Written questions by Arthur.

What assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the two-child benefit cap on incentivising employment among affected families.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. The Child Poverty Taskforce will publish a Child Poverty Strategy in the autumn that will deliver measures to tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the two-child benefit cap on child poverty levels in (a) working families and (b) minority ethnic groups.

This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn. We are considering all available levers, including social security reforms, to give every child the best start in life. The causes of child poverty are wide-ranging and deep-rooted, and so it is right that the Taskforce carefully considers and assesses the available levers as it develops this Strategy. In the meantime, we are pressing ahead with action. As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year including Barnett impact, investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap. In August, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays.

What steps his Department plans to take to help prevent waste leakage offshore following the inclusion of Energy from Waste in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme; and whether his Department plans to take steps to help support local authorities with the financial implications of this decision.

The UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) Authority consulted on expanding the UK ETS to the waste sector in 2024, including asking for views on managing the risk of increased diversion of waste to export abroad. The interim Authority Response published in July 2025 stated that policy positions are being developed to ensure that waste export is not used to avoid ETS costs and details will be set out in due course.The Government recognises the challenges that the expansion of the scheme will place on local authorities and will confirm proposals to help them manage the impacts of the scheme in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the two-child benefit cap on child poverty levels in Edinburgh South West constituency.

This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn. We are considering all available levers, including social security reforms, to give every child the best start in life. The causes of child poverty are wide-ranging and deep-rooted, and so it is right that the Taskforce carefully considers and assesses the available levers as it develops this Strategy. In the meantime, we are pressing ahead with action. As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year including Barnett impact, investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap. In August, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays.

When his Department plans to (a) publish a revised timeline for the track-2 cluster sequencing process and (b) provide funding for non-pipeline carbon capture projects.

The Government announced its support for the Acorn and Viking clusters in the Spending Review and is providing the development funding to advance their delivery. We've been working with clusters to understand what they need to keep them progressing to a final investment decision (FID) this Parliament, subject to project readiness and affordability. Non-pipeline methods of CO2 transportation (for example, road, rail and ship) will play an integral role in achieving decarbonisation across multiple regions and sectors of the economy, to meet our carbon budget targets and net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Funding for NPT projects will be subject to future project selection processes and associated deliverability and value for money considerations.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the article by the University of Edinburgh entitled Rescuing the cities of the deep: Corals from oil platforms find new homes off Shetland, published on 16 September 2025, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the research undertaken by the University of Edinburgh into the use of corals harvested from subsea structures to establish artificial reefs as part of seabed restoration projects.

The UK is home to cold-water corals off our coast and tropical coral reefs within our Overseas Territories. With 4,700 square kilometres of corals across our UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, the UK is responsible for the twelfth largest area of coral reefs in the world. Coral reefs host about a quarter of all known marine species and are a key source of food, livelihoods and economic opportunities to people in more than 100 countries around the world. We are engaged with this initiative from the University of Edinburgh and continue to consider all relevant evidence concerning the status and management of coral reefs, such as the 2025 global coral reef status report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.

What assessment his Department has made of the capacity of the national grid to support projected growth in electric vehicle charging demand over the next decade.

The Government is working closely with Ofgem to ensure that its price control framework supports the necessary investment in the electricity network to deliver our clean energy and growth missions. This includes ensuring that the distribution network has sufficient capacity to meet projected demand from electric vehicles into the future. The current price control, RIIO-ED2 (2023–2028), enables forward-looking investment aligned with and incorporates uncertainty mechanisms to allow networks to respond flexibly to rising demand. The next price control, RIIO-ED3 (2028–2033), will be informed by Regional Energy Strategic Plans to support more strategic, anticipatory and coordinated investment.

What steps he plans to take through the new trade strategy to help ensure that farmers and workers in global supply chains earn a living wage.

In the Trade Strategy, the Government launched a review into the UK's approach to responsible business conduct, focused on tackling human rights and labour abuses, modern slavery and environmental harms and addressing such issues.

Whether his Department plans to publish the decision making process behind the proposal to restrict access to the Universal Credit Health Element for under-22s.

The reasoning for this proposal, set out in the Pathways to Work green paper published in March, is the removal of a potential disincentive to work and the possibility that resources may be better spent on improving the quality and range of opportunities available to young people through the Youth Guarantee. We welcomed views on raising the age someone can access the Universal Credit health element to 22 as part of our Green Paper consultation, which closed on 30 June. We are considering responses and will set out our plans in due course.

Whether his Department plans to make an assessment of the social return on investment of the Access to Work programme.

Following the close of the Pathways to Work Green Paper Consultation at the end of June we are reviewing the Scheme. Its social value lies in supporting people who have a disability or health condition to move into or sustain paid employment. We are continuing to work closely with stakeholders, and in particular disabled people and their representatives.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the Universal Credit Health Element on poverty among disabled people.

The Department published an updated assessment of the poverty impacts of the health/disability benefit changes announced at Spring Statement with revisions to reflect the proposed changes since tabled. This estimates that there will be 50,000 fewer individuals in relative poverty after housing costs in 2029/30 as a result of the changes. The assessment is available at: Spring statement social security changes – updated impact on poverty levels in Great Britain, July. We will continue to carefully consider the impacts of reforms as we develop our detailed proposals for change.

Whether he plans to publish a timeline for strengthening voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling.

In Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, the Government committed to strengthening and expanding existing voluntary guidelines for alcohol labelling by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages. The plan can be accessed on the GOV.UK website, at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future Department officials are progressing this work at pace and, at the appropriate time, we will consult with stakeholders on the best ways to communicate the necessary information on the health risks to consumers through alcohol labels. The timeline for implementing mandatory alcohol labelling is yet to be determined, and will take into account the full range of stakeholder views and consultation responses.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the role of industry advertising in reducing the rate of alcohol harms.

As highlighted in the Fit for the Future: 10-Year Health Plan for England, the Government recognises that alcohol harms are increasing in the United Kingdom, and that to help tackle these harms a multi-faceted approach that includes prevention, harm reduction, and treatment is required.In the plan, the Government has committed to increasing the awareness of the harms by introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages.There are several pieces of research underway which will strengthen the evidence base on the impact of alcohol marketing on the levels of consumption and the associated harms. Alongside the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, we will consider this new evidence when it is available.

What steps he is taking to improve long-term quality of life for people (a) living with and (b) beyond cancer under the National Cancer Plan.

The National Cancer Plan, which will be published early in the new year, 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. The National Cancer Plan will build on the three shifts set out by the 10-Year Health Plan. These shifts will enable rapid progress on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, as well as supporting those living with cancer to better manage their condition and improve their quality of life.The National Cancer Plan will aim to improve how the physical and psychosocial needs of people with cancer can be met, with a focus on personalised care to improve quality of life. It will address how the experience of care can be improved for those diagnosed, treated, and living with and beyond cancer.

Whether she has had discussion with the Child Poverty Taskforce on the potential impact of (a) the removal and (b) reform of the two-child benefit cap on the educational outcomes for children.

As co-chair of the Child Poverty Taskforce, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, is working across government on levers to tackle child poverty and improve the lives of families across the country.This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy, which will be published in the autumn.

What steps he is taking to ensure the (a) timely and (b) consistent diagnosis and (c) treatment for people living with postural tachycardia syndrome.

We are investing in additional capacity to deliver appointments to help bring waiting lists and times down, including for those with postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS). The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the specific productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard, that 92% of patients to wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment, by March 2029.Additionally, the shifts outlined in our 10-Year Health Plan will free up hospital-based consultants’ time by shifting care from hospitals to communities, utilising digital technology to reduce administrative burdens, and promoting prevention to reduce the onset and severity of conditions that lead to hospital admissions. This includes expanding community-based services, employing artificial intelligence for productivity, developing integrated neighbourhood health teams, and investing in digital tools and data. These shifts will allow specialists to focus on more complex cases of PoTS, enabling earlier identification and management, and improved patient outcomes.By shifting care into the community through Neighbourhood Health Services, promoting integrated, multidisciplinary models of care and the expansion of personalised care plans, as outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will ensure that people with conditions like PoTS receive more timely and accessible support closer to home.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will consider allowing Palestinian students starting studies at UK universities in 2025 to apply to bring dependent children to the UK.

On 27 October, the Government updated our guidance on scholarships for students from Gaza to confirm that it was now also seeking to support the departure of the dependents of those students who are eligible under immigration rules. Full details can be found here (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-students-travelling-to-the-uk-from-gaza/scholarships-for-students-from-gaza).

Whether he plans to publish a framework for neighbourhood cancer care as part of the National Cancer Plan.

Our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, is for our health system to fit around people’s lives. The Neighbourhood Health Service will mean that millions of patients are treated and cared for closer to their home by new teams of professionals, and neighbourhood health centres will provide easier, more convenient access to a full range of healthcare services on people’s doorsteps.It will involve care closer to the community, including a focus on prevention, as well as the redesign of outpatient and diagnostic services, and the re-design of urgent and emergency care.In the forthcoming National Cancer Plan, we will look at how to incorporate this neighbourhood approach into cancer care. The National Cancer Plan will also set out how we will work with organisations representing communities that experience health inequalities, to help us meet the needs of all cancer patients across England.

What steps he is taking to ensure that neighbourhood cancer care models in the National Cancer Plan contribute to reducing health inequalities.

Our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, is for our health system to fit around people’s lives. The Neighbourhood Health Service will mean that millions of patients are treated and cared for closer to their home by new teams of professionals, and neighbourhood health centres will provide easier, more convenient access to a full range of healthcare services on people’s doorsteps.It will involve care closer to the community, including a focus on prevention, as well as the redesign of outpatient and diagnostic services, and the re-design of urgent and emergency care.In the forthcoming National Cancer Plan, we will look at how to incorporate this neighbourhood approach into cancer care. The National Cancer Plan will also set out how we will work with organisations representing communities that experience health inequalities, to help us meet the needs of all cancer patients across England.

What estimate his Department has made of the annual cost to the NHS of treating breast cancer cases in the UK that are attributable to alcohol consumption.

The Government and the National Health Service recognise that a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the biggest risk factors of certain cancers. The Government welcomes the recent publication of the World Cancer Research Fund's 2025 report. The UK Chief Medical Officers’ low-risk drinking guidelines and the NHS webpage on the risks of alcohol, clearly state that alcohol consumption can increase the risk of developing seven types of cancer, including breast cancer. The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) collects patient data on cancer, congenital anomalies and rare diseases. The NDRS does not collect data on the causes of cancer. Therefore, the Department has not made a formal assessment on the annual cost to the NHS of treating breast cancer cases in the United Kingdom that are attributable to alcohol consumption. The National Cancer Plan for England, which will be published in the new year, will build on the shift from sickness to prevention set out by the 10-Year Health Plan and will seek to reduce risk factors. The plan will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention. This will include alcohol consumption, alongside other risk factors, given alcohol is linked to an increased risk of seven types of cancer, including breast cancer.