Written questions by Maguire.

If her Department will reinstate a route to settlement by allowing time spent under the Ukraine Schemes to count towards the 10‑year settlement pathway.

As the conflict in Ukraine continues, the Government recognises the impact that uncertainty can have on Ukrainian individuals and families who have built their lives in the UK, including pressures relating to housing, employment and education. The Government has therefore taken concrete steps to provide greater certainty and stability, including extending the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme and widening the application window to support effective forward planning.From the outset, the Government has been clear that the Ukraine schemes are temporary in nature and do not provide a route to settlement. Time spent in the UK under the Ukraine schemes does not count towards the Long Residence route. This reflects the Ukrainian Government’s wishes for His Majesty’s Government to offer temporary sanctuary, due to their strong desire for the eventual return of its citizens to Ukraine once it is safe to do so.The Government recognises the importance of longer‑term clarity and is actively considering the future position. In doing so, it is drawing on a wide range of evidence from across government, academia, civil society and stakeholder engagement. It will respond in a responsible and considered manner, and intends to make a further statement later this year to support Ukrainians in planning effectively for their futures.

How the Government is supporting communities to buy clean power locally.

The Department recognises the requests to take steps to better enable local energy markets and trading to lower bills and increase the resilience of the electricity networks. DESNZ is investigating barriers to local supply, and is working with Ofgem, Great British Energy and relevant stakeholders to find solutions that work in the best interests of local generators and consumers. Ofgem and Elexon’s work on code modifications like P441 will help more community energy groups identify and understand the different routes to market in order to sell their energy. Industry feedback informed the Draft Modification Report considered by the Panel on 12 March leading to the Final Modification Report submitted to Ofgem on 17 March.

If her Department will introduce a transition visa at the end of the Ukraine Permission Extension period.

As the conflict in Ukraine continues, the Government recognises the impact that uncertainty can have on Ukrainian individuals and families who have built their lives in the UK, including pressures relating to housing, employment and education. The Government has therefore taken concrete steps to provide greater certainty and stability, including extending the Ukraine Permission Extension scheme and widening the application window to support effective forward planning.From the outset, the Government has been clear that the Ukraine schemes are temporary in nature and do not provide a route to settlement. Time spent in the UK under the Ukraine schemes does not count towards the Long Residence route. This reflects the Ukrainian Government’s wishes for His Majesty’s Government to offer temporary sanctuary, due to their strong desire for the eventual return of its citizens to Ukraine once it is safe to do so.The Government recognises the importance of longer‑term clarity and is actively considering the future position. In doing so, it is drawing on a wide range of evidence from across government, academia, civil society and stakeholder engagement. It will respond in a responsible and considered manner, and intends to make a further statement later this year to support Ukrainians in planning effectively for their futures.

Whether his Department has had discussions with HM Treasury on the potential merits of introducing ringfenced, multi-year capital funding upgrading for breast screening equipment, including digital breast tomosynthesis, to help ensure equitable access to modern breast screening technology.

The Government is committed to providing quality and timely care and treatment to people with breast cancer, including through equitable access to modern breast screening technology. The NHS Breast Screening Programme is seeing improvement in uptake nationally with annual data from NHS England for 2024/25 showing 70.6% of women attending their appointment.Digital mammography, which offers high quality images, currently remains the primary screening tool for the programme. At present, digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is an optional tool in the assessment of screen detected soft tissue breast abnormalities following mammography.In 2025, the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), who advises the Government on all screening matters, set up a working group of breast cancer screening experts to help it consider new and emerging evidence and developments that could further improve the United Kingdom’s breast screening programme. This includes exploring DBT in addition to other tests and technologies, to detect breast cancer in women with dense breast tissue. Other modalities are magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasonography, using either hand-held or automated modalities, and contrast-enhanced mammography.If, following this work, the UK NSC makes a recommendation regarding DBT, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, would be asked to make a decision on whether to accept the recommendation, alongside wider policy and operational advice.Service providers are responsible for purchasing and maintenance of breast screening equipment, and where there are issues and updates are required, they apply to the local capital investment programmes or the funding available in the current Spending Review period via the NHS England National Diagnostics Transformation Programme.

What assessment she has made of whether current frameworks provide sufficient clarity on the referral of evidence from public inquiries to prosecuting authorities.

Public inquiries operate independently of criminal proceedings.Findings of an inquiry do not constitute criminal findings, but they can inform subsequent police investigations.Inquiries have processes whereby information indicating potential criminal conduct can be shared directly with the police or other relevant authorities, such as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

When schools can expect to access training to implement the new RSHE curriculum, which all schools must follow from 1 September 2026; and how many schools will have access to Government funded support with the implementation of the new RSHE curriculum.

Education is a significant part of the cross-government strategy to keep women and girls safe, focusing on prevention by instilling early the values and skills needed to protect young people, disrupt dangerous attitudes, and stop harmful behaviours escalating.As with all curriculum subjects, schools are responsible for ensuring the quality of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) they provide. This includes ensuring that staff are properly trained and equipped to teach these subjects accurately and confidently.The department is currently working at pace through a commercial process to establish the best route to support schools with implementation of the new elements of the RSHE curriculum. Through the Freedom from Violence and Abuse Strategy, the department has committed to invest £3 million over the next two years to ensure that the new curriculum has the greatest impact, and £5 million to pilot healthy relationships training delivered by external providers.

What assessment her Department has made on the potential merits of ensuring referral to relevant authorities when evidence from a Statutory Inquiry suggests criminality.

Public inquiries operate independently of criminal proceedings.Findings of an inquiry do not constitute criminal findings, but they can inform subsequent police investigations.Inquiries have processes whereby information indicating potential criminal conduct can be shared directly with the police or other relevant authorities, such as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Whether guidance exists on the circumstances in which individuals identified in official Statutory Inquiries concerning safeguarding failures should be referred for criminal investigation.

Public inquiries operate independently of criminal proceedings.Findings of an inquiry do not constitute criminal findings, but they can inform subsequent police investigations.Inquiries have processes whereby information indicating potential criminal conduct can be shared directly with the police or other relevant authorities, such as the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

What assessment has been made of the training and support needs of teachers and school staff to effectively implement the new RSHE curriculum that all schools must follow from 1 September 2026.

Education is a significant part of the cross-government strategy to keep women and girls safe, focusing on prevention by instilling early the values and skills needed to protect young people, disrupt dangerous attitudes, and stop harmful behaviours escalating.As with all curriculum subjects, schools are responsible for ensuring the quality of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) they provide. This includes ensuring that staff are properly trained and equipped to teach these subjects accurately and confidently.The department is currently working at pace through a commercial process to establish the best route to support schools with implementation of the new elements of the RSHE curriculum. Through the Freedom from Violence and Abuse Strategy, the department has committed to invest £3 million over the next two years to ensure that the new curriculum has the greatest impact, and £5 million to pilot healthy relationships training delivered by external providers.

What conversations he has had with Business and Trade colleagues regarding improving employment conditions for those in the mental health sector.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, meets regularly with colleagues in the Department of Business and Trade to discuss a range of topics.We are committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals, including those working in the mental health sector. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how we will deliver this change by making sure that staff are better treated, have more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future.We are taking a number of steps to improve working conditions for NHS staff, including the development of a new set of staff standards for modern employment. The standards will focus on the areas that we know matter the most to staff, including: supporting line management; improving staff health and wellbeing; promoting flexible working; violence prevention and reduction; and tackling racism and sexual safety.

When the RSHE training pilots promised from early 2026 will be available for schools to access.

Education is a significant part of the cross-government strategy to keep women and girls safe, focusing on prevention by instilling early the values and skills needed to protect young people, disrupt dangerous attitudes, and stop harmful behaviours escalating.As with all curriculum subjects, schools are responsible for ensuring the quality of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) they provide. This includes ensuring that staff are properly trained and equipped to teach these subjects accurately and confidently.The department is currently working at pace through a commercial process to establish the best route to support schools with implementation of the new elements of the RSHE curriculum. Through the Freedom from Violence and Abuse Strategy, the department has committed to invest £3 million over the next two years to ensure that the new curriculum has the greatest impact, and £5 million to pilot healthy relationships training delivered by external providers.

What funding the Government is committing specifically to support teachers with the implementation of the new RSHE curriculum.

Education is a significant part of the cross-government strategy to keep women and girls safe, focusing on prevention by instilling early the values and skills needed to protect young people, disrupt dangerous attitudes, and stop harmful behaviours escalating.As with all curriculum subjects, schools are responsible for ensuring the quality of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) they provide. This includes ensuring that staff are properly trained and equipped to teach these subjects accurately and confidently.The department is currently working at pace through a commercial process to establish the best route to support schools with implementation of the new elements of the RSHE curriculum. Through the Freedom from Violence and Abuse Strategy, the department has committed to invest £3 million over the next two years to ensure that the new curriculum has the greatest impact, and £5 million to pilot healthy relationships training delivered by external providers.

What steps her Department is taking to increase road safety.

The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. On 7 January 2026 we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. Road safety is a shared responsibility, and this strategy reflects that. It considers action needed by government, local authorities, industry, emergency services and communities to tackle the causes of collisions and save lives. By investing in infrastructure, education, and enforcement, we are taking decisive steps to make our roads safer for everyone.

What support her Department is giving to local authorities to tackle speeding.

Local authorities are responsible for decisions on the roads they manage, including setting local speed limits and introducing traffic‑calming measures, based on local conditions. The Government supports this through national guidance to ensure limits are consistent and appropriate. The Road Safety Strategy published on 7 January 2026 committed to update current guidance on local speed limits and speed‑camera use. Local authorities receive direct and indirect funding that can be used to address speeding: Local Transport Plan and Highway Maintenance funding from the Department for Transport which can support speed‑management measures such as traffic calming, safer road layouts, signage and speed‑limit schemes.

What steps her Department is taking to make it easier for current and former start-up employees to realise the value of their equity, including through secondary share sales.

The Government has taken significant steps to allow more employees to acquire shares in their employer's company. At Autumn Budget 2025, the Government announced a major expansion of the Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI) scheme eligibility limits, which is expected to support around 1,800 high-growth scale-up companies and allow them to reward an estimated 70,000 employees with tax-advantaged share options. In May 2025, the government legislated to establish PISCES, making private secondary markets more transparent and efficient, enabling employees, founders and early-stage investors to realise and reinvest their gains. The Government also legislated in the 2026 Finance Bill to allow employers, with employee consent, to amend existing EMI and CSOP contracts to allow employees to exercise their share options on PISCES platforms while retaining the tax advantages of EMI and CSOP.

What conversations her Department has had with Universities UK and the Russell Group in regard to the suspension of student visas from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan.

We value the contribution of the higher education sector and continue to engage regularly with representatives, including Universities UK and the Russell Group, on the challenges the system faces. The visa brake is a temporary, evidence‑led measure and will be lifted only when the Government judges it appropriate to do so.The brake does not apply to those who already hold a valid Student visa, nor to applications submitted before it came into force on 26 March. In order to allow those prospective students with an offer from a licensed sponsor and a valid Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) to apply for visas, we provided 21 days’ notice of the implementation of the visa brakes. There are no plans for any further exceptions to the brake.The decision to introduce the visa brakes was driven by clear evidence of high levels of visa‑linked asylum claims across all four nationalities. In the case of Sudan, in the year ending September 2025, the proportion of asylum claims to visas issued on the student route was 46%, constituting one of the highest visa-linked asylum conversion rates, consistent with a rise across the past five years. This continued and rising asylum risk from this cohort necessitated swift and decisive action through the introduction of a visa brake.

What assessment her Department has made, in regards to Sudanese student visas, of the potential merits of implementing targeted enforcement based on individual risk assessment rather than a blanket nationality-based suspension.

We value the contribution of the higher education sector and continue to engage regularly with representatives, including Universities UK and the Russell Group, on the challenges the system faces. The visa brake is a temporary, evidence‑led measure and will be lifted only when the Government judges it appropriate to do so.The brake does not apply to those who already hold a valid Student visa, nor to applications submitted before it came into force on 26 March. In order to allow those prospective students with an offer from a licensed sponsor and a valid Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) to apply for visas, we provided 21 days’ notice of the implementation of the visa brakes. There are no plans for any further exceptions to the brake.The decision to introduce the visa brakes was driven by clear evidence of high levels of visa‑linked asylum claims across all four nationalities. In the case of Sudan, in the year ending September 2025, the proportion of asylum claims to visas issued on the student route was 46%, constituting one of the highest visa-linked asylum conversion rates, consistent with a rise across the past five years. This continued and rising asylum risk from this cohort necessitated swift and decisive action through the introduction of a visa brake.

If she will make explicit protections for current visa-holders, those mid-application, and those with existing university offers for students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan.

We value the contribution of the higher education sector and continue to engage regularly with representatives, including Universities UK and the Russell Group, on the challenges the system faces. The visa brake is a temporary, evidence‑led measure and will be lifted only when the Government judges it appropriate to do so.The brake does not apply to those who already hold a valid Student visa, nor to applications submitted before it came into force on 26 March. In order to allow those prospective students with an offer from a licensed sponsor and a valid Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) to apply for visas, we provided 21 days’ notice of the implementation of the visa brakes. There are no plans for any further exceptions to the brake.The decision to introduce the visa brakes was driven by clear evidence of high levels of visa‑linked asylum claims across all four nationalities. In the case of Sudan, in the year ending September 2025, the proportion of asylum claims to visas issued on the student route was 46%, constituting one of the highest visa-linked asylum conversion rates, consistent with a rise across the past five years. This continued and rising asylum risk from this cohort necessitated swift and decisive action through the introduction of a visa brake.

What assessment her Department has made of the impact of speeding in Surrey on residents.

The Department for Transport has not made a specific assessment of the impact of speeding in Surrey on residents. Responsibility for assessing local road safety issues, including the impact of speeding, sits primarily with local authorities and police forces, who are best placed to understand local conditions, concerns and collision data.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with the Science and Technology Facilities Council regarding their proposed funding cuts for astronomy and space science.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has committed a record £58.5 billion investment in R&D over the next 4 years. This includes £38.6 billion allocated to UKRI.The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) within UKRI is maintaining its budget across this period and is currently working with the sector to model different spending scenarios for its portfolio in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics (PPAN). The impacts of different modelled scenarios across the broad and diverse range of STFC-funded facilities and programmes will be considered alongside feedback from the sector when taking final decisions.The UK will also continue to invest in collaborative space science through the UK Space Agency, which has been allocated £2.8 billion over the next 4 years.DSIT has asked UKRI to ensure that its specific investment decisions are informed by meaningful consultation with the scientific research community and a robust assessment of potential consequences for the UK’s scientific capability, research institutions and international standing.