Written questions by Lavery.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of healthcare treatment uptake on the finances of low income households.

There has been no specific assessment of the potential impact of healthcare treatment uptake on the finances of low-income households.National Health Services are free at the point of use for those ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, except for certain charges, such as some NHS prescription charges and dental charges.Many people are eligible for help with health costs. This includes exemptions for specific groups, and support through the NHS Low Income Scheme for people on a low income. Patients on a low income may also be able to get help with other necessary health-related costs, for example through the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme, subject to eligibility.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of travel distance and associated costs on access to specialist cancer treatment.

The Department recognises that a particular treatment may not be available at local hospitals, which would mean that travel to a specialist centre would be required, in order to receive the best possible care. The Department also knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for patients, including their unpaid carers.NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring the healthcare needs of local communities in England are met.The Department has not made a formal assessment of the potential impact of the time taken to access specialist cancer treatments on patient outcomes and long-term National Health Service costs, the potential impact of prolonged or distant cancer treatment on the personal finances of patients and unpaid carers, and the potential impact of travel distance and associated costs on access to specialist cancer treatment. In addition, the Department has not made a formal estimate of the long-term cost to the NHS of delayed and disrupted access to specialist cancer treatment.The NHS in England runs schemes to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital, or other NHS premises, for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional. This includes the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS), which provides financial assistance to patients who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services. Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or Personal Independence Payment.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of (a) current and (b) future demand for proton beam therapy in England.

Treatment for cancer is highly individualised and decisions about cancer treatment are typically made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals. They consider all aspects of a patient's health and circumstances when recommending treatment options. While certain treatments may not be advised for some patients, these decisions are based on medical assessments and what's best for the individual's overall health and well-being.

What estimate his Department has made of the (a) average and (b) total out of pocket costs incurred by patients and families accessing proton beam therapy, including travel, accommodation and subsistence, in each of the last five years.

The Department does not collect data on patients eligible for this treatment, associated out-of-pocket costs, and the number of individuals who have self-funded their therapy. However, NHS England and integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring the healthcare needs of local communities are met, including providing support for travel.The National Health Service in England runs the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostic tests when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional. Patients who do not qualify for the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme and who are on a low income may be able to claim travel costs through the Department for Work and Pensions via Universal Credit or Personal Independence Payment.

What assessment has been made of the long-term potential social and economic impacts of closed Rutherford Health sites on communities.

The Department did not provide an assessment of the cost, clinical impact, or NHS England’s treatment timelines associated with transitioning patients from Rutherford Health centres. This includes the Bomarsund site, prior to the organisation's liquidation. The Government is committed to improving performance for diagnosing and treating cancer. To support these objectives, the National Health Service is currently making use of two of the five former Rutherford Cancer sites, Taunton and Clatterbridge.

What assessment has been made of the potential impact of the closure of Rutherford Health facilities on local businesses and levels of employment.

The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the impact of the closure of Rutherford Health facilities on local businesses. Responsibility for healthcare service provision sits with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS bodies.The Government’s priority is to ensure that affected workers are supported, and the Department for Work and Pensions stands ready to provide assistance through Jobcentre Plus and its Rapid Response Service where required. The Government continues to work with local partners to understand and mitigate any wider impacts on employment in affected areas.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of regional disparities in access to proton beam therapy and other highly specialised cancer treatments.

The National Cancer Plan sets out how every patient will have access to top-quality care through a new approach to quality and by providing more patients with access to specialist treatment centres. We will ensure that every patient, regardless of their postcode, has access to more personalised and more effective treatments.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of patients who were eligible for proton beam therapy but did not receive it due to availability in each of the last five years.

The Department does not routinely collect data on the number of patients eligible for this treatment.Treatment for cancer is highly individualised and decisions about cancer treatment are typically made by clinicians and multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals. They consider all aspects of a patient's health and circumstances when recommending treatment options. While certain treatments may not be advised for some patients, these decisions are based on medical assessments and what's best for the individual's overall health and well-being.

What assessment has been made of clinical impact, treatment timings and associated costs for the NHS resulting from the closure of Rutherford Health centres, including the Bomarsund site.

The Department did not provide an assessment of the cost, clinical impact, or NHS England’s treatment timelines associated with transitioning patients from Rutherford Health centres. This includes the Bomarsund site, prior to the organisation's liquidation. The Government is committed to improving performance for diagnosing and treating cancer. To support these objectives, the National Health Service is currently making use of two of the five former Rutherford Cancer sites, Taunton and Clatterbridge.

Innovation and Technology, what further action the Government plans to take to help reduce the negative impacts of social media on the mental health of young people and wider society.

Protecting children from harm online is a priority for the Secretary of State and the Government. One of the Secretary of State’s first actions in the job was to criminalise intimate image abuse and cyberflashing. We have legislated to make content that promotes self-harm and suicide priority offences in the Online Safety Act. The Secretary of State and I have acted to prevent platforms hosting child sexual abuse material and material that contributes to violence against women and girls by banning AI nudification apps, requiring platforms to take down non-consensual intimate images 48 hours after they are reported, make it so that women only need to report non-consensual intimate images once and requiring platforms to act faster to address intimate images, strangulation pornography, and pornography depicting adults role-playing as children . We have always been clear that there is still more to do.On 2 March we published a consultation and national conversation which seeks views and evidence on a range of measures that could further protect children online and enhance their wider wellbeing.The consultation includes exploring banning social media and gaming for children below a certain age and restricting access to risky and ‘addictive’ features and functionalities.

Innovation and Technology, whether the Government plans to introduce legislation to limit the creation of echo chambers and the use of harmful algorithms that promote hate for financial gain.

Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must tackle illegal content, including terrorist content and religious or race-based hatred. They must protect children from additional forms of legal content, including hate or abuse.Services must ensure their algorithms do not promote this content, and Ofcom has robust enforcement powers to ensure this. Government has met with Ofcom to encourage their enforcement on this issue.In response to the Social media, misinformation and harmful algorithms report by the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, government committed to ensuring individuals have a say over the content they are presented by algorithms. DSIT committed further to exploring options requiring platforms to provide users with greater control over their algorithms in Protecting What Matters, the government’s plan to improve social cohesion.

Innovation and Technology, whether the Government plans to bring forward further legislation to help prevent and hold online platforms accountable for the monetisation of hate-driven engagement.

The Online Safety Act places duties on online platforms to tackle illegal content that stirs up hatred and to protect children from legal content that is hateful or abusive. Platforms must ensure their algorithms do not promote these types of content. In March, MHCLG published Protecting What Matters, in which DSIT, in partnership with DCMS, committed to engaging the advertising industry and platforms to further understand how advertising can inadvertently fund legal but harmful content and consider potential solutions to this issue.

Innovation and Technology, what consideration the Government has given to introducing further regulations on social media companies to address the prevalence of hate speech online.

Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must tackle illegal content, including terrorist content and religious or race-based hatred. They must protect children from additional forms of legal content, including hate or abuse.Services must ensure their algorithms do not promote this content, and Ofcom has robust enforcement powers to ensure this. Government has met with Ofcom to encourage their enforcement on this issue.In response to the Social media, misinformation and harmful algorithms report by the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, government committed to ensuring individuals have a say over the content they are presented by algorithms. DSIT committed further to exploring options requiring platforms to provide users with greater control over their algorithms in Protecting What Matters, the government’s plan to improve social cohesion.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of US action in the Middle East on British citizens.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 17 March.

Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government intends to take to regulate social media algorithms that promote or amplify hateful content.

Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must tackle illegal content, including terrorist content and religious or race-based hatred. They must protect children from additional forms of legal content, including hate or abuse.Services must ensure their algorithms do not promote this content, and Ofcom has robust enforcement powers to ensure this. Government has met with Ofcom to encourage their enforcement on this issue.In response to the Social media, misinformation and harmful algorithms report by the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, government committed to ensuring individuals have a say over the content they are presented by algorithms. DSIT committed further to exploring options requiring platforms to provide users with greater control over their algorithms in Protecting What Matters, the government’s plan to improve social cohesion.

What consideration the Government has given to the potential merits of introducing legislation aimed at making electric vehicles more affordable, in the context of increases in the cost of oil.

The Government is reducing the upfront costs of zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) by providing grants for zero emission cars, vans, trucks, and wheelchair accessible vehicles; this includes the £2 billion Electric Car Grant, which has already helped over 90,000 drivers to choose an electric vehicle (EV). Drivers of ZEVs also benefit from favourable tax rates, such as generous company car tax incentives, and can save up to £1,400 a year on running and maintenance costs compared to a petrol car if they can charge at home using off-peak tariffs. A breakdown of how this is calculated is available here: https://cleanenergy.campaign.gov.uk/electric-vehicle/. The Government provides grants to support the rollout of domestic and workplace chargers, while the £25 million EV Pavement Channel Grant will ensure that more people without off-street parking can benefit from cheaper and more convenient domestic EV charging. The Government recognises that high charging costs could pose a barrier to widespread EV adoption, especially for those reliant on public networks. In response, the Government is undertaking a comprehensive review of public charging costs, examining the drivers behind price increases and measures to make public charging accessible and affordable for all users.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment the Government has made of the level of requirement for additional legislation to help prevent social media companies from promoting extreme ideologies through their platforms.

The government is committed to tackling extremism in all its forms, and we constantly review our understanding of emerging radicalising threats to our society.Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must tackle illegal content, including terrorist content and that which stirs up hatred based on religion or race. They must also protect children from additional forms of legal content, including hateful or abusive content.We are committed to keeping our online safety regime under review to ensure it keeps up with rapidly evolving harms.

What support the Government intends to provide to individuals who have experienced mental harm as a result of social media use.

A national consultation is currently underway to seek views on measures to improve children’s online safety across social media, gaming platforms, and artificial intelligence chatbots. The consultation forms part of the Government’s broader programme to understand how technology impacts children’s wellbeing, and what more can be done to help families strike the right balance. Insights from this consultation will help inform future policy to better protect children’s mental health and ensure that digital platforms play their part in promoting safe and healthy online experiences.It is unacceptable that too many people, especially children and young people, are not getting the support they need for their mental health. We need a new approach to mental health that reduces waiting times, improves the quality of care, and strengthens prevention and early intervention.The Government has made progress to expand access to mental health support. In the first 12 months of the Government, nearly 40,000 more children and young people received support compared to the previous 12 months. This is helped by over 8,000 extra mental health workers being recruited since July 2024, against a target of 8,500 by the end of this Parliament. The rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges is being accelerated so that 100% pupils in England will have access to this innovative early support by 2029. NHS England has also set clear expectations for integrated care boards to reduce the longest waits for children and young people’s community mental health services.

What steps the Government is taking to strengthen the United Kingdom’s defence capabilities and improve national readiness.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (Lord Coaker), on 8 April 2026 to Question HL15983 in the House of Lords. Defence plays an integral role in the Cabinet Office-led Home Defence Programme. This coordinates civil and military preparations across the whole of Government and society for some of the most serious risks we could face, including communicating, empowering and engaging with all tiers of resilience actors to ensure that all sectors are prepared for and able to respond to the most catastrophic of risks. Alongside this, defence is refreshing our own homeland defence plan as a priority for 2026

Whether the Government has reviewed recent evidence on the potential impact of social media on users’ mental health.

The Government keeps the evidence on the relationship between social media use and mental health under close review and is committed to ensuring that children’s lives online are safe and enriching. A national consultation is currently underway to seek views on measures to improve children’s online safety across social media, gaming platforms, and artificial intelligence chatbots. The consultation forms part of the Government’s broader programme to understand how technology impacts children’s wellbeing, and what more can be done to help families strike the right balance. Insights from this consultation will help inform future policy to better protect children’s mental health and ensure that digital platforms play their part in promoting safe and healthy online experiences.With regards to specific evidence reviews, in 2019, the UK Chief Medical Officers published a review of the evidence on screen-based activities and mental health, which concluded that while there is an association between social media use and mental wellbeing, the evidence did not indicate a causal relationship and highlighted the need for more high-quality research. Since then, the Government has continued to work closely with academic experts to review emerging evidence, including studies funded through the National Institute for Health and Care Research.In January 2026, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology published a research report titled Understanding the impact of smartphones and social media on children and young people, which found a lack of high-quality causal evidence linking children’s mental health and wellbeing and their use of social media. We will now be paying close attention to the recently announced IRL Trial, led by Professor Amy Orben, as this is the first large scale randomised controlled trial investigating how limiting access to social media might affect adolescent mental health.