From April 2027, integrated care boards (ICBs) will take on responsibility and accountability for commissioning vaccination services. This includes taking on responsibility for improving uptake towards the targets for vaccination coverage which are currently set out as key performance indicators in the National Health Service public health functions agreement 2026 to 2027. These targets will be maintained through delegation.

The NHS Oversight Framework provides a consistent approach to assessing how well providers and ICBs are delivering for patients and supporting improvement. Uptake of the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine and healthcare worker flu vaccine are included in the metrics used to assess ICB performance. The Department is continuing to develop the detail of our approach to oversight and accountability of the system as part of the transformation to merge NHS England into the Department.

Throughout this period and beyond we will continue to support new vaccination programmes with clear, time-bound delivery plans working with national partners, including the UK Health Security Agency, and partners throughout the system including, from April 2027, offices for pan-ICB commissioning and ICBs.

We will also continue to support commissioners to arrange high-quality vaccination services including supporting a strong core offer through general practice and school-age immunisation services as well as the arrangement of effective supplementary and targeted outreach services that drive uptake where needed and appropriate for population health needs.

The Government publishes statistics annually on Child Benefit which includes detail on the trends and explanations of take-up, including the implications from the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC), at: Child Benefit Statistics: annual release, August 2025 - GOV.UK

HMRC administers Child Benefit and regularly undertakes communications campaigns in press and social media to encourage people to claim. Last year, over 500,000 flyers were issued to new parents with a QR code that takes customers straight to the Child Benefit claim page on GOV.UK. HMRC also regularly runs communication campaigns and engages with partner organisations to remind families of the monetary and non-monetary benefits of claiming Child Benefit.

HMRC has also taken steps to simplify the administration of the HICBC and continues to keep these processes under review, while working to ensure that clear guidance is available so that eligible families can make informed decisions about claiming Child Benefit.

There are around 30 social tariff offers currently available to eligible consumers, however, Ofcom data shows that the take up remains relatively low: increasing from 380,000 households in September 2023 to 532,000 by June 2025. Due to an expansion in the number of eligible households, these figures represent 8.3% and 8.6% take up respectively as a proportion of eligible households.

In February 2026, the Government secured commitments from telecoms providers through the Telecoms Consumer Charter. These include ensuring social tariffs are easy to find and clearly signposted to eligible customers, alongside the Government's continued encouragement for more providers to offer social tariffs where they are able. Providers also commit to supporting all customers who are facing financial difficulty by offering practical support such as the ability to move to cheaper packages without charge or penalty or manageable payment plans.

Can the Secretary of State advise what steps will be taken and what funding provided to encourage young people to take up sport, drama and other activities when the social media ban comes into place?

Through the national youth strategy, we were absolutely horrified to find that a majority of young people in this country spend all, or almost all, of their free time alone in their bedrooms online. As part of the commitment to keep young people safe online and to get them out of their bedrooms and into the real world, we have been pleased to announce a significant uplift in funding for young people to ensure that we build the next generation of youth clubs and grassroots sports facilities, rebuild youth work and ensure that every young person has those opportunities in our country.

The Government is committed to ensuring that all pensioners receive the support to which they are entitled. That is why we have been running the biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign across the whole of Great Britain, promoting Pension Credit to eligible pensioners and their families. The campaign has featured advertising on television and radio, including Greatest Hits Radio, Classic FM, Smooth and Hits Radio Lincolnshire. The campaign has also featured in the national and local press, including advertorials in the Lincolnshire Echo, Grantham Journal, Lincolnshire Free Press, Spalding Guardian and the Stamford Mercury. Adverts have also appeared across social media and on digital screens in GP surgeries and Post Offices screens, including at 13 locations across Lincolnshire. The latest campaign burst launched in May 2026.

We are also using data to target potentially eligible households. For example, since February 2025 all new Housing Benefit claimants who may be eligible have been invited to apply for Pension Credit. We also conducted a trial with Age UK and Independent Age targeting 2,000 households in England, testing whether it is possible to identify potentially eligible households using HMRC and DWP data.

The Government is committed to ensuring that all pensioners receive the support to which they are entitled. That is why we have been running the biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign across Great Britain, promoting Pension Credit to eligible pensioners and their families. The campaign has featured advertising on television and radio, social media, digital screens in GP surgeries and Post Offices screens as well as in the national and local press. The latest campaign burst launched in May 2026.

We are also using data to target potentially eligible households. For example, since February 2025 all new Housing Benefit claimants who may be eligible have been invited to apply for Pension Credit. We also conducted a trial with Age UK and Independent Age targeting 2,000 households in England, testing whether it is possible to identify potentially eligible households using HMRC and DWP data.

The Government is committed to stabilising and improving the uptake and access of vaccines, including those that protect against meningitis, across all immunisation programmes. This includes expanding routes to access, such as community pharmacies, as set out in the NHS Vaccination Strategy and the 10-Year Health Plan for England.

General practices (GPs) continue to prioritise the timely delivery of the meningococcal B (MenB) vaccination programme to all eligible children. The school-aged immunisation services are commissioned to deliver a 100% offer of the meningococcal ACWY (MenACWY) vaccine to eligible children. GPs also offer the MenACWY vaccine to those who missed the school-aged offer up to the age of 25.

As part of the vaccination strategy, digital improvements are in place to support the offer of these vaccinations and the data flows to ensure accurate reporting. The roll out of Manage Vaccination In Schools (MAVIS) by NHS England is supporting the offer of vaccines, including MenACWY, to school-aged children by providing a digital platform to improve the consent gaining process, data capture and flow and which sends automated reminders to parents.

We are working to improve vaccine uptake by strengthening training and support to healthcare professionals who have a central role in communicating accurate information about vaccination to parents and teenagers to support informed consent. In addition, national communication campaigns use paid-for marketing, partnerships with charities and influencers, and local stakeholder engagement to raise awareness, address misconceptions and counter misinformation.

The NHS Breast Screening Programme is seeing improvement in uptake nationally with annual data from NHS England for 2024/25 showing 70.6% of women attending their appointment. However, there is much more to do.

NHS England recently published a review of national actions to improve uptake and next steps. This review details actions taken at a national level so far, such as working towards introducing digital options for sending out invitations and managing appointments, raising awareness of the importance of screening through the media, and facilitating learning and gathering evidence to inform programme policy, pathway changes, and guidance.

The review supports breast screening service providers with national solutions, as well as setting out the focus to drive uptake even further. The programme of work will continue to evolve, reflecting and learning from ongoing improvements to the programme, including from data intelligence and digital innovation. The review is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-the-uptake-challenge-a-review-of-progress-and-next-steps/tackling-the-uptake-challenge-a-review-of-progress-and-next-steps#national-actions-to-improve-uptake-and-next-steps

The Department for Work and Pensions treats its responsibilities under the Armed Forces Covenant very seriously and through a network of Armed Forces Champions in Jobcentres, for example, provides expert help and support, including help with benefits, to those veterans who need it most.

Information on the levels of Pension Credit take up by Military Veterans is not available.

The latest available Pension Credit take-up statistics cover the financial year 2023 to 2024 and are available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2024 - GOV.UK.