Written questions by McMurdock.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to (a) protect children and young people from online exploitation and (b) ensure that digital safety measures do not adversely impact online freedoms.

The strongest protections in the Online Safety Act are for children.All relevant services in scope of the Act are required to put in place systems and processes to proactively tackle child sex abuse material, and to reduce the risk of abuse and exploitation taking place on their service. These services must implement effective reporting mechanisms and will have new duties to report child abuse material to UK law enforcement. The government recognises the benefits of children exploring freely online and accessing its benefits, ensuring their safety as they do so. We live in a digital age and must strike the right balance so that children can access these benefits while we continue to prioritise their safety.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support small businesses to improve cyber security.

The cyber resilience of the UK economy is a priority for the government which is why our National Cyber Security Centre provides a range of free tools and guidance to help small businesses improve their cyber security. This includes the new Cyber Action Toolkit which offers clear, bite-sized actions to help small businesses safeguard their money and reputation from cyber criminals. In addition, the forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will ensure the most important digital services and suppliers are better protected than ever, meaning the small businesses which rely on them will also benefit.

What steps she is taking to ensure that road infrastructure accommodates (a) bicycles and (b) e-scooters.

As announced at the Spending Review, we are allocating £616 million in capital funding over the next four years to help local authorities deliver high-quality infrastructure for both cyclists and pedestrians. In the case of e-scooters, those that are private owned remain illegal to use on the road. In our e-scooter rental trials, we have allowed e-scooters to use the same road space as bikes. This means e-scooters are allowed on the road, except motorways, and in cycle lanes and tracks, where possible.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of average house prices in the South East on (a) housing affordability and (b) access to home ownership.

My Department has made no specific assessment of the potential impact of average house prices in the South East on (a) housing affordability and (b) access to home ownership.

What steps he is taking to reduce the amount of clinical care delivered in (a) temporary and (b) non-clinical areas within NHS hospitals.

The Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so patients can be treated with dignity.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding.We have also been taking key steps to ensure the health service is prepared for the colder months. This includes taking actions to try and reduce demand pressure on accident and emergency departments, increasing vaccination rates, and offering health checks to the most vulnerable, as well as stress-testing integrated care board and trust winter plans to confirm they are able to meet demand and support patient flow.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of care being delivered in (a) temporary and (B) non-purpose built environments on patient outcomes.

The Government is determined to get the National Health Service back on its feet, so patients can be treated with dignity. We recognise that the practice of providing clinical care in corridors is unacceptable and are committed to eradicating it from our NHS.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June, sets out steps we are taking to achieve this. Backed by a total of nearly £450 million of capital funding, we are expanding Same Day Emergency Care and Urgent Treatment Centres, helping to avoid unnecessary overnight admissions to hospital and supporting more efficient diagnosis, treatment and discharge for patients.The plan also includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care. NHS England has been working with trusts since 2024 to put in place new reporting arrangements related to the use of temporary escalation spaces, to drive improvement. The data quality is currently being reviewed, and we expect to publish the information shortly.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential contribution of higher education institutions to reducing (a) national and (b) regional skills shortages.

Skills England analysis estimates that two thirds (66%) of the projected additional employment demand in priority occupations to 2030 will require workers with a qualification at level 4 or above. In higher education (HE), half (53%) of employed recent education leavers are working in priority occupations. Overall, HE accounts for over half (51%) of all recent education leavers entering priority occupations from the skills system in England.The government published plans for HE reform as part of the post 16 education and skills white paper on 20 October 2025. This set out a target of two-thirds of young people participating in higher level learning academic, technical or apprenticeships by age 25, and a sub target of at least 10% of young people participating higher technical education or apprenticeships by age 25 by 2040.The white paper sets out a number of policies to deliver this target, including reforming the strategic priorities grant to align with priority sectors and strengthened guidance on HE providers engaging with Local Skills and Improvement Partnerships.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of average house prices in (a) the South East and (b) other parts of the country.

My Department has no plans to make such an assessment.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that foundation apprenticeship routes provide progression into (a) full apprenticeships and (b) employment.

Foundation apprenticeships are jobs with training which provide a broad grounding in an entry level occupation, leading to opportunities for progression to a more specific or higher-level apprenticeship. In addition to vocational skills, they develop common behaviours needed by those new to the workplace which include employability skills, resilience and commitment to personal development. Once someone has achieved a foundation apprenticeship, they can progress onto a more specific or higher-level apprenticeship and the learning from their foundation apprenticeship will support this transition. Each occupational standard will make possible progression routes clear. The foundation apprenticeship options published in August are underpinned by an employer incentive payment of up to £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career. It will be paid in three instalments the first two spread across the foundation apprenticeship, with the final payment made when an apprentice progresses onto their next apprenticeship.

What steps she is taking to support employers in closing skills gaps.

On 20th October, Government published the Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy, which sets out our vision for a world-leading skills system to break down barriers to opportunity, meet student and employers’ needs; widen access to high-quality education and training; support innovation, research, and development; and improve people’s lives.This sets out our reforms to the skills system, which will be joined up, data driven and delivered in partnership with employers and regional leaders, who know best how to support people and tackle skills gaps locally. Central to our reforms will be Skills England, with one of its key roles being to provide an authoritative voice on the country’s current and future skills needs. Skills England has already published two assessments of skills needs, Skills for growth & opportunity and the Assessment of priority skills to 2030, and it will continue to build on these. It will provide an assessment of national, regional and sectoral skills needs in the economy now and in the future, combining statistical data with insights generated from key stakeholders. This forward-looking analysis will support the development of a robust evidence base to inform policy and funding decisions, supporting employers in closing skills gaps. We are also transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners and support the industrial strategy. In August we introduced new foundation apprenticeships for young people in targeted sectors, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships. Additionally, we want employers to be able to use the levy on short, flexible training courses to meet their business needs from April 2026. These flexibilities will help more people learn new high-quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the alignment between employer demand for skills and qualifications within the workforce.

On 20th October, Government published the Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy, which sets out our vision for a world-leading skills system to break down barriers to opportunity, meet student and employers’ needs; widen access to high-quality education and training; support innovation, research, and development; and improve people’s lives.This sets out our reforms to the skills system, which will be joined up, data driven and delivered in partnership with employers and regional leaders, who know best how to support people and tackle skills gaps locally. Central to our reforms will be Skills England, with one of its key roles being to provide an authoritative voice on the country’s current and future skills needs. Skills England has already published two assessments of skills needs, Skills for growth & opportunity and the Assessment of priority skills to 2030, and it will continue to build on these. It will provide an assessment of national, regional and sectoral skills needs in the economy now and in the future, combining statistical data with insights generated from key stakeholders. This forward-looking analysis will support the development of a robust evidence base to inform policy and funding decisions, supporting employers in closing skills gaps. We are also transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners and support the industrial strategy. In August we introduced new foundation apprenticeships for young people in targeted sectors, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships. Additionally, we want employers to be able to use the levy on short, flexible training courses to meet their business needs from April 2026. These flexibilities will help more people learn new high-quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country.

What the cost to the public purse has been of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry since its establishment.

The cumulative total spend of the Covid-19 Inquiry up to 30 June 2025 has been published in the latest financial report on their website. The next report is due in November.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of revised cancer waiting time standards on patient outcomes.

The Department and NHS England regularly review performance against cancer waiting time standards to ensure that patients are diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.NHS England publishes monthly data on the three cancer waiting time standards, which can be broken down to provider level and which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times.As set out in the Government’s plan for reforming elective care, improving cancer waiting times remains a key national priority. The NHS 2025/26 Operational Planning Guidance includes commitments to improve performance against the 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard to 80%, and the 62-day referral-to-treatment standard to 75% by March 2026.These standards are designed to drive earlier diagnosis and faster access to treatment, which are directly linked to improved patient outcomes. By March 2026, it is expected that approximately 100,000 more people each year will be told whether they have cancer within 28 days, and 17,000 more people will begin treatment within two months of a referral.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the progress made by his Department on (a) reducing the NHS care waiting list and (b) meeting the 18 week referral to treatment standard.

As set out in the Plan for Change, the Government is committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment by March 2029.NHS England’s Operational Planning Guidance for 2025/26 sets a target that 65% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks by March 2026, with every trust expected to deliver a minimum 5% improvement on current performance over that period.To achieve this interim March 2026 target, we expect the size of the total waiting list to reduce. We have already made significant progress on this. As of August 2025, the waiting list had reduced by over 206,000 compared to the start of July 2024 and the proportion of waits under 18 weeks has improved by 2.2%, to 61% as of August 2025.This has been supported by the delivery of 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and June 2025 compared to the previous year, more than double the Government’s pledge of two million. This marks a vital first step in delivering the constitutional standard.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that the 18-week treatment target for elective care is in all NHS trusts.

The Department and NHS England regularly monitor regional and trust level variation in National Health Service waiting lists to address variation in performance, so patients can expect to receive high quality care in a timely way, wherever they live.We are committed to returning by March 2029 to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment. Our Reforming elective care for patients plan, published in January, sets out how the NHS will reform elective care services equitably across all trusts and regions.As an interim goal, NHS England’s Operational Planning Guidance 2025/26 has set the national ambition for 65% of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks for treatment, with every trust expected to deliver a minimum 5% improvement in performance.To support this improvement across all trusts, there is a robust performance management process in place. The new NHS Oversight Framework 2025/26 ensures that there is public accountability for performance and NHS England’s national and regional teams work with systems and providers to support improvement.There is a specific process in place to identify, intervene, and support the providers whose performance on elective waiting lists is most challenged, led by NHS England’s national and regional teams.

What discussions he has had with NHS England on ensuring that improvements in waiting times are consistent across all regions.

The Department and NHS England regularly monitor regional and trust level variation in National Health Service waiting lists to address variation in performance, so patients can expect to receive high quality care in a timely way, wherever they live.We are committed to returning by March 2029 to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment. Our Reforming elective care for patients plan, published in January, sets out how the NHS will reform elective care services equitably across all trusts and regions.As an interim goal, NHS England’s Operational Planning Guidance 2025/26 has set the national ambition for 65% of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks for treatment, with every trust expected to deliver a minimum 5% improvement in performance.To support this improvement across all trusts, there is a robust performance management process in place. The new NHS Oversight Framework 2025/26 ensures that there is public accountability for performance and NHS England’s national and regional teams work with systems and providers to support improvement.There is a specific process in place to identify, intervene, and support the providers whose performance on elective waiting lists is most challenged, led by NHS England’s national and regional teams.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to help tackle high vacancy rates in (a) shopping centres and (b) other retail units.

The Government is committed to fostering the conditions to reduce vacancy, including in our high streets and shopping centres. We have introduced legislation to ban upwards-only rent reviews in commercial leases to make tenancies more affordable, and will introduce lower business rates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties from 2026. As set out in the recent Pride in Place strategy, we have also introduced High Street Rental Auctions, empowering councils to bring vacant units back into use, and other measures to support revitalisation of vacant space including a new Community Right to Buy for valued assets, such as shops and pubs, and streamlined compulsory purchase orders. This is alongside up to £5 billion investment in 244 of the most deprived neighbourhoods which can be used to tackle high street vacancy.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to review regulations affecting (a) rent and (b) service charges in (i) high streets and (ii) shopping centres.

This government recognises the importance of a fair commercial leasehold market for the health of the high street. We are legislating to ban the use of upwards-only rent reviews, which make high street businesses uncompetitive if the market declines. We have also tasked the Law Commission, in addition to their ongoing review of the Landlord and Tenant Act (1954), with considering the law governing the maintenance, repair and upgrading of leased commercial buildings, including service charges.

Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on taking steps to help support high streets in the context of trends in the levels of online shopping.

The Government is fully committed to working with councils and other partners to revitalise our changing high streets. Through the Pride in Place programme, we are investing up to £5 billion funding to revive deprived neighbourhoods and high streets. The department engages regularly with councils on a variety of issues, including our plans for neighbourhood and high street regeneration.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support older homeowners that wish to (a) downsize and (b) move to more accessible accommodation.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Question UIN 53184 on 27 May 2025 and UIN 74681 on 12 September 2025.