Written questions by Gordon.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of data privacy regulations governing supermarket loyalty schemes.

All organisations in the UK that process personal data, including supermarkets operating loyalty schemes, must comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. This legislation requires personal data to be processed lawfully, fairly and transparently, and secured by appropriate technical and organisational measures. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK’s independent regulator for data protection and is responsible for monitoring and enforcing this legislation. We recently strengthened their powers in the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 to help them investigate suspected breaches of the legislation.

Whether he has had discussions with major supermarkets on the increasing price differential between loyalty and non-loyalty prices.

The groceries sector operates in a competitive market, and supermarkets are free to set their prices how they choose. Recent Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) reports have shown that competition and profitability in the groceries sector has demonstrated that competition between them is working well.On 27 November 2024, the CMA published their findings from its review of loyalty pricing in the groceries sector. The CMA's review of loyalty pricing schemes concluded that in the majority of cases promotions offered genuine savings but that shoppers should not assume a loyalty price is always the lowest price a product is available for and it is worth shopping around.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of cormorant predation on fish stocks and biodiversity.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided relates to England only. While the Government recognises the impact that cormorants can have on native fish stocks, it has not made a recent formal assessment of cormorant predation on them or wider biodiversity. Many factors are responsible for suppressing fish stock recovery, including climate change effects, poor water quality, altered hydrology and physical habitat modification or degradation. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provides licensing functions to permit the control of cormorants to protect fisheries where it can be shown that non-lethal measures are failing to manage predation. Licences are issued by Natural England, which has responsibility for setting a prudent upper limit on cormorant control to ensure that licensed removal does not irreversibly affect their conservation status.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing bursaries or financial support for students training in creative therapies.

The student finance system is the primary funding support package for students in further education, and students training in creative therapies can access student loans via the Student Loans Company. There are no current plans to provide any additional financial support to these students.The Government keeps the funding arrangements for all healthcare students under close review. At all times the Government must strike a balance between the level of support students receive and the need to make best use of public funds to deliver value for money.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of workforce shortages in creative therapies for children and young people.

While no such specific assessment has been made, more young people are being supported to access National Health Service mental health services. In the first 12 months of the Government, nearly 40,000 more children and young people received support compared to the previous 12 months. This is helped by over 8,000 extra mental health workers being recruited since July 2024.Work is ongoing in NHS England to determine the adequacy of creative therapies, including art, music, dramatherapy, via the forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan. The plan is expected to be published later in the spring.

What steps he is taking to increase participation in bowel cancer screening programmes in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

The Harrogate, Leeds, and York Bowel Cancer Screening Programme serves the population of Harrogate and Knaresborough. Data from NHS England shows that uptake for this programme is 75.3% for people aged 60 to 74 years old. While this is higher than the England average of 70.3%, we know that there is more work to be done.Work is ongoing to both maintain and improve uptake, which includes collaborating with the Humber North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance and general practices, as well as local communities working together. Additional work to support raising awareness of the bowel cancer screening programme includes development of a recent promotional video which was shared with all North Yorkshire practices to enable them to play on displays in surgery waiting rooms, and with the local authority for use on their social media platforms. Other promotional initiatives have included:Go Racing, which is offering all racecourses/corresponding screening centres to send a representative on race days to chat to race goers/videos on big screen/feature in race card;five facts toilet campaign posters;recorded jingle/promotion at Harrogate radio; andattendance at cattle markets to raise awareness.

What criteria the NIHR use to make funding decisions in the event of a tiebreaker.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) does not use location as a formal tie-breaker criterion in assessment. In the instances of a tie break scenario, the NIHR will typically use strategic fit to make a decision. The NIHR does, however, use 'Working with people and communities' and 'Inclusive research' as part of its assessment criteria, and as part of determining strategic fit, funding committee’s consider aspects such as location. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/research-funding/application-support/domestic-funding-programmes-assessment-criteria

Whether the NIHR, in line with the Medical Research Council’s Place Framework, also uses the location of the host organisation as a tiebreaker in funding decisions to support a more geographically balanced spread of health research investment across the UK.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) does not use location as a formal tie-breaker criterion in assessment. In the instances of a tie break scenario, the NIHR will typically use strategic fit to make a decision. The NIHR does, however, use 'Working with people and communities' and 'Inclusive research' as part of its assessment criteria, and as part of determining strategic fit, funding committee’s consider aspects such as location. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/research-funding/application-support/domestic-funding-programmes-assessment-criteria

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the rate of Video Games Expenditure Credits for bigger budget games to 39% and removing the 80% expenditure cap.

The Government recognises the importance of the video games sector and the contribution it makes to growth. Support for video games companies is provided through the tax system and through funding. Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC) provides a generous rate of relief of 34% on qualifying UK video games development costs. In 2023-24, £327 million of Corporation Tax was relieved through video game tax relief. VGEC is available to any company and project that meet the qualifying criteria, including larger budget games. The Government is not currently considering increasing the generosity of the relief.

Whether she has considered the potential merits of including the York Area Capacity Scheme works in the TransPennine Route Upgrade.

A decision to pause activity on the York Area Capacity and Performance Project was taken at the Spending Review. The decision was only taken after appropriate consideration of the project’s benefits and its interdependencies with other programmes of activity. Work is now underway with Network Rail and industry colleagues to develop a sustainable long-term strategy for the area.There are currently no plans to include this paused scheme as part of the TransPennine Route Upgrade Programme.

Whether an impact assessment was made before the suspension of the York Area Capacity Scheme.

The decision taken at the Spending Review to pause activity on the York Area Capacity and Performance project taken after appropriate consideration of the project’s benefits and its interdependencies with other programmes of activity. Work is now underway with Network Rail and industry colleagues to develop a sustainable long-term strategy for the area.

What assessment has been made of the impact of the train capacity through York train station as a result of the TransPennine Route Upgrade on the level of timeliness at Skelton Junction.

Train capacity through York Station is the subject of the York Area Capacity and Performance Project which was paused at the Spending Review. The scope of the TransPennine Route Upgrade Programme excludes York Station itself. Network Rail are undertaking further timetabling analysis and modelling as part of continuing train planning activity including in the Skelton Junction area.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department has had with Ofcom regarding the regulation of online video games under the Online Safety Act 2023.

The Department regularly engages with Ofcom on a wide range of online safety matters, including online gaming. Ofcom has published a range of guidance and tips to support businesses in complying with the Online Safety Act. Specific guidance for the gaming sector can be found here: Gaming: know the online safety risks, the rules, and how to comply Ofcom is committed to ensuring the new rules are clearly explained to services, and we are committed to helping small businesses navigate regulations

Media and Sport, what her planned timetable is for the publication of the Government-commissioned research on loot boxes undertaken by third-party investigators.

The Government is committed to ensuring games are enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone and that, where they contain loot boxes, there are appropriate protections in place for players of all ages.To improve those protections, industry-led guidance was published in 2023 with a 12-month implementation period after which DCMS commissioned independent academic research into its effectiveness. We will publish the research shortly, alongside our next steps.

Innovation and Technology, whether guidance has been issued to video game developers on compliance with the Online Safety Act 2023.

The Department regularly engages with Ofcom on a wide range of online safety matters, including online gaming. Ofcom has published a range of guidance and tips to support businesses in complying with the Online Safety Act. Specific guidance for the gaming sector can be found here: Gaming: know the online safety risks, the rules, and how to comply Ofcom is committed to ensuring the new rules are clearly explained to services, and we are committed to helping small businesses navigate regulations

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the findings of the independent report on loot boxes commissioned by the Government in 2023; and whether she plans to publish that report.

The Government is committed to ensuring games are enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone and that, where they contain loot boxes, there are appropriate protections in place for players of all ages.To improve those protections, industry-led guidance was published in 2023 with a 12-month implementation period after which DCMS commissioned independent academic research into its effectiveness. We will publish the research shortly, alongside our next steps.

Whether she plans to review the Video Games Expenditure Credit to support smaller video game studios.

The Government recognises the importance of the creative industries, including the key role they play in driving economic growth, and the video games sector is specifically supported through the tax system and through funding. Video games companies benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC), which provides a generous tax credit of 34 per cent on UK video games development costs. In 2023-24, £327 million of Corporation Tax was relieved through video game tax relief. VGEC makes no distinction between large and small game studios. Any video game production company can qualify as long as it meets the eligibility criteria. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has committed to a new £30 million Games Growth Package over three years to back the next generation of start‑up games studios and talent, and drive inward investment in the sector.

What guidance his Department provides to integrated care boards on supporting vulnerable people, including those with mental health conditions, cognitive impairment or learning disabilities, to safely self-administer insulin.

Improving the integration between community mental health services and other physical health services and meeting the holistic needs of people with severe mental health problems is a priority, as set out in the Community Mental Health Framework.Recognising the continued need to further support services to provide high quality personalised care for all patients needing secondary mental health services, including those with diabetes, NHS England has shared new draft guidance with systems, the Mental Health Personalised Care Framework, which sets out how services must effectively assess, plan, and manage people's care in collaboration with all relevant teams, including how they assess safety and risks of harm.The Health Services Safety Investigation Body recently published a report Insulin: supporting safe self-administration for patients in the community with a mental health problem, which recommended that NHS England and the Department develop a strategy for improving collaboration between mental health teams and specialist diabetes services. A formal response to this recommendation will be published in May 2026.

If he will publish a national implementation plan on insulin safety for those with mental health conditions.

Improving the integration between community mental health services and other physical health services and meeting the holistic needs of people with severe mental health problems is a priority, as set out in the Community Mental Health Framework.Recognising the continued need to further support services to provide high quality personalised care for all patients needing secondary mental health services, including those with diabetes, NHS England has shared new draft guidance with systems, the Mental Health Personalised Care Framework, which sets out how services must effectively assess, plan, and manage people's care in collaboration with all relevant teams, including how they assess safety and risks of harm.The Health Services Safety Investigation Body recently published a report Insulin: supporting safe self-administration for patients in the community with a mental health problem, which recommended that NHS England and the Department develop a strategy for improving collaboration between mental health teams and specialist diabetes services. A formal response to this recommendation will be published in May 2026.

How his Department plans to improve the understanding, identification and management of Type 1 Diabetes and Disordered Eating.

The Government is committed to ensuring that people with Type 1 Diabetes and Disordered Eating (T1DE) receive support and care which meets their needs. NHS England will continue to work closely with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to understand emerging areas for consideration in national guidance and has committed to share the current T1DE pilot site evaluation outcomes, when available, with NICE to ensure findings are considered in the development of future guidance.To reduce insulin related harm, the National Health Service’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme published guidance in April 2025 to support trusts to establish Diabetes Safety Boards, with more information available at the following link:https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/supporting-hospital-teams-with-safe-inpatient-diabetes-care/ GIRFT is also undertaking a pilot across 20 integrated care systems as part of a Community and District Nurse Insulin Programme which works to empower community diabetes nurses and district nursing teams to support patients at home requiring insulin administration. To further support services to provide high quality personalised care for all patients needing secondary mental health services, including those with diabetes, NHS England has shared new draft guidance with systems, the Mental Health Personalised Care Framework. The framework sets out how services must effectively assess, plan and manage people's care in collaboration with all relevant teams, including how they assess safety and risks of harm.