UK left the EU on the UK economy.

The government does not comment on specific financial market movements. The value of sterling is determined by a wide range of international and domestic factors. The Bank of England assesses the impact of financial market movements on the economy in its quarterly Monetary Policy Report - the latest can be found here.