Written questions by McMurdock.

What recent discussions he has had with representatives of the logistics industry on enabling logistic workforce mobilisation.

Supporting the Strategic Defence Review and Defence Industrial Strategy’s intent of enhancing surge capacity and resilience through industry collaboration, the Ministry of Defence has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with nine companies within the logistic workforce sector. The MoU explores ways of enabling rapid logistic workforce mobilisation within the Strategic Base, at times of national crisis.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Housing Sec pledges to 'go further than ever before' to hit 1.5 million homes, published on 16 December 2025, what estimate his Department has made of the number of applications refused by councillors in England in each year since 2020.

My Department does not collect data on rates of refusal for planning applications made at planning committees.

Media and Sport, what recent research her Department has conducted on the impact on children of gambling-based mechanics in video games which utilise microtransactions such as loot boxes.

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.

Media and Sport, pursuant to her Department's report of 18 July 2023 entitled Loot boxes in video games: update on improvements to industry-led protections, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of those protections on protecting consumers.

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.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the UK Minister Councillor Jennifer McNaughtan Statement at the Security Council on 19 December 2025, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's work to encourage stability in Libya since 2020.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement mentioned in his questions, which sets out the UK's current position on these issues.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the UK Minister Councillor Jennifer McNaughtan Statement at the Security Council on 19 December 2025, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen Libya's internal stability and progress towards democratic elections.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement mentioned in his questions, which sets out the UK's current position on these issues.

Innovation and Technology, what research her Department has commissioned on whether major social media apps have addictive features targeted at children.

Ofcom has found that 64% of all children, and 95% of 13-15 year olds, use social media.The current evidence base on the impacts of social media on children’s wellbeing and mental health is mixed. The latest review of existing literature, published on 20 January, found that evidence remains inconclusive about causal links between social media use and mental wellbeing.On 20 January, the government announced a short, swift consultation on further measures to keep children safe online, accompanied by a national conversation. It will seek views on a range of measures, including what the right minimum age for children to access social media is, as well as whether there should be curfews overnight or breaks to stops excessive use or doom scrolling.The government is clear that it will act quickly and robustly to deal with concerns that are being raised.

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has received communications from social media companies on the effectiveness of measures aimed at preventing child users from viewing content only appropriate for adults.

DSIT has regular discussions with social media companies about online safety matters, including protecting children from accessing harmful content.Under the Online Safety Act, in-scope services must implement measures to protect children from illegal and harmful content. Measures include implementing age assurance to prevent children encountering the most harmful content such as pornography. Ofcom is the regulator of the Act and can take robust enforcement action against services failing to comply with their duties. Ofcom’s analysis shows over 6000 services now use age assurance.We expect Ofcom to publish data this year on children’s online experiences since the child safety duties came into force.

Innovation and Technology, what estimate her Department has made of the number and proportion of children who have been exposed to content not suitable for their age due to smartphone and social media usage in 2025.

DSIT has regular discussions with social media companies about online safety matters, including protecting children from accessing harmful content.Under the Online Safety Act, in-scope services must implement measures to protect children from illegal and harmful content. Measures include implementing age assurance to prevent children encountering the most harmful content such as pornography. Ofcom is the regulator of the Act and can take robust enforcement action against services failing to comply with their duties. Ofcom’s analysis shows over 6000 services now use age assurance.We expect Ofcom to publish data this year on children’s online experiences since the child safety duties came into force.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) social media and (b) smartphone addiction on children's long-term health outcomes.

In 2019, the UK Chief Medical Officers published a commentary on a systematic review of screen-based activities, including social media, and their impact on children and young people’s mental health. They found an association between screen-based activities and mental health but could not establish causality. The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Education are jointly working to produce and publish new practical, evidence informed guidance on screentime for early years (zero to five) by April 2026. An expert group of child health and development specialists has been convened to shape the guidance, which will also be informed by the perspectives of parents and carers. On 20 January 2026, the Government announced a forthcoming consultation on how to ensure children have a healthy relationship with devices, introduce rapid trials on measures to reduce screentime and limit access at night, and produce evidence-informed screentime guidance for parents of children aged between five and sixteen years old. This three-month consultation will be evidence-led, with input from independent experts. It will report in the summer.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of banning phones in schools; and whether she plans to make banning phones in schools compulsory.

Mobile phones have no place in schools.The department’s new, stronger guidance on mobile phones in schools is clear that all schools should be mobile phone-free by default. Pupils should not have access to their devices during lessons, break times, lunch times, or between lessons.Research from the Children’s Commissioner, published in April 2025, shows that the overwhelming majority of schools - 99.8% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools - already have policies in place that limit or restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day.The guidance will be implemented through behaviour management in schools, and by setting out clear expectations for teachers and school staff, while our Attendance and Behaviour Hub-lead schools will support other schools to implement and enforce a mobile phone policy where needed.For the first time, Ofsted will check school mobile phone policy on every inspection, with schools expected to be phone-free by default. Ofsted will examine both schools' mobile phone policies and how effectively they are implemented when judging behaviour during inspectionsIn addition, a consultation will identify the next steps in the government’s plan to boost children’s wellbeing online, ensuring they have a healthy relationship with mobile phones and social media.

Innovation and Technology, what data her Department holds on the average number of hours per day children spend on smart phones.

Research by the online safety regulator Ofcom found that children aged 8-14 average 3 hours a day online. Sport England report that more than 4 in 5 children participated in sporting activities each week.On 20 January, the government announced a short, swift consultation on further measures to keep children safe online, accompanied by a national conversation. It will seek views on a range of measures, including whether there should be curfews overnight or breaks to stops excessive use or doom scrolling.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department have made on the potential impact of social media usage on the levels of sporting activities undertaken by children since 2020.

Research by the online safety regulator Ofcom found that children aged 8-14 average 3 hours a day online. Sport England report that more than 4 in 5 children participated in sporting activities each week.On 20 January, the government announced a short, swift consultation on further measures to keep children safe online, accompanied by a national conversation. It will seek views on a range of measures, including whether there should be curfews overnight or breaks to stops excessive use or doom scrolling.

Innovation and Technology, what research her Department has commissioned on the potential impact of apps accessible to children which utilise microtransactions on children's financial behaviour.

The Government is committed to ensuring apps, including games with in-app purchases are enjoyed safely and responsibly and guidance on-in game transactions is followed.Industry-led guidance, to improve protections for players in relation to loot boxes, was published in 2023. A 12-month implementation period ended in July 2024 and DCMS commissioned independent research to assess its effectiveness which will be published in due course.In November 2025, Ofcom, the regulator of the Online Safety Act, launched a Call for Evidence to explore whether children’s safety online would be better protected by the greater use of age assurance or other measures at app store level. It also looks at what role app stores play in children encountering content that is harmful to them by means of regulated apps which the app stores make available.

What steps she is taking to ensure that road user charges for the Lower Thames Crossing are proportionate for local residents.

The charging regime for the Lower Thames Crossing has not yet been set. Many crossings in England, including the Dartford Crossing, already have a charge, and this will also apply to the Lower Thames Crossing. Charges are necessary to cover the costs of providing the infrastructure, whether funded publicly or privately. Under the Government's preferred financing option, the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model, it is envisaged that there would continue to be a discount for local residents once the transfer to the regulated private entity has completed.

What plans she has to introduce requirements for local highway authorities to report data on (a) pothole recurrence and (b) repeated repairs at the same locations.

As announced in March 2024, local highway authorities had to publish transparency reports about their maintenance activities to unlock their full share of the Government’s £500m uplift for local highways maintenance this year. This included publishing an estimate of the number of potholes they have filled in each of the last five years. Reports are now available on local highway authorities’ websites. To gain access to all the Department’s increased highways maintenance funding in the future, local highway authorities will have to continue to demonstrate that they comply with best practice, for example by adopting more preventative maintenance. We will share more information about the reporting requirements for this in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) leaseholders and b) residential developments in England affected by ground rent clauses.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 74455 on 15 September 2025.

What steps he is taking to help reduce age-related barriers in recruitment practices.

We recognise that young people face additional barriers, with almost one million currently not in education, employment or training. At Budget 2025, the Government committed over £1.5 billion to improve youth participation, including £820 million for the Youth Guarantee and £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy. Further details of the announcement can be found here: Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament. We have also commissioned the Right Honourable Alan Milburn to author a report that will seek to understand the drivers of the increase in the number of young people who are not in education, employment, or training and to investigate the root causes of this rise in economic inactivity We also work with employers nationally to recognise the value of older workers and promote age inclusive recruitment and retention. We encourage participation in initiatives such as the Age-Friendly Employer Pledge and provide tailored support to employers to embed flexible working, age positive hiring approaches, and accessible career development. This includes helping employers create recruitment models that attract older jobseekers by promoting flexible job design, return-to-work schemes, and targeted recruitment campaigns. Alongside our work with employers, we support jobseekers through our network of Jobcentres and contracted employment programmes. This includes specific support for eligible older workers including Additional Work Coach Time and Midlife MOTs, which provide an opportunity to review health, finances and skills and signpost to suitable support. There is also a digital Midlife MOT available to everyone

What assessment she has made of the value for money of temporary pothole repairs where defects recur frequently.

In November 2024, the Department published a report on the economic benefits of investing in local highways maintenance. The analysis found that proactive maintenance can be more cost effective. In contrast, reactive maintenance was shown to be less cost-effective and associated with higher long-term expenditure. This report can be accessed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-appraisal-for-investing-in-local-highways-maintenance The Department encourages local highway authorities to focus on long-term preventative maintenance. In November, we confirmed a record £7.3 billion of funding for local highways maintenance over the next four years. By providing long-term funding certainty, local authorities can better plan ahead and invest into preventative maintenance. This approach is also encouraged through guidance such as the Code of Practice for Well-managed highways infrastructure. Finally, to unlock their full share of the Government's £500 million funding uplift for local highways maintenance this financial year, local highway authorities had to demonstrate how they prioritise preventative maintenance. The Department has used this information to introduce a new rating system that measures how well local highway authorities maintain their roads and adopt best practice such as preventative maintenance.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce a statutory requirement in Building Regulations for the provision of Changing Places toilets in new developments.

The Government has no plans to mandate Changing Places toilets in new developments. Statutory guidance accompanying the Building Regulations (Approved Document M Vol.2 paragraphs 5.6 and 5.7) has already been updated, in January 2021, and includes provision for Changing Places toilets in new non-dwelling developments.