Written questions by McMurdock.

What the main causes of delays are between triage and clinical assessment in accident and emergency departments.

We remain committed to improving patient experience and reducing waiting times across all accident and emergency departments.While NHS England sets expectations that patients attending accident and emergency departments should receive an initial clinical assessment within 15 minutes, this is guidance rather than a target and as such, performance is not routinely monitored centrally for all trusts for all patients.Triage is a clinical assessment of a person's presenting need and urgency, and it can be part of the initial clinical assessment or completed prior to it, depending on patients' needs. We do not routinely collect data about the reasons for any delays between these two parts of clinical assessment, where they are conducted separately.NHS England continues to monitor urgent and emergency care performance through a range of indicators, including waiting times, time to treatment, and overall patient flow. Work is ongoing to improve timely assessment and care, including through investment in workforce, streaming models, and front-door clinical triage.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of extending MenB vaccinations to all teenagers and university students on public health.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an expert scientific advisory committee that advises the Government on eligibility for vaccination and immunisation programmes. The JCVI have been consulted on the immediate vaccine response to the outbreak and clinical effectiveness of potential future outbreak response vaccination strategies.On the 17 March my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, also announced to the House of Commons that he would ask the JCVI to review eligibility for meningococcal B vaccination. The JCVI will conduct a full assessment of the cost-effectiveness of a routine adolescent meningococcal B vaccination programme and provide a complete and formal response to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, as soon as practicable.

Whether the target for initial assessment within 15 minutes in accident and emergency departments is being met in each NHS trust.

We remain committed to improving patient experience and reducing waiting times across all accident and emergency departments.While NHS England sets expectations that patients attending accident and emergency departments should receive an initial clinical assessment within 15 minutes, this is guidance rather than a target and as such, performance is not routinely monitored centrally for all trusts for all patients.Triage is a clinical assessment of a person's presenting need and urgency, and it can be part of the initial clinical assessment or completed prior to it, depending on patients' needs. We do not routinely collect data about the reasons for any delays between these two parts of clinical assessment, where they are conducted separately.NHS England continues to monitor urgent and emergency care performance through a range of indicators, including waiting times, time to treatment, and overall patient flow. Work is ongoing to improve timely assessment and care, including through investment in workforce, streaming models, and front-door clinical triage.

What plans he has to introduce a catch-up MenB vaccination programme for those born before May 2015 who were not eligible for the routine infant programme.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is an expert scientific advisory committee that advises the Government on eligibility for vaccination and immunisation programmes. The JCVI have been consulted on the immediate vaccine response to the outbreak and clinical effectiveness of potential future outbreak response vaccination strategies.On the 17 March my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, also announced to the House of Commons that he would ask the JCVI to review eligibility for meningococcal B vaccination. The JCVI will conduct a full assessment of the cost-effectiveness of a routine adolescent meningococcal B vaccination programme and provide a complete and formal response to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, as soon as practicable.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what alternative technological or operational solutions were considered to address radar interference from offshore wind turbines.

The new radar systems have met the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) requirements and represent the optimal solution currently available. This option is supported by a robust and well-documented methodology that provides the MOD the confidence that the solution can effectively mitigate the adverse impact of offshore wind turbines on long-range Air Defence radars. The MOD will continue to rigorously assess and implement appropriate mitigation measures to ensure that any offshore wind farm, with the potential to affect Air Defence radar operations, is only approved once these safeguards are firmly in place. The MOD continues to support the Government’s Clean Power Mission.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of radar-related constraints on previous offshore wind project delays.

As part of a mission led Government, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Ministry of Defence and have worked together to assess the impact of offshore wind on the UK’s radar systems and the potential for delays to offshore wind deployment. This collaborative effort informed the procurement of the new specially designed air defence radar systems, which will facilitate the co-existence of up to 10 GW of offshore wind capacity, enabling the Government to deliver its clean power mission whilst protecting national security.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what estimate he has made of the amount of offshore wind capacity that has been delayed or constrained due to radar-related issues.

As part of a mission led Government, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Ministry of Defence and have worked together to assess the impact of offshore wind on the UK’s radar systems and the potential for delays to offshore wind deployment. This collaborative effort informed the procurement of the new specially designed air defence radar systems, which will facilitate the co-existence of up to 10 GW of offshore wind capacity, enabling the Government to deliver its clean power mission whilst protecting national security.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what estimate he has made of how much of the 10 GW of offshore wind capacity unlocked has already been contracted but not yet constructed.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Ministry of Defence carried out in-depth analysis of the UK’s offshore wind pipeline to understand which offshore wind farms had radar dependencies and would be unlocked by an upgraded air defence radar system that protects both national security and energy security. The 10 GW of offshore wind capacity unlocked consists of relevant projects successful at Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 7 and others that will support the Government’s clean power mission which are at varying stages of development.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential risk that the new radar systems may not fully resolve interference issues with offshore wind turbines.

The new radar systems have met the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) requirements and represent the optimal solution currently available. This option is supported by a robust and well-documented methodology that provides the MOD the confidence that the solution can effectively mitigate the adverse impact of offshore wind turbines on long-range Air Defence radars. The MOD will continue to rigorously assess and implement appropriate mitigation measures to ensure that any offshore wind farm, with the potential to affect Air Defence radar operations, is only approved once these safeguards are firmly in place. The MOD continues to support the Government’s Clean Power Mission.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what assessment he has made of the impact of offshore wind turbines on the performance of existing radar systems prior to this upgrade.

The new radar systems have met the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) requirements and represent the optimal solution currently available. This option is supported by a robust and well-documented methodology that provides the MOD the confidence that the solution can effectively mitigate the adverse impact of offshore wind turbines on long-range Air Defence radars. The MOD will continue to rigorously assess and implement appropriate mitigation measures to ensure that any offshore wind farm, with the potential to affect Air Defence radar operations, is only approved once these safeguards are firmly in place. The MOD continues to support the Government’s Clean Power Mission.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what monitoring arrangements will be put in place to ensure that the radar upgrades deliver the expected increase in offshore wind deployment.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will continue to work closely to ensure that proposed wind farms can operate at their design capacity and for which MOD consent has been granted. Any necessary contingency measures are incorporated within the bilateral agreements between the MOD and offshore wind developers. Ongoing collaboration between DESNZ, MOD, and developers, provides robust oversight of the overall delivery of offshore wind capacity, with the radar upgrades forming a key part of the wider enabling infrastructure to facilitate increased offshore wind deployment.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what discussions his Department has had with the Ministry of Defence in previous years regarding the impact of offshore wind on radar systems.

As part of a mission led Government, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Ministry of Defence and have worked together to assess the impact of offshore wind on the UK’s radar systems and the potential for delays to offshore wind deployment. This collaborative effort informed the procurement of the new specially designed air defence radar systems, which will facilitate the co-existence of up to 10 GW of offshore wind capacity, enabling the Government to deliver its clean power mission whilst protecting national security.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what assessment he has made of the value for money of procuring new radar systems compared to alternative mitigation approaches.

The new radar systems have met the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) requirements and represent the optimal solution currently available. This option is supported by a robust and well-documented methodology that provides the MOD the confidence that the solution can effectively mitigate the adverse impact of offshore wind turbines on long-range Air Defence radars. The MOD will continue to rigorously assess and implement appropriate mitigation measures to ensure that any offshore wind farm, with the potential to affect Air Defence radar operations, is only approved once these safeguards are firmly in place. The MOD continues to support the Government’s Clean Power Mission.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20th March 2026, what contingency plans are in place if the radar upgrades do not unlock the full 10 GW of offshore wind capacity anticipated.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will continue to work closely to ensure that proposed wind farms can operate at their design capacity and for which MOD consent has been granted. Any necessary contingency measures are incorporated within the bilateral agreements between the MOD and offshore wind developers. Ongoing collaboration between DESNZ, MOD, and developers, provides robust oversight of the overall delivery of offshore wind capacity, with the radar upgrades forming a key part of the wider enabling infrastructure to facilitate increased offshore wind deployment.

Pursuant to Answer of 19th March 2026 to Question 120277, Electric Vehicles: Costs, what assessment she has made of the impact of battery degradation on the used electric vehicle value.

The latest data on electric vehicle (EV) battery degradation suggests the majority of EV batteries comfortably exceed warranty thresholds. The Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate and the Government’s Electric Car Grant require manufacturers to provide battery warranties of at least eight years or 100,000 miles, ensuring EVs and their batteries have long useable lives, including in the second-hand market. The Government recognises public perceptions around battery health have impacted consumer sentiment relating to used EVs. To strengthen consumer confidence, particularly in second-hand EV purchases, the Government is exploring options to adopt regulations which would provide consumers with standardised, consumer accessible information on EV batteries’ state of health.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120280, what estimate her Department has made of the average cost of electric vehicle battery replacement outside manufacturer warranty.

The Department does not hold data on average or individual replacement battery costs for electric vehicles.

Media and Sport, whether she has made assessed the risk that the Better Futures Fund will deliver short-term measurable outcomes without addressing the underlying structural causes of child poverty.

DCMS is currently in the design stages of the Better Futures Fund and is currently consulting with Mayoral Strategic Authorities to assess their capacity for participation in delivery. We anticipate large-scale participation in social outcomes partnerships to commence in 2027 onwards, for which we will engage local commissioners via a dedicated capacity and capability building programme beforehand.The Better Futures Fund is not yet open for applications. The first phase of bidding is expected to invite bids in Summer 2026 for projects where all partners have a track record of successfully delivering social outcomes partnerships.The Better Futures Fund is part of a suite of combined measures outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy which support the government’s ambitions to tackle the structural and root causes of poverty for children, young people and their families. The Fund is being designed to fund projects that reduce the short or longer term impacts of poverty on the life chances and outcomes for children.The Better Futures Fund will primarily fund projects that deliver social outcomes partnerships. The exact proportion will be determined during the application stages.

Media and Sport, what proportion of projects supported through the Better Futures Fund will be delivered through Social Outcomes Partnerships.

DCMS is currently in the design stages of the Better Futures Fund and is currently consulting with Mayoral Strategic Authorities to assess their capacity for participation in delivery. We anticipate large-scale participation in social outcomes partnerships to commence in 2027 onwards, for which we will engage local commissioners via a dedicated capacity and capability building programme beforehand.The Better Futures Fund is not yet open for applications. The first phase of bidding is expected to invite bids in Summer 2026 for projects where all partners have a track record of successfully delivering social outcomes partnerships.The Better Futures Fund is part of a suite of combined measures outlined in the Child Poverty Strategy which support the government’s ambitions to tackle the structural and root causes of poverty for children, young people and their families. The Fund is being designed to fund projects that reduce the short or longer term impacts of poverty on the life chances and outcomes for children.The Better Futures Fund will primarily fund projects that deliver social outcomes partnerships. The exact proportion will be determined during the application stages.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20 March 2026, whether any elements of the radar systems will be manufactured outside the United Kingdom.

By upgrading our air defence radars, this government will unlock up to 10GW of offshore wind capacity through projects in Scotland, East Anglia and North East England, £20bn in private investment and thousands of skilled jobs, supporting both national and energy security. The Government’s contract is with BAE Systems. Work will take place at BAE Systems’ facilities in Cowes, sustaining high quality engineering jobs in the Isle of Wight. Further commercial aspects of BAE Systems’ bid are commercial matters for the supplier. These new radars will be installed from 2029.

With reference to his Department’s press release entitled New radar systems to unlock offshore wind, published on 20 March 2026, what his planned timetable is for deployment of the new radar systems.

By upgrading our air defence radars, this government will unlock up to 10GW of offshore wind capacity through projects in Scotland, East Anglia and North East England, £20bn in private investment and thousands of skilled jobs, supporting both national and energy security. The Government’s contract is with BAE Systems. Work will take place at BAE Systems’ facilities in Cowes, sustaining high quality engineering jobs in the Isle of Wight. Further commercial aspects of BAE Systems’ bid are commercial matters for the supplier. These new radars will be installed from 2029.