Written questions by Onwurah.

What assessment he has made of the potential economic impact of the UK-US trade deal on businesses in the North East.

The Prime Minister, Business Secretary and other Ministers across government have been engaging widely on the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal (EPD) with business organisations and companies from across the economy, including in the North East.This deal protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK and almost 26,000 people in the North East in particular. The EPD provides much needed certainty and confidence, which is crucial for supporting a robust UK supply chain in these industries

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK’s 2025 Trade Strategy on (a) economic growth and (b) employment in the North East.

The Government published its Trade Strategy on 26 June, which was positively received by business. The Government will work closely with stakeholders on the implementation of the strategy, to ensure that resources are prioritised to deliver on key commitments to enhance economic growth and employment opportunities right across the UK including the North East, such as opening new export and market opportunities and strengthening our trade defence capabilities.

Whether he has had recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on strategies for reducing child obesity in the North East.

As part of our Health Mission, the Government is committed to ensuring that people live well for longer. This includes tackling the determinants that underpin stark health inequalities to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions and to create the healthiest generation of children ever.The 10-Year Health Plan for England outlines a range of actions to address childhood obesity. We will fulfil our commitments to restrict junk food advertising targeted at children, ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16 year olds, and use our revised National Planning Policy Framework to give local councils stronger powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools. We will work with the Department for Education to update school food standards. To support the families most in need, we are expanding free school meals to all children with a parent in receipt of universal credit. The Strengthening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy consultation sets out proposals to further drive reformulation, including ending the exemption for milk-based drinks and reducing the minimum sugar thresholds. By the end of this Parliament, we will introduce mandatory healthy food sales reporting for all large companies in the food sector.These are national-level policies and my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had discussions with relevant stakeholders on the Government’s approach of moving towards the prevention of ill health, including tackling obesity within its 10-Year Health Plan.Specifically, in the North East, North East local authorities received a total of £256 million in Public Health Grant funding for 2025/26. Directors of Public Health oversee the use of the Public Health Grant, working in partnership with a range of stakeholders to maximise the health gain associated with local resources, including addressing levels of childhood obesity in the North East. This includes commissioning the National Child Measurement Programme. Additionally, Directors of Public Health from each local authority are working in partnership with the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board to support action to address childhood obesity through a North East and North Cumbria Healthy Weight and Treating Obesity Strategy.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the impact of science and discovery centres' on (a) science communication, (b) public engagement and (c) the level of interest in STEM skills amongst school students; and what assessment she has made of trends in the level of financial resilience of these centres since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government has not conducted an assessment of interest in science and discovery centres among school students. The financial sustainability of Science and Discovery Centres was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as entrance fees are a significant income source. Sector surveys by the Association for Science and Discovery Centres, conducted in Spring 2024 and 2025, show that visitor numbers have since increased, with over 5.2 million last year—including school children, families and communities. Science and Discovery Centres engaged 37% of UK schools and offered programmes such as 'Thinking Doing Talking Science' to improve attainment, particularly among disadvantaged pupils.

Innovation and Technology, if he will steps to ensure that the proposed Cyber Security and Resilience Bill supports the establishment of common levels of cyber security with the UK's international partners.

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will better safeguard UK national security by strengthening our cyber defences and ensuring the essential and digital services people and businesses rely on every day are better protected.Cyber threats do not respect borders, and the nature of digital technology means we are all fundamentally interconnected. The UK is tackling similar challenges to those faced by governments across the globe. Businesses operating across borders are also reckoning with this threat and adjusting practices to comply with regulation in other jurisdictions as well as in the UK.The Bill is being designed with these issues in mind and government is continuing to actively engage with our international partners on its development and on our shared cyber issues. We will continue to seek harmonisation and commonality in cyber security and risk mitigation where appropriate through the design and implementation of the Bill.

What steps her Department is taking to support universities in (a) meeting student recruitment and (b) space targets in the context of current immigration policies.

The government has been clear that we welcome international students who meet the requirements to study in the UK. Higher education (HE) providers in the UK hosted 732,285 international students in the 2023/24 academic year, who come from all over the world and benefit UK HE and our society as a whole, boosting our economy by more than £21 billion a year.The government is currently reviewing the UK’s International Education Strategy to ensure that it aligns with wider government policy and provides clear direction to the sector, including on international student recruitment.Further, the department and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are working to ensure that the UK space sector can access the skills and talent needed to grow whilst ensuring long-term investment and growth of the domestic talent pool, in line with the Immigration White Paper and the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan.This may include collaborative working on the 2025/26 Space Sector Skills Survey, or closer engagement in key sector-facing and ministerial forums on space, all of which will be key to advising the government on how to achieve the right balance of international talent and domestic opportunity.

What his planned timeline is for the rollout of innovation and growth hubs in London; what level of economic investment is expected to be allocated to those hubs in London over the next five years; and what criteria will be used to determine the location and focus of innovation and growth hubs in the UK.

The government is supporting innovation clusters nationwide, including the Department for Science and Innovation and Technology (DIST) led £500 million Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, with at least £30 million allocated to London and additional funding available through competitive bidding for other regions.The Department for Business and Trade provide core funding to 41 Growth Hubs across England, with £15 million (including £540,700 for Grow London Local) committed for 2025/26. These offer businesses support and advice across all sectors and stages.

What assessment she has made of the contribution of science and discovery centres to (a) UK STEM education, skills and career pathways, (b) inclusion and (c) public understanding of science.

The department has no formal relationship with science and discovery centres and has therefore not made an assessment of their impact on education. We know many schools work with partners to enrich and supplement students’ core curriculum.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department holds data on the number of vacancies in the science and technology sectors in London.

DSIT does not hold vacancy data specifically for the Science and Technology Sectors in London.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that the 10-Year Plan for Health delivers equitable access to (a) palliative and (b) end of life care across all communities.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.One of the three shifts that the 10-Year Health Plan will deliver is the shift of healthcare from the hospital into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative care and end of life care services will have a big role to play in that shift and were highlighted in the plan as being an integral part of neighbourhood teams.I have tasked officials to look at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all- age palliative and end of life care, in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

What steps she is taking to ensure that (a) training and (b) education pathways align with the skills required in the (i) artificial intelligence, (ii) fintech, (iii) medtech and (iv) green industry.

Through our Industrial Strategy, published in June 2025, this government will ensure the skills system and employment support align with strategic economic priorities, including the needs of priority growth sectors such as digital and technologies, clean energy, financial services and health, and for emerging technologies and transformative opportunities such as artificial intelligence (AI). For example, new short courses in areas such as digital, AI, and engineering will be introduced in England from April 2026, funded through the growth and skills levy. Skills England has been established to identify skills gaps across the economy, including in these priority growth sectors, and use these insights to improve and simplify skills provision so that people and business can best benefit from training. Skills England will work across government to ensure young people starting out in their careers, as well as adults who need to reskill, have clear education and training pathways.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Government’s free breakfast club early adopter programme on children’s (a) welfare and (b) educational outcomes.

The government is committed to delivering on its pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children.Breakfast clubs offer much more than just food, serving as a welcoming space for children, providing valuable opportunities for them to play, learn, and socialise at the beginning of the school day. This will set them up to be ready to learn and supports working parents, boosting household incomes.Schools running breakfast clubs report improvements in behaviour, attendance, concentration and attainment, and a universal breakfast club offer has been found to be a less stigmatising way to reach those who need it the most.We are working closely with our early adopter schools during the test and learn phase to understand how schools are delivering the new free clubs, pupil take-up and impact. We will publish findings from the test and learn phase in due course.

If his Department will publish further details on plans to expand the provision of (a) palliative and (b) end of life care in community settings as outlined in the 10-Year Plan for Health.

We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life.Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative and end of life care. ICBs, including the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB, which covers the Stafford constituency, are responsible for the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services, to meet the needs of their local populations. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.As set out in the Government’s recently published 10-Year Health Plan, we are determined to shift more care out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting. Palliative care and end of life care services, including hospices, will have a big role to play in that shift, and were highlighted in the plan as being an integral part of neighbourhood teams.The Government and the National Health Service will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to ensure that, in future, services reduce variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining how to operationalise the required shifts in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.

What estimate her Department has made of the average market value of off-road bikes that have been (a) seized and (b) destroyed under powers introduced in 2025 to help tackle antisocial behaviour.

Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission to take back our streets.The Crime and Policing Bill will give the police greater powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour involving vehicles, including off-road bikes, with officers no longer required to issue a warning before seizing these vehicles. Subject to parliamentary approval, the Crime and Policing Bill is expected to secure Royal Assent around the turn of the year.On 28 May 2025, we published a consultation on amendments to secondary legislation on proposals to allow the police to dispose of seized vehicles such as off-road bikes, which have been used anti-socially from 14 days to 48 hours. We expect any changes to secondary legislation to come into force in early 2026.The Home Office does not hold data on the number or value of off-road bikes that have been seized or destroyed under existing powers.

What discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and (b) civil society as part of negotiations towards digital trade ambitions outlined in the General terms for the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Economic Prosperity Deal, last updated on 20 June 2025.

The UK and US are continuing talks on a wider UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal which will look at increasing digital trade, improving access for our world-leading services industries and improving supply chains. The deal opens the way to a future UK US technology partnership through which our science-rich nations will collaborate in key areas of advanced technology, for example biotech, life sciences, quantum computing, nuclear fusion, aerospace and space.This landmark economic agreement comes off the back of close collaboration between DBT and DSIT Ministers and officials. The PM, Business Secretary, and other Ministers across government have regular engagement with industry, civil society and businesses on a range of priorities.We will continue our engagement with stakeholders from across the UK, including civil society, on the EPD throughout these remaining negotiations and the implementation of the deal.

How many and what proportion of Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme payments have been paid to the loaning bank following (a) default and (b) bankruptcy by the business to which the loan was made; and what the value was of each of those loans.

As at 31 March 2025, 8,755 (9.0% of the total) Coronavirus Business Interruption Scheme (CBILS) loans have had the government guarantee paid out. The monetary value of the guarantees paid out is £996.3mn, or 3.9% of the total the CBILS draw down value. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not hold data detailing the reason for borrower default, including where bankruptcy is the reason for default.

Which technologies will deliver improved wifi access on the East Coast Main Line.

The Department continues to work closely with Network Rail and industry to look at solutions to improve connectivity on trains, which includes rolling out rail 5G on the rail network. Following the spending review, funding has been made available to invest in low earth orbit satellite connectivity, to improve passenger mobile connectivity. We also continue to work closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to develop further interventions on the railway. The department has been working with Network Rail to deliver improved connectivity on the rail corridor. Project Reach, which will renew fibre optic cables & address signals in mainline tunnels and stations was signed 26 June 2025 between Network Rail, and telecoms companies, Neos Networks and Freshwave .

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to take steps through a regulatory framework for artificial intelligence to (a) mandate safety-by-design principles, (b) mitigate potential harms and (c) prevent AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

As set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, we believe most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use, with our expert regulators best placed to do so. Departments are working proactively with regulators to provide clear strategic direction and support them on their AI capability needs.On Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) specifically, creating, possessing, or distributing AI-generated CSAM is illegal, and the Online Safety Act requires services to identify and remove it. We are also taking further action in the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise AI models which have been optimised to create CSAM.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of taking legislative steps to require social media platforms to enable users to transfer their (a) data, (b) content and (c) connections between competing services, in the context of the Digital Choice Act in Utah, US.

Article 20 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) already provides individuals with a right to ‘data portability’. It applies where an individual has provided their personal data to one data controller based on consent or a contract and wants that organisation to transmit it directly to another data controller. The right only applies to personal data that is being processed by automated means and where the transmission would be technically feasible.The Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK’s independent regulator for data protection, has published guidance for organisations on the right to data portability, which can be viewed at Right to data portability | ICO.

Innovation and Technology, what the differences in remit are between the (a) AI Security Institute and (b) Alan Turing Institute.

The AI Security Institute (AISI) was set up to equip governments with a scientific understanding of the risks posed by advanced AI. AISI researches these risks, their potential impacts, and develops potential risk mitigations.The Alan Turing Institute is the national institute for data science and artificial intelligence. It aims to develop world-class research, contribute to training to build skills for the future, and drive informed public conversation on AI.The Secretary of State has proposed a shift in its remit towards national security, defence, and sovereignty. The ATI is an independent organisation, and this realignment process is being handled internally.Realising the economic potential of Artificial Intelligence is a priority for this Government. The Alan Turing Institute and AI Security Institute work is complementary to ensure we fully exploit the benefits of AI while mitigating risks.