Written questions by Shastri-Hurst.

What assessment his Department has made of the National Health Service’s readiness to support the Defence Medical Services in the event of a large-scale military conflict or mass casualty event.

The Department continues to work closely with the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Medical Services to ensure the health system is resilient and prepared to respond to a range of scenarios, including conflicts and mass casualty events.The Department and the National Health Service have plans in place for the management of major incidents which would be drawn upon in the event of a potential conflict or mass casualty event, including those involving military personal. These plans are regularly reviewed to incorporate lessons from incidents, exercises, and ongoing conflicts.Consideration has been given to the impacts on NHS staffing, capacity, and service provision, and the adaptions needed in the event of a conflict. Work is ongoing in line with NATO direction with the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Medical Services, to strengthen the resilience of the health system and support United Kingdom preparedness for the demands of any potential future warfighting scenario.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS capacity constraints do not undermine the UK’s ability to sustain armed forces medical readiness in times of conflict.

The Department continues to work closely with the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Medical Services to ensure the health system is resilient and prepared to respond to a range of scenarios, including conflicts and mass casualty events.The Department and the National Health Service have plans in place for the management of major incidents which would be drawn upon in the event of a potential conflict or mass casualty event, including those involving military personal. These plans are regularly reviewed to incorporate lessons from incidents, exercises, and ongoing conflicts.Consideration has been given to the impacts on NHS staffing, capacity, and service provision, and the adaptions needed in the event of a conflict. Work is ongoing in line with NATO direction with the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Medical Services, to strengthen the resilience of the health system and support United Kingdom preparedness for the demands of any potential future warfighting scenario.

Whether his Department has considered using capacity in the private healthcare sector to help reduce pressure on the NHS while maintaining clinical support for defence personnel.

NHS England works closely with the Defence Medical Services to support operational medicine, and this includes considering clinical research and innovation and how this can be implemented to support the Armed Forces. A partnership agreement is in place between NHS England and the Ministry of Defence that sets out how the Ministry of Defence and NHS England will work together in the planning and organising of the delivery of healthcare and supporting policies.No formal assessment has been made as to the potential merits of increased collaboration with the Defence Medical Services in the fields of medical research and development, specialist training, and in the development of deployable medical capability. The National Health Service and Defence Medical Services work closely together, with many medical personnel working within the NHS, including staff in specialist medical training.NHS England commissions elective secondary healthcare services for the Armed Forces in England. This includes the routine use of the independent sector as part of the NHS approach to elective care reform.

Whether he plans to re-establish the National Space Council.

The Ministry of Defence along with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and other Departments, remains committed to ensuring that space activities are effectively coordinated across government. Ministers from across Government met on the 22 April to discuss our approach, and the Strategic Defence Review has recommended that a Cabinet sub-committee or equivalent be used to take forward our space strategy. This will be developed by Government to ensure strong Ministerial support for this vital area.

How many defence contracts his Department has awarded since 5 July 2024; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken for procurement on the defence industrial base.

Based on contracts created in the Ministry of Defence Commercial Contracting system there have been 1986 contracts created with a start date more recent than 5 July 2024. It is widely recognised that there are issues with the Department’s procurement system including that it is inefficient and creates uncertainty and barriers to entry for industry especially SMEs. The Defence Industrial Strategy will radically reform procurement to tackle these inefficiencies, cut waste, reduce red tape, and deliver maximum value for both our Armed Forces and our economy.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has with his counterparts in (a) Japan, (b) Australia and (c) the United States on (i) defence, (ii) trade and (iii) foreign policy relations.

We continue to engage with our allies across the world on defence, trade and foreign policy relations. It is the long-standing practice of successive governments not to comment on matters of national security and private diplomatic meetings. I refer the Rt Hon Member to the read outs available on gov.uk.

How many Hong Kong BN(O) visa holders have settled in the UK under the bespoke immigration route since its launch; and what integration support is being provided.

The Home Office publishes statistics relating to indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the Immigration system statistics publication. Data on the number of grants of ILR to those on the British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) route, is published in table Se_D02.To help those on the route integrate into their new communities, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) has a Welcome Programme through which BN(O)s can access support on a range of issues including employment, education, housing, and access to English language provision. In March 2025, MHCLG announced its fifth year of funding for the UK-wide Welcome Programme.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to review his Department's strategic approach to relations with China.

This Government is taking a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK's relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. To help inform this, a team in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been conducting a full and comprehensive audit of the breadth of the UK's relationship with China. They have consulted widely across government and with a wide range of external stakeholders, which is already proving valuable in developing policies and planning engagement. We will continue to work hard to protect and pursue our interests with China, making sure that our engagement is delivering for the British people. That includes where we need to challenge and where we can identify potential areas of cooperation.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential military and dual-use implications of Chinese investment in UK critical infrastructure.

The UK welcomes foreign investment. The National Security and Investment Act 2021 (NSIA) provides the UK Government robust powers to scrutinise and, if necessary, intervene in acquisitions or investment that may pose a risk to national security. This legislation is country agnostic and operated by the Investment Security Unit (ISU) in the Cabinet Office. Defence, alongside other Government Departments, works closely with the ISU, which has the cross-Government lead for advising on the national security implications of foreign investment.

How many people have been (a) arrested and (b) charged under espionage-related offences linked to the People’s Republic of China in the last five years.

The Home Office routinely collects and publishes information on arrests and charges in the 'Police Powers and Procedures', and 'Crime Outcome' statistics respectively. However, the requested data is not published at the level of detail requested.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes to hospice funding on the sustainability of end-of-life care services.

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. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at end of life and their loved ones.In recognition of this, we are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England for 2024/25 and 2025/26, to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.Additionally, children and young people’s hospices will receive £26 million in revenue funding for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant.In February, I met with key palliative care and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format, with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the state of freedoms in Hong Kong; and what steps the Government is taking to support the rights of British National (Overseas) passport holders.

The UK has deep and longstanding ties with Hong Kong. However, as set out in detail in the Government's successive Six-monthly Reports on Hong Kong, the continued erosion of rights and freedoms threatens Hong Kong's way of life. China's imposition of the National Security Law (NSL) has seen dissent criminalised. The UK has called for the NSL to be repealed and for an end to the prosecution of all individuals charged under it.The UK has demonstrated our commitment to the people of Hong Kong through the bespoke immigration route for British National (Overseas) status holders and their eligible family members. This Government will continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong and provide a welcoming home to Hong Kongers.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he has taken to prevent hostile state actors from exploiting UK research institutions; and what assessment her Department has made of potential Chinese involvement in sensitive academic collaborations.

We have a robust approach to risk in the research sector, working to ensure that institutions are alert to security risks and able to make informed decisions when collaborating internationally, backed by the government's comprehensive regulatory powers.We are seeking to bring a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing our science and technology relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. Our approach remains to enhance the UK’s long-term prosperity, while never compromising on economic and national security.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of increases in National Insurance contributions on the financial sustainability of charitable hospices and the delivery of end-of-life care services.

We took the necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, enabling the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The employer National Insurance contribution rise was implemented in April 2025, and planning guidance published on 30 January 2025 sets out the funding available to integrated care boards and the overall approach to funding providers for the 2025/26 financial year. It takes into account a variety of pay and non-pay factors and pressures on providers of secondary healthcare, including charitable hospices. Further information on the planning guidance is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance/ We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England, to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. I am delighted that the first £25 million tranche of that funding, which Hospice UK kindly allocated and distributed to hospices throughout England, was fully spent by hospices on capital projects. An additional £75 million will be allocated in the coming weeks for use in 2025/26. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the children and young people’s hospice grant.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on the treatment of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet.

The UK Government stands firm on human rights in China, including the repression of people in Xinjiang and Tibet.We raise our concerns at the highest levels: the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor and Energy Secretary all raised human rights recently with their counterparts (President Xi, Foreign Minister Wang, Vice Premier He and Vice Premier Ding respectively).This Government continues to coordinate efforts with our international partners to hold China to account for human rights violations. For example, joining a statement led by Australia on Xinjiang and Tibet at the UN General Assembly in October.

What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on improving integration between health services and local authority provision in the development of education, health and care plans.

Statutory duties are clear that health and local authorities must ensure the integration of educational and training provision with health and social care provision. They must also make joint commissioning arrangements with other local partners about the education, health and care provision to be secured for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission provide an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the local area partnerships’ commissioning arrangements with an emphasis on the outcomes being achieved for children and young people with SEND. Where appropriate, they recommend what the local area partnership should do to improve the arrangements.Where partners do not meet their duties, the department can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement. We work to monitor, support and challenge local authorities, working closely with NHS England to tackle weaknesses that sit with health partners.The government is urgently looking at the SEND system and how it needs to be reformed. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care met with Cabinet colleagues earlier this month to discuss SEND system improvements.

What information her Department holds on the number of first-tier SEND tribunal cases lodged in the most recent year for which data is available; and in how many of those cases was the decision made in favour of the appellant.

Information about registered appeals and outcomes to SEND Tribunals is published at: Tribunals statistics quarterly: July to September 2024 - GOV.UK.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of strategic dependencies on Chinese supply chains for (a) semiconductors, (b) pharmaceuticals, (c) rare earth elements and (d) other critical sectors on (i) national security and (ii) UK-China policy.

This government recognises the importance of strong and resilient supply chains to the UK's growth and economic security. While it would be counterproductive to 'de-couple' the UK economy from China or any other trading partner, we agree with many of our international counterparts that we must reduce our risk of dependency in critical industries.The Department for Business and Trade is strengthening the UK's resilience both through sector programmes and the upcoming Trade, Industrial and Critical Minerals Strategies. These Strategies will outline more on our plans for resilience-building, including in the foundational sectors targeted by the Industrial Strategy.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps with his international counterparts to establish an international register of damage caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The UK is a founding member and Chair of the Conference of Participants for the Register of Damage for Ukraine, which allows Ukrainians to record losses, injury, or damage suffered as a result of the war. In March, the Board took several steps to increase access to justice: they launched six new claims categories, concluded a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice to enable claimants to access legal support free of charge, and signed an agreement that sets a framework for the Register to access evidence gathered by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.The UK is also engaged in international efforts to establish a Claims Commission for Ukraine that would assess the claims submitted under the Register of Damage. On 24-26 March, we joined the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee as a next step towards agreeing the institutional structure and mandate of such a mechanism.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that evidence gathered by (a) UK armed forces and (b) partners in Ukraine is preserved for potential use in war crimes prosecutions.

The UK deplores the barbaric acts that are taking place in Ukraine, after Russia’s illegal invasion, and will continue to support holding all perpetrators to account. We continue to support the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in investigating allegations of international crimes committed in Ukraine and are also working closely with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, where the UK has provided £11.3 million to support Ukraine's domestic accountability efforts, including to document, investigate and prosecute atrocity crimes.