Written questions by Onwurah.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her polices of recent trends in levels of capital provision by US venture capital firms in (a) UK and (b) other markets.

Venture capital (VC) investment from around the world is important to the UK economy, and US investors continue to play a significant role. In Q1 2025, UK innovation businesses raised over £3bn – this is an 8% increase on the same period last year and the highest Q1 total since 2022. The UK ranks third globally for VC investment and has raised more than France, Germany, and Spain combined so far this year.The Government is taking action to continue attracting international VC investment, including from the US, through the investor relationship work of the Office for Investment and by partnering with industry on international capital roadshows. We are also reviewing how to accelerate the growth of the UK’s domestic VC ecosystem through the public finance institution landscape review.In addition, the Government recognises the value in growing the UK’s domestic VC investment market and it is taking steps to support this, including through the British Growth Partnership (BGP). This is a commercially driven investment vehicle designed to attract UK pension fund and other institutional capital into venture capital funds and innovative businesses. Last September, the Chancellor also announced an extension of the UK’s generous venture capital tax reliefs, the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the Venture Capital Trust scheme which - alongside the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme - offer generous tax reliefs in return for investing in UK business.

Innovation and Technology, how Innovate UK's Tech Readiness Levels relate to investment readiness.

Whilst some UKRI councils use Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) to determine funding eligibility, Innovate UK takes a more flexible approach, as there is no standardised way of applying them across sectors or non-technological projects. Innovate UK instead uses categories determined by subsidy control regulations: fundamental research, feasibility studies, industrial research, or experimental development. Innovate UK’s programmes support businesses to develop new products and services, which enhances their ability to secure investment. An example of this is the Investor Partnerships programme, which provides grant funding with aligned equity investment. Through this model, £1.44bn of private sector leverage has been achieved from £100m in grant awards.

What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on levels of upfront visa costs for researchers.

Home Office officials and ministers consult widely with their counterparts across government on all aspects of the immigration system.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has had made of the effectiveness of the distribution of funding for research and development across different regions.

I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 11th April to Question UIN 43862.

How many people that have received negative asylum decisions have subsequently become homeless in Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West constituency in the last 12 months.

The information requested is not centrally held, and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 39835 on Social Media: Regulation, whether (a) his Department and (b) Ofcom has made an assessment of the impact of designating end-to-end encryption as a risk factor in the (i) Illegal Harms Codes of Practice and (ii) illegal content risk assessment guidance on regulated businesses' willingness to offer end-to-end encryption to users in the UK.

Ofcom is responsible for assessing the possible implications of its codes of practice and guidance under the Online Safety Act (OSA).As previously noted, the OSA does not ban any service design and the European Conventions of Human Rights (ECHR) requires all UK public bodies, including Ofcom, to act in a way that complies with ECHR rights. Companies are legal persons having rights afforded by the ECHR.DSIT will carry out a Post Implementation Review to assess the effectiveness of the legislation, including how the OSA has addressed harmful online content while protecting UK users’ rights.

Whether he has had discussions with UK businesses on the potential impact of President Trump's executive order on diversity, equality and inclusion practices.

The Secretary of State and Ministerial team engage in regular discussions with UK business on topics including this. Department for Business and Trade ministers have already this year hosted events launching the FTSE Women Leaders and Parker Review 2025 Reports; both of which were attended by senior leaders from across the UK's private sector. Promoting equality of opportunity and business-led initiatives for progress are key parts of this Government's Plan for Change, ensuring fair access to the best jobs for all.

Innovation and Technology, how much the Government spends on countering disinformation; and in which Departments this money is spent.

A number of departments, including DSIT, Home Office and the FCDO, work together to address risks to the UK from disinformation. Activities include analysis and policy work to reduce the spread and impact of disinformation online.We do not share our total spend on information threats publicly because of the risks inherent in revealing the scale of our efforts to adversaries. Components of this spend include £3m invested in media literacy by DSIT to drive critical engagement with online content (2022-24) and £25.5m invested by FCDO in building societal resilience to Russian interference in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (FY24-25).

Innovation and Technology, how Innovate UK supports (a) start-ups and (b) scale-ups in meeting the requirements of potential investors.

Innovate UK has several targeted approaches to support innovative SMEs that increase their investment readiness. From 2020-2024, SMEs supported by Innovate UK Business Growth have raised over £9bn in private sector investment. In its current spending review planning, Innovate UK is further prioritising how their overall support is strengthened to provide a smooth innovation journey from start-up to scale-up alongside working in closer partnership with other ecosystem partners such as the Scale-up Institute and British Business Bank.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regional distribution of research and development funding.

DSIT's R&D budget is rising to £13.9bn for the 2025/26 financial year, a real terms increase of 8.5% compared to 2024/25. This will include investments in our R&D system in every region of the UK.There will be a lag in the data showing the exact regional distribution but the latest figures from UKRI show that all regions and nations received an increase in UKRI investment between the financial years 21/22 and 23/24. In 23/24 the greatest absolute increases in investment were seen in the North West, West Midlands and East Midlands.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the repayment rate for newer medicines under the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth on the UK life sciences sector.

The voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access, and growth (VPAG) is a unique partnership between the Government and the pharmaceutical industry and includes a range of commitments to support innovation and improve National Health Service access and uptake of newer medicines. This also includes the novel £400 million investment programme which aims to boost the global competitiveness of the United Kingdom, stimulate economic growth, and support patient access to medicines through targeted investment.The Department has been engaging closely with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) to understand the potential impact of the higher-than-expected VPAG headline payment percentage in 2025. In recognition of the pressure that the increased headline payment percentage is putting on industry we have committed to bringing forward the mid-scheme review of the VPAG from Autumn 2025 to June 2025.As part of this review, the ABPI and their member organisations have been invited to put forward their proposals for discussion, as well as suggestions for how the pharmaceutical sector can actively work alongside the Government to increase the UK’s overall share of global research and development activity, and drive economic growth.

o ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on commissioning research into the health and productivity impacts of working night shifts.

The Department funds research into work and health through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR). This includes research into the health and productivity impacts of working night shifts. The Department has recently commissioned research to develop and test an intervention for shift work sleep disorder in National Health Service workers.To build the evidence base on work and health, last year the NIHR funded the Work and Health Development Awards, leading to four major collaboration awards.The NIHR launched a second round of Work and Health Awards in November 2024, and will launch a call in Spring 2025 to assess the labour-market outcomes of NIHR-funded health interventions. Alongside these initiatives, the NIHR launched a call in July 2024 to identify the most effective interventions that organisations can adopt to improve the physical and mental health of the United Kingdom’s workforce.The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including the health impacts of working night shifts. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on work and health to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of working night shifts on the mental health of workers.

Reducing ill health at work is an important area of focus for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as outlined in their strategic objectives. One of the ways this is achieved is supporting employers to protect their workers’ mental health and keep them in the workforce. Having considered the impact of shift work on health and safety, HSE has published guidance for employers to support them in managing the risk (Managing shift work [HSG 256], published in 2006) which includes many factors that are relevant to mental health. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 all employers have a duty, so far as it is reasonably practicable, to protect the health, safety, and welfare at work of all their employees. Specifically, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to assess health and safety risks to employees and to put in place arrangements to control those risks. Therefore, if an employer assesses shift work as a risk to mental health, they should introduce control measures including those outlined in the guidance.

What steps he is taking to encourage the connection of residential developments to district heating schemes.

The Committee for Climate Change has recommended the government grows the heat network sector from providing 3% of national heat demand to 20% by 2050.To deliver this ambition we are transforming the heat network market through policies like heat network zoning, which identifies areas of England where heat networks are expected to be the lowest cost solution for decarbonising heat.Through heat network zoning, certain types of buildings including communally heated residential buildings could be required to connect to a network within a prescribed timeframe.This will allow for large-scale strategic heat networks to be built in towns and cities across the country.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of working night shifts on (a) health, (b) safety and (c) productivity.

Reducing ill health at work is an important area of focus for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as outlined in their strategic objectives. One of the ways this is achieved is supporting employers to protect their workers’ mental health and keep them in the workforce. Having considered the impact of shift work on health and safety, HSE has published guidance for employers to support them in managing the risk (Managing shift work [HSG 256], published in 2006) which includes many factors that are relevant to mental health. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 all employers have a duty, so far as it is reasonably practicable, to protect the health, safety, and welfare at work of all their employees. Specifically, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to assess health and safety risks to employees and to put in place arrangements to control those risks. Therefore, if an employer assesses shift work as a risk to mental health, they should introduce control measures including those outlined in the guidance.

Whether GB Energy has a role in the decarbonising of pre-existing housing stock.

Great British Energy will develop, invest in, build, and operate clean energy projects across the UK. The Government is supporting decarbonisation of housing stock through other initiatives. We have committed £3.4 billion over the next 3 years to the Warm Homes Plan, and across 2025 to 2026, we will oversee approximately £3.2 billion of investment in warmer homes. This will include around £1 billion as part of our Warm Homes Plan, and other funding from social housing providers and obligations from suppliers. This could facilitate up to 300,000 homes to benefit from upgrades next year, helping reduce energy bills and deliver warmer homes that are cleaner to heat.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of apprenticeships as pathways into (a) research and (b) innovation careers.

There are a number of apprenticeships to support careers in research and innovation, including the level 6 product design and development engineer and level 6 materials science technologist.Apprenticeships deliver strong outcomes and high satisfaction rates for learners and employers.94% of apprentices go into work or further training, with 93% in sustained employment, and many apprentices remain with the employer following their apprenticeship.In addition, latest data shows that 83% of employers were satisfied with their apprenticeship programme and 77% of employers reported improved productivity, while 86% of apprentices were satisfied with their apprenticeships and 88% felt their career prospects had improved since starting their apprenticeship.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to p. 69 of the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, which innovation partnerships she plans to continue; and what criteria his Department uses to decide which innovation partnerships are effective.

In the English Devolution White Paper, we committed to support more local leaders, working in partnership with businesses and universities, to unlock their regions’ innovation potential.For example, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is deepening its regional partnerships with Mayoral Strategic Authorities in England and working to extend this to the Devolved Administrations. InnovateUK is working with local leaders across the UK to develop jointly owned local innovation action plans. UKRI is developing a framework to assess the effectiveness of these partnerships, which will help inform the consideration of options for future regional innovation funding as part of the Spending Review.We are also developing a new, UK-wide regional innovation funding programme as part of the Spending Review. This will help to ensure everyone benefits from innovation-led growth.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of working days that were lost due to the effects of sickle cell disorder in the last 12 months.

The Office for National Statistics publish annual statistics on sickness absence in the UK labour market, which includes the reasons for sickness absence. However, the reasons are not provided in this data at the level of detail of specific conditions, such as sickle cell disorder.The latest statistics for sickness absence in the UK labour market can be found here: Sickness absence in the UK labour market - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

Whether he plans to continue funding for PCARP Digital Pathways in the 2025-26 financial year.

As part of the Primary Care Access and Recovery Plan for 2024/25, integrated care boards (ICBs) received non-recurrent funding to support the uptake of highly usable and accessible digital tools in practices. This funding is not separately available in 2025/26. ICBs are expected to continue funding digital tools for general practices from their core allocations, and to prioritise as necessary within those allocations, as part of delivering Government and planning priorities on general practice access, and to support the move from analogue to digital.