Written questions by Timothy.

What guidance his Department has given to (a) headteachers and (b) school governors on the use of artificial intelligence in schools.

The department has published clear guidance to support schools in using artificial intelligence (AI) safely and effectively. This includes the Generative AI policy paper, which sets out opportunities, risks and legal responsibilities, and online support materials developed with sector experts. These resources provide practical advice for headteachers and governors on integrating AI into digital strategies, safeguarding pupil data, and ensuring compliance with data protection and intellectual property law. Toolkits for educators and leaders outline safe use cases, risk management and how AI can reduce workload without replacing teacher judgment. The guidance emphasises that AI should enhance teaching, not diminish human oversight, and schools must take care when considering pupil-facing AI.Materials are available on GOV.UK under “Using AI in education settings: support materials”, alongside the policy paper “Generative artificial intelligence in education”, updated June 2025.

How much funding her Department has provided towards supplying schools with (a) tablets, (b) laptops and (c) other electronic devices to children since 2015, broken down by (i) local authority area and (ii) year.

Schools, trusts and local authorities can use their budgets at their discretion to purchase technology for their pupils. The department does not mandate a specific device to pupil ratio or recommend how much funding should be allocated for devices.During the COVID-19 pandemic, the department delivered over 1.95 million laptops and tablets to schools, academy trusts and local authorities in England through the ‘Get Help With Technology’ programme, launched in March 2020, which supported remote learning for disadvantaged children. The last devices were delivered by March 2022 and the service closed in June 2022.The programme represented an investment of approximately £400 million, covering procurement and distribution of devices, alongside connectivity support for families without internet access.Data on dispatched devices is published in statistical releases via the Explore Education Statistics portal here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data/2022-april.The department monitors pupil access to devices via the Technology in Schools Survey here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/technology-in-schools-survey-report-2022-to-2023.

How much funding her Department has provided for higher education programmes involving Chinese (a) military institutions, and (b) companies connected to the military.

The department has not received any representations from UK universities on funding partnerships with Chinese military institutions or companies connected to the military.Universities are independent from government, and it is their responsibility to assess their arrangements. We encourage universities to pursue partnerships and engage internationally, provided they comply with UK security policies and regulations.The government supports the sector in managing risks through the Research Collaboration Advice Team, and a comprehensive package of legislative and regulatory measures including the Academic Technology Approvals Scheme, export controls and the National Security and Investment Act.The department provides grant funding through the strategic priorities grant to the Office for Students for distribution to providers in line with terms and conditions set by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. None of these terms and conditions relate to programmes involving Chinese military institutions or companies connected to them.

What representations her Department has received from UK universities on funding partnerships with Chinese (a) military institutions and (b) companies connected to the military.

The department has not received any representations from UK universities on funding partnerships with Chinese military institutions or companies connected to the military.Universities are independent from government, and it is their responsibility to assess their arrangements. We encourage universities to pursue partnerships and engage internationally, provided they comply with UK security policies and regulations.The government supports the sector in managing risks through the Research Collaboration Advice Team, and a comprehensive package of legislative and regulatory measures including the Academic Technology Approvals Scheme, export controls and the National Security and Investment Act.The department provides grant funding through the strategic priorities grant to the Office for Students for distribution to providers in line with terms and conditions set by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. None of these terms and conditions relate to programmes involving Chinese military institutions or companies connected to them.

What assessment her Department has made of the relationship between UK universities and Chinese (a) military institutions, and (b) companies connected to the military.

The department has not received any representations from UK universities on funding partnerships with Chinese military institutions or companies connected to the military.Universities are independent from government, and it is their responsibility to assess their arrangements. We encourage universities to pursue partnerships and engage internationally, provided they comply with UK security policies and regulations.The government supports the sector in managing risks through the Research Collaboration Advice Team, and a comprehensive package of legislative and regulatory measures including the Academic Technology Approvals Scheme, export controls and the National Security and Investment Act.The department provides grant funding through the strategic priorities grant to the Office for Students for distribution to providers in line with terms and conditions set by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. None of these terms and conditions relate to programmes involving Chinese military institutions or companies connected to them.

If she will publish her internal Departmental assessments of the potential impact of smartphones on children in schools.

Mobile phones have no place in school. Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobile-phones-in-schools. The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.There are no current assessments the department intends to publish.

If she will publish her internal Departmental assessments of the potential impact of screentime on children in schools.

Mobile phones have no place in school. Schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime, as set out in the ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance, published in 2024 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobile-phones-in-schools. The department expects all schools to take steps in line with this guidance to ensure mobile phones do not disrupt pupils’ learning.There are no current assessments the department intends to publish.

What plans his Department has to recruit more specialist nurses and reduce waiting times for diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

We recognise the importance of a timely diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and remain committed to delivering the National Health Service constitutional standard for 92% of patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring lists and waiting times down. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard.By expanding community-based services for routine monitoring and follow up, employing artificial intelligence for productivity, and investing in digital tools and data, as outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan, we can ensure that consultants’ time is reserved for complex cases, including specialist diagnostic assessments, which are critical for people with suspected Parkinson’s.Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their population, including for Parkinson’s. In doing so, the Government expects ICBs to take account of the relevant guidelines and best practice in designing their local services. The NICE guideline on Parkinson’s disease, reference code NG71, states that people with Parkinson’s should have an accessible point of contact with specialist services, which can be provided by a Parkinson’s nurse specialist, and that all individuals should be offered access to the services provided by these specialist nurses to support ongoing care and advice. The guideline is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng71We acknowledge the significant neurology workforce challenges across the country, including the need for more specialist nurses. The forthcoming long-term workforce plan will set out how we will train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to make it more accessible, proactive, and tailored for all patients, including those with Parkinson’s.

What reasonable steps employers will be expected to take to comply with clause 18 of the Employment Rights Bill.

Clause 18 of the Employment Rights Bill introduces a new right to time off following bereavement or pregnancy loss before 24 weeks. We are currently consulting on the details of this entitlement, including with employers and business representative organisations, to seek their views on the entitlement and how we can best support them on its implementation. This will be reflected within the policy design and future guidance to help employers implement the entitlement and effectively support their employees. Once published we expect employers to engage with this guidance to help guide their Bereavement Leave policies.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has contingency funds to meet the legal liabilities of the BBC.

This is a matter for the BBC, whose lawyers are now dealing with the issue. The BBC is independent of the UK government and so it is a matter for them and the US President.

Media and Sport, what representations she has made to her US counterpart on legal action threatened by the President of the United States against the BBC.

This is a matter for the BBC, whose lawyers are now dealing with the issue. The BBC is independent of the UK government and so it is a matter for them and the US President.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the viability of the ceasefire deal regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict.

I refer the Hon Member to the oral statement on the Middle East made by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to review security measures for the 2028 European Championships in Birmingham.

The government is committed to ensuring the EURO 2028 football tournament is a safe, secure and enjoyable event for all. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with the Home Office, policing partners, delivery bodies and a range of organisations to ensure comprehensive and proportionate security plans are in place at a national and local level.

How many patients on waiting lists for dementia diagnosis have informed their GP they are receiving private treatment since 2010 in England, broken down by (a) Integrated Care Board and (b) year.

This information is not held centrally.

How many patients on waiting lists for dementia diagnosis have informed their GP they are receiving private treatment since 2010 in England, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) year.

This information is not held centrally.

How many dementia specialists were recruited in England in each year since 2010 by local authority.

We do not hold this information centrally. Dementia care involves multiple specialties. We hold data by profession rather than by specific skills or areas of knowledge.

How many referrals to dementia specialists were made in England in each year since 2010 by local authority.

This data is not held centrally. While counts of patients who have received a dementia assessment and subsequently been referred to a memory clinic have been collected since the 2016/17 reporting year, the figures are not provided at an integrated care board level and are also not aggregated by local authority. This data captures the number of patients who have received such a referral, and does not capture the following:the total number of referrals, as one patient may have more than one referral to a memory clinic, but they will only be included in the count once;referrals made to memory clinics where the referral is not made following a dementia assessment recorded by the general practice; andreferrals made to specialists where they are not via a memory clinic.Data from 2016 to 2022 can be found in the recorded dementia diagnoses publication, at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/recorded-dementia-diagnosesIn addition, data from 2022 to 2025 can be found in the recorded dementia diagnoses publication: Primary care dementia data publication, at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/primary-care-dementia-dataThe counts available in the March publication of each year will provide the number of referrals made within that reporting year.

What steps his department will take to raise awareness of the symptoms of gynaecological cancers.

NHS England is undertaking a wide range of activity to increase awareness of the symptoms of gynaecological cancer. NHS England relaunched the Help Us Help You cancer campaign in 2024, to encourage people to get in touch with their general practitioner if they notice symptoms that they are worried could turn out to be cancer.NHS England and other National Health Service organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including gynaecological cancers.

How many dementia specialists were recruited in England in each year since 2010 by Integrated Care Board.

We do not hold this information centrally. Dementia care involves multiple specialties. We hold data by profession rather than by specific skills or areas of knowledge.

How many dementia specialists there were in England in each year since 2010 by Integrated Care Board.

We do not hold this information centrally. Dementia care involves multiple specialties. We hold data by profession rather than by specific skills or areas of knowledge.