Written questions by Stafford.

Innovation and Technology, for what purposes government agencies monitor social media activity by members of the public; and whether there are limits on the scope of such monitoring.

Within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the National Security Online Information Team (NSOIT) leads the department’s operational response to information risks to UK audiences within its ministerially defined remit which concerns public safety and national security. The NSOIT has compliance policies and procedures in place, in accordance with all applicable legislation, to ensure that individuals are not monitored and their rights are respected. Its privacy notices are available on GOV.UK.

Innovation and Technology, what his policy is on the (a) storage, (b) retention and (c) use of data collected from social media monitoring activities by (i) government departments and (ii) affiliated agencies.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology complies with UK data protection legislation, ensuring data is used fairly, and handled appropriately. That includes data collected from social media monitoring activities.For example, DSIT’s National Security Online Information Team (NSOIT) conducts targeted open-source analysis to identify and assess potential threats within its ministerially agreed remit of public safety and national security. NSOIT has a privacy notice which sets out how data will be stored, retained and used in the course of its work and this is available on gov.uk.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department’s fair funding review for local authorities on adult social care provision for people of working age.

The government is committed to transforming adult social care, including for people of working age, and making tangible improvements in the short-term. The Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion available for adult social care in 2028-29 compared to 2025-26. We have consulted on proposals, as part of ‘The Fair Funding Review 2.0’, to ensure adult social care funding reflects an up-to-date assessment of need, including updating the Adult Social Care Relative Needs Formula (ASC RNF) with the most recent data. The ‘Fair Funding Review 2.0’ proposals are a fundamental step to improving the sustainability of the sector and will allow councils to focus on service delivery and transformation. We are considering ‘The Fair Funding Review 2.0’ consultation responses; decisions are yet to be taken that will determine final allocations for local authorities overall. We will respond to the consultation in due course and will set out further details at the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this year.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of adult social care on supporting people of working age into the labour market.

Adult social care plays a vital role and directly supports people of working age to enter, remain in, or return to employment, and ultimately to maintain people’s independence. By ensuring individuals receive the right care in the right place at the right time, they are better able to contribute to society through employment, volunteering, or other forms of participation. To support working aged people into the labour market, earnings from employment are specifically disregarded from financial assessments, with further information available at the following link:https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/2672/regulation/14This is to ensure that working aged adults who are in employment are able to retain their earnings in full, and supplement their income, in addition to retaining the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) after being charged for their social care.The Government also recognises the importance of supporting unpaid carers. Access to appropriate support, such as respite care, is important to help carers maintain their own wellbeing and avoid burnout, which can otherwise lead to withdrawal from the workforce. To support this, we are committed to reviewing the implementation of Carer’s Leave and examining the benefits of introducing paid Carer’s Leave.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Homes England’s management of the (a) Techforest and (b) Woolmead sites in Farnham and Bordon constituency.

Homes England has worked closely with East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) to support priorities for growth in Whitehill and Bordon for several years. This includes supporting the delivery of new employment sites in the area. Tech Forest has been identified as an employment site and, following consultation with EHDC, will be marketed for employment use. Homes England purchased Woolmead in Farnham via the Brownfield Infrastructure Land Fund, which has an extant planning permission for 138 new homes and over 4,000m² of commercial space. Homes England is considering options for the delivery of the site, including seeking a new planning consent, and remaining in contact with the market and prospective partners. In the meantime, Homes England continues to manage the site to ensure it remains safe, secure, and in a stable condition whilst longer-term plans for the site evolve.

Innovation and Technology, what oversight mechanisms are in place to ensure that government monitoring of public social media content does not infringe upon freedom of expression and privacy rights.

Government firmly believes that people must be able to debate and discuss issues freely. The rights of citizens freedom of expression and access to journalism are essential to any functioning democracy.For example, the Department for Science Innovation & Technology’s National Security Online Information Team (NSOIT) analyses social media to identify and assess potential information threats to UK public safety and national security. The NSOIT’s commitment to protecting freedom of expression is embedded in its compliance policies and practices which are available on GOV.UK.

What information her Department holds on the (a) number and (b) nature of instances in which members of the public have been subject to monitoring by government agencies on social media platforms in the last 12 months.

It is the longstanding policy of successive UK Governments that we do not comment on operational intelligence or security matters.

What discussions he has had with Baroness Casey on how sector stakeholders can engage with the commission on adult social care.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, engages with Baroness Louise Casey regularly on a number of issues, including adult social care.On 8 September, my Rt. Hon. Friend attended cross-party discussions, chaired by Baroness Casey, with representatives from political parties.Over the coming months, the commission will start a national conversation by inviting members of the public, people drawing on care and support, and organisations to submit evidence and to share their stories and ideas for improvement of the existing adult social care system. The commission will set out more details in due course.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of Enhertu for the treatment of (a) HER2-positive and (b) HER2-low breast cancer.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an evaluation of a treatment’s costs and benefits. These are very difficult decisions to make, and it is important that they are made independently and based on the available evidence. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE.NICE has been able to recommend Enhertu for treating HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic breast cancer after one or more anti-HER2 treatments and for treating HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic breast cancer after 2 or more anti-HER2 therapies. Enhertu is now available for NHS patients in line with NICE’s recommendations.On 29 July 2024, NICE published final guidance on Enhertu for use in the treatment of HER2-low metastatic breast cancer, and it was unable to recommend this life-extending treatment. The only obstacle to access for NHS patients to Enhertu is price, and my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, met the manufacturers of Enhertu, AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo to encourage them to re-enter discussions with NHS England with a view to reaching a price at which NICE would be able to recommend Enhertu.However, despite NICE and NHS England offering unprecedented flexibility, the companies were unable to offer Enhertu at a cost-effective price. NICE’s guidance will therefore remain unchanged for the moment. However, NICE remains open to being as flexible as possible with commercial partners and are willing to enter into a new NICE appraisal if there is movement on pricing.

What steps he is taking to (a) help ensure that NHS skin cancer referrals are completed within the 14-day target and (b) address the backlog in Farnham and Bordon constituency.

The Department is supporting the National Health Service in taking steps to reduce the time taken from referral to diagnosis of cancer, including skin cancer.As a first step, NHS England published guidance for local health and care systems and providers across England to achieve the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) titled Implementing a timed skin cancer diagnostic pathway. The FDS pathway ensures patients receive a diagnosis of cancer, or rule out cancer, within 28 days of referral, as per the cancer waiting time standard.Since 2023/24, NHS England has been rolling out teledermatology services, which allow virtual reviews of dermoscopic images, to support achieving faster diagnosis. In providers where these have been fully implemented, improvements in workforce capacity have been seen, in some cases doubling the number of patients that can be reviewed per clinic, and improving FDS performance.Additionally, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) national report has provided recommendations to encourage the wider use of technology to ensure skin cancer patients get faster and more equitable access to care.In July, a report was published by NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board (ICB), which covers services in Farham and Bordon constituency, providing an update on elective care and cancer backlogs across the ICB. The report included steps taken to address the backlog, which included:- the trust holding weekly meetings to review long waiters, cancer patients, validation and prioritisation;- the use of more technology to improve appointments;- supporting patients while they wait; and- opening a new community diagnostic centre.The report is available at the following link:https://mycouncil.surreycc.gov.uk/documents/s103417/Frimley%20ICB%20Elective%20and%20Cancer%20Backlogs.pdfFinally, the forthcoming National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of a pathway including from referral to diagnosis.

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of foreign nationals claiming Universal Credit.

The Department publishes Universal Credit (UC) immigration status and nationality statistics as part of the Universal Credit statistics publication. The latest release of these statistics is included in the latest Universal Credit statistical bulletin. ‘Table 2’ in the latest Universal Credit immigration status and nationality data tables provides information on the number of people on Universal Credit by immigration status, nationality group and employment status, for each month from April 2022 to June 2025.

For what reason chefs were removed from the Shortage Occupation List under the Skilled Worker visa route; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that decision on (a) small and (b) independent hospitality businesses.

As set out in the Immigration White Paper ‘Restoring Control over the Immigration System’, published on 12 May, this Government’s approach is to link migration policy and visa controls to skills and labour market policies, so that immigration is not used as an alternative to training or tackling workforce problems in the UK.Chefs were removed from the Shortage Occupation List upon the recommendation of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) in their 2020 review under the previous government. In their 2023 review the MAC found that entry to the now defunct Shortage Occupation List would ‘contribute to downward pressure on wages in the occupation’.

Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the reduction in the annual claim cap under the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on (a) listed churches and (b) other listed places of worship.

DCMS Ministers received advice on changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, including consideration of the potential impact on introducing an annual cap of £25,000 per place of worship for the 2025/26 financial year. Churches are the primary users of the scheme, with 97% of applications coming from Christian denominations in 2024/25, and are therefore the most impacted by any changes. The changes to the scheme were necessary given the level of fiscal challenges we inherited, a number of unfunded commitments made by the previous government and the pressures on other parts of the heritage and cultural sectors. Based on the Department’s analysis of previous data, 94% of applications will be unaffected by the change, and most claims are under £5,000.

For what reason the UK classifies mastectomy bras under Chapter 6212 of the Harmonised System Nomenclature; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the classification approach of the EU.

The UK’s tariff schedule, known as the UK Global Tariff (UKGT), adheres to global classification standards. The UK classification of mastectomy bras follows the harmonised commodity description system, which was developed by the World Customs Organisation (WCO). Following EU exit, the UK continues to follow the WCO classification, implemented under the TCTA.We continue to monitor the UKGT to ensure our Most Favoured Nation tariff schedule functions as effectively as possible, supports domestic priorities, and provides a stable operating environment for businesses.Businesses are able to request the partial or full liberalisation of the import duty applied to the products under this commodity code, including mastectomy bras either through the online feedback form or the next business suspensions window.

Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of geographic differences in full fibre availability on local economic development.

Digital infrastructure is a powerful driver of economic growth and development. In 2023, the telecoms services industry contributed around 2.5% to UK real GVA, up from 0.3% in 2010.Geographical areas with lower levels of full fibre availability are less likely to benefit economically than areas with higher levels of full fibre availability. Government interventions, alongside the commercial market, are addressing this disparity. Evidence from the government’s Superfast programme showed that for every £1 spent on connections to premises left behind by the market, up to £4.57 was generated in economic and social benefits. Employment in the local areas benefiting from the programme also increased by 0.88%. We expect Project Gigabit to continue to drive local economic growth and development in areas which stand to benefit from the programme.Building Digital UK also publishes independent evaluations of its programmes at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/building-digital-uk-research-portal

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Openreach and (b) CityFibre on delays in full fibre line installations to businesses based in the Farnham and Bordon constituency.

The Farnham and Bordon constituency is set to benefit from three live Project Gigabit contracts: the Hampshire and East & West Sussex contracts, being delivered by CityFibre, and the West and Mid Surrey contract being delivered by Openreach. These contracts are targeted at premises that are not expected to receive a gigabit-capable connection as part of a broadband supplier’s commercial rollout, and we are in regular contact with both suppliers to monitor their progress against planned delivery milestones.Where a delay is reported as part of a supplier’s commercial rollout, we cannot intervene as we are bound by Subsidy Control regulations. However, we keep commercial plans under review and will continue to refresh our plans for reaching any remaining premises in line with the government’s ambition for nationwide gigabit coverage by 2032.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to improve broadband resilience to support (a) cloud-based telephony and (b) payment systems used by small businesses.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is working to improve the resilience of broadband that will support a range of services including cloud-based telephony and digital payment systems used by small businesses. DSIT works with Ofcom, which enforces legal duties on providers to maintain secure, reliable networks. Government and industry work together through the Electronic Communications Resilience and Response Group (EC-RRG) to promote resilience within the sector, and to respond to emergencies.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of broadband limitations on the digital competitiveness of SMEs.

Broadband connectivity is vital for businesses and plays a critical role in driving growth and productivity across the UK.While no direct assessment has been made of the potential impact of broadband limitations on digital competitiveness, wider government analysis has shown that increased broadband speeds lead to an improvement in turnover and productivity for SMEs. That is why government continues to ensure that UK SMEs benefit from high quality digital infrastructure and is committed to ensuring at least 99% of premises receive gigabit broadband coverage by 2032, with over 88% now able to do so.

What funding has been allocated under the NHS 10-Year Plan to support cardiac screening programmes for young people.

In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening and which supports implementation.The UK NSC last reviewed screening for sudden cardiac death in people under the age of 39 years old in 2019, and concluded that population screening should not be offered. Further information is available at the following link:https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/sudden-cardiac-death/ The UK NSC is currently examining the evidence for this condition and will open a public consultation to seek comments from members of the public and stakeholders on this in due course. Further information, including on how to keep up to date on the work of the UK NSC, is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-national-screening-committee

What steps his Department is taking to increase access to cardiac screening for young people with no prior symptoms of heart conditions.

In the United Kingdom, national screening programmes are introduced based on the recommendations of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent scientific advisory committee which advises ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries on all aspects of population and targeted screening and which supports implementation.The UK NSC last reviewed screening for sudden cardiac death in people under the age of 39 years old in 2019, and concluded that population screening should not be offered. Further information is available at the following link:https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/sudden-cardiac-death/ The UK NSC is currently examining the evidence for this condition and will open a public consultation to seek comments from members of the public and stakeholders on this in due course. Further information, including on how to keep up to date on the work of the UK NSC, is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-national-screening-committee