Written questions by Mohamed.

What steps he is taking to ensure that individuals found responsible for abusive conduct towards vulnerable adults cannot work in publicly funded social care services.

The intention of Care Quality Commission (CQC) Regulation 19 Fit and proper persons employed of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 is to make sure providers only employ 'fit and proper' staff who are able to provide care and treatment appropriate to their role and to enable them to provide the regulated activity.To meet this regulation, providers must operate robust recruitment procedures, including undertaking any relevant checks. They must have a procedure for ongoing monitoring of staff to make sure they remain able to meet the requirements, and they must have appropriate arrangements in place to deal with staff who are no longer fit to carry out the duties required of them.In addition, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check must be undertaken prior to the recruitment of all care workers. If an individual has been barred, then they will be added to the Adults’ Barred List. If they knowingly engage, or seek to engage, in regulated activity with a vulnerable group from which they are barred then they would be committing a criminal offence, punishable by imprisonment and/or a fine. The same is true for employers who knowingly employ somebody who is on the barred list.

Communities and Local Government, what role the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman plays in reviewing complaints relating to the treatment of disabled people by local authorities.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigates complaints from residents, including disabled residents, about maladministration by local authorities and adult social care providers. The Ombudsman published an updated Complaint Handling Code last year. The Code sets out standards on how to implement fair, effective and transparent complaint handling processes, to ensure that residents’ concerns are properly heard and responded to, and to support councillors in properly scrutinising how their organisation learns from its mistakes to improve service delivery. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) are assessing how local authorities in England are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including considering complaints procedures as part of its wider evaluation of leadership. The assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed. If the CQC identifies a local authority has failed or is failing to discharge its duties under the Care Act to an acceptable standard, the Secretary of State has powers to intervene.

Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms exist for oversight of local authority complaints procedures relating to adult social care.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigates complaints from residents, including disabled residents, about maladministration by local authorities and adult social care providers. The Ombudsman published an updated Complaint Handling Code last year. The Code sets out standards on how to implement fair, effective and transparent complaint handling processes, to ensure that residents’ concerns are properly heard and responded to, and to support councillors in properly scrutinising how their organisation learns from its mistakes to improve service delivery. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) are assessing how local authorities in England are meeting the full range of their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including considering complaints procedures as part of its wider evaluation of leadership. The assessments identify local authorities’ strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed. If the CQC identifies a local authority has failed or is failing to discharge its duties under the Care Act to an acceptable standard, the Secretary of State has powers to intervene.

Whether Local Authorities have the right to move adults with disabilities to residential care away from their families and against the wishes of the individual and/or their families.

Under section 9(5) of the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to involve the adult concerned and, where appropriate, their carers, family members, or others with an interest in their welfare, when carrying out a needs assessment and considering how care and support needs should be met.Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are also tasked with the duty to shape their care markets to meet the diverse needs of all local people. This includes commissioning a diverse range of care and support services that enable people to access quality care.Local authorities should engage with people who draw on care and support, and their families and carers, to inform commissioning decisions and to consider the outcomes which matter to them. This is reflected in the Care and Support Statutory Guidance, which supports local authorities to fulfil their Care Act duties, including expectations around involvement and co‑production with people who draw on care and support and their families.Under the Health and Care Act 2022, the Care Quality Commission has a statutory duty to assess how well local authorities are delivering their adult social care duties.

What steps he is taking to help deliver more glaucoma services in communities.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Battersea on 18 March 2026 to Question 119439.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2026 to Question 105213 on India: Armed Conflict, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of her recent discussions on freedom of religion or belief for Muslim communities in India.

Protecting religious minorities and promoting Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in any country is a long‑term process that requires a strategic and persistent approach. We continue to track these issues closely and engage wherever possible to promote religious freedom and tolerance. We will continue these efforts and keep the House updated as this work progresses.

What estimate he has made of (a) the number of people waiting for glaucoma follow-up appointments and (b) the length of time they are waiting for such appointments.

The Department does not hold data on either the number of people waiting for a glaucoma follow-up appointment or the length of waiting time for any such glaucoma follow-up appointment. Therefore, no current estimate has been made.Data is published on ophthalmology waiting times from referral to treatment, but this is not broken down by condition and does not cover follow up appointments that occur after a patient’s first definitive treatment.As of January 2026, the waiting list for ophthalmology stands at 602,163, with 69.8% of those having waited less than 18 weeks from referral to treatment.

Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of public swimming pool provision in England; and what steps are being taken to ensure long‑term sustainable access to swimming facilities.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming facilities, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities. The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. In June last year, we committed £400 million to transform sports facilities, including public leisure, across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated.

Media and Sport, what support is available to assist swimming pools with (a) energy efficiency upgrades and (b) operating costs.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming facilities, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities. The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. In June last year, we committed £400 million to transform sports facilities, including public leisure, across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the grassroots sport fund provides targeted support for swimming pools in areas with limited access to aquatic facilities.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming facilities, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities. The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. In June last year, we committed £400 million to transform sports facilities, including public leisure, across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with social media companies on measures to support users, including young people, to identify false and misleading political information, in the context of proposals to extend the voting age to 16.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting people, including young people, to identify false and misleading information online.Media literacy is an important part of our approach. DSIT is improving it through a cross-government approach outlined in the Media Literacy Action Plan published 16 March. In February we launched a pilot campaign and the Kids Online Safety Hub to help parents support children’s resilience to misinformation.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of Plan 2 student loan interest rates on borrowers, particularly in relation to (a) long-term debt balances and (b) the ability of borrowers to (i) access mortgages and (ii) manage the cost of living.

The size of outstanding student loans does not prevent access to a mortgage, and student loan balances do not appear on borrower credit records, therefore the total size of a student’s debt is not considered in a mortgage application.Monthly student loan repayments are considered alongside other living costs as part of the affordability check for mortgage applications along with other fixed monthly outgoings, but monthly repayments are not linked to the size of the outstanding loan.Student loan repayments are income linked, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied, and are fixed at 9% above the earnings threshold. Borrowers earning below the earnings threshold are exempt from repayments. Outstanding loans, including accrued interest, are cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Innovation and Technology, what mechanisms exist for the AI Security Institute to receive systematic information about incidents involving autonomous or adaptive machine learning systems in critical national infrastructure as part of its intelligence capacity to research the development of AI capabilities that could contribute towards AI's ability to evade human control, as well the propensity of models to engage in misaligned actions.

The AI Security Institute (AISI) collaborates with leading AI developers to measure the capabilities of advanced AI and recommend risk mitigations, to ensure we stay ahead of AI impacts.This close collaboration with industry enables information-sharing to mitigate risks. AISI’s testing has identified a large number of AI model vulnerabilities that labs (such as OpenAI and Anthropic) have addressed prior to release.AISI is  researching  the development of AI capabilities that could contribute towards AI’s ability to evade human control, as well the propensity of models to engage in misaligned actions. AISI shares its insights with government departments to help manage the risks AI could pose to critical national infrastructure.Through the Alignment Project – a funding consortium distributing up to £27m for research projects – AISI is supporting further foundational research into methods to develop AI systems that operate according to our goals, without unintended or harmful behaviours.

What guidance was issued to higher education institutions and the Student Loans Company on communicating to prospective students the potential for future changes to the terms and conditions of Plan 2 student loans.

Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented in 2012 by previous governments, and students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements. This government therefore cannot comment on guidance that was provided to higher education institutions (HEIs) and Student Loans Company (SLC) regarding plan 2 loans.However, both the SLC and HEIs had access to the terms and conditions of student loans available for prospective students prior to their application for financial support at the time of their studies.

With regard to the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Annual Report 2024, published in December 2025, how the number of unannounced audits in 2024 compares with previous years; and whether she she is taking to help increase the number of unannounced audits in future years.

The numbers of unannounced audits conducted are reported in the published Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) Annual Reports.YearNumber of unannounced audits202410202314202210 The Annual Report for 2024 can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/animals-in-science-regulation-unit-annual-report-2024ASRU has planned to increase the number of unannounced audits as part of its work to strength regulatory oversight. ASRU has also increased its number of inspectors, enabling a greater volume of risk-based audits across the system.Announced and unannounced audits play an important role in providing regulatory assurance. Audit numbers are only one indicator of the level of regulatory oversight; the quality, depth and scope of audits are central to assessing compliance effectively.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential risks posed by AI-generated and manipulated content on young voters’ ability to assess political information during election campaigns.

The Government recognises that the huge opportunities offered by AI also come with risks, including potential challenges posed by AI-generated content for the online information environment.The Online Safety Act regulates AI generated mis/disinformation. This includes the Foreign Interference Offence, requiring companies to take action against state-sponsored disinformation and state-linked interference targeted at the UK and our democratic processes.Media literacy is also part of our wider approach, building young people’s resilience to mis- and disinformation, including AI-generated content. The government will ensure that media literacy is embedded into the new primary citizenship curriculum, from September 2028.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill's incident reporting criteria for capturing novel failure modes arising from autonomous or adaptive machine learning systems in critical national infrastructure.

The Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill makes vital updates to the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations 2018 to ensure that providers of the UK’s essential services are reporting more forms of harmful cyber incident to their regulators. Where these incidents meet the threshold of a reportable incident, they will need to be reported to the relevant regulator regardless of the cause. This will include incidents caused by the failure of autonomous or adaptive machine learning systems within a regulated entity’s network and information systems.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of information provided to 17–18-year-old students entering higher education in 2012 on the interest rate structure of Plan 2 student loans, including the application of Retail Price Index plus up to 3%.

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Prospective students had wide access to information across a range of platforms before submitting their applications.Plan 2 loans interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to RPI +3% depending on earnings. Repayments are calculated solely on earnings, and not on the amount borrowed or the rate of interest applied. Crucially, any outstanding loan and interest is written off at the end of the loan term, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Innovation and Technology, what progress officials in UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has made on developing target areas of research for alternative methods for animal testing; and whether UKRI has any plans to consult with civil society organisations who have expertise in this area as part of this process.

On 11 November 2025 the Government published Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, which outlines the steps we will take to achieve this. The Labour Manifesto commits to partnering with scientists, industry and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing. The Government consulted civil society, industry and academia during development of the strategy and continues to do so during delivery, including through regular Home Office meetings. We also intend to publish areas of research interest later this year. UKRI has an important role in this but is not the only delivery partner

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Israeli counterpart on the potential impact of withheld tax revenues for the Palestinian Authority on the education of Palestinian children in the West Bank.

We regularly raise concerns about civilian casualties with Israeli counterparts and continue to call for full adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, and for any alleged incidents to be investigated transparently. The UK is also concerned by the worsening economic situation in Palestine and have urged the Government of Israel to release withheld tax and clearance revenues to the Palestinian Authority. We also continue to work with international partners to support implementation of the Palestinian Authority's reform commitments.