Every parliamentary written question tabled by Iqbal Mohamed this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 301–320 of 351 · this parliament
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when her Department will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Dewsbury and Batley dated 1 October 2025.
I apologise to the Hon member for the delay. I can confirm that a response will be returned in the coming days.
If he will meet with representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign.
The previous Minister for Pensions met with representatives from the WASPI campaign group.She did so to hear their experiences directly and was the first Minister to do so in eight years.
What ethical frameworks are in place to guide the (a) development and (b) deployment of AI technologies in defence.
We have a duty to use the best technologies to protect the UK’s interests, and we also have a duty to use these technologies in line with our legal obligations and the values of the public we serve. All development and deployment of AI in Defence must be legal and responsible. We have set out our Responsible AI policy framework in the Dependable AI JSP 936. This mandates that all AI use cases address specific AI safety, ethical and legal considerations, in line with our five AI ethical principles published in the ‘Ambitious, Safe, Responsible’ policy paper in June 2022.
What assessment he has made of the potential merits of placing (a) transparency, (b) testing and (c) accountability requirements on private defence contracts for the development of AI systems.
The principal policy framework governing the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) safe and responsible adoption of AI is our published Joint Service Publication Dependable AI JSP 936 which sets out directives on AI safety, ethics, and governance. JSP 936 requires that externally acquired AI systems meet the same standards and give the same level of assurance as AI systems developed within the MOD. Under this framework, and in line with the National Security Strategy, we will look to leverage the UK's vibrant third-party assurance market to enable breadth, scale, and learning from other sectors.
What safeguards are in place to ensure that patient data managed by Palantir under the Federated Data Platform contract cannot be (a) accessed, (b) used and (c) transferred for purposes unrelated to NHS (i) care and (ii) administration.
NHS England ran a rigorous independent and transparent procurement exercise for the NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP), in line with public contract regulations. The selection was made by multiple assessors against clear criteria following an open tender process where any supplier could respond with their solution. Potential suppliers were required to demonstrate their financial, commercial, security, and technical capability to meet contractual requirements. The plans for an NHS FDP followed a consultation with trusts and integrated care boards to gather insight in order to understand what their common issues and challenges were in relation to data. The programme is supported by a Data Governance Group, made up of information governance professionals. The programme is also supported by the Health and Social Care Data Public Panel, a group consisting of patient, public, and professional representatives with an interest in patient data, including the Office of the National Data Guardian. Privacy by design is a core principle of the NHS FDP, with robust security measures to safeguard patient information. Access to data must have an explicit aim to benefit patients and/or the NHS in England. Palantir provides the software platform, Foundry, that underpins the NHS FDP. NHS England remains the data controller at all times for the national instance. Each NHS organisation is the data controller for their local NHS FDP instance and decides how their local data is used.Palantir operates strictly under the instruction of the NHS. They do not own or control NHS data. The NHS FDP is built with robust security and privacy controls, including Privacy Enhancing Technologies procured separately from Palantir. Data access is tightly governed. Only authorised users can access data for approved purposes, and all access is logged and auditable.
What assessment his Department has made of potential alternative suppliers to Palantir for the Federated Data Platform contract; and whether that assessment included consideration of levels of alignment with NHS principles of (a) universality, (b) transparency and (c) patient trust.
NHS England ran a rigorous independent and transparent procurement exercise for the NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP), in line with public contract regulations. The selection was made by multiple assessors against clear criteria following an open tender process where any supplier could respond with their solution. Potential suppliers were required to demonstrate their financial, commercial, security, and technical capability to meet contractual requirements. The plans for an NHS FDP followed a consultation with trusts and integrated care boards to gather insight in order to understand what their common issues and challenges were in relation to data. The programme is supported by a Data Governance Group, made up of information governance professionals. The programme is also supported by the Health and Social Care Data Public Panel, a group consisting of patient, public, and professional representatives with an interest in patient data, including the Office of the National Data Guardian. Privacy by design is a core principle of the NHS FDP, with robust security measures to safeguard patient information. Access to data must have an explicit aim to benefit patients and/or the NHS in England. Palantir provides the software platform, Foundry, that underpins the NHS FDP. NHS England remains the data controller at all times for the national instance. Each NHS organisation is the data controller for their local NHS FDP instance and decides how their local data is used.Palantir operates strictly under the instruction of the NHS. They do not own or control NHS data. The NHS FDP is built with robust security and privacy controls, including Privacy Enhancing Technologies procured separately from Palantir. Data access is tightly governed. Only authorised users can access data for approved purposes, and all access is logged and auditable.
What consultation NHS England carried out with (a) patients, (b) healthcare staff and (c) data governance experts prior to awarding the Federated Data Platform contract to Palantir.
NHS England ran a rigorous independent and transparent procurement exercise for the NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP), in line with public contract regulations. The selection was made by multiple assessors against clear criteria following an open tender process where any supplier could respond with their solution. Potential suppliers were required to demonstrate their financial, commercial, security, and technical capability to meet contractual requirements. The plans for an NHS FDP followed a consultation with trusts and integrated care boards to gather insight in order to understand what their common issues and challenges were in relation to data. The programme is supported by a Data Governance Group, made up of information governance professionals. The programme is also supported by the Health and Social Care Data Public Panel, a group consisting of patient, public, and professional representatives with an interest in patient data, including the Office of the National Data Guardian. Privacy by design is a core principle of the NHS FDP, with robust security measures to safeguard patient information. Access to data must have an explicit aim to benefit patients and/or the NHS in England. Palantir provides the software platform, Foundry, that underpins the NHS FDP. NHS England remains the data controller at all times for the national instance. Each NHS organisation is the data controller for their local NHS FDP instance and decides how their local data is used.Palantir operates strictly under the instruction of the NHS. They do not own or control NHS data. The NHS FDP is built with robust security and privacy controls, including Privacy Enhancing Technologies procured separately from Palantir. Data access is tightly governed. Only authorised users can access data for approved purposes, and all access is logged and auditable.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help uphold international maritime law against Freedom Flotilla ships docking with aid in Gaza.
We remain in close contact with our Israeli counterparts over the status of vessels seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, and as the Prime Minister said on 21 September, the UK continues to demand that the Israeli Government permits the full and unhindered resumption of aid into Gaza immediately. By far the most effective way to meet the desperate needs of the Gazan people at the speed and scale that is needed is via overland routes, and we reiterate that Israel must immediately allow the UN and other agencies to deliver lifesaving aid to those in Gaza who so desperately need it.
To as the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department provides guidance to businesses on the potential impact of AI systems on employment.
We want to ensure that people have access to good, meaningful work. AI is already transforming workplaces, demanding new skills, and augmenting existing ones. Government is working to harness its benefits to boost growth, productivity, living standards, and worker wellbeing, while mitigating the risks.The Department for Education published an analysis in 2023 outlining The impact of AI on UK jobs and training. We are currently considering our approach to updating this analysis.Further to this, the Get Britain Working White Paper outlines how government will address labour market challenges and spread opportunity and economic prosperity that AI presents to the British public. This includes launching Skills England to create a shared national plan to boost the nation’s skills, creating more good jobs through our modern Industrial Strategy, and strengthening employment rights through DBT’s Plan to Make Work Pay.DSIT has also published guidance for businesses adopting AI, focusing on good practice AI assurance when procuring and deploying AI systems. AI assurance could significantly manage risks and build trust, supporting business to assess and mitigate the potential impacts of AI adoption.
If she will make it her policy to introduce (a) fiscal and (b) regulatory measures to mitigate the potential impact of the adoption of AI on employment.
The Government is implementing all the recommendations from the AI Opportunities Action Plan to ensure we shape AI to deliver productivity gains, rising living standards, and improved worker wellbeing, while mitigating the risks. By becoming the best place in Europe to start and grow a tech company—powered by our leadership in AI—we are unlocking new opportunities for innovation, investment, and workforce development. This means helping people build world-class skills and rewarding careers in a thriving, future-facing economy. As part of this, we have secured a partnership with leading tech firms to deliver AI skills training to 7.5 million UK workers by 2030, to help workers transition into new roles created by AI and automation.
How much his Department has spent on the (a) development and (b) procurement of AI-enabled defence systems in each of the last three years.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold specific figures on the development and procurement of AI-enabled defence systems. AI is not a standalone capability, but an enabling technology embedded across projects in both defence systems and in the business space across the Ministry. Over the last three financial years (FY) spending within the Chief Scientific Adviser's research portfolio on AI has been: · FY2022-23 - £46.20 million· FY2023-24 - £52.13 million· FY2024-25 - £37.44 million Procurement costs are not separately recorded and are integrated within wider programme budgets. In August the MOD announced a procurement plan worth up to £180 million for digital decision capabilities to enable scalable operations involving autonomy, including using AI and machine learning to speed up decision making. Further detail on MOD's plans for investment in AI-enabled capabilities will be set out in the Defence Investment Plan.
To the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on employment levels in the next (a) five and (b) ten years.
No current assessment has been made by the Department for Work and Pensions on the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on employment. We are starting to witness AI’s impact within the labour market: transforming the workplace, demanding new skills and augmenting old ones. But there is uncertainty over the future scale of AI’s impact on the labour market. Given the recent rapid pace of AI development, government is planning against a range of plausible future outcomes and closely monitoring the data that will help track if we are heading towards any of these outcomes.
What steps she is taking to support workers whose roles have been displaced due to offshoring by UK-based firms.
I refer the hon. member to the answer I gave on 10 September to PQ 72893.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help protect British (a) vessels and (b) civilians when en route to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza.
We remain in close contact with our Israeli counterparts over the status of vessels seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, and as the Prime Minister said on 21 September, the UK continues to demand that the Israeli Government permits the full and unhindered resumption of aid into Gaza immediately. By far the most effective way to meet the desperate needs of the Gazan people at the speed and scale that is needed is via overland routes, and we reiterate that Israel must immediately allow the UN and other agencies to deliver lifesaving aid to those in Gaza who so desperately need it.
Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to introduce skills retraining and workforce support measures, in the context of the deployment of AI technologies in workplaces.
We want to ensure that people have access to good, meaningful work. AI will impact the labour market and Government is working to harness its benefits in terms of boosting growth, productivity, living standards, and worker wellbeing, while mitigating the risks. We’re planning for varied outcomes and monitoring data to track and prepare for these. The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out how we will address key challenges and that includes giving people the skills to get those jobs and spread opportunity to fix the foundations of our economy to seize AI’s potential.The Government is supporting workforce readiness for AI through a range of initiatives. The new AI Skills Hub, developed by Innovate UK and PwC, provides streamlined access to digital training. This will support government priorities through tackling critical skills gaps and improving workforce readiness. We are also partnering with 11 major companies to train 7.5 million UK workers in essential AI skills by 2030.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the (a) United Nations and (b) International Maritime Organisation on the access of the Global Sumed Flotilla into Gaza.
We remain in close contact with our Israeli counterparts over the status of vessels seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, and as the Prime Minister said on 21 September, the UK continues to demand that the Israeli Government permits the full and unhindered resumption of aid into Gaza immediately. By far the most effective way to meet the desperate needs of the Gazan people at the speed and scale that is needed is via overland routes, and we reiterate that Israel must immediately allow the UN and other agencies to deliver lifesaving aid to those in Gaza who so desperately need it.
To the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that vocational and adult education programmes are aligned with employment opportunities that are less vulnerable to (a) offshoring and (b) becoming replaced by AI.
The government is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills to break down barriers to opportunity and support the development of a skilled workforce in England. This is backed by additional investment, as announced in the Spending Review, of £1.2 billion per year in skills by 2028-29. This will support the wide range of technical routes available across England in a broad range of sectors. We are also widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, including new foundation apprenticeships, which will give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working life. We are targeting key growth sectors, including those identified in the Industrial Strategy, with specific skills plans to boost training in areas such as construction, manufacturing, defence and Digital and Technology. All of this will be underpinned by the work of Skills England, which has been established as the national body responsible for identifying skills needs, simplifying the skills system, and aligning training to meet demand.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his oral statement of 21 July 2025 on Middle East, Official Report, column 595, whether UK made arms components were used in the incident at the Project HOPE health clinic in Deir al Balah.
As the Foreign Secretary has said, we utterly condemn the killing of civilians seeking to meet their basic needs. Our assessment of this strike, drawing on the available evidence, including eyewitness reports in the media, is that it was a drone strike. The Government suspended all export licences for IDF drones on 2 September 2024, and we categorically do not export any bombs or ammunition for use in military operations in Gaza.
What discussions he has had with Ofgem on reducing electricity and gas standing charges.
The Government knows that, for many consumers, too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges. We are committed to lowering the cost of standing charges and are working constructively with Ofgem, on this issue. Ofgem have conducted a broad public consultation to understand the views of consumers on this issue, receiving over 5,000 responses on their 2024 discussion paper. Since then, Ofgem have been continuing work in two areas. Firstly, Ofgem have been working to ensure that domestic consumers can choose tariffs with low or no standing charges. Ofgem took a further step towards this goal on 24th July, announcing proposals to require suppliers to offer their customers low or no standing charge tariffs from early 2026. You can read about this here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/policy/standing-charges-energy-price-cap-variant-next-steps. Secondly, Ofgem have been reviewing how ‘fixed’ costs, which tend to be funded through standing charges, should be recovered in the future energy system. This includes whether those fixed costs could be recovered in more progressive ways, and we are working closely with the regulator on this.
Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help support small and medium-sized charities, in the context of increased competition for limited grant funding.
This government recognises the vital role that charities play in providing crucial support to different groups and communities. The Civil Society Covenant sets out the terms of a new relationship between government and civil society, and is a clear statement that government sees civil society as an indispensable partner in building a better Britain. DCMS is promoting the availability of funding for smaller charities in several ways. This includes delivery of a number of grant schemes, such as the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund and the £25.5 million Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Energy Efficiency Scheme, which is supporting frontline organisations across England to improve their energy efficiency and sustainability. Support for charities is also available through social investment which provides a range of tools – from grants to investments – to help charities and social enterprises grow their trading income, strengthen their resilience, and access financial support that works for them. The Dormant Assets Scheme Strategy, published in June 2025, announced that the Scheme is expected to release £440 million for England over 2024-28, with £87.5 million of this funding allocated towards social investment.