Written questions by Campbell.

Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with the BBC on the potential merits of greater transparency in the regional breakdown of how licence fee monies are used in producing regional based programming.

The Secretary of State meets regularly with the BBC to discuss a wide range of issues. The Royal Charter places obligations on the BBC to observe high standards of openness and seek to maximise transparency and accountability. It also requires the BBC to report a range of information in its annual plan and its annual report and accounts, including how it ensures provision for the United Kingdom’s nations and regions. The government launched the BBC Charter Review last year. The Green Paper set out our ambition for the BBC to tell a unifying national story that represents all communities across the UK, and to drive growth in the nations and regions. It also set out proposals for enhancing transparency in a way that supports wider public trust in the content and services the BBC delivers. We are looking at a range of options to deliver this, which include further obligations relating to programme making and spend outside of London.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment process on UK residents seeking GP employment compared to overseas applicants.

No specific assessment has been made. The UK National Recruitment Board, which oversees specialty training on behalf of the four United Kingdom health departments, has governance processes which determine whether the Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment is used by a specialty in their selection processes, and how.NHS England will consider the future shape and delivery model for selection assessments beyond 2027.

Media and Sport, how many Young Futures Hubs will be fully functional by the end of 2026.

The first eight early adopter Young Futures Hubs are due to be fully operational before April 2026, and the Government aims for a total of 50 hubs to be operational by March 2029.

Food and Rural Affairs, what has been the change in the number of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza cases between January 2021 and January 2026.

The number of confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) cases in Great Britain for each calendar year between January 2021 and January 2026 is shown in the following table. Year HPAI cases20217420222372023572024172025138202612

How many children were born with rare diseases as identified by the National Congenital Anomaly and Rare Disease Registration Service in each of the last ten years.

The National Congenital Condition and Rare Disease Registration Service (NCARDRS), part of the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), was established in 2015 and collects data on individuals with congenital and rare conditions in England. There are over 7,000 known rare diseases, many of which present after birth rather than at delivery, and for this reason the NDRS does not produce an annual count of ‘children born with rare diseases’.The NDRS does publish official statistics on the birth prevalence of congenital conditions for England, the vast majority of which are rare diseases, with further information available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/ncardrs-congenital-anomaly-statistics-annual-data/ncardrs-congenital-condition-statistics-report-2022The following table shows NDRS reported national data for England on the number of children born with rare diseases as identified by the NCARDRS for the past five years, covering births between 2018 to 2022:YearNumber of live births with at least one congenital conditionLive birth prevalence of at least one congenital condition per 10,000 live births202210,856188.1 [95% CI 184.6-191.7]202110,119169.2 [95% CI 165.9-172.5]20209,763166.3 [95% 163.0 -169.6]20199,770159.5 [156.3-162.7]20189,836157.2 [154.1-160.3] Although the reported live birth prevalence of congenital conditions appears to increase over time, this pattern is most likely due to continued improvements in national dataflows, case ascertainment, and completeness as the NCARDRS matures, rather than a genuine rise in the underlying prevalence of these conditions.The NDRS also publishes prevalence estimates for certain rare conditions where data completeness permits, with further information available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-outputs/rare-condition-registration-statisticsWe are continuing to expand and standardise national rare disease registration in England through the introduction of the national Rare Disease Data Set, which is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrs/data/data-sets/rdds

When he expects to announce the Partnership Contingent Decision route in connection with the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government. The CSPS launched the Contingent Decision process for members who opted out of the scheme in July 2025. However, the process for members who switched to the Partnership pension scheme involves additional complexity, requiring the reconciliation of contributions between defined contribution and defined benefit arrangements. Planning is underway to define the process and timeline, and we aim to open the process later in 2026.

Whether he has had discussions with the Northern Ireland Justice Minister on possible changes to classifications and statutory sentencing in drugs misuse policy.

I have not had any such discussions.Drug classification and the supporting legal framework remains a reserved power, primarily managed through the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This is the responsibility of the Home Office.

Whether improvements in prison management arising from the Managing Women in Crisis Working Group have been shared with devolved justice departments in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Improvements in prison management arising from the Managing Women in Crisis Working Group have not yet been shared more widely, but H M Prison & Probation Service will shortly be publishing its 12-month progress report to H M Inspectorate of Prison’s thematic report ‘Time to Care: What helps women cope in prison’, setting out the measures it has put in place.

What his planned timetable is for amending the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework.

The Government is committed to modernising the regulatory frameworks for all healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom.As a first step, we aim to consult on secondary legislation to modernise the General Medical Council’s regulatory framework shortly and to lay this legislation before Parliament this year.

What steps she is taking to ensure that best practices deployed by the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection are shared with the devolved Administrations.

The National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) plays an important role in supporting police forces to improve their response to violence against women and girls (VAWG). The Centre works closely with all 43 forces across England and Wales to highlight examples of effective practice and to help to promote consistent, high‑quality standards in policing, including by hosting national learning and practice‑sharing events.We recognise that there is value in ensuring that learning and innovative best practice can be shared across the UK. The NCVPP has already begun initial engagement with respective devolved partners, including the Police Service of Northern Ireland, to understand approaches to VAWG and public protection, including police training. We will continue to encourage the NCVPP to consider how it engages with partners such as Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland as its work develops, identifying where sharing emerging insights and good practice would be appropriate, while remaining mindful of the different operating environments and responsibilities across jurisdictions.

What steps he has taken to ensure that air to air re-fuelling movements are not discovered on insecure aviation messaging systems.

We continually assess and utilise the appropriate means of communication to maintain operational security.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 117246 on Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum: Northern Ireland, if she will ensure that Departmental officials hold urgent discussions with the directors of the Science Museum Group and the Victoria and Albert Museum to resume online sales to Northern Ireland.

Officials have engaged with the senior leadership of the V&A and the Science Museum Group in recent weeks on this issue. Both museums are exploring options to resume deliveries to Northern Ireland.

How many UK military bases in the Middle East were subjected to attack from Iranian missiles between Saturday 28 February and Saturday 7 March 2026; and how many personnel were (a) severely injured and (b) killed.

A drone strike on RAF Akrotiri resulted in no injuries or deaths. There have been no other strikes against UK military bases in the region.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she will have discussions with the United Nations on the potential merits of reviewing the role of international diplomacy and soft power following recent events in the Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Ukraine.

The UK remains a steadfast supporter of the United Nations. As the world continues to grapple with rising levels of conflict and instability, the work of the United Nations remains as vital as ever. The UK remains committed to working with our partners and allies at the UN, including through our permanent membership of the UN Security Council, to promote social progress and to support international peace and security.

How many ships in UK waters suspected of being associated with the movement of Russian oil have been monitored in the last four years; and what steps her Department took in each instance.

The UK Government monitors all vessels in UK waters which are of interest to the safety of mariners, the marine environment and the UK’s national security.Since October 2024, the Department for Transport’s Voluntary Insurance Reporting Mechanism has challenged over 700 suspected shadow fleet vessels with unknown insurance, a significant portion of the shadow fleet, to provide their insurance as they transit the English Channel. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have sanctioned over 500 shadow fleet vessels, which prohibits these vessels from entering UK ports, and signals to the global maritime community that these vessels are dangerous and should not be interacted with.

How many (a) basic rate and (b) higher rate tax payers there were in December (i) 2021 and (ii) 2025.

This information is not available on a monthly basis and figures for December cannot be provided. The number of individuals in the Income Tax rate bands, Basic and Higher rate, for tax years 2021 to 2022 and 2025 to 2026 is published in HMRC’s accredited official statistics. Updated forecasts are published in the OBR’s March 2026 Economic and fiscal outlook. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/685a6bb541d77db4f68eb0c4/Collated_Income_Tax_liabilities_statistics_tables_-_2.1_to_2.6.ods https://obr.uk/download/march-2026-economic-and-fiscal-outlook-detailed-forecast-tables-receipts/?tmstv=1772796009 Projected estimates for the 2025 to 2026 tax year in HMRC's statistics are based upon the 2022 to 2023 Survey of Personal Incomes using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR’s March 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.

What recent assessment has been made of the potential impact of Palantir's involvement with surveillance on the protection of data of UK citizens.

Palantir has no role in the surveillance of United Kingdom (UK) citizens on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD). All UK Defence data remains sovereign and under Ministry of Defence control.

If she will have discussions with motor manufacturers on levels of headlight beam intensity while driving when dark.

In response to public concerns raised about glare from vehicle headlamps an international glare prevention taskforce has been established at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. UK officials and vehicle manufacturers representatives are actively involved in the work of the group which is looking at potential measures to reduce the occurrence of headlamp glare.

Pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2025 to 67306, what proportion of NWF's portfolio outside of London and the South-East is located in (a) the rest of England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

The National Wealth Fund (NWF) identifies investment opportunities across the UK and has dedicated directors in each of the four nations to support its view of markets across the country. Information on the geographic spread of NWF investments can be found in their 2025 Impact Report available on their website.

What assessment has been made of the potential impact of courts using Community Orders under the Sentencing Framework on re-offending rates in the last two years.

The reoffending rates for adults with an index disposal of a community order was 36.4% in 2022/23 and 38.0% in 2023/24. The data can be found in the latest proven reoffending statistics release, in the annual tables here, in table C1a.Studies have found that short custodial sentences of less than 12 months were associated with higher reoffending rates (approximately 4 percentage points higher) than when court orders of any length had been given (which includes both community orders and suspended sentence orders).However, it is essential that community punishment works. The Sentencing Act 2026 includes a range of measures to make community punishment tougher. These include banning offenders from attending pubs, bars and clubs, as well as public events such as sports and concerts. The courts will also be able to prohibit an offender from driving as a punishment regardless of the offence they have committed. We have also introduced new tough restriction zones which will restrict offenders to a specific geographical area. These will be electronically monitored and are intended to serve not just as a punishment, but as an important tool to protect victims.