Written questions by Eastwood.

Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ensure that the TV licence payment structures are (a) transparent, (b) proportionate and (c) accessible to people who cannot afford to pay the licence fee in one lump sum.

Television licences are issued on an annual basis and households can choose a variety of payment plans to spread the cost of the licence, including monthly and quarterly payment plans.New joiners to TV Licensing’s monthly direct debit scheme pay for their first licence over 6 months. This front-loading of payments is a requirement set out in legislation. After the initial 6 months of joining the scheme, households pay towards their next licence through payments spread over 12 months. This is intended to reduce the BBC’s exposure to unexpected changes in its income that could result from households stopping their fee payments part-way through the year, and which could impact the BBC’s ability to deliver its services for the public.The Government recognises the financial difficulties faced by some households. This is why we announced a significant extension to the Simple Payment Plan to support more households by enabling them to split up the annual licence fee payment into more manageable fortnightly and monthly instalments. This payment plan does not require front-loading. The changes, which came into effect in February 2025, make a greater number of households eligible for the Plan.The Secretary of State is a strong supporter of the BBC and has been clear that the BBC must be funded by a model that is sustainable and fair to all those that are paying it. The Government is keeping an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and the forthcoming Charter Review will provide an opportunity for the Government to consider the best possible funding model to set the BBC up for success long into the future.

Whether motorcycling will be part of an integrated national transport strategy.

The Integrated National Transport Strategy will be published later this year and set the long-term vision for transport across England. As the strategy continues to develop, we are looking at all modes to understand how transport should be better designed, built and operated to meet the needs of people who use it. To achieve the goals of the strategy, we have conducted a series of engagement activities to gather insights from transport stakeholders and members of the public. This has included a public Call for Ideas and an 11-stop Regional Roadshow where we spoke with motorcyclists and motorcycle user representative groups about their experiences of transport in England and what could be done to improve it. Everything we heard through our engagement has been considered to support strategic development.

Whether the forthcoming national cancer plan will introduce new targets for reducing late-diagnosis of cancer.

Reducing late diagnosis of cancer is a priority for the Department. As a first step, the National Health Service is now delivering an extra 40,000 operations, scans, and appointments each week, to support early diagnosis and faster treatment.NHS England is continuing the roll out of community diagnostic centres to ensure that patients can access the diagnostic tests they need as quickly as possible. The NHS is also improving pathways to get people diagnosed faster once they are referred, including non-specific symptom pathways for patients who do not fit clearly into a single urgent cancer referral pathway.To further improve early intervention and reduce mortality rates, NHS England’s Help Us, Help You campaigns seek to address the barriers that are deterring patients from accessing the care they need. The campaign encourages people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner, focusing on a range of symptoms, as well as encouraging ‘body awareness’ to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an earlier point.Further actions on reducing late-diagnosis and improving survival for all cancers will be outlined in the forthcoming National Cancer Plan, which will be published later this year. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer. The goal is to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer over the next ten years, and the ambition will be set out as part of the National Cancer Plan.

Whether he has taken steps following receipt of the BMA letter dated 4 April 2025 requesting review of the Foundation Programme allocations.

NHS England is due to review the Foundation Programme allocation process to make sure it works well for applicants. The review is aiming to commence in 2026. NHS England will advise stakeholders how they can input in due course.

What recent discussions she has had with the Minister for Finance for Northern Ireland on the ability of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to borrow to start to build homes.

As Chief Secretary to the Treasury, I am in regular contact with the Northern Ireland Minister of Finance on matters relating to Northern Ireland Executive funding, including the request for enhanced borrowing powers for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. This issue was most recently discussed at the Finance: Interministerial Standing Committee on 26 June 2025.As part of the 2025 Spending Review, HM Treasury committed to begin immediate negotiations on a comprehensive Fiscal Framework for Northern Ireland. These discussions will include consideration of borrowing arrangements for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

Whether he plans to meet with bereaved families associated with the 1994 Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question 53163 on 3 July 2025 to the hon. Member for Angus and Perthshire Glens (Dave Doogan).

What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on introducing duty of candour legislation.

The Government remains committed to implementing a ‘Hillsborough Law’ which will place a legal duty of candour on public servants and authorities, and criminal sanctions for those who refuse to comply in certain circumstances. The Cabinet Office and Ministry of Justice are the lead Departments in Government for this matter. Ministry of Defence officials continue to liaise with colleagues across Government on this important issue.

What criteria was used to determine the 100-year classification of documents on the Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash in 1994; and whether a review of that classification has been held in the last five years.

For personal information and information linked to identifiable living individuals, The National Archives and the Advisory Council for National Records and Archives advocate a closure period of the ‘lifetime’ of the data subject. This assumes a lifetime of 100 years but will be graduated down from the age or assumed age of the youngest individual in the record. The Ministry of Defence has not conducted a review of the classification of the records within the last five years.

How many meetings of the Motor Insurance Taskforce have taken place; and when the next meeting will take place.

The cross-Government Motor Insurance Taskforce met for the first time on 16 October 2024. It met most recently on 28 April 2025 and further meetings are being planned.

Whether he plans to provide support to former Northern Ireland (a) prison officers and (b) police to maintain security at their homes.

The Northern Ireland Office Home Protection Scheme is in place to provide protective security measures to those in certain occupations who are assessed to be under significant threat from Northern Ireland-related terrorism. Serving and former prison and police officers fall within that range of occupations.

How many allergy 'near miss' incidents took place in schools in England in each year since 2016.

The information requested is not held centrally.

With reference to the Written Statement of 4 June 2025, HCWS682, on School Food, what estimate she has made of the potential Barnett consequentials for Northern Ireland following the expansion of free school meals to all children in households in receipt of Universal Credit.

The Barnett formula is applied when departmental budgets change – not when departments announce how they are spending their budgets.When changes to the Department for Education’s budget were confirmed at Spending Review 2025 on 11 June, the Barnett formula was applied in the usual way. The published Block Grant Transparency document provides a detailed breakdown of how the block grants are calculated and the next version will be published in due course.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with the Chief Medical Officer on the potential merits of raising the digital age of consent.

Ministers and officials engage regularly with a range of experts and stakeholders on issues relating to children’s online safety and wellbeing. While there have been no recent formal discussions with the Chief Medical Officer specifically on the digital age of consent, we will continue to draw on expert advice as we review the evidence in this area.

Innovation and Technology, if he will introduce legislation to improve online safety laws.

The government is committed to working with Ofcom to ensure the Online Safety Act is implemented quickly and effectively.This year we expect users, in particular children, to see notable change in their online experience as the duties come into force. Ofcom is now enforcing the illegal safety duties, and protections for children will follow next month.The government has high expectations for platforms, and nothing is off the table when it comes to keeping children and the public safe. The government has already built on the Act and will continue to do so where required.

Innovation and Technology, what his planned timetable is for his Department's examination of the digital age of consent.

We have added measures to the Data (Use and Access) Bill to strengthen data protection standards for children. Any changes to the age of digital consent would require public consultation.We continue to consider further options for protecting children online and commissioned a feasibility study to further explore the impact of smartphones and social media use on children’s wellbeing to help inform our next steps. We do not have a timetable for completing this work.

What discussions his Department has had with the Northern Ireland Department of Health on working together on (a) research and (b) treatment for people with long covid.

The Department has not had any specific discussions in relation to working together on research and treatment for long COVID with Northern Ireland’s Department of Health.The Department of Health and Social Care funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR, through the Department, has had an arrangement with the devolved administrations, including in Northern Ireland, since 2008, based on investments from each nation that has allowed research hosts, including universities and research active National Health Service organisations, to apply for NIHR funding through the majority of our research programmes. This enables devolved nation-based researchers to lead studies across the range of health and social care priorities, and, importantly, allows more people to participate in an expanded range of research initiatives.

Whether trade negotiations with the US on (a) digital trade provisions and (b) non-tariff barriers will include online safety regulation.

On 8 May the UK government announced a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump. We are continuing talks on a wider UK-US Economic Deal which will look at increasing digital trade, increasing access for our world-leading services industries and improving supply chains. Protecting people online has never been up for negotiation in these talks. The Online Safety Act is already law and being implemented.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the extent to which the ICJ's Preliminary Measures to prevent genocide in Gaza have been implemented.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is currently considering a case brought under the genocide convention in relation to Gaza. Pending its final decision on the merits of the case, the ICJ has issued provisional measures. The UK has been clear that Israel has an obligation to implement these measures as a matter of international law. It is the UK Government's long-standing position that any formal determination as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent court, not for Governments or non-judicial bodies. The UK fully respects the independence of the ICJ and supports its work in this regard, including in assessing whether its Orders have been complied with.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many requests his Department has made of the Mass Atrocity Prevention Hub to make an assessment of the risk of genocide being committed in Gaza.

It is the UK Government's long-standing position that any formal determination as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent court, and not for governments or non-judicial bodies. The International Court of Justice case on genocide is ongoing, and we support the independence of the court. Our approach to genocide determination does not prevent us from taking action to call out and seek to address risks of atrocities. We have been clear that we strongly oppose the expansion of Israel's operations in Gaza, that Israel must do much more to protect civilians, that Palestinian territory must not be reduced nor subjected to any demographic change and that Israel must immediately lift its block on aid. Ministers have raised these issues with Israeli government counterparts, and we have made our position clear through joint statements with partners. On 13 May the UK, along with European partners, called an urgent session of the UN Security Council.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the barriers to employment faced by people with temporary immigration status under the Ukraine schemes.

I refer the Honourable Member to my answer given on 8 May 2025 to PQ UIN 49746.