Responsibility for the safety and maintenance of school buildings, including ensuring the quality of drinking water, rests with the responsible body for the school. For maintained schools this is usually the local authority or governing body, and for academies it is the academy trust.

Responsible bodies are expected to comply with relevant legal requirements and take appropriate action, including testing for lead in drinking water where there is a potential risk. The School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 require schools to have suitable drinking water facilities.

The Stratus programme continually advances the technology readiness levels and system maturity through a combination of modelling, sub-system testing and trials. To date, the programme has completed testing of the airframe design, engine demonstration, warhead and seeker performance. The first full scale system tests are scheduled from 2028.

The Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK’s security.

There is no specific compensation scheme for Nuclear Test Veterans and their families. Any veteran, including those of the nuclear tests, who believes they have suffered ill-health due to service has the right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pension Scheme if they served before 6 April 2005. War pensions are payable in respect of illness or injury as a result of service in the Armed Forces, with the benefit of reasonable doubt always given to the claimant. Decisions are medically certified and follow consideration of available service and medical evidence and carry full rights of appeal to an independent tribunal.

In line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance, the current version of the Saving Babies' Lives Care Bundle, published April 2025, recommends that carbon monoxide testing is offered for all women at antenatal booking and the 36-week antenatal appointment, and additionally at every antenatal appointment for the groups identified in NICE Guideline 209, which includes women who "tested with 4 parts per million or above at the first antenatal appointment".

As part of the routine review process for each update to the Care Bundle, relevant national guidance, including NICE and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists guidelines, alongside evidence and best practice are assessed to determine whether any changes are required. Scoping has not yet begun on a new version of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle.

ARX Robotics UK systems were evaluated during a British Army exercise in Estonia in May 2026. The trial provided useful evidence regarding the potential of uncrewed ground systems to enhance situational awareness and support reconnaissance activities.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning ear wax removal and audiology services that meet the needs of their local populations, taking account of relevant national guidance and local service arrangements.

NHS England is supporting ICBs and provider organisations to improve performance and reduce waiting lists for appointments and assessments for hearing services. This includes capital investment to upgrade audiology facilities in National Health Service trusts, expanding audiology testing capacity via community diagnostic centres, and direct support through a national audiology improvement collaborative.

Further, through the Medium Term Planning Framework, we have set a clear target for systems to reduce long waits for community health services. By 2028/29 at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks, including community audiology activity.

The Department has recently consulted on possible reforms to strengthen enforcement against drink and drug driving, including temporary licence suspension-type measures for suspected offenders before a case is concluded. The consultation has now closed and responses are being analysed.

Existing legislation already provides for courts to impose disqualification in appropriate cases, including as part of sentence. It also provides for interim disqualification in specified circumstances after conviction where an offence involving obligatory or discretionary disqualification has not yet been finally dealt with. Sentencing and disqualification decisions in individual cases are matters for the independent courts.

For drug-driving offences, the current evidential framework relies on blood analysis for specified-limit offences. The Department has also consulted on possible future changes to drink and drug-driving enforcement and has supported exploratory work on roadside evidential drug-testing capability, including the Mobile Evidential Drug Testing Instrument (MEDTI) Demonstrator. Any change to evidential testing arrangements would require further scientific, legal and operational consideration.

The department is working closely with Chiltern Railways and partners to confirm that all the elements to announce a start date for the first EWR services are in place. Chiltern has been preparing for the start of services, including driver recruitment and training.

Autonomous capability is at the forefront of Uncrewed Systems development across air, land, maritime and sub-surface domains. Ministry of Defence will optimise use of the Test, Trials, Training & Evaluation partnership with QinetiQ backed by a £1.54 billion contract extension from 2025 to 2030 which is running in parallel to the Test & Evaluation Transformation Programme. Greater use will be made of innovative high-fidelity synthetic testing from 2029.

The DroneTEX investment project has £234 million committed, with the Defence Investment Plan committing £310 million to further develop the Uncrewed Systems Centre, autonomy testing infrastructure and fund personnel to deliver world class validation of autonomy capabilities.

Defence is spending over £5 billion on autonomous systems to enable transformation by 2030 which is the largest ever drone investment in Defence. We recognise that more testing capability is required to support this and so have announced the new Defence Uncrewed Systems Centre in Swindon, including the recently opened DroneTEX testing facility, to coordinate all output with industry, partners, and allies.

In addition to the large number of current drone testing sites in the UK and in our overseas territories, we will invest to exploit the size, scale, and freedom of the key site in Canada at the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) for testing and evaluation and to accelerate delivery of capability. This will enable uncrewed systems activity across 2,700m² of training area.

Defence is spending over £5 billion on autonomous systems to enable transformation by 2030 which is the largest ever drone investment in Defence. We recognise that more testing capability is required to support this and so have announced the new Defence Uncrewed Systems Centre in Swindon, including the recently opened DroneTEX testing facility, to coordinate all output with industry, partners, and allies.

In addition to the large number of current drone testing sites in the UK and in our overseas territories, we will invest to exploit the size, scale, and freedom of the key site in Canada at the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) for testing and evaluation and to accelerate delivery of capability. This will enable uncrewed systems activity across 2,700m² of training area.

Given the speed of technical innovation in uncrewed and autonomous systems, the MOD is mindful of the need to accelerate acquisition timelines, including approval timelines for testing.

The new Defence Uncrewed Systems Centre in Swindon is taking a lead role in addressing regulation in the autonomy space, with the aim to establish a regulatory pathway for defence innovation which will help reduce timelines.

As part of our commitment to support SMEs and aid UK growth the MOD and QinetiQ, who operate MOD’s Test & Evaluation ranges, have introduced a Test & Evaluation Innovation Gateway to accelerate access and availability.

The Ministry of Defence launched a review of the regulatory system governing uncrewed and autonomous systems in defence in February 2026, inviting contributions from industry and the wider public. Defence is committed to reforming regulation to ease the burden on industry and drive innovation.

The Regulating for Growth Bill contains sandbox measures that would greatly assist defence’s testing abilities for uncrewed and autonomous systems.

The Ministry of Defence launched a review of the regulatory system governing uncrewed and autonomous systems in defence in February 2026, inviting contributions from industry and the wider public. Defence is committed to reforming regulation to ease the burden on industry and drive innovation.

The Regulating for Growth Bill contains sandbox measures that would greatly assist defence’s testing abilities for uncrewed and autonomous systems.

Let me first say how deeply grateful we are to those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme—and to my hon. Friend for championing them for so long. We recognise their service and the huge contribution they have made to the UK’s security. Since taking office, I have worked hard to listen to and meet the veterans. I am aiming to disclose the document to which my hon. Friend referred as soon as possible, with the principle, set out by my predecessor, that officials should look into this as a matter of urgency.

On the issue of nuclear testing veterans, the Minister’s predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Derbyshire (Louise Sandher-Jones), confirmed in March this year that in 2014 both the MOD and Government legal advisers were made aware of a previously undisclosed fallout report, showing radiation across inhabited areas of Christmas Island—crucially, in the main camp where British personnel lived and worked. Can the Minister confirm what work has been done to establish why that evidence was not disclosed in legal proceedings, and whether Ministers were informed at the time?

The Prime Minister announced on 30 June, through the Defence Investment Plan, that the Government is committed to spending more than £5 billion to fund a drone transformation over the next four years. As part of this, £650 million will deliver inexpensive expendable autonomous systems including drones and uncrewed ground vehicles to rapidly enhance the lethality of the Army, Commando Force and Special Forces.

It will also fund Europe’s biggest drone testing centre, the Uncrewed Systems Centre, opened earlier this month in Swindon, and a new Uncrewed Systems Taskforce to rapidly develop and field new autonomous capabilities with industry. This will ensure the UK can continuously scale production and get the very latest drones into the hands of our Armed Forces to protect the UK and our Allies.

The Uncrewed Systems Centre will develop the latest drone technology in conjunction with the Front-Line Commands. The precise military applications of any artificial intelligence-enabled autonomous system that may be developed will depend upon validated user requirements.

The Government is supporting the development, validation and uptake of New Approach Methodologies through the Replacing Animals in Science strategy, backed by £75 million of funding to accelerate alternatives and innovation. This includes multi‑year funding secured through the Spending Review to provide stability for key programmes. UK Research and Innovation invests in a broad portfolio of research that underpins alternative methods, including for testing and safety assessment. As this research is often categorised as basic research, it is not always possible to disaggregate funding specifically for New Approach Methodologies. The Department will continue to support investment through delivery of the strategy and future funding decisions.

Given the speed of innovation in uncrewed systems technology, it is not possible to estimate with certainty the likely value of defence exports that may result from technologies developed or tested at the Uncrewed Systems Centre (USC). Nevertheless, by accelerating the UK's position as a leader in uncrewed capability in Europe, we believe the USC will unlock future exports in an ever-evolving technology.

Now the Defence Uncrewed System Centre (DUSC) has been established we expect frontline commands, industry, innovators and allies to utilise the facilities as we move towards more autonomy and uncrewed systems being deployed across our forces. We have not made an estimate of numbers, but we know the demand from across defence is real and growing.

The Uncrewed Systems Centre has evolved from the UK's leadership of the 21-nation Drone Capability Coalition for Ukraine and is international by design. Announcements on international partnerships will be made in the usual way.

Metrics to assess the performance of the Uncrewed Systems Centre are under development.

The Uncrewed Systems Centre works closely with the Department’s Joint Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems Office (JCO) on the development of counter-drone technologies.

Given the speed and variety of innovation in uncrewed systems technology, it is not possible to quantify the reduction in time taken to develop and field new uncrewed capabilities that the Uncrewed Systems Centre (USC) will enable. Nevertheless, by bringing together Defence, industry and academia, the USC will ensure that the development of new uncrewed capabilities matches the evolving threat landscape.

The Uncrewed Systems Centre (USC) in Swindon will play a part in the Department’s drive to implement the ambitions set out in the Defence Industrial Strategy, particularly to back UK based businesses and to put the UK at the leading edge of defence innovation.

While the USC does not have a target for the proportion of its work to be delivered by UK-based companies, work is already underway with a number of British businesses, including SMEs.

The Uncrewed Systems Centre (USC) in Swindon will play a part in the Department’s drive to implement the ambitions set out in the Defence Industrial Strategy, particularly to back UK based businesses and to put the UK at the leading edge of defence innovation.

While the USC does not have a target for the proportion of its work to be delivered by UK-based companies, work is already underway with a number of British businesses, including SMEs.

The Uncrewed Systems Centre (USC) in Swindon will play a part in the Department’s drive to implement the ambitions set out in the Defence Industrial Strategy, particularly to back UK based businesses and to put the UK at the leading edge of defence innovation.

While the USC does not have a target for the proportion of its work to be delivered by UK-based companies, work is already underway with a number of British businesses, including SMEs.

Two of the key lessons for the MOD from the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran are the pace of technical innovation and a whole of society effort, if our Armed Forces are to retain an edge over, and therefore deter, our adversaries.

The Uncrewed Systems Centre addresses both these lessons. It coheres existing activities across Defence, wider government, industry and academia, and provides the strategy, leadership and prioritisation that will allow the UK to accelerate as a leader in uncrewed capability and our Armed Forces to remain at the cutting edge of innovation.

As autonomous vehicles become commonplace in Defence’s Research, Development and Planning, the investment in the digital testing, simulation and virtual development environments is often bespoke to the nature and role of the capability and integrated into the overall cost of the project. This work takes place across the MOD and there is no central record of the MOD’s spend on these environments.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 28 April 2026. The records exercise is nearing completion, and I shall update the House in due course.

In parallel, as part of wider work, the number of historic nuclear testing records that are now publicly accessible having been transferred to the National Archives from the Merlin database is over 28,000.

Following analysis of the recent Breakdown Test and Criticality Analysis (BTCA) programme conducted on Javelin missiles, the Safety Responsible and Senior Safety Responsible delegation holders have endorsed a five-year extension to the Javelin in-service life. This extension grants a shelf life of 25 years (plus a further two years for disposal) for all UK Javelin missiles to ensure a sufficient stockpile for UK military operations.

Trials of automated vehicles must be undertaken in line with the requirements set out in the Automated Vehicle Trialling Code of Practice. Trialling organisations must have a safety driver monitoring both the road traffic environment and vehicle systems so that they may resume proper control if necessary.

The Code should be used by trialling organisations in conjunction with detailed knowledge of the legal, regulatory and technological landscape, ensuring they are compliant with all relevant UK law.

To trial vehicles without a safety driver, companies must obtain an exemption from existing regulations through a Vehicle Special Order. And in order to operate a passenger carrying service, companies are also expected to obtain an Automated Passenger Services permit.

Should a company submit an application to operate a without a safety driver, the Department would conduct an extensive safety and security assessment which would include scrutiny of operational resilience and data management.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency has an established process enabling cattle keepers to request TB testing data relating to their herds. Keepers need to complete and submit a request proforma to APHA. Keepers may then choose with whom they wish to share their herd's test data.

The recently published recommended Bovine TB Control Strategy for England (https://tbhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-Recommended-Bovine-TB-Strategy.pdf) emphasises the importance of providing secure TB farm-level data to farmers and their vets in a timely manner, to aid decision making. Government will now carefully consider the recommendations in the proposed strategy.

The recently published recommended Bovine TB Control Strategy for England (https://tbhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-Recommended-Bovine-TB-Strategy.pdf) proposes facilitating wider access to privately funded ancillary bovine TB testing to support earlier detection of infected cattle and disease management.

The Government will now consider the recommendations in the proposed Strategy, including the creation of a distinct, formal classification of ‘responder’ for TB control purposes, and the potential impacts of such a classification.

Breakdown Test and Critical Analysis (BTCA) is routinely undertaken across different weapons in the RAF munitions stockpile, with specific outcomes held at Official-Sensitive classification. The evidence from the most recent programme of BTCA activity, completed in 2025, confirmed that the assessed batches of air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions remain suitable for continued service use. I am withholding further technical detail for security reasons.

We recently consulted on introducing mandatory eye tests for drivers aged 70 and over. The consultation closed on 11 May and we are now analysing the responses received. The logistical arrangements for carrying out any potential new eyesight tests formed part of the consultation. No decisions will be made until the responses to the consultation have been carefully considered.

All drivers have a legal responsibility to ensure that they meet the required vision standards for driving, including the use of glasses or corrective lenses where necessary. The DVLA provides clear guidance on eyesight requirements for driving, which is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/driving-eyesight-rules

Although there is no legal obligation on medical professionals to notify the DVLA about a patient who is medically unfit to drive, they do have a duty to report this if it is in the public interest to do so. The General Medical Council and General Optical Council guidance confirms that it is appropriate to notify the DVLA directly, even if the patient does not consent when their patient is unwilling or unable to notify the DVLA themselves.

In the Road Safety Strategy, the Government committed to continue engaging with the relevant regulatory bodies to highlight the importance of healthcare professionals notifying DVLA if their patient is unwilling or unable to notify.

There are currently no plans to require drivers to carry a spare pair of glasses in their vehicle. The existing legal framework places responsibility on individual drivers to ensure they can meet the vision standards whenever they are driving. Driving without meeting these standards, including where glasses or corrective lenses are needed but not worn, is an offence and may result in enforcement action.

We recently consulted on introducing mandatory eye tests for drivers aged 70 and over. The consultation closed on 11 May and we are now analysing the responses received. The logistical arrangements for carrying out any potential new eyesight tests formed part of the consultation. No decisions will be made until the responses to the consultation have been carefully considered.

All drivers have a legal responsibility to ensure that they meet the required vision standards for driving, including the use of glasses or corrective lenses where necessary. The DVLA provides clear guidance on eyesight requirements for driving, which is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/driving-eyesight-rules

Although there is no legal obligation on medical professionals to notify the DVLA about a patient who is medically unfit to drive, they do have a duty to report this if it is in the public interest to do so. The General Medical Council and General Optical Council guidance confirms that it is appropriate to notify the DVLA directly, even if the patient does not consent when their patient is unwilling or unable to notify the DVLA themselves.

In the Road Safety Strategy, the Government committed to continue engaging with the relevant regulatory bodies to highlight the importance of healthcare professionals notifying DVLA if their patient is unwilling or unable to notify.

There are currently no plans to require drivers to carry a spare pair of glasses in their vehicle. The existing legal framework places responsibility on individual drivers to ensure they can meet the vision standards whenever they are driving. Driving without meeting these standards, including where glasses or corrective lenses are needed but not worn, is an offence and may result in enforcement action.

The Government is deeply grateful to all those who participated in the UK nuclear testing programme. We recognise their service and the huge contribution they made to the UK’s security. Since taking office, we have worked hard to listen, collaborate and work more closely with the nuclear test veteran community and to operate to a principle of maximum transparency.

I am aware of the concerns raised by some nuclear test veterans regarding the health impacts of their service and access to medical records. The government is keen to engage with that issue head on. Ministers commissioned officials to look at what information may be held by the Department in relation to the medical testing of Service personnel who took part in the UK nuclear weapons tests. This work is now nearing completion, and I will update the House in due course.

The tuberculin skin test, also known as the Single Intradermal Comparative Cervical Tuberculin (SICCT) test, is the primary screening test for TB in cattle in the UK and the internationally accepted standard for detecting TB in cattle.

No diagnostic test is fully accurate. At standard interpretation, the SICCT test has a very high specificity, estimated to be 99.98% in Great Britain, meaning false positives are extremely rare. However, its sensitivity is around 70-80%, so about one quarter of infected animals in a herd may not be detected after a single round of testing. This is why herds experiencing a TB breakdown are tested more frequently using a severe interpretation until they achieve two consecutive negative tests. The SICCT test may be supplemented by more sensitive ancillary tests, such as the interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) blood test, to support earlier detection of infected animals and strengthen disease control.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning National Health Service sight testing services and for considering how any identified inequalities in access to services should be addressed. Guidance issued by the College of Optometrists sets out that when examining patients with learning difficulties, optometrists should use tests that are appropriate to the patient’s needs.

Children and young people with learning disabilities and/or autism are also eligible for free NHS sight tests, where ICBs are commissioning a service within a special educational setting.

Adults with learning disabilities may qualify for free NHS sight tests under existing exemptions, including being in receipt of income-related benefits or through the NHS Low Income Scheme. There are no plans to change eligibility for NHS sight tests.

There are no plans to review the definitions of Officially TB Free (OTF), Officially Tuberculosis Free Withdrawn (OTFW) and Officially Tuberculosis Free Suspended (OTFS) status of bovine herds in England.

The recently published recommended Bovine TB Control Strategy for England (https://tbhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-Recommended-Bovine-TB-Strategy.pdf) proposes facilitating access to privately-funded ancillary bovine TB testing to support earlier detection of infected cattle and disease management, including those herds that have regained (or are eligible to regain) OTF status after a bovine TB breakdown.

Government will now consider the recommendations in the proposed Strategy, including on testing.

Statutory tuberculin skin testing (SICCT) and interferon-gamma blood testing (IFNy) of cattle herds will remain the foundation of bovine tuberculosis (TB) control and will continue to be required. The recently published co-designed bovine TB Control Strategy for England also proposes facilitating greater access to privately-funded ancillary bovine TB testing alongside this, to support earlier detection of infected cattle and disease management.

Government will now consider the recommendations in the new bovine TB strategy, including on testing.

There are currently no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of a dedicated clinic for nuclear test veterans.

All veterans, including those affected by nuclear testing are able to access a range of National Health Services to meet their clinical needs. British nuclear test veterans who are concerned about their heath should discuss this with their general practitioner.

Over 99.6% of primary care networks in England have at least one general practice accredited under the veteran friendly scheme which raises awareness of the specific needs of veterans.

All drivers, regardless of age, have a legal responsibility to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if at any time they develop a medical condition that may affect their ability to drive.

The DVLA will investigate those drivers who notify them of a medical condition and will only issue a driving licence to them if they can meet the appropriate medical standards.

A public consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers was launched on 7 January and closed on 11 May.

The Department for Transport is currently analysing the responses, and the government response will be published once that is complete.

The logistical arrangements for carrying out any potential new eyesight tests formed part of the consultation. No decisions will be made until the responses to the consultation have been carefully considered.

While the consultation focused on the mandatory eyesight testing of drivers aged 70 and over, we also recognise that as the population ages, more will need to be done to address the challenges this poses and consideration will also be given in the future to other fitness to drive measures, such as cognitive assessments.

All drivers, regardless of age, have a legal responsibility to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if at any time they develop a medical condition that may affect their ability to drive.

The DVLA will investigate those drivers who notify them of a medical condition and will only issue a driving licence to them if they can meet the appropriate medical standards.

A public consultation on introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers was launched on 7 January and closed on 11 May.

The Department for Transport is currently analysing the responses, and the government response will be published once that is complete.

The logistical arrangements for carrying out any potential new eyesight tests formed part of the consultation. No decisions will be made until the responses to the consultation have been carefully considered.

While the consultation focused on the mandatory eyesight testing of drivers aged 70 and over, we also recognise that as the population ages, more will need to be done to address the challenges this poses and consideration will also be given in the future to other fitness to drive measures, such as cognitive assessments.

Subject matter experts within the Ministry of Defence and its industry partners who undertake Breakdown Test and Critical Analysis (BTCA) understand the limitations of the test methods used, and apply it appropriately where used to inform decisions on air carriage life for Royal Air Force weapons.

As centrally held data does not identify the number of individual prisoners testing positive and does not include all types of drug testing (for example tests carried out by the National Health Service), the information requested could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Plans to complete mission system integration and jettison trials for SPEAR 3 are part of a wider weapons integration programme and are subject to prioritisation and test platform availability across the entire programme. The SPEAR 3 integration programme and subsequent release to service will occur in the early 2030s.

As announced in the King’s Speech, the Regulating for Growth Bill will create cross-economy “sandboxing powers”. The Department for Transport will explore the use of these powers to establish a regulatory sandbox for maritime autonomy.

The sandbox is not a physical location. The intention of the sandbox is to enable controlled, live‑market trials where existing laws can be modified or suspended to allow experimentation, while generating robust evidence on safety, security and environmental protection.

The Regulating for Growth Bill is planned for the second session, and Government will work in collaboration with industry, including Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, to ensure the sandbox delivers real change that responds to the sector’s needs.