Written questions by Wilkinson.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the likelihood of non-harmful websites being made inaccessible to users due to the effects of the Online Safety Act 2023.

Proportionality is a core principle of the Online Safety Act and is in-built into its duties. As online safety regulator, Ofcom must consider the size and risk level of different types of services when recommending steps providers can take to comply with their duties.Ofcom is communicating with in scope services about the new regulations in the Act and is working with services to ensure compliance is as easy as possible. As noted in the Ofcom CEO’s letter of 8 July 2025 to the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Ofcom is providing support to online service providers of all sizes to make it easier for them to understand – and comply with – their responsibilities under the new laws.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of whistleblower protections.

The Government recognises that the whistleblowing framework in the Employment Rights Act 1996 may not be operating as effectively as intended. My Department in July published an independent review into the framework, which did not make formal recommendations for reform but did provide some useful analyses on the functioning of the framework based on stakeholder engagement and a literature review.The review is a helpful contribution to the governments ongoing assessment of the framework, and the Government welcomes the continued engagement of parliamentarians and stakeholders on this important area of public policy.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of requiring the disclosure of the true beneficiary of a planning application to enhance public scrutiny.

Planning permissions relate to plots of land and so the identity of the applicant and the ownership of land are not normally material considerations in planning decisions. Disclosure of the true beneficiary of a planning permission would therefore not affect the outcome of a planning decision.

What assessment his Department made of the potential impact of unlimited online consultations, introduced in the new GP contract, on the ability of GPs to meet patient demand.

In February 2025 the GPCE agreed to make it a contractual obligation for all GP practices to offer access to online services throughout core hours (8:00am - 18:30pm), bringing online access in line with walk-in and phone access. To support practices in preparing for this transition and to ensure they had sufficient time to make the necessary adjustments, the start date was deferred to 1 October 2025.This change aims to improve patient access, reduce long phone queues, and help general practitioners manage demand more effectively. Experience suggests that extending online access offers significant benefits to both patients and practices. With more patients using online options, phone lines will be less busy and will open up availability for those who need additional help or more urgent care.We understand that practices require additional resource to deliver services to their patients. That is why we have invested £1.1 billion into general practice: £160 million of this to expand the GP workforce (adding 2,000 more GPs since October 2024), and £102 million to create more clinical space which will enable the delivery of 8.3 million extra appointments.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Education and Skills Funding Agency in enabling young people to retake English and Maths GCSEs to a timetable that enables them to undertake paid employment.

Progress towards, and attainment of, level 2 mathematics and English is essential for helping 16 to 19 students to by allowing them to seize opportunities in life, learning and work.Under Part 1 of Education and Skills Act 2008, young people aged 16 and 17 who have not attained level 3 qualifications of sufficient size are under a duty to continue in education or training until their 18th birthday. However, schools and colleges can tailor a study programme to the needs of an individual student, and we know that many students undertake part time work alongside their studies.Study programmes are designed to be full-time with a minimum of 580 planned hours per academic year, however, part time programmes may be agreed where, for example, a student combines part time education with full time employment.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of offering free flu vaccines to (a) charity and (b) voluntary workers on the health of vulnerable people.

Eligibility for a free National Health Service flu vaccine is guided, each year, by advice and recommendations from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and is kept under regular review. The aim of the flu vaccination programme is to protect those most at risk from serious illness and hospitalisation.Those eligible to receive a free flu vaccine on the NHS this autumn are:pregnant womenall children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2025children with certain long-term health conditions (aged 6 months to less than 18 years)primary school aged children (from reception to Year 6)secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11)all children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to under 18 yearseveryone aged 65 years and overindividuals aged 18 to under 65 with certain long-term health conditionscare home residentscarers in receipt of carer's allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled personthose living with people who are immunocompromisedfrontline health and social care workersThe NHS website contains further information on eligibility, which is available at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/flu-vaccine/Anyone who feels unsure about their eligibility (including those who work with vulnerable people in a voluntary capacity) can consult their general practitioner, practice nurse, or pharmacist. Pregnant women can also consult their midwife.

Whether his Department plans to reopen the Aveta Birth Centre at Cheltenham General Hospital.

The national review and the local needs assessment processes will help in setting out ideas on how services could be developed. The trust and the integrated care board (ICB) are keen that any proposals for future service development are co-designed through meaningful engagement.The maternity health needs assessment at the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is under way, led by the NHS Gloucestershire ICB. The needs assessment involves a review of nationally available data and trends, and the evidence base for what works in terms of quality and safety. NHS England is aligning its maternity needs assessment with national priorities to improve outcomes and experiences, particularly by tackling health inequalities.As part of the maternity needs assessment, NHS England is gathering insights from women and staff, asking about their experiences and their ideas for how services could be developed in the future.NHS England is in the process of agreeing a timeline for approval of the needs assessment, with final publication expected in Spring 2026.No plan to reopen the Aveta Birth Centre will be made until the outcome of the Government's Independent National Maternity Investigation, and the local Health Needs Assessment, led by the NHS Gloucestershire ICB and exploring the needs and changes in maternity care for Gloucestershire, are published. These are both due to report in Spring 2026.

What Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's planned timetable is for the (a) commencement and (b) publication of its health needs review.

The national review and the local needs assessment processes will help in setting out ideas on how services could be developed. The trust and the integrated care board (ICB) are keen that any proposals for future service development are co-designed through meaningful engagement.The maternity health needs assessment at the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is under way, led by the NHS Gloucestershire ICB. The needs assessment involves a review of nationally available data and trends, and the evidence base for what works in terms of quality and safety. NHS England is aligning its maternity needs assessment with national priorities to improve outcomes and experiences, particularly by tackling health inequalities.As part of the maternity needs assessment, NHS England is gathering insights from women and staff, asking about their experiences and their ideas for how services could be developed in the future.NHS England is in the process of agreeing a timeline for approval of the needs assessment, with final publication expected in Spring 2026.No plan to reopen the Aveta Birth Centre will be made until the outcome of the Government's Independent National Maternity Investigation, and the local Health Needs Assessment, led by the NHS Gloucestershire ICB and exploring the needs and changes in maternity care for Gloucestershire, are published. These are both due to report in Spring 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what his Department’s policy is on the alignment of mayoral combined authority boundaries and integrated care board boundaries, in the context of (a) devolution and (b) NHS reorganisation.

The English Devolution White Paper was clear that our long-term ambition is for public service boundaries, including those of health and strategic authorities, to align. We remain committed to this goal, and the 10 Year Health Plan sets out our aim that Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) should be coterminous with one or more strategic authorities wherever feasibly possible. The Department of Health and Social Care will work closely with NHS England and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to decide any further ICB mergers and boundary changes.

With reference to paragraph 23(b) of Witness Statement 1 by the Deputy National Security Adviser of 22 December 2023, what those back channels were.

Upholding national security and keeping the public safe is the first duty of Government.This Government has been clear that we are extremely disappointed in the decision by the CPS not to proceed with prosecution of Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry. Given the concerns raised by Honourable Members about the safety and security of the House, we have sought to be as transparent as possible by publishing the witness statements relating to the case.The references to ‘backchannel’ discussions that are alleged to have taken place occurred under the previous Government.

With reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for Security during the Urgent Question on 20 October 2025, Official Report, column 630, whether he has held such discussions with the hon. Member for (a) Rutland and Stamford and (b) Tonbridge on the use of back channels.

Upholding national security and keeping the public safe is the first duty of Government.This Government has been clear that we are extremely disappointed in the decision by the CPS not to proceed with prosecution of Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry. Given the concerns raised by Honourable Members about the safety and security of the House, we have sought to be as transparent as possible by publishing the witness statements relating to the case.The references to ‘backchannel’ discussions that are alleged to have taken place occurred under the previous Government.

With reference to her article in The Sun on 22 October 2025, on what evidential basis she said that the UK was the destination of choice for refugees.

When this Government came to office, we inherited an immigration system in chaos. Organised criminal gangs wreaked havoc on our borders and we are still living with the consequences.Migrants come to the UK as they believe this country is more generous compared to other safe European countries – they continue their journey looking for the best place to become a refugee.Under the previous government, migrants were entitled to generous benefits including automatic family reunion rights, hotel accommodation and false promises that they will be able to work and earn a living, making the UK a more attractive place to seek refuge.We have taken rapid action to address that chaos by introducing a fundamental change to the rights provided to those granted asylum in the UK, looking to end automatic family reunion rights and altering the requirements for long-term settlement in the UK. This approach balances protection against persecution with control of our borders. It makes the system fairer, in line with our European allies, and reduces incentives for asylum seekers to travel illegally to the UK.We will also end the use of hotels for asylum accommodation and explore replacing them with more appropriate sites like military bases. In the summer of 2023 over 400 asylum hotels were open, costing almost £9 million a day; we have taken action to close hotels, with less than 210 now open, saving £1 billion in hotel costs last year.We have invested £5 million into Immigration Enforcement, to target, arrest, detain and return illegal workers in takeaways, fast food drivers, beauty salons and car washes. The number of arrests for illegal working has risen by 63% since October 2024 and as part of this crackdown we have expanded right to work checks to the gig economy, removing the incentive for people attempting to enter the UK illegally.We are taking on the hard graft to remove the pull factors and have introduced tougher language requirements to support migrant integration. We recently introduced a new law in Parliament where migrants will be required to pass tough English language requirements and must meet an A level equivalent standard in speaking, listening, reading and writing.We have removed more than 35,000 people who were here illegally and struck a historic deal with the French meaning those who arrive by small boat are now being sent back.Our Border Security Asylum and Immigration Bill will tackle pull factors that bring people to the UK illegally, equipping officers with the necessary powers to tackle organised immigration crime and those who attempt to enter the UK illegally.

What steps his Department has taken to ensure that the third-party data entry of NHS patient data is processed securely.

IT systems in the National Health Service operate to the highest standards of security, and all organisations have governance arrangements in place to ensure the safe, legal management of data. Third party organisations operate under the instruction of the NHS when processing data, with safeguards in place to keep people’s confidential information secure as per contractual requirements. All organisations that have access to NHS patient data and systems must use the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) to provide assurance on an annual basis that they are practising good data security and that personal information is handled correctly. Over 61,500 organisations completed a DSPT assessment for 2024/25.The privacy and confidentiality of health and care data is championed by the National Data Guardian who provides independent advice on the use of such data and holds the Caldicott Principles, which provide a framework for the safe and respectful use of data.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the capacity of GP services to meet demand in Gloucestershire.

We are expanding capacity in general practice, which will help to deliver more appointments to patients across the country, including in Gloucestershire. In October 2024, we invested £160 million into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme to support the recruitment of an additional 2,000 general practitioners into primary care networks across England, helping to increase appointment availability and improve care for thousands of patients. We have invested an additional £1.1 billion in general practices to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service. This is the biggest increase in over a decade. Additionally, the new £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund will create additional clinical space within over 1,000 general practices across England to deliver 8.3 million more appointments each year. In the 12 months to August 2025, 4.74 million appointments were delivered in the Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, which is a 3.2% increase from the previous year.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of unlimited online consultations on the ability of GPs to meet patient demand.

From 1 October, we extended access to general practice (GP) online services throughout core hours, which are from 8:00am to 18:30pm. According to the Office for National Statistics, for the first time ever, more patients are contacting their GP online rather than by phone, at 42.3% and 41.3% respectively. For GPs already offer online services, we are asking them to extend this service throughout core hours to bring online access in line with walk-in and phone access. GPs already using online systems have seen big improvements. One London GP surgery reduced waits from 14 days to just three, with 95% of patients seen within a week. The National Health Service continues to support those practices needing assistance with implementing these changes.We understand that practices require additional resource to deliver services to their patients. That’s why we have invested £1.1 billion into GPs, with £160 million of this to expand the GP workforce, which has added 2,000 more GPs since October 2024, and £102 million to create more clinical space which will enable the delivery of 8.3 million extra appointments.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK’s approach to VAT on hospitality compared with EU member states.

The Government recognises the significant contribution made by hospitality businesses to economic growth and social life in the UK. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. The UK’s VAT rate of 20 per cent is close to the OECD average of 19.3 per cent. The UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD, at £90,000. This keeps the majority of businesses out of the VAT regime altogether. HMRC estimate that the cost of a 5 per cent reduced rate for accommodation, hospitality and tourist attractions would be around £13 billion this financial year. If the scope were also to include alcoholic beverages, the cost would be approximately £3 billion greater.

o ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with industry stakeholders on improving job prospects for people in their 60s.

The Government knows that work helps everyone play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement. The Department for Work and Pensions is therefore committed to supporting older people through a wide-ranging strategy that promotes inclusion, flexibility, and progression. This includes promoting age-inclusive practices, supporting workplace health, policy and service reform and removing age related barriers to employment. The Department has also signed up to and actively promotes the Age-Friendly Employer Pledge, encouraging employers to adopt flexible working, age-positive hiring, and career development.Our Jobs and Careers service will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and help them progress in work or increase their earnings. The Jobs and Careers Service will incorporate principles of accessibility and inclusivity, acknowledging diverse support needs, including those of older individuals.We are taking a test and learn approach to developing the new service, working in an agile and flexible way. This will allow us to hear from a range of organisations and perspectives, as we develop the new service. The DWP’s Strategic Relationship Team is actively engaging trade bodies and strategic employers across priority sectors, such as clean energy, digital, hospitality and construction, through innovation workshops, tailored recruitment pilots, and sector-led initiatives to promote DWP as the recruitment partner of choice and expand inclusive employment opportunities.

If he will make and assessment of the potential impact of AI related job losses on the level of unemployment benefit.

The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits is falling. 1.69 million people claimed unemployment-related benefits in September 2025 – down 73,000 on a year earlier.The government is committed to ensuring that people have access to good, meaningful work. This involves adapting to structural changes in the labour market, now and over the longer-term.There are suggestions from some firms, mainly in the tech sector, that hiring patterns are changing due to greater use of AI, but at this stage it’s unclear how widespread this is and how much of a factor this is compared to broader factors affecting employment more generally.DWP has a strong track record of providing financial help during economic shifts and supporting people to re-skill (where needed) and to re-enter work. We are continuing to deliver our Get Britain Working reforms to ensure we provide people with access to good work and training opportunities fit for the future.DWP is also working across government to ensure that we are able to respond to emerging trends within the labour market, and to make the most of opportunities for economic growth, job creation and productivity.

Whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost of the pensions triple lock for each of the next ten year.

Expenditure on State Pension, which includes triple lock, for the years up to and including 2029/30 is available in the Benefit Expenditure and Caseload tables. Beyond 2029/30, the Office for Budget Responsibility project State Pension expenditure as part of their Fiscal risks and sustainability report. This assumes long-term annual growth rates of 4.4% for ‘Triple Lock’, and 3.8% for Average Earnings. Source: OBR September 2024 Fiscal risks and sustainability – charts and tables: supplementary tables, Table 1.1

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with business leaders on the potential impact of AI on the number of jobs in the next five years.

We want to ensure that people have access to good, meaningful work. AI will impact the labour market and Government is working to harness its benefits in terms of boosting growth, productivity, living standards, and worker wellbeing, while mitigating the risks. We’re planning for varied outcomes and monitoring data to track and prepare for these. The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out how we will address key challenges and spread opportunity to fix the foundations of our economy to seize AI’s potential.The Government is supporting workforce readiness for AI through a range of initiatives. The new AI Skills Hub, developed by Innovate UK and PwC, provides streamlined access to digital training. This will support government priorities through tackling critical skills gaps and improving workforce readiness. We are also partnering with 11 major companies to train 7.5 million UK workers in essential AI skills by 2030.