Written questions by McMurdock.

What steps she is taking to ensure that drivers on UK roads meet (a) adequate and (b) consistent standards of road safety training.

Drivers are encouraged to familiarise themselves regularly with the Highway Code and to refer to it periodically to refresh their road safety knowledge. For those drivers who have been driving for a number of years, they might wish to consider an experienced driver assessment. An experienced driver assessment is not intended to encourage a driver to stop driving but is designed to enable them to continue driving, whilst keeping themselves and other road users safe. These are sometimes available with local authorities or from charities, such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies. More details will be set out in due course.

What steps she is taking to support schools to help prevent (a) knife crime and (b) youth violence.

Keeping children safe is a top priority for this government. The department works closely with the Home Office to deliver better and safer outcomes for children and young people through the Opportunity and Safer Streets Missions.Education plays a vital role in helping children lead safe, fulfilling lives and can act as a protective factor for those who are vulnerable. Statutory guidance, including ‘Working together to safeguard children’ and ‘Keeping children safe in education’ sets out the safeguarding duties and responsibilities of education settings. This spans action taken within schools, such as through effective whole-school behaviour policies and pastoral support provision, through to the role of schools within multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, and action taken by schools to escalate concerns about children to local authority services.The department encourages and supports all schools to adopt effective, evidence-based approaches to preventing violence, working in close partnership with the Youth Endowment Fund to promote and embed best practice in violence prevention across the education sector.Updated relationships, sex and health education guidance was published in July 2025, including new content focused on staying safe from all forms of violence, and skills to help children avoid involvement in conflict and violence, such as knife crime. For those children who need more focused prevention support, the department is building on the insights from its evaluated school-based support, attend, fulfil, exceed taskforces and Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforces programmes, working to ensure all schools can benefit from these insights.

What steps he is taking to help ensure that cancer patients have access to treatments comparable to those available abroad in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

Cancer patients, including those in South Basildon and East Thurrock, are waiting too long for a diagnosis and treatment. We are determined to change that.We set out expectations for renewed focus on cancer targets in the Elective Reform Plan. Our reforms to cancer care will see more than 100,000 people getting diagnosed faster, and thousands more starting treatment within two months and across the National Health Service, and we have already hit our target of delivering 4.5 million extra operations, scans, and appointments. This is more than double our commitment to deliver an extra two million appointments in England in our first year. The Government has invested £70 million of central funding to replace radiotherapy machines, to ensure the most advanced treatment is available to the patients who need it. The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, the local provider for cancer services in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency, has been awarded funding for a replacement machine.Furthermore, the National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer.Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years. To do this, we will deliver targeted improvements and interventions, drive research and innovation, focus on prevention, and ensure patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.

What steps she is taking to ensure that foreign drivers using UK roads are familiar with the Highway Code and UK road safety rules.

All drivers are encouraged to familiarise themselves regularly with the Highway Code and to refer to it periodically to refresh their road safety knowledge.All road users are required to comply with road traffic law in the interests of their own safety and that of other road users, and this is reflected in The Highway Code. For those who do not adopt a responsible attitude, or if their use of the highway creates an unsafe environment or causes nuisance, there are laws in place that can make them liable for prosecution.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of school initiatives in preventing (a) knife crime and (b) youth violence.

Keeping children safe is a top priority for this government. The department works closely with the Home Office to deliver better and safer outcomes for children and young people through the Opportunity and Safer Streets Missions.Education plays a vital role in helping children lead safe, fulfilling lives and can act as a protective factor for those who are vulnerable. Statutory guidance, including ‘Working together to safeguard children’ and ‘Keeping children safe in education’ sets out the safeguarding duties and responsibilities of education settings. This spans action taken within schools, such as through effective whole-school behaviour policies and pastoral support provision, through to the role of schools within multi-agency safeguarding arrangements, and action taken by schools to escalate concerns about children to local authority services.The department encourages and supports all schools to adopt effective, evidence-based approaches to preventing violence, working in close partnership with the Youth Endowment Fund to promote and embed best practice in violence prevention across the education sector.Updated relationships, sex and health education guidance was published in July 2025, including new content focused on staying safe from all forms of violence, and skills to help children avoid involvement in conflict and violence, such as knife crime. For those children who need more focused prevention support, the department is building on the insights from its evaluated school-based support, attend, fulfil, exceed taskforces and Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforces programmes, working to ensure all schools can benefit from these insights.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of delays in cancer treatment on patients in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

Cancer patients, including those in South Basildon and East Thurrock, are waiting too long for a diagnosis and treatment. We are determined to change that.We set out expectations for renewed focus on cancer targets in the Elective Reform Plan. Our reforms to cancer care will see more than 100,000 people getting diagnosed faster, and thousands more starting treatment within two months and across the National Health Service, and we have already hit our target of delivering 4.5 million extra operations, scans, and appointments. This is more than double our commitment to deliver an extra two million appointments in England in our first year. The Government has invested £70 million of central funding to replace radiotherapy machines, to ensure the most advanced treatment is available to the patients who need it. The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, the local provider for cancer services in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency, has been awarded funding for a replacement machine.Furthermore, the National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer.Our goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years. To do this, we will deliver targeted improvements and interventions, drive research and innovation, focus on prevention, and ensure patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.

Whether he plans to provide financial support to encourage (a) undergrounding, (b) offshore routing and (c) other alternate routing of electricity pylons in rural and environmentally sensitive areas.

The Government does not fund the delivery of network infrastructure. Network company investments are funded through consumer bills, and this funding is regulated by Ofgem through the price control process. The design and development of electricity transmission infrastructure is a matter for the developer, including conducting necessary assessments of projects’ impacts on the environment, with the implications of those choices considered through the planning process. The energy National Policy Statement for electricity networks (EN-5) sets out a starting presumption for overhead lines in most cases and identifies when undergrounding or subsea cables should be considered.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring foreign drivers to complete a basic online theory test before being permitted to drive on UK roads.

My department has not made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring foriegn drivers to complete a basic online theory test before being permitted to drive on UK roads.

What discussions he has had with local councils on the effectiveness of bleed control kits in urban centres with elevated rates of violent crime or road traffic collisions.

The Government has engaged with a range of stakeholders on the effectiveness of a number of trauma and bleed kits in regards to serious violence or for use in other settings. In response to the Manchester Arena Inquiry, the Department for Health and Social Care has worked alongside partners such as the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO), health stakeholders and civil society to standardise the contents of Public Access Trauma Kits (PAcT kits). These kits can be found at venues and public spaces of private and public sector organisations and are suitable to support the treatment of many life-threatening injuries.To ensure PAcT kits can be used by any person regardless of training, instructions on their use have been made clearer and universal signage has also been developed so PAcT kit locations can be better identified.

What plans he has to update regulatory framework to support the use of underground electricity infrastructure in national projects.

Ofgem, as the independent regulator of network developers, is responsible for updating the regulatory framework for electricity networks, including on the use of underground infrastructure. The Government is responsible for planning policy, which for major electricity network infrastructure projects is set out in National Policy Statement EN-5 which sets out the planning framework for overhead lines and other electricity network infrastructure. This policy is currently under review following a consultation in April and any changes will be published in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of foreign drivers holding licences from countries with lower testing standards than the UK on road safety.

My department has not made an assessment of the impact of foreign drivers holding licences from countries with lower testing standards than the UK. All drivers on GB roads, are expected to follow the rules and regulations as set out in the Highway Code.

What steps she is taking to increase levels of police (a) visibility and (b) presence to help tackle (i) youth violence and (ii) knife crime in (A) Essex and (B) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

Knife crime has destroyed far too many lives. That is why, as part of the Safer Streets mission, we are working to halve knife crime within a decade.We have a comprehensive, data-led and Government-wide approach to this goal. Driving down youth-related violence across the UK, including Essex South Basildon and East Thurrock, will play a key role in meeting this ambition. To increase police visibility and presence, the Government has introduced the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which ensures neighbourhood policing teams are spending the majority of their time within their communities, delivering visible patrols and actively engaging with residents and businesses. Essex Police have also been allocated £1.63m for 2025/26 to deliver the Hotspot Action programme. This programme is a combination of increased high visibility foot patrols and funding of problem-oriented policing (POP) tactics. POP is bespoke to the local areas to tackle the underlying drivers of crime using a comprehensive menu of policing interventions, such as increased targeted knife sweeps, and licensed premises checks.

What plans her Department has to tackle (a) youth violence and (b) knife crime in (i) Essex and (ii) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

Halving knife crime over the next decade is a key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission. Driving down youth-related violence across the UK, including Essex South Basildon and East Thurrock, will play a key role in meeting this ambition.To date, we have taken action to ban zombie knives and the ban on ninja swords came into force on 1 August 2025 - it is now illegal to sell or own these weapons. We have also implemented, “Ronan’s Law”, a range of measures which will include stricter rules for online sellers of knives.Over £66 million is available to all 43 police force areas to fund the 'Hotspot Action' programme in 2025/26. This includes Essex Police who have been allocated £1.63m for 2025/26. This programme is a combination of increased high visibility foot patrols and funding of problem-oriented policing (POP) tactics. POP is bespoke to the local areas to tackle the underlying drivers of crime using a comprehensive menu of policing interventions, such as increased targeted knife sweeps, and licensed premises checks.Through the Young Futures Programme, the Government will introduce Prevention Partnerships across the country, to intervene earlier and ensure that children and young people vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.As we design the Young Futures Programme, we will ensure that it learns from and builds on the work of the Violence Reduction Units (VRUs). VRUs bring together partners, including from the voluntary and community sector, to understand and tackle the drivers of serious violence in their area.In 2025/26 the Home Office is investing over £1.5m in grant funding to the Essex VRU, alongside £297k to continue the implementation of the Serious Violence Duty.This funding will support delivery of a range of early intervention and prevention programmes, which includes youth workers in A&E settings steering young people away from violence at a ‘teachable moment’ and education inclusion programmes.

If she will take steps to encourage the use of (a) steering wheel locks, (b) gear stick locks and (c) other car theft prevention measures.

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime. We are working with the automotive industry and police, including the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on the issue, to ensure the strongest response possible.Via the recently established National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group, we are focusing on prevention and deterrence of theft of and from vehicles. This includes training police officers on the methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles, and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles. In the Crime and Policing Bill we have banned electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing, importing and supplying them. We also provided £250,000 funding in the financial year 2024-25 to help support work at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad, including providing additional staff and specialist equipment.

What steps she is taking to reduce the time taken for job seekers to receive appointments for improving CVs.

Customers have regular appointments with their Work Coach. For those in the Intensive Work Search regime, who are the most likely to be seeking work, these are usually weekly in the first 13 weeks of their claim. Where it is identified or requested that there is a need to create or improve their CV, their Work Coach is equipped to coach the customer to create or improve their CV which can be undertaken in these regular appointments. Where the customer requires additional support to this coaching, the work coach may refer the customer to other appropriate support or provision.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of diagnosis rates for rare cancers, broken down by each county.

The Government is committed to supporting the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including rare and less common cancers, earlier and to treat them faster.The National Disease Registration Service in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. Further information on the National Disease Registration Service is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/ndrsThe Department has not made a formal assessment of this data broken down by county, however the forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how the NHS will improve diagnosis and outcomes for all cancer patients in England, including for rare and less common cancers.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that universities provide students with the skills most in demand by employers.

Higher education (HE) providers have duties to co-operate in the development and review of Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) developed by Employer Representative Bodies and have regard to the plan when making decisions in relation to their technical education or training provision.LSIPs form a key part of the overall strategic planning system in an area. The plans set out the critical skill needs of employers in an area, up to and including HE, and the actions needed to address them. HE providers are a key partner in both the development and delivery of LSIPs.The department will soon publish our plans for HE reform as part of the post-16 Skills White Paper.

What steps she is taking to provide employment support to young people not in education, employment or training.

The Get Britain Working White Paper set out our cross-Government plan to get people into work and get on at work. A key focus is supporting young people into employment, education or training. We are planning to offer greater employment support in every part of the country to ensure that those who need it – including young people – can access opportunities to get into work and fulfil their potential. As part of this, the government will launch a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. DWP already provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by Work Coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners. In addition, Youth Hubs and Jobcentres across the country are increasing awareness of the Flexible Support Fund, which can help cover costs such as transport to job interviews, Jobcentres and training courses – removing practical barriers to employment.

What steps is he taking to improve access to innovative treatments for patients diagnosed with rare cancers.

The Department of Health and Social Care is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with rare cancers, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.The National Cancer Plan, which is due to be published later this year, will include details on how cancer research will be supported, ensuring all cancer patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, as well as speeding up diagnosis.The Government also supports the Rare Cancers Bill and its ambitions to incentivise clinical trials and access to innovative treatments for rare cancers. The Department is working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes and accelerate the development of medicines and therapies of the future, including for rare cancers. DHSC invests £1.6 billion each year on research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £133 million in 2023/24, reflecting its high priority.

What recent estimate she has made of how many and what proportion of recent university graduates are employed in roles that make use of their degree-level skills.

The department does not produce these estimates.Graduate Outcome survey data published by HESA shows that around 70% of UK domiciled students who graduated with an undergraduate degree from a UK higher education provider during the 2022/23 academic year were in high-skilled employment fifteen months after graduation. This data was published in July 2025 and can be found in Table 12 here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/sb272/figure-12.The Office for National Statistics have also published ad hoc statistics on employment in graduate roles. Available data for 2023 can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/adhocs/2492onslocalemploymentingraduateandnongraduaterolesbyqualificationandsectorbyukregion2023.